Displaying publications 1901 - 1920 of 9863 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Development of palm-based reference materials for the quantification of fatty acids composition
    Tarmizi AH, Lin SW, Kuntom A
    J Oleo Sci, 2008;57(5):275-85.
    PMID: 18391476
    Characterisation of fatty acids composition of three palm-based reference materials was carried out through inter-laboratory proficiency tests. Twelve laboratories collaborated in these tests and the fatty acids compositions of palm oil, palm olein and palm stearin were determined by applying the MPOB Test Methods p3.4:2004 and p3.5:2004. Determination of consensus values and their uncertainties were based on the acceptable statistical agreement of results obtained from the collaborating laboratories. The consensus values and uncertainties (%) for each palm oil reference material produced are listed as follows : 0.20% (C12:0), 1.66+/-0.05% (C14:0), 43.39+/-0.39% (C16:0), 0.14+/-0.06% (C16:1), 3.90+/-0.11% (C18:0), 40.95+/-0.23% (C18:1), 9.68+/-0.21% (C18:2), 0.16+/-0.07% (C18:3) and 0.31+/-0.08% (C20:0) for fatty acids composition of palm oil; 0.23+/-0.04% (C12:0), 1.02+/-0.04% (C14:0), 39.66+/-0.19% (C16:0), 0.18+/-0.07% (C16:1), 3.81+/-0.04% (C18:0), 44.01+/-0.08% (C18:1), 10.73+/-0.08% (C18:2), 0.20+/-0.06% (C18:3) and 0.34+/-0.04% (C20:0) for fatty acids composition of palm olein; and 0.20% (C12:0), 1.14+/-0.05% (C14:0), 49.42+/-0.25% (C16:0), 0.16+/-0.08% (C16:1), 4.15+/-0.10% (C18:0), 36.14+/-0.77% (C18:1), 7.95+/-0.29% (C18:2), 0.11+/-0.07% (C18:3) and 0.30+/-0.08% (C20:0) for fatty acids composition of palm stearin.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chemistry Techniques, Analytical/methods*
  2. Fulltext Diagnosis of human visceral pentastomiasis
    Tappe D, Büttner DW
    PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2009;3(2):e320.
    PMID: 19238218 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000320
    Visceral pentastomiasis in humans is caused by the larval stages (nymphs) of the arthropod-related tongue worms Linguatula serrata, Armillifer armillatus, A. moniliformis, A. grandis, and Porocephalus crotali. The majority of cases has been reported from Africa, Malaysia, and the Middle East, where visceral pentastomiasis may be an incidental finding in autopsies, and less often from China and Latin America. In Europe and North America, the disease is only rarely encountered in immigrants and long-term travelers, and the parasitic lesions may be confused with malignancies, leading to a delay in the correct diagnosis. Since clinical symptoms are variable and serological tests are not readily available, the diagnosis often relies on histopathological examinations. This laboratory symposium focuses on the diagnosis of this unusual parasitic disease and presents its risk factors and epidemiology.
    Matched MeSH terms: Histocytochemistry/methods
  3. The thermoluminescence response of doped SiO2 optical fibres subjected to alpha-particle irradiation
    Ramli AT, Bradley DA, Hashim S, Wagiran H
    Appl Radiat Isot, 2009 Mar;67(3):428-32.
    PMID: 18693114 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2008.06.034
    Ion beams are used in radiotherapy to deliver a more precise dose to the target volume while minimizing dose to the surrounding healthy tissue. For optimum dose monitoring in ion-beam therapy, it is essential to be able to measure the delivered dose with a sensitivity, spatial resolution and dynamic range that is sufficient to meet the demands of the various therapy situations. Optical fibres have been demonstrated by this group to show promising thermoluminescence properties with respect to photon, electron and proton irradiation. In particular, and also given the flexibility and small size of optical fibre cores, for example 125.0+/-0.1 microm for the Al- and Ge-doped fibres used in this study, these fibres have the potential to fulfill the above requirements. This study investigates the thermoluminescence dosimetric characteristics of variously doped SiO(2) optical fibres irradiated with alpha particles from (241)Am. Following subtraction of the gamma contribution from the above source, the thermoluminescence characteristics of variously doped SiO(2) optical fibres have been compared with that of TLD-100 rods. The irradiations were performed in a bell jar. Of related potential significance is the effective atomic number, Z(eff) of the fibre, modifying measured dose from that deposited in tissues; in the present work, a scanning electron microscope and associated energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy facility have been used to provide evaluation of Z(eff). For Ge-doped fibres, the effective atomic numbers value was 11.4, the equivalent value for Al-doped fibres was 12.3. This paper further presents results on dose response and the glow curves obtained. The results obtained indicate there to be good potential for use of variously doped SiO(2) optical fibres in measuring ion-beam doses in radiotherapeutic applications.
