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Fulltext Limited directed seed dispersal in the canopy as one of the determinants of the low hemi-epiphytic figs' recruitments in Bornean rainforests

Nakabayashi M, Inoue Y, Ahmad AH, Izawa M

PLoS One, 2019;14(6):e0217590.
PMID: 31194749 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217590

Ficus species are keystone plants in tropical rainforests, and hemi-epiphytic figs play a notably important role in forest ecosystems. Because hemi-epiphytic figs have strict germination requirements, germination and establishment stages regulate their populations. Despite the ecological importance of hemi-epiphytic figs in the rainforests, seed dispersal systems by fig-eating animals under natural conditions remain unknown because of the difficulty in tracing the destiny of dispersed seeds in the canopy. Therefore, seed dispersal effectiveness (SDE) has never been evaluated for hemi-epiphytic figs. We evaluated the SDE of hemi-epiphytic figs using qualitative and quantitative components by three relatively large-sized (> 3 kg) arboreal and volant animals in Bornean rainforests that largely depend on fig fruits in their diets: binturongs Arctictis binturong, Mueller's gibbons Hylobates muelleri, and helmeted hornbills Rhinoplax vigil. The SDE values of binturongs was by far the highest among the three study animals. Meanwhile, successful seed dispersal of hemi-epiphytic figs by gibbons and helmeted hornbills is aleatory and rare. Given that seed deposition determines the fate of hemi-epiphytic figs, the defecatory habits of binturongs, depositing feces on specific microsites in the canopy, is the most reliable dispersal method, compared to scattering feces from the air or upper canopy. We showed that reliable directed dispersal of hemi-epiphytic figs occurs in high and uneven canopy of Bornean rainforests. This type of dispersal is limited to specific animal species, and therefore it may become one of the main factors regulating low-success hemi-epiphytic fig recruitment in Bornean rainforests.
Species richness of riparian vegetation after three decades of Kenyir dam establishment

Shahimi S, Salam R, Salim JM, Ahmad A

Data Brief, 2019 Aug;25:104045.
PMID: 31194175 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2019.104045

This data article is on riparian vegetation species richness in four different streams located in the Sultan Mahmud Hydroelectric dam, also known as Kenyir dam and commonly referred to as Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu. The dataset consists of three reservoir-island streams and the other is a small stream located on the mainland. A total of 41 families and 90 species of riparian plants were reported for the first time after 34 years of the establishment of the Sultan Mahmud Hydroelectric dam. Trees contributing 60% of the species recorded in this study and the others were non-tree species, including climbers, ferns, epiphyte, herbs, shrub, strangling trees and palms. Among the recorded riparian plant species, two are introduced which are Clidemia hirta and Mimosa pigra. The highest diversity of riparian plant found in the stream of Sungai Kiang, followed by Sungai Ikan and Sungai Saok with 46, 29 and 17 species respectively for the reservoir-island streams. The mainland stream, Sungai Siput recorded 37 species. These riparian plants provide important ecosystem services, among others soil stabilization, habitat and food for aquatic fauna and water filtration. In terms of plant utilization potential and values, 47 species are identified having medicinal value, 10 species with ornamental value and another 36 species are timber trees. Our study demonstrates that the riparian plants are closely linked to stream size with variability associated with types of stream systems. The data collected also demonstrates that the riparian plant community is at the seral stages of riparian forest. This is indicated by the increase in plant species richness as the vegetation gradually changes from riparian towards mature forest composition. To secure ecological functions of Tasik Kenyir riparian plant assemblages, particularly in stabilizing the lake's margin and riverbank, it is recommended that monitoring and legal protection may need to be imposed by local authority.
Attitudes, knowledge and views on off-label prescribing in children among healthcare professionals in Malaysia

Balan S, Ahmad Hassali MA, Mak VSL

Int J Clin Pharm, 2019 Aug;41(4):1074-1084.
PMID: 31197546 DOI: 10.1007/s11096-019-00862-y

