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Fulltext The effectiveness of betel leaves extract as antifungal agent

Emi Norzehan Mohamad Mahbob, Nurul Huda Musa, Zaidatul Shakila Mohamad Ashari, Fathiah Abdullah, Siti Hajar Noor Alshurdin

Jurnal Inovasi Malaysia, 2019;2(2):41-54.
MyJurnal

Piper betle (sirih) is a medicinal plant that has been reported for various pharmacological activities such as antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic and, anti-inflammatory. The researchwas carried out to study the antifungal activity of ethanolic extract from P. betle leaves. Matured leaves of P. betle were collected and processed to a fine powder before being extracted using ethanol. The first part of the research involved evaluation of antifungal activity of the ethanolic extracts using disk diffusion method at four different concentrations (5, 25, 50, 100 mg/mL) against 3 types of fungi isolated from laboratory surfaces. The sensitivities of the fungal towards the ethanolic extracts were determined by measuring the size of inhibitory zones. Results showed that highest concentration of the extract (100 mg/mL) inhibited fungal growth for all three types of isolated fungi with 0.97, 0.83, and 0.77 cm zone of inhibition for yeast, Aspergillus sp. and Penicillium sp., respectively. Low concentrations (5, 25 and 50 mg/mL) did not inhibit the fungal growth except for Penicillium sp. that showed zone of inhibition, 0.53 cm at concentration of 50 mg/mL. The second part of the research involved evaluation of fungal count utilizing effective dose of betel leaves ethanolic extract obtained from the first part of this research which is 100 mg/mL. This study found that no fungal growth on the microscope wire that has been sprayed with betel leaves ethanolic extract on Day 1, Day 4 and Day 7. For wire that been sprayed with ethanol 70%, the average of fungal count was same on Day 1 and Day 4 (5.6 x 102 cfu/mL) but increased to 9.2 x 102 cfu/mL on Day 7. In conclusion, betel leaves extract exhibit fungicidal properties that support their use as antifungal agents from natural products which are safe, easily available with no adverse effects.
Fulltext Quisy-SDS accelerates the searching process of chemical safety datasheet

Muhammad Firdaus Othman,, Nor Aimi Abdul Wahab, Suhaiza Hasan, Marina Mokhtar, Noorezal Atfyinna Mohd Napiah, Mohd Noor Mokhtar, et al.

Jurnal Inovasi Malaysia, 2019;2(2):123-139.
MyJurnal

Teaching, learning and reseach activities in chemical laboratory usually involves a variety of hazardous chemicals. All chemicals stored in the laboratories should be accompanied by a safety data sheet which contains information such as chemical composition, safety precautions for handling and storing chemicals and emergency measures in case of accident. Ineffective management of chemical safety data sheet makes it difficult to access and resulting in slow action taken in the event of accident. To overcome this problem, Quisy-SDS was introduced to ensure a more effective chemical safety information management. Quisy-SDS provides a convenient method for all lab users and emergency respondents to acess the chemical safety information. This method uses a Quick Response (QR) code and website that allow users to acess the information in no time, anytime and anywhere. The use of Quisy-SDS has successfully reduced the search time of chemical safety information by 98% compared to the previous method.
Fulltext Prevalence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) use in Malaysian adults and associated factors: a population-based survey

Maria Awaluddin S, Noor Ani Ahmad, Balkish Mahadir Naidu, Muslimah Yusof, Mohamad Aznuddin Abd Razak, Mohd Kamal Ariff Abdul Ghani

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2017;17(3):58-65.

