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Fulltext Prototyping digital tongue diagnosis system on Roborealm and Raspberry-Pi

Muhamad Hafiq Subandi, Nur Diyana Kamarudin, Muhammad Azrae Yusof, Azrena Abu Bakar

ZULFAQAR International Journal of Defence Science, Engineering & Technology, 2019;2(1):24-33.
MyJurnal

In Oriental Medicine, the examination of tongue body contributes to rich information in diagnosing some diseases. The practitioners use tongue body colour and other relevant features to predict the patient’s conditions and disease-oriented state. To reduce the ambiguity and other limitation caused by environment, an automatic tongue acquisition system has been introduced recently to assist the medical practitioner in daily clinical practices. However, most of these acquisition systems are not equipped with the intelligent decision support system to diagnose certain diseases using informative tongue bio-markers. In this paper, automatic tongue diagnosis prototype on Raspberry-pi is proposed to reduce human labour and to promote portability. To integrate with Internet of Things (IOT) technology, tongue image processing analysis including segmentation and colour classification techniques using k-means and Support Vector Machine (SVM) is executed on Raspberry-Pi that is equipped with High Definition (HD) camera via MATLAB Coder platform. This high definition camera will capture the real time image of a patient’s tongue to be segmented and analysed further. It is expected to provide health information that can be used as a pre-diagnosis system based on Oriental Medicine perspectives.
Fulltext Evaluation of root debridement skill in periodontology module

Erni Noor, Al-Bayaty, Fouad Hussain, Muhammad Qadri Bin Mohd Shukri, Mohamad Syahir Bin Zulkiflee

Compendium of Oral Science, 2019;6(1):15-25.
MyJurnal

Objective: To evaluate the root debridement skill in periodontology pre-clinical module among dental students and to estimate the effectiveness of conducting periodontology pre-clinical module before entering clinical module. Materials and Method: : A total of 47 pre-clinical dental students (Year 2) were included in this study. Single rooted extracted teeth were collected, mounted on acrylic resin and set into the level of 1/3 of the root length. Each of them were instructed to prepare a mounted teeth and to perform root debridement procedure on the labial surface of the tooth only within 10 minutes using Gracey curette #5/6. The similar samples were distributed back to the same students (which were already in clinical year (year 4) to repeat the same procedure on the lingual surface of the same tooth. Root surface roughness was evaluated by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and profilometer for both labial and lingual surfaces. Statistical analysis was done using Mann-Whitney U test and T-test. Significance level of p ≤ 0.05 was assumed for all analysis. Results: SEM photomicrographs of root surfaces with magnifications of 100x and 800x revealed that there were incomplete removal of the dental calculus in both surfaces and significant roughness root surfaces noted. Conclusion: : No significant differences noted between the students’ root debridement skill in the pre-clinical and also clinical year. Objectives of the current module were fulfilled but in order to meet the highest standard, current module need to be improved in the future.
Fulltext Parental experience and use of probiotics among children aged twelve months and above

Muhammad Kashif Munir, Sana Rehman, Samina Khaliq, Hajra Azhar, Iqra Riaz, Atif Amin Baig

Asian Journal of Medicine and Biomedicine, 2019;3(1):9-14.
MyJurnal

Probiotics are the food products containing live microorganisms which when up-taken in sufficient quantities, converse health benefits to consumers. This study was aimed to find parental awareness, level of utilization, assessment of their experiences and sentiments about probiotics among their children.This descriptive study was undertaken in King Edward Medical University Lahore during July 2017 to January 2018. A total of 127 questionnaires were successfully completed comprising 45 (35.5%) from health care staff, 52 (40.9%) from parents visiting pediatric outpatients and 30 (23.6%) from school teachers. Maternal parent remained predominant in this study as there were 109 (85.8%) female and 18(14.2%) male respondents. Only 20(15.7%) were familiar with the term probiotics, 49 (38.6%) were somewhat familiar while 58 (45.6%) had no idea about term. On pursuing about preferences regarding probiotics use majority 106/127 (83.5%) of parents like to available in liquid as it is easy to consume for children. Use of probiotics among children is not very much common however it is been prescribed for number of gastrointestinal problems. Only a limited class of people is familiar with health benefits probiotics. Around 20% users do not know about the organism present in specific probiotic is also of astonishing. Due to different social set up health care providers and family physicians must discuss about the dietary supplements in terms of potential risks and benefits
Fulltext Changes in hamstring eccentric peak torques and angles of peak torque following 90 minutes of soccer specific exertions

