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Fulltext Hypoglycaemic activity of ethanolic extract of Garcinia mangostana Linn. in normoglycaemic and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Taher M, Tg Zakaria TM, Susanti D, Zakaria ZA

BMC Complement Altern Med, 2016;16(1):135.
PMID: 27208974 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-016-1118-9

Various parts of Garcinia mangostana Linn., including its pericarp, have been traditionally used to treat a variety of ailments. In an attempt to establish its medicinal value, the present study was carried out to determine the hypoglycaemic potential of G. mangostana pericarp ethanolic extract (GME) using the streptozotocin-induced (STZ) diabetic rats.
Analyzing the relationships between travel mode indicators and the number of passenger transport fatalities at the city level

Asadi-Shekari Z, Moeinaddini M, Sultan Z, Shah MZ, Hamzah A

Traffic Inj Prev, 2016 08 17;17(6):650-5.
PMID: 26890058 DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2015.1136739

OBJECTIVE: A number of efforts have been conducted on travel behavior and transport fatalities at the neighborhood or street level, and they have identified different factors such as roadway characteristics, personal indicators, and design indicators related to transport safety. However, only a limited number of studies have considered the relationship between travel behavior indicators and the number of transport fatalities at the city level. Therefore, this study explores this relationship and how to fill the mentioned gap in current knowledge.
METHOD: A generalized linear model (GLM) estimates the relationships between different travel mode indicators (e.g., length of motorway per inhabitants, number of motorcycles per inhabitant, percentage of daily trips on foot and by bicycle, percentage of daily trips by public transport) and the number of passenger transport fatalities. Because this city-level model is developed using data sets from different cities all over the world, the impacts of gross domestic product (GDP) are also included in the model.
CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the results imply that the percentage of daily trips by public transport, the percentage of daily trips on foot and by bicycle, and the GDP per inhabitant have negative relationships with the number of passenger transport fatalities, whereas motorway length and the number of motorcycles have positive relationships with the number of passenger transport fatalities.
Poverty within watershed and environmentally protected areas: the case of the indigenous community in Peninsular Malaysia

Kari FB, Masud MM, Yahaya SR, Saifullah MK

Environ Monit Assess, 2016 Mar;188(3):173.
PMID: 26887312 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-016-5162-1

"Indigenous people" have been acknowledged as among the poorest and most socio-economically and culturally marginalized all over the world. This paper explores the socio-economic status of the indigenous people and their poverty profile within watershed and environmentally protected areas in Peninsular Malaysia. The findings of the study indicate that the "indigenous community" is likely to be poor if they live in environmentally sensitive and unprotected areas as compared to families under the new resettlement scheme. Inadequate access to basic education and employment contributed significantly to their poor economic status. The findings further reveal that the indigenous community is facing difficulties in receiving access and support in terms of basic needs such as housing, education, economic livelihood, and other social infrastructure. Moreover, the regulatory structure for the management of watershed areas as well as the emphasis for commodity crops such as palm oil and natural rubber have indirectly contributed toward the poverty level of the indigenous people.
Hepatoprotective effects of Flagellaria indica are mediated through the suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress markers in rats

Gnanaraj C, Shah MD, Makki JS, Iqbal M

Pharm Biol, 2016 Aug;54(8):1420-33.
PMID: 26810847 DOI: 10.3109/13880209.2015.1104697

