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Mathematical Modelling of Dengue Transmission with Intervention Strategies Using Fractional Derivatives

Hamdan N', Kilicman A

Bull Math Biol, 2022 Oct 26;84(12):138.
PMID: 36287255 DOI: 10.1007/s11538-022-01096-2

This paper deals with a deterministic mathematical model of dengue based on a system of fractional-order differential equations (FODEs). In this study, we consider dengue control strategies that are relevant to the current situation in Malaysia. They are the use of adulticides, larvicides, destruction of the breeding sites, and individual protection. The global stability of the disease-free equilibrium and the endemic equilibrium is constructed using the Lyapunov function theory. The relations between the order of the operator and control parameters are briefly analysed. Numerical simulations are performed to verify theoretical results and examine the significance of each intervention strategy in controlling the spread of dengue in the community. The model shows that vector control tools are the most efficient method to combat the spread of the dengue virus, and when combined with individual protection, make it more effective. In fact, the massive use of personal protection alone can significantly reduce the number of dengue cases. Inversely, mechanical control alone cannot suppress the excessive number of infections in the population, although it can reduce the Aedes mosquito population. The result of the real-data fitting revealed that the FODE model slightly outperformed the integer-order model. Thus, we suggest that the FODE approach is worth to be considered in modelling an infectious disease like dengue.
Fulltext Accuracy of a digital weight scale relative to the nintendo wii in measuring limb load asymmetry

Kumar NS, Omar B, Joseph LH, Hamdan N, Htwe O, Hamidun N

J Phys Ther Sci, 2014 Aug;26(8):1205-7.
PMID: 25202181 DOI: 10.1589/jpts.26.1205

[Purpose] The aim of the present study was to investigate the accuracy of a digital weight scale relative to the Wii in limb loading measurement during static standing. [Methods] This was a cross-sectional study conducted at a public university teaching hospital. The sample consisted of 24 participants (12 with osteoarthritis and 12 healthy) recruited through convenient sampling. Limb loading measurements were obtained using a digital weight scale and the Nintendo Wii in static standing with three trials under an eyes-open condition. The limb load asymmetry was computed as the symmetry index. [Results] The accuracy of measurement with the digital weight scale relative to the Nintendo Wii was analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (K-S test). The area under the ROC curve was found to be 0.67. Logistic regression confirmed the validity of digital weight scale relative to the Nintendo Wii. The D statistics value from the K-S test was found to be 0.16, which confirmed that there was no significant difference in measurement between the equipment. [Conclusion] The digital weight scale is an accurate tool for measuring limb load asymmetry. The low price, easy availability, and maneuverability make it a good potential tool in clinical settings for measuring limb load asymmetry.
Edible Bird's Nest: The Functional Values of the Prized Animal-Based Bioproduct From Southeast Asia-A Review

Lee TH, Wani WA, Lee CH, Cheng KK, Shreaz S, Wong S, et al.

Front Pharmacol, 2021;12:626233.
PMID: 33953670 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.626233

Edible Bird's Nest (EBN) is the most prized health delicacy among the Chinese population in the world. Although some scientific characterization and its bioactivities have been studied and researched, no lights have been shed on its actual composition or mechanism. The aim of this review paper is to address the advances of EBN as a therapeutic animal bioproduct, challenges and future perspectives of research involving EBN. The methodology of this review primarily involved a thorough search from the literature undertaken on Web of Science (WoS) using the keyword "edible bird nest". Other information were obtained from the field/market in Malaysia, one of the largest EBN-producing countries. This article collects and describes the publications related to EBN and its therapeutic with diverse functional values. EBN extracts display anti-aging effects, inhibition of influenza virus infection, alternative traditional medicine in athletes and cancer patients, corneal wound healing effects, stimulation of proliferation of human adipose-derived stem cells, potentiate of mitogenic response, epidermal growth factor-like activities, enhancement of bone strength and dermal thickness, eye care, neuroprotective and antioxidant effects. In-depth literature study based on scientific findings were carried out on EBN and its properties. More importantly, the future direction of EBN in research and development as health-promoting ingredients in food and the potential treatment of certain diseases have been outlined.
Fulltext Nocardia kroppenstedtii: a rare pathogen isolated from the spinal vertebral abscess of a patient on long-term immunosuppressive therapy

Tay ST, Wong PL, Chiu CK, Tang SN, Lee JL, Hamdan NW, et al.