Chronic use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with adverse effects. However, NSAIDs are among the most popular pain killers and easily available over the counter. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of NSAIDs use in Malaysian adults and among those with chronic diseases such as arthritis, kidney disease, hypertension, heart disease and asthma. It also examined the factors associated with NSAIDs use. Data from the National Health Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2011, a nation-wide survey was analysed. A total of 18231 respondents aged 18 years and above responded to this module. Multivariate logistic regression was used to investigate the association between NSAIDs use and associated factors. The overall prevalence of NSAIDs use among Malaysian adults was 14.2% (95%CI 13.3-15.1). Of the respondents, 4.2% (95%CI 3.8-4.7) took NSAIDs once daily. NSAIDs use was highly associated with those who were ever-told to have arthritis (aOR: 3.03; 95%CI 2.60-3.52) and have difficulty of performing daily activities or work (aOR: 2.06; 95%CI 1.86-2.28). Those who were ever-told to have kidney disease (aOR: 2.36; 95%CI 1.74-3.20), ever-told to have asthma (aOR: 1.36; 95%CI 1.17-1.58), ever-told to have heart disease (aOR: 1.34; 95%CI 1.08-1.65), known hypertension (aOR: 1.22; 95%CI 1.08-1.37) also were associated with NSAIDs use. By socio-demographic profiles, NSAIDs use was positively associated with those who have government benefit scheme or private health insurance (aOR: 1.44; 95%CI 1.31-1.58), higher education level (aOR: 1.35; 95%CI 1.20-1.51), higher household income (aOR: 1.26; 95%CI 1.11-1.44, aOR: 1.12; 95%CI 1.02-1.24), currently working (aOR: 1.25; 95%CI 1.13-1.39) and female (aOR: 1.17; 95%CI 1.07-1.28). NSAIDs use was less likely among those aged 60 years and above (aOR: 0.83; 95% CI 0.72-0.97), Chinese (aOR: 0.41; 95% CI 0.36-0.47) and ‘Others’ ethnicity (aOR: 0.82; 95% CI 0.67-0.99) compared to Malay ethnicity. NSAIDs use is prevalent in Malaysian adults and associated with co-morbidities and higher socio-demographic status, thus appropriate awareness should be promoted and highlighted in the community.
Study name: National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS-2011)
Fulltext Innovative models of HCV testing across four countries: Malaysia, Georgia, India and Myanmar – The HEAD-start project

Noor Annisa Darman, Muhammad Adib Abd Wahab, Wan Nur Illyana Wan Yusoff, Sasikala Siva, Xiao Hui Sem, Jessica Markby

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(106):79-79.
MyJurnal

Introduction:Despite significant advancements in testing technologies and treatment, 80% of 80 million chronically hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected people remain undiagnosed. FIND in collaboration with Ministries of Health and local partners, initiated seven Unitaid funded Hepatitis C Elimination through Access to Diagnostics (HEAD-Start) projects in four countries (Georgia, India, Malaysia and Myanmar) to demonstrate innovative models of HCV care to inform programme scale-up nationally and globally. Here, we describe preliminary findings for patient retention in the HCV cascade for each project. Methods: Target populations and settings include people who inject drugs (PWID) in harm reduction sites (Manipur, Georgia, Myanmar), high risk patients in primary health care facilities (Malaysia), general population in polyclinics and district hospitals (Delhi) and people living with HIV (PLHIV) in antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinics (Punjab). All projects employ rapid diagnostic tests for HCV screening. HCV seropositive patients received confirmatory testing either on site (Georgia, Myanmar) or via centralized laboratory (Malaysia, Georgia, Delhi) or testing hubs (Punjab, Manipur). Results: In Malaysia, 4,613 patients were screened - 23% (1,042) are HCV seropositive, 57% (594) received RNA confirmatory testing and 11% (54) confirmed RNA-positive initiated treatment. In Delhi, 17,101 patients were screened – 2% (355) are seropositive, 92% (326) received confirmatory testing and 70% (180) initiated treatment. In Punjab, 17,507 patients were screened – 19% (3,368) are seroposi-tive, 94% (3,165) received confirmatory testing and 31% (828) initiated treatment. In Manipur, 3,845 patients were screened - 56% (2,180) are seropositive, 73% (1,591) received confirmatory testing and 67% (823) initiated treat-ment. In Myanmar, 199 patients were screened – 96% (191) are seropositive, 100% received confirmatory testing and 86% (151) initiated treatment. In Georgia (Arm 1) - 100% (619) received confirmatory testing and 76% (389) initiated treatment. Conclusion: The fully decentralised HCV testing model demonstrated higher numbers of patients progressing to each step in the care cascade.
Fulltext Observe your child ablution; they could have obsessive-compulsive disorders

Norzila Zakaria, Ahmad ShahrilAb. Halim, Ramiza Ramza Ramli, Raishan Shafini Bakar, Agustine Nengsih Fauzi, Nur-Fazimah Sahran, et al.