Context The antioxidative properties of plants or plant derivative products are well known for their free radical scavenging effects. Flagellaria indica L. (Flagellariaceae) (FI) is a tropical medicinal plant used by the natives of Sabah as medication for semi-paralysis. Objective This study evaluates the hepatoprotective mechanism of FI against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-mediated liver damage. Materials and methods Aqueous extract of FI leaves was orally administered to adult Sprague-Dawley rats once daily for 14 consecutive days at 300, 400, and 500 mg/kg b.w. prior to CCl4 treatment (1.0 mL/kg b.w.) on the 13th and 14th days. Results Total phenolic content in the aqueous extract of FI leaves was 65.88 ± 1.84 mg gallic acid equivalent/g. IC50 value for free radical scavenging activity of FI aqueous extract was reached at the concentration of 400 μg/mL. Biochemical studies show that the aqueous extract of FI was able to prevent the increase in levels of serum transaminases, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase (38-74% recovery), and malondialdehyde formation (25-87% recovery) in a dose-dependent manner. Immunohistochemical results evidenced the suppression of oxidative stress markers (4-hydroxynonenal and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine) and pro-inflammatory markers (tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, prostaglandin E2). Histopathological and hepatocyte ultrastructural alterations proved that there were protective effects in FI against CCl4-mediated liver injury. Signs of toxicity were not present in rats treated with FI alone (500 mg/kg b.w.). Discussion and conclusion It can be concluded that the presence of phenolic constituents and their antioxidative effects can be credited to the hepatoprotective activity of FI.
Colorectal Cancer Awareness and Screening Preference: A Survey during the Malaysian World Digestive Day Campaign

Mohd Suan MA, Mohammed NS, Abu Hassan MR

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2015;16(18):8345-9.
PMID: 26745083

BACKGROUND: Although the incidence of colorectal cancer in Malaysia is increasing, awareness of this cancer, including its symptoms, risk factors and screening methods, remains low among Malaysian populations. This survey was conducted with the aim of (i) ascertaining the awareness level regarding colorectal cancer symptoms, risk factors and its screening among the general populations and (ii) assessing the public preference and willingness to pay for colorectal cancer screening.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The questionnaire was distributed in eight major cities in West Malaysia during the World Health Digestive Day (WDHD) campaign. Two thousand four hundred and eight respondents participated in this survey.
RESULTS: Generally, awareness of colorectal cancer was found to be relatively good. Symptoms such as change in bowel habit, blood in the stool, weight loss and abdominal pain were well recognized by 86.6%, 86.9%, 83.4% and 85.6% of the respondents, respectively. However, common risk factors such as positive family history, obesity and old age were acknowledged only by less than 70% of the respondents. Almost 80% of the respondents are willing to take the screening test even without any apparent symptoms. Colonoscopy is the preferred screening method, but only 37.5% were willing to pay from their own pocket to get early colonoscopy.
CONCLUSIONS: Continous cancer education should be promoted with more involvement from healthcare providers in order to make future colorectal cancer screening programs successful.
Synthesis, characterization and in vitro study of magnetic biphasic calcium sulfate-bioactive glass

Goh YF, Akram M, Alshemary AZ, Hussain R

Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl, 2015 Aug;53:29-35.
PMID: 26042687 DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2015.04.013

Calcium sulfate-bioactive glass (CSBG) composites doped with 5, 10 and 20 mol% Fe were synthesized using quick alkali sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) data of samples heated at 700 °C revealed the presence of anhydrite, while field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) characterization confirmed the formation of nano-sized CSBGs. The UV-vis studies confirmed that the main iron species in 5% Fe and 10% Fe doped CSBGs were tetrahedral Fe(III) whereas that in 20% Fe doped CSBG were extra-framework FeOx oligomers or iron oxide phases. Measurement of magnetic properties of the samples by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) showed very narrow hysteresis loop with zero coercivity and remanence for 10% Fe and 20% Fe doped CSBG, indicating that they are superparamagnetic in nature. All samples induced the formation of apatite layer with Ca/P ratio close to the stoichiometric HA in simulated body fluid (SBF) assessment.
Fulltext Domestic Banks in Bangladesh Could Ensure Efficiency by Improving Human Resource Management Practices

Masum AK, Azad MA, Hoque KE, Beh LS

PLoS One, 2015;10(7):e0121017.
PMID: 26221727 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121017