Background Off-label prescribing in children is associated with several prerequisites such as ensuring sound and scientific evidence and obtaining written consent prior to use of off-label drugs to ensure that protection is provided to patients and healthcare professionals. Adherence to the pre-requisites depends on the attitude, views and knowledge of the pharmacists and doctors involved in this practice. Objective To explore the attitudes, knowledge and views on off-label prescribing in children among hospital-based pharmacists and paediatric doctors. Setting The study was conducted in a 620-bedded general hospital located in the urban area of central Peninsular Malaysia. Method Face to face, semi-structured interviews with 12 pharmacists and 12 paediatric doctors. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using constant comparison method. Main outcome measure Themes surrounding hospital-based pharmacists' and paediatric doctors' attitude, knowledge and views on off-label prescribing in children. Results Four themes were derived: knowledge on off-label prescribing in children, views on off-label prescribing in children, attitude towards off-label prescribing in children and guidance on off-label prescribing in children. Conclusion There is a need to increase the knowledge of hospital-based pharmacists and paediatric doctors and address several concerns on off-label prescribing in children. The decision to prescribe or dispense off-label drugs involved collective decision-making mechanisms and guidance is required with regards to offlabel prescribing in children.
Fulltext Post-surgical antibiotic prophylaxis: Impact of pharmacist's educational intervention on appropriate use of antibiotics

Butt SZ, Ahmad M, Saeed H, Saleem Z, Javaid Z

J Infect Public Health, 2019 06 10;12(6):854-860.
PMID: 31196776 DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2019.05.015

BACKGROUND: Guidelines assisted appropriate use of prophylactic antibiotics can lower the prevalence of surgical site infections (SSIs). The present study was conducted to evaluate the impact and cost-benefit value of pharmacist's educational intervention for antibiotic use in post-surgical prophylaxis.
METHODS: A prospective quasi experimental study was conducted by enrolling 450 patients from tertiary care hospital of Lahore, Pakistan, 225 patients in each, control and intervention, arm using non-random convenient sampling. The study parameters included antibiotic indication, choice, dose, frequency, duration and associated costs. This study is registered with Chinese Clinical Trial Registry # ChiCTR-OON-17013246.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: After educational intervention, in post-intervention arm, total compliance in terms of correct antibiotic choice, dose, frequency and duration increased from 1.3% to 12.4%. The rate of inappropriate antibiotic choice did not change significantly. After intervention only metronidazole utilization decreased (16%) significantly (p=0.011). Significant reductions were observed in mean duration of antibiotic prophylaxis (17%, p=0.003), average number of prescribed antibiotics (9.1%, p=0.014) and average antibiotic cost (25.7%, p=0.03), with reduction in mean hospitalization cost (p=0.003) and length of stay (p=0.023). Educational intervention was significantly associated (OR; 2.4, p=0.005) with appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis. The benefit of pharmacist intervention, mean antibiotic cost savings to mean cost of pharmacist time, was 4.8:1. Thus, the educational intervention resulted in significant reductions in the duration and average number of antibiotic use having considerable effect on therapy and hospitalization cost.
Fulltext Flex Sensor Compensator via Hammerstein-Wiener Modeling Approach for Improved Dynamic Goniometry and Constrained Control of a Bionic Hand