Malaysian Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2019;25(2):30-32.
MyJurnal

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by recurrent intrusive, distressing thoughts and repetitive behaviours or mental rituals performed to reduce anxiety. The lifetime prevalence of OCD is 2.3% and it can happen to all people of various levels, including child and adolescent. The mean age of onset is 19.5 years, and a subset of patients, mostly males, have an early onset before 10 years of age. The lifetime risk of developing OCD is higher in females, who typically develop the disorder in adolescence [1]. Person with OCD usually presented with obsession involving various themes, namely contamination; repeated doubts; religious, need for symmetry and exactness, or taboo thoughts of a sexual, religious, or aggressive nature. Whereas, the most common compulsions are checking, washing, hoarding, and counting compulsions[1]. (Copied from article).
DNA barcoding of shrimps from a mangrove biodiversity hotspot

Jamaluddin JAF, Mohammed Akib NA, Ahmad SZ, Abdul Halim SAA, Abdul Hamid NK, Mohd Nor SA

Mitochondrial DNA A DNA Mapp Seq Anal, 2019 05;30(4):618-625.
PMID: 31012766 DOI: 10.1080/24701394.2019.1597073

A total of 74 shrimp specimens were sequenced at a 584 bp segment of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene to examine patterns of DNA barcode variation in a mangrove biodiversity hotspot. The Maximum Likelihood tree, barcode gap analysis, Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery analysis and sequence comparisons with data available from Barcode of Life Data System and GenBank recovered 18 taxa of which 15 were identified to species level, 2 at genus level and a single taxon at order level. Two deep mitochondrial DNA lineage divergences were found in the giant tiger prawn, Penaeus monodon. It is suggested that one of the lineages is a consequence of an introduction from aquaculture activity. These results have provided a reliable barcode library for cataloguing shrimps in this area.
Fulltext Development of smart fruit basket for pineapple harvesting

Nurul Shahida Mezlan, Emilia Zainal Abidin1, Karmegam Karuppiah, Irniza Rasdi, Sharifah Norkhadijah Syed Ismail, Noor Hassim Ismail

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(204):0-0.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Pineapple harvesting work contributes to the reporting of musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) and er- gonomic risks. Pineapples are harvested manually in some parts of Malaysia using rattan baskets and workers are exposed to excessive bending, pain and discomfort. This intervention study developed and tested a prototype of an ergonomic harvesting basket to potentially reduce discomfort and physiological workload during a simulation of har- vesting activity. Methods: The development and testing of improved harvesting basket was performed in laboratory and workshop. The improved basket had adjustable cushion straps, foam back pad and an opening for unloading of fruits. Harvesting was simulated using improved and existing basket by human subjects and questionnaires were used to assess discomfort. Physiological workload was assessed by heart rate and energy expenditure. Results: A total of 12 male respondents with average age of 22.4 (2.2) years participated in harvesting simulation. Discomfort as measured in Likert scale (mean (standard deviation) for improved basket 4.13 (6.1) vs existing basket 12.26 (11.2); p
Fulltext Detection of BCR-ABL T315i mutation in imatinib resistant chronic myeloid leukemia patients

Mardziah, M., Salwati, S., Azlin, I., Hafiza, A., Azma, R.Z., Noor Farisah, A.R., et al.

Medicine & Health, 2019;14(1):145-156.
MyJurnal

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients who have BCR-ABL T315I mutation, usually present in the advance phase of the disease with overall survival (OS) shorter than those without the mutation. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of T315I mutation amongst imatinib mesylate (IM) resistant CML patients and to compare the OS between T315I-mutated and non-T315I-mutated patients. Sixty consecutive CML patients who were treated with IM for at least 18 months and their treatment responses, were recorded. The mutation analysis was done using allele-specific oligonucleotide reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay followed by direct sequencing technique. Forty-two patients (70%) were found to have IM-resistance. Five out of 42 patients had detectable T315I mutation. Median OS of IM-resistant T315I-mutated patients was 96 months (95% CI:54-138) compared to 84 months (95% CI:48-120) in non T315I-mutated patients, although this was found to be statistically insignificant (p = 0.43). The present study showed a higher prevalence of T315I mutation as compared to a few local studies. Median OS of T315I-mutated patients were observed to be longer than non-T315-mutated patients. Further studies encompassing larger cohort of patients are required to confirm this finding.
Fulltext The influence of blood glucose level on tear break up time among young adults with diabetes