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci, 2021 01;25(2):605-608.
PMID: 33577013 DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202101_24618

OBJECTIVE: Nocardia kroppenstedtii was isolated from the spinal vertebral abscess of a 78-year-old patient presenting with mid-thoracic pain and bilateral lower limb weakness and numbness. The patient was on long-term immunosuppressive therapy with steroids for underlying autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Investigations showed a T5 pathological fracture and vertebra plana with the erosion of the superior and inferior endplates. There was evidence of paraspinal collection from the T4-T6 vertebrae with an extension into the spinal canal. Analysis of Nocardia 16S rRNA (99.9%, 1395/1396 nt) and secA1 gene (99.5%, 429/431 nt) fragments showed the highest sequence similarity with Nocardia kroppenstedtii type strain (DQ157924), and next with Nocardia farcinica (Z36936). The patient was treated with intravenous carbapenem and oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for four weeks, followed by another six months of oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Despite the improvement of neurological deficits, the patient required assistive devices to ambulate at discharge. This study reports the first isolation of N. kroppenstedtii from the spinal vertebral abscess of a patient from Asia. Infections caused by N. kroppenstedtii may be underdiagnosed as the bacterium can be misidentified as N. farcinica in the absence of molecular tests in the clinical laboratory.
Fulltext Functionalized Antimicrobial Nanofibers: Design Criteria and Recent Advances

Hamdan N, Yamin A, Hamid SA, Khodir WKWA, Guarino V

J Funct Biomater, 2021 Oct 28;12(4).
PMID: 34842715 DOI: 10.3390/jfb12040059

The rise of antibiotic resistance has become a major threat to human health and it is spreading globally. It can cause common infectious diseases to be difficult to treat and leads to higher medical costs and increased mortality. Hence, multifunctional polymeric nanofibers with distinctive structures and unique physiochemical properties have emerged as a neo-tool to target biofilm and overcome deadly bacterial infections. This review emphasizes electrospun nanofibers' design criteria and properties that can be utilized to enhance their therapeutic activity for antimicrobial therapy. Also, we present recent progress in designing the surface functionalization of antimicrobial nanofibers with non-antibiotic agents for effective antibacterial therapy. Lastly, we discuss the future trends and remaining challenges for polymeric nanofibers.
Genetic profile of the whole genome sequence of African swine fever virus from the first outbreak in Malaysian Borneo

Azami MM, Pauzi NAS, Hamdan N, Sidik MR, Tulis AN, Hassan R, et al.

Vet Res Commun, 2025 Jan 15;49(2):77.
PMID: 39809923 DOI: 10.1007/s11259-025-10645-8

African swine fever (ASF), a severe and highly contagious haemorrhagic viral disease of pigs, is becoming a major threat not only in Malaysia but around the world. The first confirmed case of ASF in Malaysia was reported in February 2021. Despite the emergence of ASF in Malaysia, genetic information on this causative pathogen for the local livestock is still limited. This study aimed to genetically characterize the African swine fever virus (ASFV) responsible for the 2021 outbreak in Malaysia. The genome of the ASFV isolated during the first outbreak in Malaysia was analysed as ASFV/Sabah/Malaysia/1160/21 which has 190,594 base pairs, with a nitrogenous bases (GC) content of 40.33% and 195 predicted Open Reading Frames (ORF). The complete genome sequence was compared with other annotated ASFV genomes retrieved from database of National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) to obtain information based on target gene B646L, E183L, intergenic region (IGR) between I73R and I329L (IGRI73R-I329L), EP402R and B602L. The ASFV/Sabah/Malaysia/1160/21 genome had a high similarity percentage to the reference genome, Georgia 2007 and all Southeast Asian strains. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the ASFV strain belonged to genotype II, serogroup 8, CVR1 and showed high characteristics of IGR variant II based on IGRI73R-I329L. This study expands our understanding of genetic diversity and provides significant insights into the genomic characteristics and variation of ASFV strains that are circulating in Malaysia.
Experience and attitudes of pharmacists towards challenges and adaptive measures to new norm in ward pharmacy practice during the COVID-19 pandemic

Ng CB, Tan YL, Kamaludin RS, Chang CT, Chew CC, Foong WK, et al.

J Pharm Policy Pract, 2023 Jul 10;16(1):85.
PMID: 37430298 DOI: 10.1186/s40545-023-00579-4