Muhammad Hamdan, Ang, Geik Yong, Raihana Sharir, Kian, Yeo Wee, Raja Mohammed Firhad Raja Azidin

Movement Health & Exercise, 2020;9(2):85-100.
MyJurnal

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a ball-oriented soccer match-play simulation on the hamstrings eccentric torque production. Seven male recreational athletes volunteered for this study. Participants completed 90- minutes of the ball-oriented soccer simulation interceded by a 15-minute half time interval with five successful trials of hamstrings eccentric contractions on an isokinetic dynamometer at selected time points throughout the simulation. A 2 (limb: dominant; non-dominant) × 4 (time: 0 min; 45 min; 60 min; 105 min) “split-plots” analysis of variance (SPANOVA) revealed significant reductions in hamstrings eccentric peak torques over time, while no significant change was apparent in hamstrings eccentric angles of peak torque. There was also no interaction effect of limb dominance over time for both peak torque and angles of peak torque parameters. The observed changes suggest that exertions from a ball-oriented soccer match-play simulation may have detrimental effects on the hamstrings eccentric strength parameters thus may increase risk of ACL injury. High variabilities in angles of peak torques were also observed in this study. Future exploration is warranted in order to address the extent of variabilities that may be present in larger sample sizes thus providing a better understanding of the influence of these variabilities on the muscular strength parameters of ACL injury risk. The findings suggest firstly, that fatigue from soccer-specific exertions during match-play may increase an athlete’s susceptibility to ACL injury, and secondly, that with accumulating fatigue, the nondominant limb may be equally at risk of injury as the dominant limb, contradicting previous findings from epidemiological studies.
Fulltext Gc-ms screening of metabolites and antioxidant properties in four variants of Solanum Lycopersicum (tomato)

Nadzirah Md Yusop, Nadiah Ishak, Nurul Farhana Ramlee, Zuraida Hanim Zaini, Muhammad Zhafir Hishammudin, Nazariyah Yahaya

Journal of Engineering and Health Sciences, 2020;4(1):61-82.
MyJurnal

Consumption of Solanum lycopersicum or known as tomato has been associated
with the decreased risk of some cancer types. Epidemiological findings confirmed
the observed health effects due to the presence of varied antioxidants in tomato.
This is due to variations of antioxidants presence in tomatoes. Therefore, it is
important to know which types of tomatoes species contain the highest number
of antioxidants and antioxidant activity. In this study, antioxidant content and
antioxidant activity of four tomato variants was studied. The objectives of this
research was to screen for metabolites and to compare number of metabolites by
using two different extraction method. A comparison of the antioxidant activity
and total phenolic content between four tomato variants was conducted based on
the results. Tomatoes that are used in this study includes tomato, truss tomato,
yellow cherry tomato and red cherry tomato. These tomatoes were subjected to
metabolite extraction using two different solvents which is methanol and
methanol-chloroform. Following that, screening of metabolites were performed
using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) and metabolites were
detected and analysed. The total antioxidant activity of the tomatoes was
measured using 2,2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing
power (FRAP) assays. The Total Phenolic Content (TPC) was determined
spectrophotometrically according to the Folin-Ciocalteau procedure. The number
of metabolites detected using GCMS are higher in methanol-chloroform extract
as compared to methanol extract. Methanolic extracts of all four tomatoes were
shown to have free radical scavenging activity. However, red cherry tomato
showed to have the highest antioxidant activity with IC50 value of 1.7 mg/ml,
followed by truss tomato with IC50 2.1 mg/ml, yellow cherry tomato with IC50 4.0
mg/ml and finally tomato with IC50 5.6 mg/ml. The highest value of FRAP in
Gallic Acid Equivalent was 4.3 mg/g in red cherry tomato, followed by 3.8 mg/g
in truss tomato, 2.9 mg/g in yellow cherry tomato and 2.4 mg/g in tomato. The
total phenolic content ranges from 0.44 to 3.73 mg/ml. In conclusion, red cherry
tomato shown to have the highest total phenolic content and antioxidant activity
compared to the other three variants. The findings of this research provide some
valuable information to consumers when choosing the best type of tomatoes for
good wellbeing and as well to set the basis of future research.
Fulltext Hypermethylation analysis of p16 and p15 promoters in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients and normal individuals.