The paper aims to examine the influence of human resource management (HRM) practices on bank efficiency using Malmquist index of total factor productivity. The model comprises HRM index that represents the quality of HRM practices. The results are decomposed into three efficiency scores, namely, technical efficiency, pure efficiency, and scale efficiency. In this study, panel data for 44 banks in Bangladesh are used for the period 2008-2013. This paper reveals that foreign banks are ahead in converting the influence of HRM practices into efficiency scores (0.946>0.833). On the other hand, domestic banks performed better than foreign banks in terms of pure efficiency and scale efficiency. But, in terms of technical efficiency, the domestic banks are regressed by 6.7% annually whereas foreign banks are progressed with a yearly value of 5.8%. The results are robust, because the Mann-Whitney test and Kruskall-Wallis test (non-parametric tests) also confirm the same results. This study emphasizes HRM practices in the banking industry to ensure efficiency in the long-term scenario. Domestic banks are suggested to ensure continuous development in HRM practices in order to compete with foreign banks.
Is First-Order Vector Autoregressive Model Optimal for fMRI Data?

Ting CM, Seghouane AK, Khalid MU, Salleh ShH

Neural Comput, 2015 Sep;27(9):1857-71.
PMID: 26161816 DOI: 10.1162/NECO_a_00765

We consider the problem of selecting the optimal orders of vector autoregressive (VAR) models for fMRI data. Many previous studies used model order of one and ignored that it may vary considerably across data sets depending on different data dimensions, subjects, tasks, and experimental designs. In addition, the classical information criteria (IC) used (e.g., the Akaike IC (AIC)) are biased and inappropriate for the high-dimensional fMRI data typically with a small sample size. We examine the mixed results on the optimal VAR orders for fMRI, especially the validity of the order-one hypothesis, by a comprehensive evaluation using different model selection criteria over three typical data types--a resting state, an event-related design, and a block design data set--with varying time series dimensions obtained from distinct functional brain networks. We use a more balanced criterion, Kullback's IC (KIC) based on Kullback's symmetric divergence combining two directed divergences. We also consider the bias-corrected versions (AICc and KICc) to improve VAR model selection in small samples. Simulation results show better small-sample selection performance of the proposed criteria over the classical ones. Both bias-corrected ICs provide more accurate and consistent model order choices than their biased counterparts, which suffer from overfitting, with KICc performing the best. Results on real data show that orders greater than one were selected by all criteria across all data sets for the small to moderate dimensions, particularly from small, specific networks such as the resting-state default mode network and the task-related motor networks, whereas low orders close to one but not necessarily one were chosen for the large dimensions of full-brain networks.
Fulltext A systematic composite service design modeling method using graph-based theory

Elhag AA, Mohamad R, Aziz MW, Zeshan F

PLoS One, 2015;10(4):e0123086.
PMID: 25928358 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0123086

The composite service design modeling is an essential process of the service-oriented software development life cycle, where the candidate services, composite services, operations and their dependencies are required to be identified and specified before their design. However, a systematic service-oriented design modeling method for composite services is still in its infancy as most of the existing approaches provide the modeling of atomic services only. For these reasons, a new method (ComSDM) is proposed in this work for modeling the concept of service-oriented design to increase the reusability and decrease the complexity of system while keeping the service composition considerations in mind. Furthermore, the ComSDM method provides the mathematical representation of the components of service-oriented design using the graph-based theoryto facilitate the design quality measurement. To demonstrate that the ComSDM method is also suitable for composite service design modeling of distributed embedded real-time systems along with enterprise software development, it is implemented in the case study of a smart home. The results of the case study not only check the applicability of ComSDM, but can also be used to validate the complexity and reusability of ComSDM. This also guides the future research towards the design quality measurement such as using the ComSDM method to measure the quality of composite service design in service-oriented software system.
Comparison of knowledge and attitudes about antibiotics and resistance, and antibiotics self-practicing between Bachelor of Pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy students in Southern India

