Displaying publications 121 - 140 of 652 in total

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  1. Chin AB, Sepehr Talebian, Umma Habiba, Amalina M. Afifi
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:29-34.
    In this study, the effect of hydrolysis on electrospinnability of chitosan/PVA blend solution has been investigated. Since crude chitosan (Mw=8.96105 g/mole, DD=40%) could not be dissolved even in concentrated acetic acid, it was hydrolyzed with 33.5 wt. % of NaOH at 90°C for 24 and 42 h. Hydrolyzed chitosan with two different time duration was analyzed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). Morphology of the product nanofiber was investigated by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM.). FTIR results showed that the hydrolysis did not destroy the molecular backbone of chitosan but increased the degree of deacetylation from 40 to 84% and 92% for 24 and 42 h hydrolysis time, respectively. FESEM image analysis was carried out and histogram was drawn to study on the distribution of fiber diameter. It showed that though the composition of chitosan/PVA remained the same, but mean fiber diameter, standard deviation and required applied voltage for electrospinning was smaller for the solution containing maximum time hydrolyzed chitosan. It indicated that longer hydrolysis time resulted in finer nanofiber which mostly attributed to lower required voltage for electrospinning. Threshold composition for defect free fiber is 50:50 and 60:40 of chitosan/PVA for 24 and 42 h hydrolysis, respectively. It meant that 42 h hydrolysis ensured the presence of more chitosan in the chitosan/PVA polymer blend because of smaller presence of amino group in chitosan molecule.
  2. Ang B, Amalina M, Bong C, Ahmad N
    Sains Malaysiana, 2018;47:157-168.
    Nanosilver particles (NSPs) were produced by the reduction of silver nitrate using glucose as reducer, poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) as stabilizer and sodium hydroxide as reaction enhancer. Two parameters were investigated which are silver nitrate concentration (0.1 M, 0.5 M and 1.0 M) and reaction temperature (60°C and 80°C). Through spectral analysis using ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer (UV-vis), all the samples recorded the maximum peak in the range of 384-411 nm which verified the formation of NSPs. TEM images showed the nanoparticles have spherical shape with the size range of 25-39 nm. Particle size and zeta potential analysis recorded the hydrodynamic size of nanoparticles in the range of 85-105 nm and the zeta potential ranging from -25 to -30 mV, under the pH value of 8. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the NSPs have face center cubic (FCC) structure. All the produced NSPs surprisingly showed ferromagnetic-like behaviour based on the magnetization curves. FTIR result confirmed the presence of poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) on the NSPs surface. Furthermore, at the reaction temperature 60°C, the crystallite size, physical size as well as hydrodynamic size increased as the precursor concentration increased from 0.1 M to 0.5 M. However, as the precursor concentration further increases to 1.0 M, the size become smaller due to incomplete reduction process. In contrast, at 80°C, the sizes was gradually increased as the precursor concentration increases up to 1.0 M. In terms of controlled precursor concentration, the crystallite size and physical size become smaller as the temperature increases.
  3. Tin, Ang Gaik, Mohamad Zailani Abu Bakar, Chen, Cheah Mooi
    MyJurnal
    The present investigation deals with the development of ethanol-vapour-sensing materials coated with the semiconducting oxide TiO2. Thick films of anatase TiO2 were deposited using the sol-gel dip-coating technique on alumina substrates by conventional alkoxide sol and modified sol added with Degussa P-25 as the sensing medium. It was shown that crystallised TiO2 anatase was obtained at the annealing temperature of 500oC. The fabricated TiO2 sensors exhibited highest sensitivity at the sensing temperature of 350 ºC. Sensitivity towards the ethanol vapour was further increased with UV light effect. The enhancement of the sensitivity of the modified catalytic pellet can be explained by the crystallite of anatase TiO2 and the effect of the photocatalytic of TiO2. The high sensitivity of the TiO2 film deposited with modified sol revealed that the modified sol could be a new alternative in the development of a TiO2 ethanol sensor.
  4. Woo, P.F., Yim, H.S., Khoo, H.E., Sia, C.M., Ang, Y.K.
    MyJurnal
    This study investigated the effects of different percentages of ethanol (0 - 100%), extraction times (1 - 5 h) and temperatures (25 - 60°C) on total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (AA) of sapodilla pulp and peel. TPC was determined by Folin-Ciocalteu reagent method, while AA was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, 2,2-azino-bis-(3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging assay, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay and β-carotene bleaching (BCB) assay. Based on the optimal extraction conditions used, sapodilla pulp extract had TPC of 3.89 mg GAE/g, 63.20% of DPPH scavenging activity, 4.30% of ABTS scavenging activity, 19.17% of BCB activity, and FRAP value of 15.24 mg TE/g; while its peel extract had TPC of 9.23 mg GAE/g, 92.95% of DPPH scavenging activity, 5.36% of ABTS scavenging activity, 8.14% of BCB activity, and 27.85 mg TE/g (FRAP value). Using the optimal extraction conditions for sapodilla pulp (40% ethanol as extraction solvent that extracted at 60°C for 4 h) and sapodilla peel (80% ethanol and 2 h extraction time at 40°C), highest antioxidants can be extracted from the pulp and peel.