Syed Mubarak Ali SAA, Ahmad NS, Goh P

Sensors (Basel), 2019 Sep 10;19(18).
PMID: 31509987 DOI: 10.3390/s19183896

In this paper, a new control-centric approach is introduced to model the characteristics of flex sensors on a goniometric glove, which is designed to capture the user hand gesture that can be used to wirelessly control a bionic hand. The main technique employs the inverse dynamic model strategy along with a black-box identification for the compensator design, which is aimed to provide an approximate linear mapping between the raw sensor output and the dynamic finger goniometry. To smoothly recover the goniometry on the bionic hand's side during the wireless transmission, the compensator is restructured into a Hammerstein-Wiener model, which consists of a linear dynamic system and two static nonlinearities. A series of real-time experiments involving several hand gestures have been conducted to analyze the performance of the proposed method. The associated temporal and spatial gesture data from both the glove and the bionic hand are recorded, and the performance is evaluated in terms of the integral of absolute error between the glove's and the bionic hand's dynamic goniometry. The proposed method is also compared with the raw sensor data, which has been preliminarily calibrated with the finger goniometry, and the Wiener model, which is based on the initial inverse dynamic design strategy. Experimental results with several trials for each gesture show that a great improvement is obtained via the Hammerstein-Wiener compensator approach where the resulting average errors are significantly smaller than the other two methods. This concludes that the proposed strategy can remarkably improve the dynamic goniometry of the glove, and thus provides a smooth human-robot collaboration with the bionic hand.
Fulltext Prospective Application of Palm Oil Mill Boiler Ash as a Biosorbent: Effect of Microwave Irradiation and Palm Oil Mill Effluent Decolorization by Adsorption

Hamzah MH, Ahmad Asri MF, Che Man H, Mohammed A

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2019 09 17;16(18).
PMID: 31533308 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16183453

Common conventional biological treatment methods fail to decolorize palm oil mill effluent (POME). The present study focused on using the abundant palm oil mill boiler (POMB) ashes for POME decolorization. The POMB ashes were subjected to microwave irradiation and chemical treatment using H2SO4. The resultant adsorbents were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analyses. The adsorption efficiency was evaluated at various pH levels (2-8.5), adsorption dosages (3-15 g) in 200 mL, and contact times (1-5 h). The microwave-irradiated POMB-retained ash recorded the highest color removal of 92.31%, for which the best conditions were pH 2, 15 g adsorbent dosage in 200 mL, and 5 h of contact time. At these best treatment conditions, the color concentration of the treated effluent was analyzed using the method proposed by the American Dye Manufacturers Institute (ADMI). The color concentration was 19.20 ADMI, which complies with the Malaysia discharge standard class A. The Freundlich isotherm model better fit the experimental data and had a high R2 of 0.9740. Based on these results, it can be deduced that microwave-irradiated POMB-retained ash has potential applications for POME decolorization via a biosorption process.
Fulltext Enhanced mechanical and thermal properties of electrically conductive TPNR/GNP nanocomposites assisted with ultrasonication

Chen RS, Mohd Ruf MFH, Shahdan D, Ahmad S

PLoS One, 2019;14(9):e0222662.
PMID: 31545820 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222662

Thermoplastic natural rubber (TPNR) was compounded with graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) via ultrasonication and melt blending. The effects of ultrasonication period (1-4 hours) and GNP weight fraction (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 wt.%) on the mechanical, thermal and conductivity properties were investigated. Results showed that the 3 hours of ultrasonic treatment on LNR/GNP gave the greatest improvement in tensile strength of 25.8% (TPNR/GNP nanocomposites) as compared to those without ultrasonication. The TPNR nanocomposites containing 1.5 wt.% GNP exhibited the highest strength (16 MPa for tensile, 14 MPa for flexural and 11 kJm-2 for impact) and modulus (556 MPa and 869 MPa for tensile and flexural, respectively). The incorporation of GNP had enhanced the thermal stability. It can be concluded that the GNP had imparted the thermally and electrically conductive nature to the TPNR blend.
Fulltext Biological Interaction Between Human Gingival Fibroblasts and Vascular Endothelial Cells for Angiogenesis: A Co-culture Perspective

Um Min Allah N, Berahim Z, Ahmad A, Kannan TP

Tissue Eng Regen Med, 2017 Oct;14(5):495-505.
PMID: 30603504 DOI: 10.1007/s13770-017-0065-y