Ahmad A, Khan MU, Moorthy J, Jamshed SQ, Patel I

Pharm Pract (Granada), 2015 03 15;13(1):523.
PMID: 25883690

BACKGROUND: There is limited research on pharmacy specialization based differences with regards to usage of antibiotics.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the knowledge, attitude and practice of Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) and Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students about usage and resistance of antibiotics in Southern India.
METHODS: This was a cross sectional study involving final year BPharm and PharmD students studying in two private institutions located in Andra Pradesh, India. The study was conducted for the period of 3 months. The questionnaire was divided into 5 components: demographics, knowledge about antibiotic use, attitude towards antibiotic use and resistance, self-antibiotic usage, and possible causes of antibiotic resistance. The study questionnaire was assessed for reliability. Data were analysed by employing Mann Whitney and chi square tests using SPSS version 19.
RESULTS: The sample size comprised of 137 students. The response rate was 76.11% for the study. There was a significant difference in the knowledge of antibiotic use in BPharm and PharmD students (Mean score: 5.09 vs 6.18, p<0.001). The overall attitude of PharmD students about antibiotic use and resistance was positive compared to BPharm students (Mean score: 3.05 vs 2.23, p<0.05). The self-antibiotic practices was higher in BPharm students than PharmD students (36.4% vs 20%, p<0.05). A significantly high number of PharmD students believed that empirical antibiotic therapy led to antibiotic resistance (19.5% versus 48%, P<0.05).
CONCLUSION: PharmD students were more knowledgeable about antibiotic usage and resistance compared to BPharm students who did not have accurate and the much needed information about the same. Future interventions should be targeted towards educating the BPharm students so that they can implement the acquired knowledge in their practice.
Fulltext A novel LTE scheduling algorithm for green technology in smart grid

Hindia MN, Reza AW, Noordin KA, Chayon MH

PLoS One, 2015;10(4):e0121901.
PMID: 25830703 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121901

Smart grid (SG) application is being used nowadays to meet the demand of increasing power consumption. SG application is considered as a perfect solution for combining renewable energy resources and electrical grid by means of creating a bidirectional communication channel between the two systems. In this paper, three SG applications applicable to renewable energy system, namely, distribution automation (DA), distributed energy system-storage (DER) and electrical vehicle (EV), are investigated in order to study their suitability in Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. To compensate the weakness in the existing scheduling algorithms, a novel bandwidth estimation and allocation technique and a new scheduling algorithm are proposed. The technique allocates available network resources based on application's priority, whereas the algorithm makes scheduling decision based on dynamic weighting factors of multi-criteria to satisfy the demands (delay, past average throughput and instantaneous transmission rate) of quality of service. Finally, the simulation results demonstrate that the proposed mechanism achieves higher throughput, lower delay and lower packet loss rate for DA and DER as well as provide a degree of service for EV. In terms of fairness, the proposed algorithm shows 3%, 7 % and 9% better performance compared to exponential rule (EXP-Rule), modified-largest weighted delay first (M-LWDF) and exponential/PF (EXP/PF), respectively.
Fulltext StakeMeter: value-based stakeholder identification and quantification framework for value-based software systems

Babar MI, Ghazali M, Jawawi DN, Bin Zaheer K

PLoS One, 2015;10(3):e0121344.
PMID: 25799490 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121344

Value-based requirements engineering plays a vital role in the development of value-based software (VBS). Stakeholders are the key players in the requirements engineering process, and the selection of critical stakeholders for the VBS systems is highly desirable. Based on the stakeholder requirements, the innovative or value-based idea is realized. The quality of the VBS system is associated with the concrete set of valuable requirements, and the valuable requirements can only be obtained if all the relevant valuable stakeholders participate in the requirements elicitation phase. The existing value-based approaches focus on the design of the VBS systems. However, the focus on the valuable stakeholders and requirements is inadequate. The current stakeholder identification and quantification (SIQ) approaches are neither state-of-the-art nor systematic for the VBS systems. The existing approaches are time-consuming, complex and inconsistent which makes the initiation process difficult. Moreover, the main motivation of this research is that the existing SIQ approaches do not provide the low level implementation details for SIQ initiation and stakeholder metrics for quantification. Hence, keeping in view the existing SIQ problems, this research contributes in the form of a new SIQ framework called 'StakeMeter'. The StakeMeter framework is verified and validated through case studies. The proposed framework provides low-level implementation guidelines, attributes, metrics, quantification criteria and application procedure as compared to the other methods. The proposed framework solves the issues of stakeholder quantification or prioritization, higher time consumption, complexity, and process initiation. The framework helps in the selection of highly critical stakeholders for the VBS systems with less judgmental error.
Real-time signal processing for fetal heart rate monitoring