Nur Ain Mat Noh, Aziimah Awang Abd Rahman, Noor Ezailina Badarudin, Mohd Zulfaezal Che Azemin, Aliza Haslinda Hamirudin

International Journal of Allied Health Sciences, 2018;2(3):392-398.
MyJurnal

It has been reported that diabetics are more likely to develop tear film dysfunction compared to non-diabetics. Even so, there has been very little research reported on the correlation between blood glucose level and quality of tears. Objective: The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of blood glucose level on TBUT among young adults with diabetes. Methods: A cross-sectional study consisting of 37 diabetic patients within the age range of 19-39 years was carried out at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Optometry Clinic, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia. The subjects were tested for random blood glucose level (RBS) and undergone tear
break up time (TBUT) test. Nonparametric test was used namely Spearman correlation to determine the association between RBS and TBUT. Results: TBUT median (interquartile range) value was 7.5 (11.55) seconds. Meanwhile, the negative association was found between (RBS) and TBUT in diabetics (r = -0.126). However, the correlation was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Tear film break up time was not associated with the random blood glucose level. Conclusion: Tear film break up time seems to be not affected by blood glucose level.
Fulltext Investigating the use of date seed for removal of boron from seawater

Ahmed, Moussa Mohamed, Nik Rashida Nik Abdul Ghani, Jami, Mohammed Saedi, Mirghani, Mohamed Elwathig Saeed, Md. Noor Salleh

Biological and Natural Resources Engineering Journal, 2020;3(2):55-73.
MyJurnal

Boron has been classified as a drinking water pollutant in many countries. It is harmful to many plants, exceptionally sensible plants, and human health. Therefore, boron level needs to be decreased to 0.3 mg/L for drinking water and within 0.5 mg/L to 1 mg/L for irrigation water. In this study, various operational parameters namely pH, contact time and liquid/solid ratio were investigated to determine the potential of using date seed (or date pit or date stone) to remove boron from seawater. This study's main objective was to determine boron adsorption capacities of date seeds prepared by various methods (i.e., powdered, activated, acid-treated and defatted seed) by batch adsorption process using boron contaminated synthetic seawater. The process parameters of the selected biosorbent among the four date seed preparations methods were optimized. The surface characteristics were analyzed by using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results showed that acid-treated date seed was the best biosorbent in terms of removing 89.18% boron from aqueous solution at neutral pH, liquid to solid ratio of 5 within 2 hours of reaction time at room temperature (25°C±2°C).
Functional characterisation and product specificity of Endo-β-1,3-glucanase from alkalophilic bacterium, Bacillus lehensis G1

Jaafar NR, Khoiri NM, Ismail NF, Mahmood NAN, Abdul Murad AM, Abu Bakar FD, et al.

Enzyme Microb Technol, 2020 Oct;140:109625.
PMID: 32912685 DOI: 10.1016/j.enzmictec.2020.109625

Endo-β-1,3-glucanase from alkalophilic bacterium, Bacillus lehensis G1 (Blg32) composed of 284 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 31.6 kDa is expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. Herein, Blg32 characteristics, substrates and product specificity as well as structural traits that might be involved in the production of sugar molecules are analysed. This enzyme functions optimally at the temperature of 70 °C, pH value of 8.0 with its catalytic activity strongly enhanced by Mn2+. Remarkably, the purified enzyme is highly stable in high temperature and alkaline conditions. It exhibits the highest activity on laminarin (376.73 U/mg) followed by curdlan and yeast β-glucan. Blg32 activity increased by 62% towards soluble substrate (laminarin) compared to insoluble substrate (curdlan). Hydrolytic products of laminarin were oligosaccharides with degree of polymerisation (DP) of 1 to 5 with the main product being laminaritriose (DP3). This suggests that the active site of Blg32 could recognise up to five glucose units. High concentration of Blg32 mainly produces glucose whilst low concentration of Blg32 yields oligosaccharides with different DP (predominantly DP3). A theoretical structural model of Blg32 was constructed and structural analysis revealed that Trp156 is involved in multiple hydrophobic stacking interactions. The amino acid was predicted to participate in substrate recognition and binding. It was also exhibited that catalytic groove of Blg32 has a narrow angle, thus limiting the substrate binding reaction. All these properties and knowledge of the subsites are suggested to be related to the possible mode of action of how Blg32 produces glucooligosaccharides.
Addressing the issue of high dependence on foreign labours through human resource investment: a literature review