Advancement in cell culture protocols, multidisciplinary research approach, and the need of clinical implication to reconstruct damaged or diseased tissues has led to the establishment of three-dimensional (3D) test systems for regeneration and repair. Regenerative therapies, including dental tissue engineering, have been pursued as a new prospect to repair and rebuild the diseased/lost oral tissues. Interactions between the different cell types, growth factors, and extracellular matrix components involved in angiogenesis are vital in the mechanisms of new vessel formation for tissue regeneration. In vitro pre-vascularization is one of the leading scopes in the tissue-engineering field. Vascularization strategies that are associated with co-culture systems have proved that there is communication between different cell types with mutual beneficial effects in vascularization and tissue regeneration in two-dimensional or 3D cultures. Endothelial cells with different cell populations, including osteoblasts, smooth muscle cells, and fibroblasts in a co-culture have shown their ability to advocate pre-vascularization. In this review, a co-culture perspective of human gingival fibroblasts and vascular endothelial cells is discussed with the main focus on vascularization and future perspective of this model in regeneration and repair.
A High-Throughput Magnetic Nanoparticle-Based Semi-Automated Antibody Phage Display Biopanning

Ch'ng ACW, Ahmad A, Konthur Z, Lim TS

Methods Mol Biol, 2019;1904:377-400.
PMID: 30539481 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-8958-4_18

Panning is a common process used for antibody selection from phage antibody libraries. There are several methods developed for a similar purpose, namely streptavidin mass spectrometry immunoassay (MSIA™) Disposable Automation Research Tips, magnetic beads, polystyrene immunotubes, and microtiter plate. The advantage of using a magnetic particle processor system is the ability to carry out phage display panning against multiple target antigens simultaneously in parallel. The system carries out the panning procedure using magnetic nanoparticles in microtiter plates. The entire incubation, wash, and elution process is then automated in this setup. The system also allows customization for the introduction of different panning stringencies. The nature of the biopanning process coupled with the limitation of the system means that minimal human intervention is required for the infection and phage packaging stage. However, the process still allows for rapid and reproducible antibody generation to be carried out.
Voltammetric determination of iodide in iodized table salt using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as ion-pairing

Jamilan MA, Abdullah J, Alang Ahmad SA, Md Noh MF

J Food Sci Technol, 2019 Aug;56(8):3846-3853.
PMID: 31413410 DOI: 10.1007/s13197-019-03855-x

In this work, voltammetric study based on cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as an ion-pairing agent for the determination of iodine level in iodized table salt has been explored. CTAB was used as an intermediate compound between iodide (I-) and the electrode due to its ability to dissociate to produce cetyltrimethylammonium ions ([CTA]+). The [CTA]+ with a long hydrophobic alkyl chain can be directly adsorbed onto the surface of the working electrode, and this in turns coated the electrode with cationic charge and enhance the electrode ability to bind to iodide (I-) and other molecular iodine ions. A mixture of iodide and CTAB ([CTA]+I-) was prepared and potential of 1.0 V for 60.0 s was applied to pre-concentrate the solution on the working electrode causing the [CTA]+I- to oxidize to iodine (I2). The produced I2 immediately react with chloride ion (Cl-) from the electrolyte of hydrochloric acid (HCl) to produce I2Cl- and form ion-pair with CTA+ as [CTA]+I2Cl-. The linear calibration curve of the developed method towards iodide was in the concentration range of 0.5-4.0 mg/L with sensitivity of - 1.383 µA mg/L-1 cm-2 (R2 = 0.9950), limit of detection (LOD) of 0.3 mg/L and limit of quantification (LOQ) of 1.0 mg/L, respectively. The proposed method indicates good agreement with the standard method for iodine determination with recovery range from 95.0 to 104.3%. The developed method provided potential application as a portable on-site iodine detector.
Fulltext Local Government Competition, Environmental Regulation Intensity and Regional Innovation Performance: An Empirical Investigation of Chinese Provinces

Deng J, Zhang N, Ahmad F, Draz MU

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2019 06 16;16(12).
PMID: 31208141 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16122130