Ibrahimy MI, Ahmed F, Mohd Ali MA, Zahedi E

IEEE Trans Biomed Eng, 2003 Feb;50(2):258-62.
PMID: 12665042

An algorithm based on digital filtering, adaptive thresholding, statistical properties in the time domain, and differencing of local maxima and minima has been developed for the simultaneous measurement of the fetal and maternal heart rates from the maternal abdominal electrocardiogram during pregnancy and labor for ambulatory monitoring. A microcontroller-based system has been used to implement the algorithm in real-time. A Doppler ultrasound fetal monitor was used for statistical comparison on five volunteers with low risk pregnancies, between 35 and 40 weeks of gestation. Results showed an average percent root mean square difference of 5.32% and linear correlation coefficient from 0.84 to 0.93. The fetal heart rate curves remained inside a +/- 5-beats-per-minute limit relative to the reference ultrasound method for 84.1% of the time.
Role of teleconsultation in moving the healthcare system forward

Yusof K, Neoh KH, bin Hashim MA, Ibrahim I

Asia Pac J Public Health, 2002;14(1):29-34.
PMID: 12597515

The equitable access to quality healthcare by Malaysians has consistently been the primary objective of the Ministry of Health (MOH). The epidemiological transition to chronic illnesses, advances in medical technology, escalating healthcare costs and rising patient expectations has necessitated the strategic use of information systems in healthcare delivery. Malaysia has broken new ground by implementing a nationwide network to address inadequate access to healthcare, as well as to lower costs and achieve better health outcomes. Teleconsultation refers to the electronic transmission of medical information and services from one site to another using telecommunication technologies. This technology transforms the healthcare system by rapidly matching patient needs with the appropriate level of care however geographically remote they may be. Our findings suggest that even in these early stages of implementation, teleconsultation has led to cost savings, a more efficient allocation of resources, enhanced diagnostic options and better health outcomes.
Comparison of the fine-scale genetic structure of three dipterocarp species

Takeuchi Y, Ichikawa S, Konuma A, Tomaru N, Niiyama K, Lee SL, et al.

Heredity (Edinb), 2004 Apr;92(4):323-8.
PMID: 14735142

We investigated the fine-scale genetic structure of three tropical-rainforest trees, Hopea dryobalanoides, Shorea parvifolia and S. acuminata (Dipterocarpaceae), in Peninsular Malaysia, all of which cooccurred within a 6-ha plot in Pasoh Forest Reserve. A significant genetic structure was found in H. dryobalanoides, weaker (but still significant) genetic structure in S. parvifolia and nonsignificant structure in S. acuminata. Seeds of all three species are wind dispersed, and their flowers are thought to be insect pollinated. The most obvious difference among these species is their height: S. parvifolia and S. acuminata are canopy species, whereas H. dryobalanoides is a subcanopy species. Clear differences were also found among these species in their range of seed dispersal, which depends on the height of the release point; so taller trees disperse their seed more extensively. The estimates of seed dispersal area were consistent with the degree of genetic structure found in the three species. Therefore, tree height probably had a strong influence on the fine-scale genetic structure of the three species.
Fulltext Evaluation of Selected Outcomes of Combination Antiretroviral Therapy: Yemen Cohort Retrospective Descriptive Studies

Nabih MF, Puteh SEW, Nur AM

Sci Rep, 2019 12 27;9(1):19923.
PMID: 31882645 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-56314-0