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges to the ward pharmacy practice. Challenges arose due to new norms in the ward pharmacy practice. Adaptive measures to overcome these challenges were important to sustain the quality of pharmaceutical care. This study aimed to identify the perceived challenges and attitudes towards adaptive measures in the ward pharmacy practice during the COVID-19 pandemic and determined their association with pharmacists' characteristics.
METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 14 Perak state hospitals and 12 primary health clinics through an online survey. All ward pharmacists and trainee pharmacists with at least 1 month of ward pharmacy experience and working in government-funded health facilities were included. The validated survey tool consisted of demographic characteristics, pharmacists' experience towards challenges (22 items), and their attitude towards adaptive measures (9 items). Each item was measured based on a 5-point Likert scale. One-way ANOVA and logistic regression were employed to determine the association of pharmacists' characteristics against their experience and attitude.
RESULTS: Out of 175 respondents, 144 (81.8%) were female, and 84 (47.7%) were Chinese. Most pharmacists served in the medical ward (124, 70.5%). Commonly reported perceived challenges were difficulties in counselling medication devices (3.63 ± 1.06), difficulties in clerking medication history from family members (3.63 ± 0.99), contacting family members (3.46 ± 0.90), patient's digital illiteracy in virtual counselling (3.43 ± 1.11) and completeness of the electronic records (3.36 ± 0.99). For attitude towards adaptive measures, improving internet connection (4.62 ± 0.58), ensuring availability of multilingual counselling videos (4.45 ± 0.64), and provision of internet-enabled mobile devices (4.39 ± 0.76) were the most agreeable by the pharmacists. Male (AOR: 2.63, CI 1.12-6.16, p = 0.026) and master's degree holders (AOR: 2.79, CI 0.95-8.25, p = 0.063) had greater odds of high perceived challenging experience scores. Master's degree holders (AOR: 8.56, CI 1.741-42.069, p = 0.008) were also more likely to have a positive attitude score towards adaptive measures.
CONCLUSION: Pharmacists faced multiple challenges in the ward pharmacy practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in medication history assessment and patient counselling. Pharmacists, especially those with higher levels of education and longer tenure, exhibited a higher level of agreement towards the adaptive measures. The positive attitudes of pharmacists towards various adaptive measures, such as improvement of internet infrastructure and digital health literacy among patients and family members, warrant immediate action plans from health authorities.
Fulltext A Bahasa Malaysia version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment: validation in stroke

Sahathevan R, Mohd Ali K, Ellery F, Mohamad NF, Hamdan N, Mohd Ibrahim N, et al.

Int Psychogeriatr, 2014 May;26(5):781-6.
PMID: 24472343 DOI: 10.1017/S1041610213002615

BACKGROUND: Many stroke research trials do not include assessment of cognitive function. A Very Early Rehabilitation Trial (AVERT) is an international multicenter study that includes the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) as an outcome. At the Malaysian AVERT site, completion of the MoCA has been limited by low English proficiency in some participants. We aimed to develop a Bahasa Malaysia (BM) version of the MoCA and to validate it in a stroke population.
METHODS: The original English version of the MoCA was translated into BM and then back-translated to ensure accuracy. Feasibility testing in a group of stroke patients prompted minor changes to the BM MoCA. In the validation phase, a larger group of bilingual stroke patients completed both the original English MoCA and the finalized BM MoCA, with presentation order counter-balanced.
RESULTS: Forty stroke patients participated, with a mean age of 57.2 (SD = 10.3). Agreement between BM MoCA and English MoCA was strong (intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.81, 95% CI 0.68-0.90). Scores on BM MoCA were slightly higher than scores on English MoCA (median absolute difference = 2.0, IQR 0-3.5), and this difference was present regardless of which version was completed first.
CONCLUSIONS: The existence of a validated BM version of the MoCA will be of major benefit to clinicians and researchers in Malaysia and the wider South-east Asian region, where the Malay language is used by over 200 million people.
Fulltext Awareness, expectation and satisfaction towards ward pharmacy services among patients in medical wards: a multi-centre study in Perak, Malaysia

Ng CB, Chang CT, Ong SY, Mahmud M, Lee LC, Chew WY, et al.

BMC Health Serv Res, 2021 Oct 29;21(1):1175.
PMID: 34711230 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-021-07185-7

BACKGROUND: Patient's awareness and satisfaction towards ward pharmacy services may influence perception towards effectiveness and safety of drugs, affecting medication adherence and clinical outcome. Nevertheless, studies on local ward pharmacy services were lacking. This study evaluated awareness, expectation and satisfaction of ward pharmacy services among patients in medical wards and determined their association with demographic characteristics.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study using self-administered questionnaire conducted in medical wards of fourteen Perak state public hospitals from September to October 2020. In-patients aged ≥18 years old were included. The validated questionnaire had four domains. The student's t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple linear regression were was employed to evaluate the association between patients' demographic characteristics with their awareness, expectation and satisfaction towards ward pharmacy services.
RESULTS: 467 patients agreed to participate (response rate = 83.8%) but only 441 were analysed. The mean age of the patients was 54.9 years. Majority was male (56.2%), Malay (77.3%), with secondary education (62.9%), rural resident (57.1%) and reported good medication adherence (61.6%). The mean awareness score was 49.6 out of 60. Patients were least aware about drug-drug interaction (3.85 ± 1.15) and proper storage of medications (3.98 ± 1.06). Elderly patients (β = - 2.82, P