    Matched MeSH terms: Thermoluminescent Dosimetry/methods*
  4. An improved enzyme assay for molybdenum-reducing activity in bacteria
    Shukor MY, Rahman MF, Shamaan NA, Lee CH, Karim MI, Syed MA
    Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 2008 Mar;144(3):293-300.
    PMID: 18556818
    Molybdenum-reducing activity in the heterotrophic bacteria is a phenomenon that has been reported for more than 100 years. In the presence of molybdenum in the growth media, bacterial colonies turn to blue. The enzyme(s) responsible for the reduction of molybdenum to molybdenum blue in these bacteria has never been purified. In our quest to purify the molybdenum-reducing enzyme, we have devised a better substrate for the enzyme activity using laboratory-prepared phosphomolybdate instead of the commercial 12-phosphomolybdate we developed previously. Using laboratory-prepared phosphomolybdate, the highest activity is given by 10:4-phosphomolybdate. The apparent Michaelis constant, Km for the laboratory-prepared 10:4-phosphomolybdate is 2.56 +/- 0.25 mM (arbitrary concentration), whereas the apparent V(max) is 99.4 +/- 2.85 nmol Mo-blue min(-1) mg(-1) protein. The apparent Michaelis constant or Km for NADH as the electron donor is 1.38 +/- 0.09 mM, whereas the apparent V(max) is 102.6 +/- 1.73 nmol Mo-blue min(-1) mg(-l) protein. The apparent Km and V(max) for another electron donor, NADPH, is 1.43 +/- 0.10 mM and 57.16 +/- 1.01 nmol Mo-blue min(-1) mg(-1) protein, respectively, using the same batch of molybdenum-reducing enzyme. The apparent V(max) obtained for NADH and 10:4-phosphomolybdate is approximately 13 times better than 12-phoshomolybdate using the same batch of enzyme, and hence, the laboratory-prepared phosphomolybdate is a much better substrate than 12-phoshomolybdate. In addition, 10:4-phosphomolybdate can be routinely prepared from phosphate and molybdate, two common chemicals in the laboratory.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biological Assay/methods*
  5. Laparoscopic appendicectomy: the ideal procedure for laparoscopic skill training for surgical registrars
    Tata MD, Singh R, Bakar AA, Selvindoss P, P K, Gurunathan R
    Asian J Surg, 2008 Apr;31(2):55-8.
    PMID: 18490215
    OBJECTIVE: Appendicectomy is a very common surgical procedure performed by registrars. It is mainly carried out by surgical registrars as an open procedure in many government hospitals. We aimed to evaluate laparoscopic appendicectomy as a laparoscopic training skill in a clinical setting for our registrars.

    METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all attempted laparoscopic appendicectomies over 12 months by experienced surgeons and registrars was done. Factors evaluated were operating time, conversion rate, postoperative hospital stay, morbidity and mortality.

    RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in operating time for surgeons and registrars (mean, 53 minutes vs. 60 minutes), conversion rate (10% vs. 11%). Mean hospital stay for patients operated on by surgeons was 3.1 days and 3.2 days for registrars. Morbidity was equal with both surgeons and registrars.

    CONCLUSION: We conclude that laparoscopic appendicectomy is a safe laparoscopic training tool for registrars with basic laparoscopic knowledge who have had a proper apprenticeship, and can be done in a clinical setting.

    Matched MeSH terms: Appendectomy/methods*
  6. Fulltext Vascular education and training in Asia
    Jirasiritham S
    J. Vasc. Surg., 2008 Dec;48(6 Suppl):81S-83S; discussion 83S.
    PMID: 19084749 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvs.2008.09.009
    Cardiovascular diseases have become more prevalent and threatening to the health of the population of Asia due to the rapidly growing number of aging people. The Asian Society for Vascular Surgery unites 13 member organizations: Japan, Korea, China, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Thailand. The essential mission of the Asian Society for Vascular Surgery is to improve training in vascular surgery to increase the number of competent vascular surgeons in Asia. Almost every member country has its own vascular training program. Most curricula for vascular surgery training are composed of basic vascular research, clinical vascular medicine, vascular investigation, and open and endovascular surgery, with the period of training ranging from 2 to 4 years.
    Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Continuing/methods*
  7. Fulltext Transbronchial needle aspiration of mediastinal lymph node
    How SH, Kuan YC, Ng TH, Norra H, Ramachandram K, Fauzi AR
    Med J Malaysia, 2008 Jun;63(2):178-81.