  5. Marhani, M., Ruzanna, Z., Raynuha, M., Ang, J.K.
    MyJurnal
    Living with borderline personality disorder (BPD) involves a lot of emotional suffering which may be hidden behind the complex and controversial nature of the condition and treatment. The condition is still largely under-diagnosed, undertreated and stigmatized. This paper described the emotional battle faced by a patient living with the disorder and the application of psychosocial treatments in helping her to recover.
  6. Rozhan, S., Jamsiah, M., Rahimah, A., Ang, K.T.
    MyJurnal
    Background: The COMBI concept is a novel approach by the WHO to control communicable diseases which are influenced by community behaviour. The Ministry of Health is currently evaluating its use against dengue in selected areas throughout Malaysia. COMBI doctrine differs from previous dengue campaigns. It acknowledges that the factors contributing to dengue proliferation may differ between areas. Factors for a given area are analysed, then a single precise behavioural goal to overcome those problems is formulated. To inculcate this behavioural change, the target community is subjected to an intensive campaign using Integrated Marketing Communication techniques adapted from the advertisingindustry, particularly involving volunteers from the community itself.
    Methodology: In Selangor the pilot project was implemented in Section 3 and Section 4 of Bandar Baru Bangi, in the district of Hulu Langat. Here, Aedes breeding was found to occur mainly in water containers of semi permanent nature (eg. ‘kolah’, aquatic plant jars, flower pot bases etc). A total of 172 volunteers were recruited to disperse the message of “Suluh – Suluh, Basuh - Basuh” whilst distributing leaflets and flashlights to 2666 homes. Residents were instructed to illuminate such water containers twice weekly and scrub any containers found to contain larvae. The program commenced on 23/5/2004 and lasted 16 weeks.
    Results : During this period, the initial Aedes Index of 5 was reduced to 0.96 while combined cases of Dengue Fever / Dengue Haemorraghic Fever in Sections 3 and 4 reported to the Hulu Langat District Health Office also dropped to 1 (unconfirmed).
    Conclusion : The COMBI approach in Hulu Langat successfully demonstrated that correct problem identification synergized with community engagement can potentially reduce Aedes proliferationand dengue morbidity.
  7. Ewe, T.W., Ang, H.L., Chee, E.K., Ng, W.M.
    Malays Orthop J, 2009;3(2):24-28.
    MyJurnal
    Current available implants for total knee replacement are based on the mormphometry of the Caucasian knee. We believe there are significant morphometric differences in the Asian knee that will be relevant in future implant designs. Sixty-nine consecutive patients (80 knees) underwent computer navigated primary total knee arthroplasty. The anterior-posterior (AP) length, and the medial-lateral (ML) width of the distal femur, were analyzed, with respect to the final sizing details of four implants (femoral component) commonly used locally. The mean AP length was 59.9 (SD4.8) mm, and the mean ML width was 65.0 (SD 5.0) mm. The overall mean aspect ratio (ML/AP) was 1.09 (SD 0.07). The mean aspect ratio for females was 1.08 (SD 0.07). Both were smaller than the aspect ratio of the implants - which ranged from 1.11 to 1.13. All four implants tend to overhang at the medial-lateral width of the distal femur. This is more obvious in females. Future implant designs should provide more ML wdth sizes for a given AP length, in addition to gender differences, for this population.
  8. Lee SA, Shukri Sulaiman, Mohamed Ismail Mohamed Ibrahim
    Sains Malaysiana, 2012;41:445-452.
    The effects of spin contamination on the stability and the spin densities of a model of graphene in the Hartree-Fock wavefunction (HF), Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (second order, MP2 and fourth order, MP4) and density functional theory (B3LYP and PBEPBE) are reported. It was found that the Hartree-Fock and MP2 wavefunctions of graphene suffer from the contamination from higher spin states and spin projection method failed to project out the spin contaminants. The spin density from HF was overestimated, while for MP2 it has the wrong trend. B3LYP and PBEPBE wavefunctions however have negligible contamination for higher spin states. Comparison with reported results showed that the spin densities at the center of the molecule from the pure functionals of PBEPBE were underestimated. Based on the comparison made, it was concluded that among the methods considered, the suitable one for use in the calculations of pristine graphene was B3LYP.
  9. Thiruventhiran T, Ang BB, Tan SY
    JUMMEC, 1999;4:110-112.