In 2007, HIV treatment services were established in five main governorates out of twenty-two which resulted in low access to services and poor treatment outcomes. The main goal of this study was to evaluate and analyse the selected treatment outcomes of eight cohorts of PLHIV who were treated with cART during 2007-2014. The method used was a retrospective descriptive study of 1,703 PLHIV who initiated cART at five public health facilities. The results: Retention rate was less than 80%, male: female ratio 1.661, with a mean age of 35 years (±9.2 SD), 85% had been infected with HIV via heterosexual contact. 65% of patients presented with clinical stages 3 and 4, and 52% of them were initiated cART at a CD4 T-cell count ≤200 cells/mm. 61% of cART included Tenofovir and Efavirenz. TB treatment started for 5% of PLHIV, and 22% developed HIV-related clinical manifestations after cART initiation. 67% of PLHIV had experienced cART substitution. The mean AIDS-mortality rate was 15% and the mean LTFU rate was 16%. Conclusion: Although cART showed effectiveness in public health, mobilization of resources and formulation of better health policies are important steps toward improving access to cART and achieving the desired treatment outcomes.
Letter to the Editor: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 Impact on Oncofertility Services in Malaysia

Ahmad MF, Abu MA, Abdul Karim AK

J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol, 2020 12;9(6):693-694.
PMID: 33090942 DOI: 10.1089/jayao.2020.0105
How Do Southeast Asia Countries Respond and Mitigate to Novel Coronavirus Pandemic? A Lesson From Malaysia

Mohd Radzi SF, Hassan MS, Mohd Radzi MAH

Asia Pac J Public Health, 2020 11;32(8):453-455.
PMID: 33030029 DOI: 10.1177/1010539520962970
Fulltext Role of Phase-Dependent Dielectric Properties of Alumina Nanoparticles in Electromagnetic-Assisted Enhanced Oil Recovery

Adil M, Lee KC, Zaid HM, Manaka T

Nanomaterials (Basel), 2020 Oct 06;10(10).
PMID: 33036153 DOI: 10.3390/nano10101975

The utilization of metal-oxide nanoparticles in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) has generated considerable research interest to increase the oil recovery. Among these nanoparticles, alumina nanoparticles (Al2O3-NPs) have proved promising in improving the oil recovery mechanism due to their prominent thermal properties. However, more significantly, these nanoparticles, coupled with electromagnetic (EM) waves, can be polarized to reduce water/oil mobility ratio and create disturbances at the oil/nanofluid interface, so that oil can be released from the reservoir rock surfaces and travelled easily to the production well. Moreover, alumina exists in various transition phases (γ, δ, θ, κ, β, η, χ), providing not only different sizes and morphologies but phase-dependent dielectric behavior at the applied EM frequencies. In this research, the oil recovery mechanism under EM fields of varying frequencies was investigated, which involved parameters such as mobility ratio, interfacial tension (IFT) and wettability. The displacement tests were conducted in water-wet sandpacks at 95 °C, by employing crude oil from Tapis. Alumina nanofluids (Al2O3-NFs) of four different phases (α, κ, θ and γ) and particle sizes (25-94.3 nm) were prepared by dispersing 0.01 wt. % NPs in brine (3 wt. % NaCl) together with SDBS as a dispersant. Three sequential injection scenarios were performed in each flooding scheme: (i) preflushes brine as a secondary flooding, (ii) conventional nano/EM-assisted nanofluid flooding, and (iii) postflushes brine to flush NPs. Compared to conventional nanofluid flooding (3.03-11.46% original oil in place/OOIP) as incremental oil recovery, EM-assisted nanofluid flooding provided an increase in oil recovery by approximately 4.12-12.90% of OOIP for different phases of alumina. It was established from these results that the recovery from EM-assisted nanofluid flooding is itself dependent on frequency, which is associated with good dielectric behavior of NPs to formulate the oil recovery mechanism including (i) mobility ratio improvement due to an electrorheological (ER) effect, (ii) interfacial disturbances by the oil droplet deformation, and (iii) wettability alteration by increased surface-free energy.
Fulltext An overview of polymeric nano-biocomposites as targeted and controlled-release devices

Rahim M, Mas Haris MRH, Saqib NU

Biophys Rev, 2020 Oct;12(5):1223-1231.
PMID: 32901426 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-020-00750-0

In recent years, controlled drug delivery has become an important area of research. Nano-biocomposites can fulfil the necessary requirements of a targeted drug delivery device. This review describes use of polymeric nano-biocomposites in controlled drug delivery devices. Selection of suitable biopolymer and methods of preparation are discussed.

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