MyMedR

Displaying all 4 publications

Abstract:

Sort:

Fulltext Effect of edible coating of sago starch-gelatine incorporated with papaya seed extract on the storage stability of Malaysian fish sausage (keropok lekor)

Bakar, J., Abdul Kadir, N. S., Ahmad Mazlan, A. S., Ismail Fitry, M. R.

International Food Research Journal, 2020;27(4):618-624.
MyJurnal

The quality change of fish sausage (keropok lekor) coated in sago starch-gelatine coating with
papaya seed extract (PSE) during chill storage (7°C) was determined. During storage, pH,
thiobarbituric acid value (TBA), colour, moisture, and the total plate count were evaluated. pH
of samples significantly dropped (p < 0.05) during storage, and the highest decrease was in
control sample. The moisture content in control sample had an increasing trend while that of
samples with 5 and 7% PSE coatings significantly decreased, and only a slight change for
samples with 0% PSE coating. All samples had significant increase in their TBA values during
storage. The presence of the coating provided a positive effect on the colour of the fish sausages since no significant colour changes were observed during storage. TPC of control and
coated sausage in 0, 5, and 7% PSE exceeded the recommended microbial standard after 2, 6,
8, and 4 d of storage, respectively. Overall, coating with 5% of PSE was the most effective in
retarding the quality deterioration of the fish sausages.
Access and Affordability of Medicines in Malaysia: Need for a National Pricing Policy

Wong SL, Ibrahim S, Abdul Kadir N, Mohd Salleh S

Appl Health Econ Health Policy, 2019 10;17(5):641-654.
PMID: 31093937 DOI: 10.1007/s40258-019-00480-9

BACKGROUND: High medicines prices are a barrier to medicines access, and their impact is greater in developing countries.
OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the availability, prices and affordability of medicines in public and private sectors in Malaysia to understand the pharmaceutical environment and guide policy recommendations.
METHODS: This nationwide cross-sectional study adapted the World Health Organization/Health Action International (WHO/HAI) methodology. A total of 87 premises from both public and private sectors participated in this study. Data on 50 medicines were collected to analyze availability, prices and affordability. Medicine prices were compared against the international reference prices (IRPs), and affordability was assessed by daily income level.
RESULTS: In the public sector, the average availability of generics (74.8%) was higher than that of the originator brand name products (19.4%). However, in the private sector, the availability of originator brands was higher (52.2%) than generics (49.1%). Procurement prices in the public sector were up to 1.5 times the IRPs, but up to 8.4 times in the private sector. The study also observed large price variation across medicines in the private sector. Median retail mark-ups in private hospitals (generics 166.9%; originators 51.0%) were higher than in retail pharmacies (generics 94.7%; originators 22.4%). Generics were generally affordable, but originator brands were unaffordable.
CONCLUSION: Current policies on generic medicines need to be strengthened to improve the availability and use of generics in the country. High medicine prices and large price variation in the current free market suggest that coherent pricing policies and regulations are needed to safeguard the accessibility and affordability of medicines for the people.
Practices, barriers and facilitators to the delivery of pretravel health services by community pharmacists: A scoping review using the theoretical domains framework

Abdul Kadir N, Wahab MSA, Mohd Suhaimi A, Othman N

Res Social Adm Pharm, 2023 Nov;19(11):1412-1423.
PMID: 37612154 DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2023.08.004

BACKGROUND: The involvement of community pharmacists (CPs) in the provision of pretravel health services is increasing due to the increase in international travelers, the increased risk of travel-related diseases, and the expansion of pharmacists' scope of practice in some countries. In order to improve the quality and effectiveness of pretravel health care provided by CPs, a greater understanding of the practices, barriers, and facilitators is required.
OBJECTIVE: This scoping review aimed to identify and describe existing studies on pretravel health services provided by CPs, and the barriers, and facilitators.
METHODS: The PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched for pertinent studies from their inception to February 2023. A manual search was also conducted of prominent travel medicine journals, Google Scholar, and the reference lists of the included studies. Potential barriers and facilitators were mapped to the 14 domains of the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).
RESULTS: There were twelve studies included in the review. Pretravel health advice was the most prevalent form of pretravel health services. Within ten domains of the TDF, various factors that either facilitate or impede the provision of pretravel health services by CPs were identified.
CONCLUSION: The provision of pretravel health services by CPs may be affected by a number of practitioner and organizational factors. The provision of pretravel health services can be facilitated by informational resources, training and education in travel medicine, and collaboration amongst healthcare providers.
Formation of 3-MCPD and glycidyl esters in biscuits produced using soybean oil-based diacylglycerol stearin-shortening blends: Impacts of different baking temperatures and blending ratios

Shafika Abdul Kadir N, Khor YP, Lee YJ, Lan D, Qi S, Wang Y, et al.

Food Res Int, 2022 Dec;162(Pt B):112055.
PMID: 36461315 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2022.112055

Diacylglycerol (DAG) is commonly known as one of the precursors for 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters (3-MCPDE) and glycidyl esters (GE) formation. Besides, 3-MCPDE and GE are heat-induced contaminants which can be formed in fat-containing baked products during the baking process. This study attempted to replace the conventional palm-based shortening (SH) with a healthier fat, namely soybean oil-based diacylglycerol stearin (SDAG) in producing biscuits. The effects of different baking temperatures (200, 210 and 220 °C) and SDAG:SH fat blend ratios (0:100, 60:40 (D64S), 80:20 (D82S), 100:0, w/w) towards the biscuits' physical properties were evaluated. Moreover, the oxidative stability, 3-MCPDPE and GE formation in the fats extracted from the biscuits were also investigated. SDAG-produced biscuit showed slight reductions in the spread ratio compared to the SH-produced biscuit. The elevated baking temperatures resulted in biscuits with increased hardness and low moisture content. Pure SDAG and the other fat blends exhibited significant (p