Amira M, Sarina S, Azlan H, Muhammad Farid J, Chang KM

IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia, 2019;18(1):35-43.
MyJurnal

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL) is a common type of leukaemia in persons of predominantly European descent but is rare in the Asian population. Disparities in CLL incidence among people of Asian and European descent may be related to the genetic make-up of the two different populations. Hypermethylation event might be one of the silencing mechanisms that inactivate the tumour suppressor genes in CLL. The aim of this study was to determine the hypermethylation status of p16INK4aand p15INK4bamong CLL patients and normal individuals. Materials & Methods: A total of 25 CLL patients and 25 normal individuals were recruited for this study and their genomic DNA were extracted from the peripheral blood. The hypermethylation status of p16INK4aand p15INK4bweredetermined using Methylation Specific-PCR (MS-PCR) whereas DNA sequencing method was applied to selected samples for validation of the MS-PCR results. We also evaluated the association between hypermethylation of these genes with the clinical and demographic characteristics of each group of subjects. Results: Among the CLL patients, p15INK4bpartial-methylation occurred in 6 (24%) subjects while methylation occurred in 1 (4%) subject. All the remaining patients were unmethylated at p15INK4b. All the samples showed unmethylation at p16INK4a. Statistically significant associations were found between p15INK4bhypermethylation with the presence of CLL (p=0.01) and with race (p=0.02). Conclusion: Further study using a larger sample size is warranted to explore the significance of DNA methylation incidenceamong the CLL patients of the Malaysian population. Hence, we suggest that hypermethylation at p15INK4bhas a huge influence that kick-starts CLL disease among Malaysians and MS-PCR technique is applicable to be used in methylation study.
Fulltext Bicarbonate Therapy in Renally Compromised Critically Ill Patients with Metabolic Acidosis: Study of Clinical Outcomes and Mortality Rate

Rafique Z, Tariq MH, Khan AU, Farrukh MJ, Khan N, Burki AM, et al.

Int J Gen Med, 2021;14:2817-2826.
PMID: 34194241 DOI: 10.2147/IJGM.S296095

Background: Metabolic acidosis is the most frequent medical condition occurring in critically ill renally compromised patients. This study was aimed to determine clinical outcomes of bicarbonate therapy in renally compromised critically ill patients having metabolic acidosis.
Methods: A prospective longitudinal cohort study was undertaken in three military hospitals in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. All patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria who were admitted to the ICU of any of the three study hospitals from July 2019 to March 2020 were studied for clinical outcomes of bicarbonate therapy using an evidence-based clinical checklist. Outcome measures include changes in blood pH, serum potassium, and sodium levels, blood pressure and weight, along with other clinically significant laboratory parameters.
Results: Eighty-one patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were evaluated. The mean age of the patients was 55.61±19.5 years, while the mean weight was 63.43±14.19 Kg. A mortality rate of 45.7% was observed. Disease-related complications including hypoxia, cardiac failure, multiple organ failure, elevated blood pressure, and ischemic heart disease (IHD) were found to be associated with a higher mortality rate (P<0.005). Whereas using Fisher's exact test, concomitant administration of sodium chloride, along with bicarbonate therapy was associated with a low mortality rate and had no significant impact on sodium loading or weight gain. Moreover, various drug-drug interactions were found to be associated with a higher mortality rate (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Bicarbonate therapy was not found to affect the mortality rate in critically ill renally compromised patients with metabolic acidosis.
Fulltext The effects of ficus caricafruit on bone markers and oestrogen level of post-menopausal osteoporotic rats.