：The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of local government competition and environmental regulation intensity on regional innovation performance and its regional heterogeneity. Based on the theoretical mechanism of the aforementioned variables, this study uses the Chinese provincial panel data from 2001 to 2016. We use the super-efficiency data envelopment analysis (SE-DEA) to evaluate regional innovation performance. To systematically examine the impact of local government competition and environmental regulation intensity on regional innovation performance, we build a panel date model using the feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) method. The results indicate that: the regional innovation performance can be significantly improved through technological spillover; local governments compete for foreign direct investment (FDI) to participate in regional innovative production. Moreover, improvements in environmental regulation intensity enhance regional innovation performance through the innovation compensation effect. Our results show that the local governments tend to choose lower environmental regulation intensity to compete for more FDI, which has an inhibitory effect on regional innovation performance. Furthermore, due to regional differences in factor endowments, economic reforms and economic development levels in Chinese provinces, there exists a significant regional consistency in the impact of local government competition and environmental regulation intensity on regional innovation performance. Therefore, institutional arrangements and incentive constraints must be adopted to enhance regional innovation performance as well as to guide and foster the mechanism of green innovation competition among local governments. At the same time, considering the regional heterogeneity of local government competition and environmental regulation intensity affecting regional innovation performance, policy makers should avoid the "one-size-fits-all" strategy of institutional arrangements.
Premature ejaculation and its associated factors among men attending a primary healthcare clinic in Kelantan, Malaysia

Ahmad Zamree MR, Shaiful Bahari I, Faridah MZ, Norhayati MN

J Taibah Univ Med Sci, 2018 Apr;13(2):173-179.
PMID: 31435320 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2017.10.001

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of premature ejaculation and its associated factors among men attending a primary healthcare clinic in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 18- to 60-year-old sexually active men during at least the past 6 months. Patients with unstable psychiatric illnesses, mental retardation, and illiteracy were excluded. A questionnaire on sociodemographic factors, Malay version Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool, and Malay version International Index Erectile Function-5 were distributed. Premature ejaculation was defined as a Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool score of 9 and above. Descriptive analysis and simple and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed using SPSS version 22.

Results: A total of 294 of 313 eligible men responded, with a response rate of 93.9%. The prevalence of premature ejaculation was 21.4% (n = 63). The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that mild [adj. OR (95% CI): 5.6 (1.89, 16.91); P = 0.002], mild-moderate [adj. OR (95% CI): 8.2 (2.72, 24.46); P
Fulltext Incremental Role of Fluorine 18-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in the Assessment of Computed Tomography-Inconspicuous Pancreatic Lesions

Ahmad Saad FF, Abdul Rashid AM, Md Noh MSF

J Pancreat Cancer, 2017;3(1):66-70.
PMID: 30631845 DOI: 10.1089/pancan.2017.0014

Background: Pancreatic malignancies encompass a heterogenous group of disorders, with poor prognosis at diagnosis. Traditionally, conventional computed tomography (CT) has been used for diagnosis, staging, and follow up. However, this technique lacks functional information; and is limited in diagnosis of occult pancreatic disease. Hybrid imaging in the form of positron emission tomography (PET)/CT provides a potential avenue for early detection and subsequent appropriate therapy. Case Presentation: A 60-year-old male, with a history of abdominal aortic aneurysm which was repaired, came with a complaint of 2 months history of back pain, radiating to the front. The pain was relieved on leaning forward, and aggravated by lying on his back. CT angiography of the abdomen was done, which revealed a concealed aortic aneurysm and a significant atrophy of the pancreatic tail. The serum cancer antigen (CA) 19-9 was elevated (50.0 U/mL, reference range 0.0-37.0 U/mL). At this juncture, the PET scan done revealed no discernible abnormalities. Patient was put on close follow-up in view of the rising trend of CA 19-9 levels. Three months following the initial scans, a repeat 18F-FDG (fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose) PET/CT revealed an FDG-avid lesion at the neck of the pancreas on PET without perceptible changes on the correlated CT. A Whipple's procedure ensued, with histopathological examination findings of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Conclusion: This article discusses the role of PET/CT in the early diagnosis of inconspicuous pancreatic lesions; which could have averted immediate medical therapy.
Early Detection of Ganoderma Basal Stem Rot of Oil Palms Using Artificial Neural Network Spectral Analysis

Ahmadi P, Muharam FM, Ahmad K, Mansor S, Abu Seman I

Plant Dis, 2017 Jun;101(6):1009-1016.
PMID: 30682927 DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-12-16-1699-RE