Rozila Ahmad, Che Su Mustaffa, Nurhazani Mohd Shariff, Noor Azimin Zainol, Jasmine Zea Raziah Radha Rashid Radha, Roshita Abdul Razak

Journal of Hospitality and Networks, 2019;2019(1):71-76.
MyJurnal

Due to labour shortages and increasing labour cost, many hotels have employed foreign labour. However, some five-star hotels continue to employ the local workers. Although the employment of foreign labour helps to fill job vacancies, the over flooding of foreign labour is detrimental to Malaysia’s economy, social tranquillity, national peace and political stability. This paper reviews articles on foreign labours, human capital investment and compensation. Past studies found that a well-designed and implementation of job-skill training improves corporate profits and create shareholder’s value as increased human capital leads to customer satisfaction. Human capital refers to employee’s knowledge, experience, professional competency and cognitive ability. High investment in human capital is essential to service firms that provide customize service and seek to compete based on their services. To secure their investment, luxury hotels provide an effective compensation plan that includes internal and external equity.
Enhancing antioxidant content in watermelon ice cream by using rind of citrullus lanatus

Hamidah Noor Md Yusoh, Halimatul Muna Mohd Din, Nurul Ain Khairi, Siti Najihah Jamanlon, Wan Nur Asiyah Wan Mohd Azmi

Journal of Hospitality and Networks, 2019;2019(1):44-50.
MyJurnal

Citrullus lanatus also known as watermelon that normally consumed raw. Apart from benefits of its flesh, less people know that watermelon rind (WMR) also contains some nutrients. Looking at it potential and benefits to health, a research has been conducted to produce ice cream from the WMR. This study was assigned to determine the presence of antioxidant activity, nutrition content and the acceptance level of respondents towards ice cream made from WMR. As for quantitative instrument, hedonic scale was used in the questionnaire distributed to 30 randomly selected respondents. Descriptive analysis was used to analyse the data collected using SPSS version 23.0. Gas Chromatography-mass spectrometry were used to determine amount of antioxidant, fat, protein, carbohydrate and total energy content of WMR ice cream. Results showed that the presence of antioxidant is at 9.91%, while the amount of fat, protein, carbohydrate and total energy are at 1.5g/100g, 2.7g/100g, 7.7g/100g and 55kcal/100g respectively. It was also indicated that the respondents accepted this ice cream at high level with mean value 4.28. In conclusion, the WMR ice cream is nutritious, highly accepted by respondents and has commercial value.
Fulltext A review of Cosmos caudatus as a promising antidiabetic plant

Suganya Murugesu, Vikneswari Perumal, Tavamani Balan, Sharon Fatinathan, Puvana Devi Selvarajoo, Maryam Anis Binti Rozali, et al.

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2020;16(4):333-343.
MyJurnal

Cosmos caudatus Kunth is an edible plant commonly known for its beneficial medicinal effects on human health and traditionally used to treat various health conditions, including diabetes. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge about this plant, to provide some basic information about this herb that reflects its antidiabetic potential through multiple mechanisms. Currently, available evidence suggests that C. caudatus possess some pharmaco- logical effects, including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, the formation of healthy bone and regulation of blood pressure and glucose levels. The review summarized the antidiabetic activity and its significant phytoconstituents in
C. caudatus
Fulltext Influence of dimple depth on lubricant thickness in elastohydrodynamic lubrication for metallic hip implants using fluid structure interaction (FSI) approach

Mohd Syafiq Mohd Suri, Nor Liyana Safura Hashim, Ardiyansyah Syahrom, Mohd Juzaila Abd. Latif, Muhamad Noor Harun

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2020;16(108):28-34.
MyJurnal