Norfarah Izzaty R, Nur Adlina M,, Mohd Dzulkhairi MR, Muhammad Shamsir MA,, Nadia ME

IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia, 2019;18(1):97-104.
MyJurnal

Post-menopausal osteoporosis is the most common type of osteoporosis, which occurs due to a deficiency of oestrogen following menopause. Considering the adverse effects of oestrogen replacement therapy, natural products may serve to replace the current conventional treatment. Ficus carica (FC) which is commonly known as fig may have a potential in treating post-menopausal osteoporosis due to their abundance of important minerals and bioactive compounds such as phenolic, flavonoid and anthocyanins. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of FC on bone metabolism of ovariectomized rats. Materials and Methods:Fifty-six female Spraque-Dawley rats were randomly divided into seven groups; SHAM operated (SHAM), ovariectomized control (OVX), ovariectomized + 64.5 μg/kg oestrogen (ERT), ovariectomized + 50 mg/kg aqueous extract of FC(AQ50), ovariectomized + 100 mg/kg aqueous extract of FC (AQ100), ovariectomized + 50 mg/kg raw FC (RW50), and ovariectomized + 100 mg/kg raw FC (RW100). After eight weeks of treatments, rats were euthanized and femurs were dissected out to measure bone osteocalcin, C-telopeptide of type 1 collagen and bone estrogen level. Results:RW50 and RW100 showed an increasing trend in osteocalcin levels and also oestrogen level, but no significant difference between all groups. RW50 and RW100 also showed significantly reduced C-telopeptide of type 1 collagen levels compared to OVX group. Conclusion:These findings suggested that raw FC at the doses of 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg have potential to improve bone in treating post-menopausal osteoporosis. However, this need to be confirmed with higher doses.
Fulltext Evaluation of high resolution melting technique for detection of jak2-v617f mutation in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimen from myeloproliferative neoplasm cases.

Mohammad Reza Abdullahi, Nor Zamzila Abdullah, Naznin Muhammad, Norlela-wati A. Talib

IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia, 2019;18(2):95-101.
MyJurnal

Myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) is a group of myeloid disorders which leads to erythrocytosis, thrombocytosis and leucocytosis. MPN with BCR-ABL positive is chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) while BCR-ABL negative MPN includes polycythaemia Vera (PV), essential thrombocytemia (ET) and primary myelofibrosis (PMF). One of the major criteria for diagnosis of BCR-ABL negative MPN is the presence of JAK2-V617F mutation which is positive in 95% of PV and around 60% of ET and MF. Beside peripheral blood specimen, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) marrow specimen can be used for detection of this mutation. Unfortunately, FFPE produces low quality DNA that put a challenge for successful amplification of DNA. We aimed to evaluate the utility of High Resolution Melting (HRM) analysis for detection of JAK2-V617F mutation in FFPE specimen from MPN cases. Materials andMethods:This study is a descriptive cross-sectional study. Forty FFPE marrow specimens were retrieved from the years 2014-2016. Bio-Rad Precision Melt Analysis software was used for analysis of HRM data. Allele-specific PCR was done for validation of results. Positive samples were subjected to Sanger sequencing. Results:JAK2-V617F mutation was positive in 13 out of 40 MPN cases. Level of agreement between HRM and AS-PCR was 97.5%. Conclusion:HRM is a rapid and powerful diagnostic assay which is suitable for detection of JAK2-V617F mutation in FFPE marrow specimen.
Fulltext In-vitro study: camp overshoot caused by chronic morphine alleviated by the synergistic combination of zamzam water and methadone in human primary glioblastoma cell line (u-87 mg).