    PMID: 18942315 MyJurnal
    In Malaysia, transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) is a relatively new procedure performed only in a handful of respiratory centres. We reviewed TBNA of mediastinal lymph node performed in Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan (HTAA) to determine the yield and its complications. Data was retrieved from endoscopy databases and patients' records, CT thorax images and all cytological and histological slides were reviewed. Twenty-five patients had TBNA performed. TBNA was positive in 15 patients (60%). Overall, 80% had confirmed malignancy after bronchoscopy. Only four patients had documented bleeding after TBNA and in two of them, bleeding stopped spontaneously and another two patients required diluted adrenaline to stop the bleed. No mortality was reported from this procedure. Hence, TBNA is a safe procedure.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biopsy, Fine-Needle/methods*
  8. A hybrid ART-GRNN online learning neural network with a epsilon -insensitive loss function
    Yap KS, Lim CP, Abidin IZ
    IEEE Trans Neural Netw, 2008 Sep;19(9):1641-6.
    PMID: 18779094 DOI: 10.1109/TNN.2008.2000992
    In this brief, a new neural network model called generalized adaptive resonance theory (GART) is introduced. GART is a hybrid model that comprises a modified Gaussian adaptive resonance theory (MGA) and the generalized regression neural network (GRNN). It is an enhanced version of the GRNN, which preserves the online learning properties of adaptive resonance theory (ART). A series of empirical studies to assess the effectiveness of GART in classification, regression, and time series prediction tasks is conducted. The results demonstrate that GART is able to produce good performances as compared with those of other methods, including the online sequential extreme learning machine (OSELM) and sequential learning radial basis function (RBF) neural network models.
    Matched MeSH terms: Pattern Recognition, Automated/methods*
  9. Fulltext The current practice of sedation and analgesia in intensive care units in Malaysian public hospitals
    Ahmad N, Tan CC, Balan S
    Med J Malaysia, 2007 Jun;62(2):122-6.
    PMID: 18705443 MyJurnal
    We sought to review the current practice of sedation and analgesia in intensive care units (ICUs) in Malaysian public hospitals. A questionnaire survey was designed and sent by mail to 40 public hospitals with ICU facility in Malaysia. The anaesthesiologists in charge of ICU were asked to complete the questionnaire. Thirty seven questionnaires were returned (92.5% response rate). Only 35% respondents routinely assess the degree of sedation. The Ramsay scale was used prevalently. A written protocol for sedation was available in only 14 centers (38%). Although 36 centers (95%) routinely adjust the degree of sedation according to patient's clinical progress, only 10 centers (14%) interrupt sedation on a daily basis. Most respondents agreed that the selection of agents for sedation depends on familiarity (97%), pharmacology (97%), the expected duration for sedation (92%), patient's clinical diagnosis (89%) and cost (73%). Midazolam (89%) and morphine (86%) were the most commonly used agents for sedation and analgesia, respectively. Only 14% respondents still frequently use neuromuscular blocking agents, mostly in head injury patients. Our survey showed similarity in the choice of sedative and analgesic agents in ICUs in Malaysian public hospitals comparable to international practice. Nevertheless, the standard of practice could still be improved by implementing the practice of sedation score assessment and daily interruption of sedative infusion as well as having a written protocol for sedation and analgesia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Analgesia/methods*
  10. Integration of biological method and membrane technology in treating palm oil mill effluent
    Zhang Y, Yan L, Qiao X, Chi L, Niu X, Mei Z, et al.
    J Environ Sci (China), 2008;20(5):558-64.
    PMID: 18575108
    Palm oil industry is the most important agro-industry in Malaysia, but its by-product-palm oil mill effluent (POME), posed a great threat to water environment. In the past decades, several treatment and disposal methods have been proposed and investigated to solve this problem. A two-stage pilot-scale plant was designed and constructed for POME treatment. Anaerobic digestion and aerobic biodegradation constituted the first biological stage, while ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membrane units were combined as the second membrane separation stage. In the anaerobic expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactor, about 43% organic matter in POME was converted into biogas, and COD reduction efficiency reached 93% and 22% in EGSB and the following aerobic reactor, respectively. With the treatment in the first biological stage, suspended solids and oil also decreased to a low degree. All these alleviated the membrane fouling and prolonged the membrane life. In the membrane process unit, almost all the suspended solids were captured by UF membranes, while RO membrane excluded most of the dissolved solids or inorganic salts from RO permeate. After the whole treatment processes, organic matter in POME expressed by BOD and COD was removed almost thoroughly. Suspended solids and color were not detectable in RO permeate any more, and mineral elements only existed in trace amount (except for K and Na). The high-quality effluent was crystal clear and could be used as the boiler feed water.