    Anaemia in patients on renal replacement therapy is a cornmon problem and response to treatment with erythropoietin may be limited by functiollal iron deficiency. We recently studied prospectively for 22 weeks the effect of iron supplemetltation via intramuscular and oral vs intramuscular vs oral routes in 16 patients on chronic haemodialysis with renal anaenlia treated with erythropoietin injections. The rise in haemoglobin was significant in all patients except those on intramuscular iron only. This study supports unconfirmed observations that oral iron supplementation may be effective in patients with renal anaemia associated with functional iron deficiency. KEYWORDS: Renal, Anaemia, Erythropoietin, Iron deficiency, Oral, Parenteral.
  10. Lee, S.Y., Ismail, I.S., Ang, E.L., Abas, F.
    MyJurnal
    Neptunia oleracea Lour. is a tropical plant cultivated in Southeast Asia. It is consumed as vegetable and traditional herb for the treatment of several disorders. The objective of the present work was to isolate the phenolic compounds from N. oleracea, followed by their bioactivity evaluation and quantitative analysis. The ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and methanol (MeOH) fractions of N. oleracea were subjected to various chromatographic techniques to isolate the phenolic compounds. The isolated phenolic compounds were characterised by several spectroscopic methods, including mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Then, these compounds were subjected to DPPH free radical scavenging as α-glucosidase inhibitory assays for the evaluation of their activities. Their contents in the fractions were analysed via high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) quantitative analysis. Five phenolic compounds including quercetin-3-O-β-D-xylopyranoside (1), quercetin-3-O-α-Larabinopyranoside (2), quercetin-3-O-α-L-rhamnoside (3), methylgallate (4) and rutin (5) were isolated from N. oleracea for the first time. Evaluation on the DPPH free radical scavenging and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of these compounds showed that methylgallate (4) was the most potent antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitors among them, with IC50 values of 17.25 and 50.76 μM, respectively. The HPLC quantitative analysis revealed the high content of the quercetin derivatives (compounds 1, 2 and 3) in the EtOAc fraction (ranging from 125.68 to 157.55 μg/mg) and methylgallate (4) in the MeOH fraction (75.25 μg/mg). Comparison of the bioactivities of the isolated phenolic compounds with the fractions indicated their significant contribution for the DPPH free radical scavenging of N. oleracea; while they might be working synergistically for the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. The results of the present work could help to validate the contribution of phenolic compounds for the studied bioactivities of N. oleracea.
  11. Kai-Cheen A, Lay-Harn G
    Biotechnol Appl Biochem, 2018 Nov;65(6):876-882.
    PMID: 30132993 DOI: 10.1002/bab.1687
    Differentially expressed aqueous soluble proteins between Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra and H37Rv were identified. The protein extracts were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by tandem mass spectrometric analysis. Twelve proteins were detected to be differentially expressed significantly between virulent strain H37Rv and attenuated strain H37Ra. The differentially expression of these proteins was validated by a recently isolated clinical virulent strains of M. tuberculosis, TB138. Out of the 12 proteins identified, which consisted of ten upregulated and two downregulated proteins, nine were belonged to intermediate metabolism and respiration protein group, two were in lipid metabolism, and one protein was involved in information pathways and virulence. Among these proteins, two of the upregulated proteins, namely, mmsA and pntAa, showed a consistent expression pattern in both virulent mycobacterium strains. These proteins can serve as potential biomarkers for the intervention treatment of TB.
  12. Yee A, Chui Ling G
    Cureus, 2020 Mar 25;12(3):e7402.
    PMID: 32337128 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.7402
    Rehabilitating the occlusion of a patient with multiple missing posterior teeth may be challenging, especially when the remaining teeth are malaligned with loss of occlusal vertical dimension. A telescopic denture can be an excellent treatment alternative. In this case, the patient requested an aesthetic maxillary denture with no visible metal clasps when smiling. Hence, two telescopic crowns were placed on the anterior abutment teeth serving as the retentive components of the maxillary cobalt-chromium removable partial denture. Additional retention was obtained from the posterior abutment teeth. The patient was satisfied with the final restored occlusion and appearance.
  13. Lee JY, Ang ASY, Mohd Ali N, Ang LM, Omar A
    J Pharm Policy Pract, 2021 Oct 25;14(1):84.
    PMID: 34696800 DOI: 10.1186/s40545-021-00370-3
    BACKGROUND: An urgent need for coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) treatment has resulted in off-label drug use. Although previous studies had investigated the adverse drug reaction (ADR) of the medications for COVID-19 in their respective local settings, the safety profile in a Malaysian setting remains unknown. Our study aims to establish the incidence of ADR for drugs used in COVID-19 management in a Malaysian tertiary hospital.