Shariff Halim, Ridzuan PM, Nasir Mohamad, Nur Husna Zakaria, Nur Atikah Muhammad

IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia, 2019;18(2):47-52.
MyJurnal

Zamzam water is blessed water originated from Mecca and is believed by Muslims to have the ability to cure illness. This ability to cure illness is due to the fact that zamzam water has higher concentration of minerals especially sodium, calcium and magnesium which play a vital role. Sodium is reported to be involved in the regulation of the Mu-Opioid Receptor, which indirectly leads to the production of cAMP. Hence, this current study was carried out to investigate the synergistic effects of zamzam water and methadone combination on cAMP levels in human primary glioblastoma cell line (U-87 MG) after chronic morphine administration. Materials and Methods:The time course and concentration of morphine on U-87 MG cell line was determined. The U-87 MG cell line was incubated with morphine (25 μL/mL) for 24h, to make the cell dependent on morphine and later treated with different combinations of 3.2 mL of zamzam water and methadone (5, 10, 25 μL/mL). The levels of cAMP was determined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Results:The result revealed that 3.2 mL of zamzam water incubated with 10 μl/mL of methadone significantly prevented the overshoot production of cAMP level (p
Fulltext Improved Ablative Properties of Nanodiamond-Reinforced Carbon Fiber-Epoxy Matrix Composites

Farooq U, Ali MU, Hussain SJ, Ahmad MS, Zafar A, Ghafoor U, et al.

Polymers (Basel), 2021 Jun 22;13(13).
PMID: 34206302 DOI: 10.3390/polym13132035

The influence of nanodiamonds (NDs) on the thermal and ablative performance of carbon-fiber-reinforced-epoxy matrix compositeswas explored. The ablative response of the composites with 0.2 wt% and 0.4 wt% NDs was studied through pre-and post-burning morphologies of the composite surfaces by evaluation of temperature profiles, weight loss, and erosion rate. Composites containing 0.2 wt% NDs displayed a 10.5% rise in erosion resistance, whereas composites containing 0.4 wt% NDs exhibited a 12.6% enhancement in erosion resistance compared to neat carbon fiber-epoxy composites. A similar trend was witnessed in the thermal conductivity of composites. Incorporation of composites with 0.2 wt% and 0.4 wt% NDs brought about an increase of 37 wt% and 52 wt%, respectively. The current study is valuable for the employment of NDs in carbon fiber composite applications where improved erosion resistance is necessary.
Fulltext Understanding Hyaluronan Receptor (CD44) Interaction, HA-CD44 Activated Potential Targets in Cancer Therapeutics

Chaudhry GE, Akim A, Naveed Zafar M, Safdar N, Sung YY, Muhammad TST

Adv Pharm Bull, 2021 May;11(3):426-438.
PMID: 34513617 DOI: 10.34172/apb.2021.050

Cancer is a complex mechanism involving a series of cellular events. The glycoproteins such as hyaluronan (HA) are a significant element of extracellular matrix (ECM), involve in the onset of cancer developmental process. The pivotal roles of HA in cancer progression depend on dysregulated expression in various cancer. HA, also gain attention due to consideration as a primary ligand of CD44 receptor. The CD44, complex transmembrane receptor protein, due to alternative splicing in the transcription process, various CD44 isoforms predominantly exist. The overexpression of distinct CD44 isoforms (CD44v) standard (CD44s) depends on the tumour type and stage. The receptor proteins, CD44 engage in a variety of biological processes, including cell growth, apoptosis, migration, and angiogenesis. HA-CD44 interaction trigger survival pathways that result in cell proliferation, invasion ultimately complex metastasis. The interaction and binding of ligand-receptor HA-CD44 regulate the downstream cytoskeleton pathways involve in cell survival or cell death. Thus, targeting HA, CD44 (variant and standard) isoform, and HA-CD44 binding consider as an attractive and useful approach towards cancer therapeutics. The use of various inhibitors of HA, hyaluronidases (HYALs), and utilizing targeted Nano-delivery of anticancer agents and antibodies against CD44, peptides gives promising results in vitro and in vivo. However, they are in clinical trials with favourable and unfavourable outcomes, which reflects the need for various modifications in targeting agents and a better understanding of potential targets in tumour progression pathways.
A step toward reducing air pollution in top Asian economies: The role of green energy, eco-innovation, and environmental taxes