Introduction: The lubricant thickness in clearance between bearing surfaces for metallic hip implants are currently incapable of accommodating the motion experienced (high load and low entraining motion) in hip walking cycle. Thus, micro-dimpled surfaces were introduced onto surfaces of metallic acetabular cups to improve lubricant thick- ness. Micro-dimpled surface is a method of advanced surface improvement to increase the lubricant thickness in various tribological applications, such as hip implants. However, the application of micro-dimpled surfaces in hip implants has not yet been explored adequately. Therefore, this study aims to identify the influence of micro-dimpled depth on lubricant thickness elastohydrodynamically for metallic hip implants using Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) approach. Methods: Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) approach is an alternative method for analysing characteristics of lubrication in hip implant. Dimples of radius 0.25 mm and various depths of 5μm, 45μm and 100μm were applied on the cup surfaces. The vertical load in z-direction and rotation velocity around y-axes representing the average load and flexion-extension (FE) velocity of hip joint in normal walking were applied on Elastohydrodynamic lubri- cation (EHL) model. Results: The metallic hip implants with micro-dimpled surfaces provided enhanced lubricant thickness, namely by 6%, compared to non-dimpled surfaces. Furthermore, it was suggested that the shallow depth of micro-dimpled surfaces contributed to the enhancement of lubricant thickness. Conclusion: Micro-dimpled sur- faces application was effective to improve tribological performances, especially in increasing lubricant thickness for metallic hip implants.
Exploring Malaysian mothers' plans on sleeping arrangement with their newborn

Chang CT, Shunmugam P, Abdul Aziz NA, Abdul Razak NS, Johari N, Mohamad N, et al.

J Paediatr Child Health, 2020 Mar;56(3):426-431.
PMID: 31654469 DOI: 10.1111/jpc.14646

AIM: Bed sharing is defined as a newborn sleeping in the same bed with an adult. Bed sharing may put the newborn at risk of suffocation due to accidental smothering.
METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental study conducted in a tertiary referral hospital. Healthy post-delivery Malaysian mothers were randomly selected and enrolled into the control or the intervention group. On the day of discharge, mothers in the intervention group were interviewed face-to-face in the post-natal ward on their plans for sleeping arrangement with their newborn. After the interview, mothers were advised not to bed share with their newborn and were given an educational leaflet on safe sleeping practices. One week after discharge, mothers in both groups were interviewed over the telephone regarding their actual sleeping arrangements with their newborn using the same questionnaire. Logistic regression was performed to determine factors associated with reduced bed sharing.
RESULTS: A total of 94 mothers and 95 mothers were recruited to the control and intervention group, respectively. The baseline bed-sharing prevalence was similar between groups: 60.6% in the control group and 61.1% in the interventional group. The proportion of mothers who bed shared with their newborn reduced from 61.1 to 37.9% after the intervention (P
Fulltext A review on the relationship between maternal exposure to ambient air Particulate Matter (PM10) and infants’ birth weight in Asia

Ida Dalina Noordin, • Idayu Badilla Idris, Rozita Hod, Mohd Famey Yusoff, Hanizah Mohd Yusoff, Azmawati Mohamed Nawi, et al.

Int J Public Health Res, 2020;10(2):1258-1267.
MyJurnal

In 2015, almost half of low birth weight babies in the world were born in Southern Asia. It is contributed by multiple factors including maternal exposure to the elements in the environment during the antenatal period. Particulate matter (PM10) pollution in Southeast Asian region have been extensively studied with known attributions and sources. It is also known that PM10 is able to restrict foetal growth at molecular level. This review intends to investigate if the unborn in Asia are affected by air pollutants indirectly through their mothers. Methods Publications from Scopus and Science Direct digital databases in Asian region from 2015 onwards were reviewed. Details collected were the year of publication and study location, the study design, investigated air pollutants, exposure estimation methods used, the timing of exposure in relation to pregnancy, pregnancy outcome measured and the relative risk or odds of effect. Results A total of eight full text articles were included. Most of the studies were of cohort and quasi experimental designs, involving local air monitoring measurements to assign exposure. Conclusions There were more studies considered multiple air pollutants as contributing risk rather than a single pollutant. The exposure was measured according to stages of pregnancy and the trimester stratification is the most often method used. Modalities used in representing birth outcomes were not confined to birth weight alone but also included the length of gestation. Exposure to PM10 have been found to be associated with reduction in birth weight and increased risk for preterm birth in Asia.
Fulltext Effect of Specific Methanogenic Activity (SMA) of anaerobic sludge under high salinity

Nurhamieza Md Huzir, Nik Azmi Nik Mahmood, Syed Anuar Faua’ad Syed Muhammad, Noor Azrimi Umor, Shahrul Ismail

Journal of Advanced Research in Applied Sciences and Engineering Technology, 2019;16(1):35-40.
MyJurnal