    METHODS: This retrospective observational study enrolled patients started on drugs for COVID-19 in Sungai Buloh Hospital from 1 March 2020 to 31 May 2020. The clinical staging of COVID-19 patients was decided by the treating physician in accordance with the Clinical Management of Confirmed COVID-19 Case in Adults (Annex 2E). Suspected ADRs were evaluated with a trigger tool of pre-defined laboratory values or the adverse events listed in the registered product insert. Causality assessment was conducted when an ADR was suspected using the World Health Organization-Uppsala Monitoring Centre (WHO-UMC) system, and only cases classified as certain, probable and possible ADR were considered. Data analysis was completed with descriptive, univariate and multivariate analysis.

    RESULTS: The study (N = 1,080) identified 217 patients (20.1%) who experienced ADR, with 246 adverse events detected. Most events were related to the gastrointestinal (43.5%), hepatobiliary (36.2%) and cardiac (16.3%) systems. The most commonly suspected drugs were atazanavir (52.7%), chloroquine (36.8%) and lopinavir/ritonavir (34.6%). The independent risk factors of ADR were female (adjusted odds ratio (OR): 1.53; 95% CI 1.06-2.20; P = 0.024), diagnosis of COVID-19 stage 3 (adjusted OR: 2.58; 95% CI 1.20-5.55; P = 0.015) and stage 4 (adjusted OR: 4.17; 95% CI 1.79-9.73; P = 0.001), and the number of COVID-19 drugs (adjusted OR: 3.34; 95% CI 2.51-4.44; P 

  14. Boo NY, Ang EBK, Neoh SH, Ang EL, Chee SC
    Malays J Pathol, 2022 Dec;44(3):443-459.
    PMID: 36591712
    OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence, causative pathogens, morbidities, mortality, and risk factors associated with blood culture-positive early-onset sepsis (EOS, ≤72 hours of age) in symptomatic neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) of a middle-income country.

    STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using data submitted prospectively to the Malaysian National Neonatal Registry (MNNR).

    SETTING: 44 Malaysian NICUs.

    PARTICIPANTS: All neonates born in 2015- 2020.

    RESULTS: EOS was reported in 991 neonates. The annual incidence of EOS increased from 0.46 to 0.49/1000 livebirths over the six years. The most common pathogen was Streptococcus agalactiae or Group B haemolytic streptococcus (GBS) (n=388, 39.2%), followed by Escherichia coli (E. coli) (n=80, 8.1%), Klebsiella spp (n=73, 7.4%), coagulase negative staphylococcus (CONS) (n=73, 7.4%), Pseudomonas spp (n=44, 4.4%) and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (n=34, 3.4%). The incidence of EOS due to GBS increased from 0.17 to 0.22/1000 livebirths. Morbidities and mortality were higher in those with EOS than without EOS. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that Indian ethnic group, chorioamnionitis, gestation≥37weeks, female, spontaneous vaginal delivery, instrumental delivery, and surfactant therapy were significantly associated with increased risk of EOS due to GBS. Four factors were significantly associated with increased risk of non-GBS EOS (outborns, birthweight lt;1000 g, vaginal delivery, and surfactant therapy). Early continuous positive airway pressure was associated with significantly lower risk of EOS.

    CONCLUSION: The incidence of EOS showed an increasing trend in Malaysian NICUs. GBS was the most common causative pathogen. Several modifiable risk factors associated with EOS have been identified.