Ganoderma boninense is a causal agent of basal stem rot (BSR) and is responsible for a significant portion of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) losses, which can reach US$500 million a year in Southeast Asia. At the early stage of this disease, infected palms are symptomless, which imposes difficulties in detecting the disease. In spite of the availability of tissue and DNA sampling techniques, there is a particular need for replacing costly field data collection methods for detecting Ganoderma in its early stage with a technique derived from spectroscopic and imagery data. Therefore, this study was carried out to apply the artificial neural network (ANN) analysis technique for discriminating and classifying fungal infections in oil palm trees at an early stage using raw, first, and second derivative spectroradiometer datasets. These were acquired from 1,016 spectral signatures of foliar samples in four disease levels (T1: healthy, T2: mildly-infected, T3: moderately infected, and T4: severely infected). Most of the satisfactory results occurred in the visible range, especially in the green wavelength. The healthy oil palms and those which were infected by Ganoderma at an early stage (T2) were classified satisfactorily with an accuracy of 83.3%, and 100.0% in 540 to 550 nm, respectively, by ANN using first derivative spectral data. The results further indicated that the sensitive frond number modeled by ANN provided the highest accuracy of 100.0% for frond number 9 compared with frond 17. This study showed evidence that employment of ANN can predict the early infection of BSR disease on oil palm with a high degree of accuracy.
Thismia belumensis (Thismiaceae), a remarkable new species from The Royal Belum State Park, Gerik, Perak, Peninsular Malaysia

Siti-Munirah MY, Suhaimi-Miloko Z, Ahmad MIZ

PhytoKeys, 2021;172:121-134.
PMID: 33664611 DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.172.59336

This report describes Thismia belumensis Siti-Munirah & Suhaimi-Miloko, a novel species of achlorophyllous herb discovered in the Royal Belum State Park, Peninsular Malaysia. This new species is unlike any previously described species of Thismia. In particular, T. belumensis possesses a unique annulus, which has been expanded and modified into a cucullate (hood-like) structure. This structure covers the apical floral tube and has an opening on one side facing a thickened part of the annulus, and the off-centre floral aperture confers a zygomorphic symmetry to the flower, indicating T. belumensis is more similar to Thismia labiata J.J.Sm. This morphological detail makes this new species distinct from all other described species of Thismia. In this report, we provide descriptions, illustrations, colour plates, and the provisional conservation status of Thismia belumensis.
Fulltext Dataset for influence of CNG and HCNG on engine performance and emission parameters at diverse injection pressure

Suhel A, Norwazan AR, Rahman MRA, Ahmad KAB

Data Brief, 2021 Apr;35:106838.
PMID: 33659596 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2021.106838

Present data article based on the investigation which enumerates the influence of CNG (compressed natural gas) and HCNG (hydrogen enriched compressed natural gas) on performance and emission parameters of direct injection diesel engine at 200, 220, and 240 bar injection pressures. The CNG and HCNG gaseous alternative fuels were injected in amount (by mass) of 10%, 20% and 30% as secondary fuels to enrich the pilot fuel (pure diesel) during the operation. The performance and emission data of dual fuel (CNG + pure diesel, HCNG + pure diesel) operation was analysed to compare with the pure diesel data. The data for present investigational work were assessed at 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% diverse engine loads for all trials under diverse injection pressures. Eddy current dynamometer was employed to raise the engine load from quartile to maximum. AVL DiGAS 444 N multi gas analyser was used to measure the values of carbon monoxide (CO), unburned hydrocarbon (UHC), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) detrimental emissions in engine exhaust.
Fulltext Development and Validation of a Questionnaire on Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception Towards Allergic Reactions of Paracetamol

Dellemin NA, Zahari Z, Ahmad Hassali MA, Abdul Rashid S

J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2020 10 08;12(4):428-435.
PMID: 33679089 DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.JPBS_247_19