    Matched MeSH terms: Waste Disposal, Fluid/methods*
  11. Fulltext Modeling the anatomy and function of the pelvic diaphragm and perineal body using a "string model"
    B SN, Rodenbaugh DW
    Adv Physiol Educ, 2008 Jun;32(2):169-70.
    PMID: 18539862 DOI: 10.1152/advan.00106.2007
    Matched MeSH terms: Teaching/methods*
  12. "Focal" ventricular tachycardia: insights from catheter ablation
    Mittal S
    Heart Rhythm, 2008 Jun;5(6 Suppl):S64-7.
    PMID: 18456205 DOI: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2008.03.023
    Catheter ablation has come to play an important therapeutic role in the management of some patients with ventricular arrhythmias. An important advance in catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) has been the development of three-dimensional catheter-based mapping systems, which permit identification of the tachycardia circuit and facilitate a strategy for catheter ablation. As a result, patients who suffer from "focal" forms of VT have been identified. This can have implications with respect to underlying arrhythmia mechanism, patient prognosis, and therapeutic strategies. The article reviews some insights learned from catheter ablation of focal forms of VT.
    Matched MeSH terms: Catheter Ablation/methods*
  13. Is clinical assessment of the axilla a reliable indicator for lymph node metastases in breast cancer?
    Haron NH, Taib NA, Yip CH
    ANZ J Surg, 2008 Nov;78(11):943-4.
    PMID: 18959689 DOI: 10.1111/j.1445-2197.2008.04709.x
    Matched MeSH terms: Lymph Node Excision/methods*
  14. Degradation of malachite green in aqueous solution by Fenton process
    Hameed BH, Lee TW
    J Hazard Mater, 2009 May 30;164(2-3):468-72.
    PMID: 18804913 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2008.08.018
    In this study, advanced oxidation process utilizing Fenton's reagent was investigated for degradation of malachite green (MG). The effects of different reaction parameters such as the initial MG concentration, initial pH, the initial hydrogen peroxide concentration, the initial ferrous concentration and the reaction temperature on the oxidative degradation of MG have been investigated. The optimal reacting conditions were experimentally found to be pH 3.40, initial hydrogen peroxide concentration=0.50mM and initial ferrous concentration=0.10mM for initial MG concentration of 20mg/L at 30 degrees C. Under optimal conditions, 99.25% degradation efficiency of dye in aqueous solution was achieved after 60 min of reaction.
    Matched MeSH terms: Water Purification/methods*
  15. Liver isolation in abdominal MRI
    Rajasvaran L, Haw TW, Sarker SZ
    J Med Syst, 2008 Aug;32(4):259-68.
    PMID: 18619090
    This work presents a method for liver isolation in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abdomen images. It is based on a priori statistical information about the shape of the liver obtained from a training set using the segmentation approach. Morphological watershed algorithm is used as a key technique as it is a simple and intuitive method, producing a complete division of the image in separated regions even if the contrast is poor, and it is fast, with possibility for parallel implementation. To overcome the over-segmentation problem of the watershed process, image preprocessing and postprocessing are applied. Morphological smoothing, Gaussian smoothing, intensity thresholding, gradient computation and gradient thresholding are proposed for preprocessing with morphological and graph based region adjacent list constructed for region merging. A new integrated region similarity function is also defined for region merging control. The proposed method produces good isolation of liver in axial MRI images of the abdomen, as is shown in this paper.
    Matched MeSH terms: Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted/methods*
  16. Co-combustion of agricultural residues with coal in a fluidized bed combustor
    Ghani WA, Alias AB, Savory RM, Cliffe KR
    Waste Manag, 2009 Feb;29(2):767-73.
    PMID: 18614348 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2008.03.025
    Power generation from biomass is an attractive technology that utilizes agricultural residual waste. In order to explain the behavior of biomass-fired fluidized bed incinerator, biomass sources from agricultural residues (rice husk and palm kernel) were co-fired with coal in a 0.15m diameter and 2.3m high fluidized bed combustor. The combustion efficiency and carbon monoxide emissions were studied and compared with those for pure coal combustion. Co-combustion of a mixture of biomass with coal in a fluidized bed combustor designed for coal combustion increased combustion efficiency up to 20% depending upon excess air levels. Observed carbon monoxide levels fluctuated between 200 and 900 ppm with the addition of coal. It is evident from this research that efficient co-firing of biomass with coal can be achieved with minimal modifications to existing coal-fired boilers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Conservation of Energy Resources/methods
  17. Effect of sintering temperature on the properties of modified mechanical alloyed CaCu3Ti4O12
    Hutagalung SD, Ying OL, Ahmad ZA
    IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control, 2007 Dec;54(12):2587-91.