Chien F, Sadiq M, Nawaz MA, Hussain MS, Tran TD, Le Thanh T

J Environ Manage, 2021 Nov 01;297:113420.
PMID: 34333309 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113420

Environmental degradation is significantly studied both in the past and the current literature; however, steps towards reducing the environmental pollution in carbon emission and haze pollution like PM2.5 are not under rational attention. This study tries to cover this gap while considering the carbon emission and PM2.5 through observing the role of renewable energy, non-renewable energy, environmental taxes, and ecological innovation for the top Asian economies from 1990 to 2017. For analysis purposes, this research considers cross-sectional dependence analysis, unit root test with and without structural break (Pesaran, 2007), slope heterogeneity analysis, Westerlund and Edgerton (2008) panel cointegration analysis, Banerjee and Carrion-i-Silvestre (2017) cointegration analysis, long-short run CS-ARDL results, as well as AMG and CCEMG for robustness check. The empirical evidence in both the short- and long-run has confirmed the negative and significant effect of renewable energy sources, ecological innovation, and environmental taxes on carbon emissions and PM2.5. Whereas, non-renewable energy sources are causing environmental degradation in the targeted economies. Finally, various policy implications related to carbon emission and haze pollution like PM2.5 are also provided to control their harmful effect on the natural environment.
Synergetic effect of safety culture and safety climate on safety performance in SMEs: does transformation leadership have a moderating role?

Asad M, Kashif M, Sheikh UA, Asif MU, George S, Khan GUH

Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2021 Sep 07.
PMID: 34126869 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2021.1942657

Objectives. In developing countries, health and safety is not given importance especially in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Incidents in health and safety are continuously increasing. The major reason is a lack of workplace safety culture. Secondly, enterprises lack resources, therefore it becomes hard for them to provide safety climate. Along with safety climate and safety culture, the behavior of leadership plays a significant role toward safety performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the moderating role of leadership for gaining safety performance through safety culture and safety climate. Methods. For the said purpose, the authors collected data from laborers and managers. A structured questionnaire was adopted and, after ensuring the reliability, structural equation modeling was applied. Results. The findings revealed that safety culture and safety climate both have a significant impact over safety performance; however, transformational leadership only moderates the relationship between safety culture and safety performance. Conclusions. Identification of the moderating role of transformational leadership is a significant contribution in social cognitive theory. Future researchers are also guided to identify the same link for large industries of developing countries.
Fulltext Clitorienolactones and Isoflavonoids of Clitorea ternatea Roots Alleviate Stress-Like Symptoms in a Reserpine-Induced Zebrafish Model

Ngadni MA, Akhtar MT, Ismail IS, Norazhar AI, Lee SY, Maulidiani M, et al.