Anaerobic wastewater treatment technology has become one of the most popular technologies due to its economic and environmental benefits. Therefore, a reliable method to study the specific methanogenic activity (SMA) of anaerobic sludge is presented using SMA test. This test helps to determine suitable organic loading rate (OLR) to the anaerobic process. Meanwhile, SMA act as a benchmark to the anaerobic system performance where a slight change in SMA stipulate the accumulation of inhibitory substances from influent wastewater. One of the possible substances that inhibit the anaerobic digestion process is the presence of excessive light metal ions such as sodium (Na+) from the wastewater. The objective of this research was to investigate the specific methanogenic activity of anaerobic sludge in anaerobic filter and anaerobic digester as well as to compare and analyze anaerobic methanogenic bacteria under the effect of potentially inhibitory compound in both anaerobic digester and anaerobic filter. Two sources of inoculums (one from the anaerobic digester and one from the anaerobic filter) were adapted with sodium with varied range of concentrations which was 0 to 5 g Na + /l, before conducting SMA test by means of pressure differences. For the anaerobic digester, the SMA varied from 0.25 to 0.31 g COD/g VS.day meanwhile for the anaerobic filter, the SMA varied from 0.40 to 0.51 g COD/g VS.day. The result obtained confirmed that sludge from POME have better tolerance towards sodium than influents from petrochemical wastewater.
Fulltext Application of ultra-high frequency antenna for partial discharge detection in oil-filled power transformer: a review

Azharudin Mukhtaruddin, Muzamir Isa, Mohd Fadzil Ain, Mazlee Mohd Noor, Mohd Rafi Adzman, Mohamad Nur Khairul Hafizi Rohani

ZULFAQAR International Journal of Defence Science, Engineering & Technology, 2020;3(2):1-17.
MyJurnal

Partial discharge (PD) is a phenomenon that may lead to dielectric breakdown and can provide important information for condition monitoring on electrical power equipment, in particular transformer. One of the methods is the detection of the electromagnetic (EM) wave signal emitted by PD. Although the frequency spectrum in EM is very wide, this paper discusses the detection of EM only at ultra-high frequency (UHF). One of the detectors that can be used to detect EM is the antenna. There are a lot of antenna designs that have been proposed to detect the signal. The designs can be generally divided into two: PCB-based design and physical antenna design. An example of the latter is monopole. Some of the proposed antennas were left at the design stage while others went to be applied in actual PD experimentation. Discussion on the capabilities of these antennas can lead to the selection of a suitable antenna.
Fulltext Effects of water-based contrast media on experimentally induced established atherosclerotic plaques in rabbits.

Isa MR, Mohd Noor N, Nawawi H, Kaur M., Rahman T, Mohd Kornain NK, et al.

IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia, 2020;19(2):21-28.
MyJurnal

Imaging techniques involving optical coherence tomography, computed tomography (CT) and high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are used as tools to identify atherosclerotic plaques. However, the effects of water-based contrast media used in Post Mortem Computed Tomography Angiography (PMCTA) on the histopathology of atherosclerotic plaques have not been widely explored. The objective of this study is to determine the effects of water-based contrast media used in PMCTA on the histopathology of atherosclerotic plaques and biomarkers of atherosclerosis in experimentally induced established atherosclerotic rabbits. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty male New Zealand white rabbits were divided into 2 groups. One group was given a high cholesterol diet (HCD) for 12 weeks to establish atherosclerosis and the control group normal diet (ND). Five rabbits from each group were then given intravenous water-based contrast media before being sacrificed. The entire length of aorta was dissected and submitted for histopathological examination and determination of tissue biomarkers α-SMA and MMP-9. RESULTS:Histopathological examination of the aorta including percentage of area covered by plaque and foam cell formation showed no significant difference in atheromatous plaque formation in both groups of HCD rabbits with or without intravenous contrast media injection (plaque: 55±41 vs. 63±15, p=0.731; foam cells: 124±83 vs. 171±55, p=0.325). Similarly, α-SMA and MMP-9 protein expression also showed no significant difference in both groups (α-SMA: 70±20 vs. 67±26, p=0.807; MMP-9: 60±12 vs. 57±17, p=0.785). CONCLUSION:Water-based contrast media used in PMCTA does not affect the morphology or the immunohistochemistry staining of SMA and MMP-9 in atherosclerotic plaques.

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