  15. Nurdin I, Johan MR, Yaacob II, Ang BC
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:589479.
    PMID: 24963510 DOI: 10.1155/2014/589479
    Maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) nanoparticles have been synthesized using a chemical coprecipitation method at different nitric acid concentrations as an oxidizing agent. Characterization of all samples performed by several techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), alternating gradient magnetometry (AGM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and zeta potential. The XRD patterns confirmed that the particles were maghemite. The crystallite size of all samples decreases with the increasing concentration of nitric acid. TEM observation showed that the particles have spherical morphology with narrow particle size distribution. The particles showed superparamagnetic behavior with decreased magnetization values at the increasing concentration of nitric acid. TGA measurement showed that the stability temperature decreases with the increasing concentration of nitric acid. DLS measurement showed that the hydrodynamic particle sizes decrease with the increasing concentration of nitric acid. Zeta potential values show a decrease with the increasing concentration of nitric acid. The increasing concentration of nitric acid in synthesis of maghemite nanoparticles produced smaller size particles, lower magnetization, better thermal stability, and more stable maghemite nanoparticles suspension.
  16. Ang SK, Yahya A, Abd Aziz S, Md Salleh M
    Prep Biochem Biotechnol, 2015;45(3):279-305.
    PMID: 24960316 DOI: 10.1080/10826068.2014.923443
    This study presents the isolation and screening of fungi with excellent ability to degrade untreated oil palm trunk (OPT) in a solid-state fermentation system (SSF). Qualitative assay of cellulases and xylanase indicates notable secretion of both enzymes by 12 fungal strains from a laboratory collection and 5 strains isolated from a contaminated wooden board. High production of these enzymes was subsequently quantified in OPT in SSF. Aspergillus fumigates SK1 isolated from cow dung gives the highest xylanolytic activity (648.448 U g(-1)), generally high cellulolytic activities (CMCase: 48.006, FPase: 6.860, beta-glucosidase: 16.328 U g(-1)) and moderate lignin peroxidase activity (4.820 U/g), and highest xylanolytic activity. The xylanase encoding gene of Aspergillus fumigates SK1 was screened using polymerase chain reaction by a pair of degenerate primers. Through multiple alignment of the SK1 strain's xylanase nucleotide sequences with other published xylanases, it was confirmed that the gene belonged to the xylanase glycoside hydrolase family 11 (GH11) with a protein size of 24.49 kD. Saccharification of lemongrass leaves using crude cellulases and xylanase gives the maximum reducing sugars production of 6.84 g/L with glucose as the major end product and traces of phenylpropanic compounds (vanillic acid, p-coumaric acid, and ferulic acid).
  17. Yew MK, Bin Mahmud H, Ang BC, Yew MC
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:387647.
    PMID: 24982946 DOI: 10.1155/2014/387647
    The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of different species of oil palm shell (OPS) coarse aggregates on the properties of high strength lightweight concrete (HSLWC). Original and crushed OPS coarse aggregates of different species and age categories were investigated in this study. The research focused on two OPS species (dura and tenera), in which the coarse aggregates were taken from oil palm trees of the following age categories (3-5, 6-9, and 10-15 years old). The results showed that the workability and dry density of the oil palm shell concrete (OPSC) increase with an increase in age category of OPS species. The compressive strength of specimen CD3 increases significantly compared to specimen CT3 by 21.8%. The maximum achievable 28-day and 90-day compressive strength is 54 and 56 MPa, respectively, which is within the range for 10-15-year-old crushed dura OPS. The water absorption was determined to be within the range for good concrete for the different species of OPSC. In addition, the ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) results showed that the OPS HSLWC attain good condition at the age of 3 days.
  18. Ang TN, Ngoh GC, Chua AS
    Bioresour Technol, 2013 May;135:116-9.
    PMID: 23138072 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2012.09.045
    The performance of alkalis (NaOH and Ca(OH)2) and acids (H2SO4, HCl, H3PO4, CH3COOH, and HNO3) in the pretreatment of rice husk was screened, and a suitable reagent was assessed for subsequent optimization using response surface methodology. From the assessment, HCl that hydrolysed rice husk well was optimized with three parameters (HCl loading, pretreatment duration, and temperature) using Box-Behnken Design. The optimized condition (0.5% (w/v) HCl loading, 125 °C, 1.5 h) is relatively mild, and resulted in ~22.3mg TRS/ml hydrolysate. The reduced model developed has good predictability, where the predicted and experimental results differ by only 2%. The comprehensive structural characterization studies that involved FT-IR, XRD, SEM, and BET surface area determination showed that the pretreated rice husk consisted mainly of cellulose and lignin. Compared to untreated rice husk, pretreated rice husk possessed increased pore size and pore volume, which are expected to be beneficial for fungal growth during fermentation.
  19. Saw JT, Bahari MB, Ang HH, Lim YH
    Med J Malaysia, 2006 Oct;61(4):422-32.
    PMID: 17243519
    A cross sectional survey on pattern and perception of herbal use among medical patients in Penang Hospital was conducted. Among 250 patients surveyed, 67.9% were using herbal medicine and conventional medicine concomitantly. A majority of the patients used herbs for health maintenance (51.3%) purpose. More than 90% of herbal users did not disclose herbal use to their physician and "Doctor never asked" was the major reason given (54.2%). The Chinese reported the highest rate of herbal use but was least likely to disclose. These findings are important for health professionals to ensure medication safety and recognise potential drug herb interaction.
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