Molecules, 2021 Jul 07;26(14).
PMID: 34299411 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26144137

Clitorea ternatea has been used in Ayurvedic medicine as a brain stimulant to treat mental illnesses and mental functional disorders. In this study, the metabolite profiles of crude C. ternatea root extract (CTRE), ethyl acetate (EA), and 50% aqueous methanol (50% MeOH) fractions were investigated using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-DAD-MS/MS), while their effect on the stress-like behavior of zebrafish, pharmacologically induced with reserpine, was investigated. A total of 32 compounds were putatively identified, among which, a series of norneolignans, clitorienolactones, and various flavonoids (flavone, flavonol, isoflavone, and isoflavanone) was found to comprise the major constituents, particularly in the EA and 50% MeOH fractions. The clitorienolactones, presently unique to the species, were present in both the free and glycosylated forms in the roots. Both the EA and 50% MeOH fractions displayed moderate effects on the stress-induced zebrafish model, significantly decreasing freezing duration and elevating the total distance travelled and average velocity, 72 h post-treatment. The results of the present study provide further evidence that the basis for the use of C. ternatea roots in traditional medicine to alleviate brain-related conditions, such as stress and depression, is attributable to the presence of clitorienolactones and the isoflavonoidal constituents.
The applicability of using a protease extracted from cashew fruits (Anacardium occidentale), as possible meat tenderizer: An experimental design approach

Ahmad MN, Shuhaimen MS, Normaya E, Omar MN, Iqbal A, Ku Bulat KH

J Texture Stud, 2020 10;51(5):810-829.
PMID: 32401337 DOI: 10.1111/jtxs.12529

Meat tenderness is one of the most important organoleptic properties in determining consumer acceptance in meat product marketability. Therefore, an effective meat tenderization method is sought after by exploring plant-derived proteolytic enzymes as meat tenderizer. In this study, a novel protease from Cashew was identified as a new alternative halal meat tenderizer. The extraction of cashew protease was optimized using response surface methodology (R2 = 0.9803) by varying pH, CaCl2 concentration, mixing time, and mass. pH 6.34, 7.92 mM CaCl2 concentration, 5.51 min mixing time, and 19.24 g sample mass were the optimal extraction conditions. There was no significant difference (n = 3; p
Fulltext The Efficacy of Little Lovely Dentist, Dental Song, and Tell-Show-Do Techniques in Alleviating Dental Anxiety in Paediatric Patients: A Clinical Trial

Abbasi H, Saqib M, Jouhar R, Lal A, Ahmed N, Ahmed MA, et al.

Biomed Res Int, 2021;2021:1119710.
PMID: 34124238 DOI: 10.1155/2021/1119710

Introduction: Dental anxiety is a common occurrence in patients undergoing dental treatments, especially in children. The success in paedriatric dental treatments and patient comfort depends on controlling the level of patient's anxiety in clinical settings. This study is aimed at evaluating the efficacy of different techniques applied for the reduction of dental anxiety in paediatric patients. Material and Methods. One hundred and sixty participants were divided into 4 groups; each group having 40 patients as follows: group I: mobile application "little lovely dentist," group II: YouTube® "dental video songs," group III "tell-show-do," and group IV "control." Dental prophylaxis treatments were provided to all the participants. Initial anxiety levels were noted during the patient's education phase by measuring heart rate with pulse oximeter and distress level with facial image scale, at the same time in each group, respectively. The postoperative anxiety was noted later with the same methods, after the application of anxiety reduction techniques. The data obtained were entered in the statistical package for the social sciences software, version 25. One-way ANOVA and paired t-test for matched groups were used to compare mean values of the 4 groups, in this study to determine their effectiveness. A p value of ≤0.05 was considered as statistically significant.
Results: The mean age of patients in group 1 was 6.8 ± 2.1 years, group 2: 8.15 ± 2.27 years, group 3: 7.5 ± 2.3 years, and group 4: 7.27 ± 1.68 years. The intragroup comparisons of heart rate and facial image scores have shown a significant difference in before and after dental treatment procedures. Marked reduction in heart rate and facial image scale scores were found in patients belonging to group 1 (mobile applications) and group 2 (dental video songs). An increase in heart rate and facial image scale scores was seen in group 3 (tell-show-do) and the control group.
Conclusion: The paediatric dental anxiety is a common finding in dental clinics. Behavior modification techniques like smartphone applications, "little lovely dentist," and "dental songs" can alleviate dental anxiety experienced by paediatric patients. The "tell-show-do" technique although most commonly used did not prove to be beneficial in the reduction of the anxiety levels.
Factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and acceptance among the Pakistani population