    PMID: 18276560 DOI: 10.1109/TUFFC.2007.582
    This paper presents the effects of calcination time and sintering temperature on the properties of CaCu(3)Ti(4)O(12). Electroceramic material of CaCu(3)Ti(4)O(12) was prepared using a modified mechanical alloying technique that covers several processes, which are preparation of raw material, mixing and ball milling for 5 hours, calcination, pellet forming and, sintering. The objective of this modified technique is to enable the calcination and sintering processes to be carried out at a shorter time and lower temperature. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis result shows that a single-phase of CaCu(3)Ti(4)O(12) was completely formed by calcination at 750 degrees C for 12 hours. Meanwhile, the grain size of a sample sintered at 1050 degrees C for 24 hours is extremely large, in the range of 20-50 mum obtained from field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images. The dielectric constant value of 14,635 was obtained at 10 kHz by impedance (LCR) meter in the sintered sample at 1050 degrees C. However, the dielectric constant value of samples sintered at 900 and 950 degrees C is quite low, in the range of 52-119.
    Matched MeSH terms: Crystallization/methods*
  18. Quantitation of green fluorescent protein using a gel-based imaging method
    Chew FN, Tan WS, Ling TC, Tan CS, Tey BT
    Anal Biochem, 2009 Jan 15;384(2):353-5.
    PMID: 18952038 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2008.10.010
    Green fluorescent protein (GFP) is a versatile reporter protein and has been widely used in biological research. However, its quantitation requires expensive equipment such as a spectrofluorometer. In the current study, a gel documentation imaging system using a native polyacrylamide gel for the quantitation of GFP was developed. The assay was evaluated for its precision, linearity, reproducibility, and sensitivity in the presence of Escherichia coli cells and was compared with the spectrofluorometric method. Using this newly established, gel-based imaging technique; the amount of GFP can be quantified accurately.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel/methods*
  19. Does peritoneal dialysis catheter insertion by interventional nephrologists enhance peritoneal dialysis penetration?
    Goh BL, Ganeshadeva YM, Chew SE, Dalimi MS
    Semin Dial, 2008 Nov-Dec;21(6):561-6.
    PMID: 18764787 DOI: 10.1111/j.1525-139X.2008.00478.x
    Traditionally peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter was implanted by surgeons using mini-laparotomy or open technique in Malaysia. We introduced peritoneoscopic Tenckhoff catheter insertion technique since the beginning of our PD program. Data were collected from the start of our PD program in February 2006 until April 2008. All Tenckhoff catheters were inserted by nephrologists using the peritoneoscope technique. We also compare the penetration rate of PD versus hemodialysis (HD) in our center, as well as comparing to national PD penetration rate. There were 83 patients who underwent 91 peritoneoscope Tenckhoff catheter insertion procedures from March 2006 until April 2008. The patients were mostly female (66%) with the mean age of 51.99 +/- 1.78 years and the majority (67%) of them were diabetics. All together there were 749.7 patient-months at risk and the overall peritonitis rate was 1 in 93.7 patient-months. The 1-year catheter survival was 86.5%. Primary catheter failure (defined as failure of the catheter within 1 month of insertion) occurred in 16 procedures (17.6%). The main cause of catheter malfunction was catheter tip migration and omentum wrap. The penetration ratio of PD when compared with HD in our center is 44.8%, which is about 4.5 times the national average. With our integrated care approach where nephrologist was heavily involved from the outset of renal replacement therapy discussion, PD access implantation to the assistance of spoke person to whom new patient can identify with, we were able to achieve PD penetration rate which far exceeds that of the national average.
    Matched MeSH terms: Catheterization/methods*
  20. Fulltext Combined repair of aortic arch aneurysm and coronary artery bypass grafting via a modified clamshell incision
    Eng JB
    Med J Malaysia, 2007 Jun;62(2):177-8.
    PMID: 18705461 MyJurnal
    A 58 year-old man presented with a large aneurysm of the aortic arch and severe coronary artery disease. He underwent combined repair of the aortic arch aneurysm and coronary artery bypass grafting via a modified clamshell incision using deep hypothermic circulatory arrest and retrograde cerebral perfusion. He made an uncomplicated postoperative recovery. The operative techniques are discussed with a review of the relevant literature.
    Matched MeSH terms: Coronary Artery Bypass/methods*
Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links