Introduction: National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency, Ministry of Health Malaysia has received 1018 adverse drug reaction reports related to paracetamol with 1972 adverse events from the year 2000 to February 2015. Serious skin reactions including Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis, and acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis may develop as a result of allergic reactions of paracetamol. This study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire regarding Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception towards Allergic Reactions of Paracetamol (KAP-ARP) among the general population.
Materials and Methods: Content and face validity of the KAP-ARP were determined by four experts and 20 respondents, respectively. A questionnaire with 36 items, consisting of 16 Knowledge, 9 Attitude, and 11 Perception items, was distributed to 177 respondents. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed for construct validity. Cronbach's alpha was used to determine the reliability of the questionnaire.
Results: EFA constructed 13 Knowledge, 8 Attitude, and 8 Perception items. The final KAP-ARP questionnaire is reliable based on its internal consistency reliability (Knowledge: α = 0.78; Attitude: α = 0.63; Perception: α = 0.70).
Conclusion: A valid and reliable questionnaire that is useful for measuring KAP-ARP among the general population has been developed.
Fulltext Surface Modification of Polytetrafluoroethylene Hollow Fiber Membrane for Direct Contact Membrane Distillation through Low-Density Polyethylene Solution Coating

Mohd Ramli MR, Ahmad AL, Leo CP

ACS Omega, 2021 Feb 23;6(7):4609-4618.
PMID: 33644568 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c05107

Membrane distillation (MD) is an attractive technology for the separation of highly saline water used with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) hollow fiber (HF) membrane. A hydrophobic coating of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) coats the outer surface of the PTFE membrane to resolve membrane wetting as well as increase membrane permeability flux and salt rejection, a critical problem regarding the MD process. LDPE concentrations in coating solution have been studied and optimized. Consequently, the LDPE layer altered membrane morphology by forming a fine nanostructure on the membrane surface that created a hydrophobic layer, a high roughness of membrane, and a uniform LDPE network. The membrane coated with different concentrations of LDPE exhibited high water contact angles of 135.14 ± 0.24 and 138.08 ± 0.01° for membranes M-3 and M-4, respectively, compared to the pristine membrane. In addition, the liquid entry pressure values of LDPE-incorporated PTFE HF membranes (M-1 to M-5) were higher than that of the uncoated membrane (M-0) with a small decrease in the percentage of porosity. The M-3 and M-4 membranes demonstrated higher flux values of 4.12 and 3.3 L m-2 h-1 at 70 °C, respectively. On the other hand, the water permeation flux of 1.95 L m-2 h-1 for M-5 further decreased when LDPE concentration is increased.
Bacterial diversity associated with empty oil palm fruit bunch compost as revealed by cultivation-independent analyses of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA genes

Liew PW, Jong BC, Goh CM, Ahmad M

J Gen Appl Microbiol, 2009 Jun;55(3):233-40.
PMID: 19590151
Evaluation of Tualang honey as a supplement to fetal bovine serum in cell culture

Kannan TP, Ali AQ, Abdullah SF, Ahmad A

Food Chem Toxicol, 2009 Jul;47(7):1696-702.
PMID: 19394390 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2009.04.020

The aim of this study was to evaluate Tualang honey as a supplement to fetal bovine serum in cell cultures using MTT assay, chromosome aberration test and gene expression analyses. The MTT assay showed the highest percentage of cell proliferation (105.3% increment than control) of human osteoblast cell line (CRL 1543) in 0.0195% honey in Dulbecco's modified eagle medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum and 1% penicillin/streptomycin. There was enhanced cell proliferation corresponding to the decrease in concentrations of honey as indicated by the mitotic index values when the osteoblast cell line was incubated at 37 degrees C for 48 hours. There were no chromosome aberrations both in the honey treated as well as distilled water treated (negative control) cell lines. In the case of gene expression analyses, fibroblast cell lines (CCL 171) were treated with honey (0.0195%) for 24 and 48 hours separately. Though there was over expression for the bcl-xl gene at both 24 and 48 hours, under expression for bcl-xs gene at 24 hours and over expression at 48 hours and under expression for both c-myc and p53 genes at both 24 and 48 hours, none of them were statistically significant in altering the expression of mRNA.

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