Chaudhary FA, Ahmad B, Khalid MD, Fazal A, Javaid MM, Butt DQ

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2021 Oct 03;17(10):3365-3370.
PMID: 34236952 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1944743

This study examined the factors associated with acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine compared to hesitance in the Pakistani population and specifically focusing on the perceived beliefs, knowledge, concerns, risk, and safety perception relating to the COVID-19 vaccine. A total of 423 subjects were recruited from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan. A 27-item valid and reliable questionnaire was used to assess socio-demographic characteristics, acceptance, and hesitance toward COVID-19 vaccine, perceived beliefs, knowledge, perceived concerns, risk, and safety of COVID-19 vaccines and its source of information. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were used for analysis. About 53% of the participants were planning to get vaccinated and a significantly greater proportion of better educated, higher income, and healthier participants in the vaccine acceptance group (p
Fulltext Analytical cryptanalysis upon N = p2q utilizing Jochemsz-May strategy

Adenan NNH, Kamel Ariffin MR, Yunos F, Sapar SH, Asbullah MA

PLoS One, 2021;16(3):e0248888.
PMID: 33760865 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248888

This paper presents a cryptanalytic approach on the variants of the RSA which utilizes the modulus N = p2q where p and q are balanced large primes. Suppose [Formula: see text] satisfying gcd(e, ϕ(N)) = 1 where ϕ(N) = p(p - 1)(q - 1) and d < Nδ be its multiplicative inverse. From ed - kϕ(N) = 1, by utilizing the extended strategy of Jochemsz and May, our attack works when the primes share a known amount of Least Significant Bits(LSBs). This is achievable since we obtain the small roots of our specially constructed integer polynomial which leads to the factorization of N. More specifically we show that N can be factored when the bound [Formula: see text]. Our attack enhances the bound of some former attacks upon N = p2q.
Fulltext Hubungan di antara amalan kebersihan diri pengendali makanan dan kebersihan kafetaria di kolej kediaman UKM

Sino, Hukil, Zurina Mahadi, Hasnah Haron, Muhammad Aizat Misrin, Nurul’izzah Ismail, Mohd Hasamizi Mustapa

Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia, 2013;11(1):1-8.
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Kajian kes ini dilakukan untuk mengenal pasti tahap kebersihan diri pengendali makanan dan kebersihan kafetaria di kolej kediaman Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Seramai 75 responden telah terlibat. Data demografi menunjukkan terdapat responden yang tidak mendapat suntikan demam kepialu (32%) dan tidak mempuyai sijil kursus pengendali makanan (49.3%). Selain itu, lebih separuh bilangan responden adalah bukan warganegara (50.73%). Dapatan berkaitan amalan kebersihan diri menunjukkan 7 item mempunyai peratusan yang agak baik (70.3% – 87.5%) manakala 7 item yang lain mempunyai peratusan kurang baik (26.4% – 68%). Kajian juga menunjukkan terdapat 12 item berkaitan kebersihan kafetaria yang dipatuhi dan 9 item yang tidak dipatuhi daripada 21 item yang dinilai. Ujian statistik menunjukkan wujud perbezaan yang signifikan (U = 472, p = 0.01) antara pengendali makanan yang warganegara dan bukan warganegara di mana warganegara mempunyai amalan kebersihan diri yang lebih baik berbanding bukan warganegara. Dapatan kajian juga menunjukkan wujud hubungan yang positif dan signifikan di antara kebersihan diri dan kebersihan kafetaria (χ2 = 6.432, p = 0.011). Walau bagaimanapun, kekuatan hubungannya adalah sederhana (Φ = 0.29). Kesimpulannya, pengendali makanan yang warganegara mempunyai amalan kebersihan diri yang baik dan akan menjana suasana persekitaran kafetaria yang bersih.

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