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Fulltext Recovery of Palm Oil and Valuable Material from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch by Sub-critical Water

Ahmad Kurnin NA, Shah Ismail MH, Yoshida H, Izhar S

J Oleo Sci, 2016;65(4):283-9.
PMID: 27041513 DOI: 10.5650/jos.ess15209

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) is one of the solid wastes produced in huge volume by palm oil mill. Whilst it still contains valuable oil, approximately 22.6 million tons is generated annually and treated as solid waste. In this work, sub-critical water (sub-cw) was used to extract oil, sugar and tar from spikelet of EFB. The spikelet was treated with sub-cw between 180-280°C and a reaction time of 2 and 5 minutes. The highest yield of oil was 0.075 g-oil/g-dry EFB, obtained at 240°C and reaction time of 5 minutes. Astonishingly, oil that was extracted through this method was 84.5% of that obtained through Soxhlet method using hexane. Yield of oil extracted was strongly affected by the reaction temperature and time. Higher reaction temperature induces the dielectric constant of water towards the non-polar properties of solvent; thus increases the oil extraction capability. Meanwhile, the highest yield of sugar was 0.20 g-sugar/g-dry EFB obtained at 220°C. At this temperature, the ion product of water is high enough to enable maximum sub-critical water hydrolysis reaction. This study showed that oil and other valuable material can be recovered using water at sub-critical condition, and most attractive without the use of harmful organic solvent.
Fulltext Evaluating the impacts of land use/land cover changes across topography against land surface temperature in Cameron Highlands

How Jin Aik D, Ismail MH, Muharam FM, Alias MA

PLoS One, 2021;16(5):e0252111.
PMID: 34019599 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252111

The Cameron Highlands has experienced multiple land encroachment activities and repeated deforestation, leading to extensive land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) during the past six decades. This study aims to determine the LULCC against topography in Cameron Highlands between 2009 and 2019 by using geospatial techniques to analyze Landsat 7 (ETM+) and 8 (OLI/TIRS), ASTER GDEM and MODIS imaging sensors. The results showed a decline of 35.98 km2 in primary forests over ten years across the Cameron Highlands, while agricultural lands and urban areas flourished by a rise of 51.61 km2 and 11.00 km2 respectively. It can be noted that the elevation most affected is between 1000 and 1500 m, across all classes. Further results showed the expansion of both agriculture and urban development onto slopes above 35°, leading to an instability of soil structure. In a comparison of the base years of 2009 with 2019, mean LST results have shown temperatures rising by 7.5°C, while an average between 3 and 4°C across the region is recorded. The results obtained provide new information for government bodies and land planners to coordinate their actions without further jeopardizing the environment of the Cameron Highlands.
Optimizing timber transportation planning for timber harvesting using bees algorithm in Malaysia

Jamaluddin J, Kamarudin N, Ismail MH, Ahmad SA

J Environ Manage, 2023 Apr 20;340:117977.
PMID: 37086558 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117977

Suitable extraction technique and the least cost while reducing the environmental impact is the primary concern in timber transportation planning in undulate topography. Two types of extraction machines with unique characteristics to be applied in timber harvest area in Malaysia is combined for timber harvesting with the aim each machine will extract timber suitable to their ability. A Bees Algorithm (BA) was proposed to find an optimum TTP for timber extraction, forest road, and landing locations with grid cell-sized 10 m × 10 m and attributed with fixed and variable costs. The result shows the log fisher (1351 timbers) as a preferable extraction technique with total cost of RM 86,551.73 than the crawler tractor (206 timbers); the timber extraction route is 2630 m for the log fisher and 9860 m for the crawler tractor with total cost of RM 10,453.03. The model finds a suitable timber extraction technique and estimates the extraction costs. Further studies are required to compare the BA with other optimization methods for better results.
Hyperkalemia measurement between Blood Gas Analyser and Main Laboratory Biochemistry Analyser

Ismail MH, Baharuddin KA, Suliman MA, Mohd Shukri MF, Che Has SN, Lo ZZ

Med J Malaysia, 2021 03;76(2):157-163.
PMID: 33742622

INTRODUCTION: Potassium level is measured for patients with high risk of hyperkalemia in the emergency department (ED) using both blood gas analyser (BGA) and biochemistry analyser (BCA). The study was conducted to evaluate the correlation and agreement of potassium measurement between BGA and BCA.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective cross-sectional study on the data obtained from Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (Hospital USM) from Jun 2018 until May 2019. Blood samples were taken via a single prick from venous blood and sent separately using 1ml heparinised syringe and were analysed immediately in ED using BGA (Radiometer, ABL800 FLEX, Denmark) and another sample was sent to the central laboratory of Hospital USM and analysed by BCA (Architect, C8000, USA). Only patients who had potassium levels ≥5.0mmol/L on blood gas results were included. A total of 173 sample pairs were included. The correlation and agreement were evaluated using Passing and Bablok regression, Linear Regression and Bland-Altman test.
RESULT: Of the 173 sample pairs, the median of potassium level based on BGA and BCA were 5.50mmol/L (IQR: 1.00) and 5.90mmol/L (IQR: 0.95) respectively. There was significant correlation between two measurements (p<0.001, r: 0.36). The agreement between the two measurements showed within acceptable mean difference which was 0.27 mmol/L with 95% limit of agreement were 1.21mmol/L to 1.73mmol/L.
CONCLUSION: The result of blood gas can be used as a guide for initial treatment of hyperkalaemia in critical cases where time is of the essence. However, BCA result is still the definitive value.
Stenophyllols A-C, new compounds from Boesenbergia stenophylla

Primus PS, Ismail MH, Adnan NE, Wu CH, Kao CL, Choo YM

J Asian Nat Prod Res, 2022 Feb;24(2):146-152.
PMID: 33565351 DOI: 10.1080/10286020.2021.1883590

Three new compounds, i.e. stenophyllols A-C (1-3), were isolated from the rhizome of Boesenbergia stenophylla. The structures were determined by spectroscopic analysis (UV, IR, NMR and HRESIMS). In-vitro neuroblastoma cell viability assay showed stenophyllol A (1) was able to reduce the N2A cell viability to 20% within 24 h.
Fulltext Trends of completed suicide rates among Malaysian elderly between 1995 and 2020

Abu Bakar NS, Zainuddin NA, Seman Z, Khamal NR, Ismail MH

BMC Public Health, 2023 Feb 10;23(1):303.
PMID: 36765292 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15185-x

BACKGROUND: Suicide among the elderly has become a global public health concern. This study was carried out to determine the trend of completed suicide rates according to age, sex, and ethnicity and the suicidal methods among the elderly in Malaysia.
METHODS: All suicide-related deaths in elderly aged 60 years and above from the Year 1995 to 2020 reported to the National Registration Department (NRD) were analyzed. Causes of death for suicide were coded based on the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (ICD-10). The completed suicide rate was calculated by dividing the completed suicide number by the total elderly population for the respective year.
RESULTS: Overall, the analysis of 1,600 suicide-related deaths was investigated over 26 years. Male was seen to be correlated with higher suicidal risk, with a male-female relative risk (RR) = 1.89 (95%CI:1.46,2.45). The risk of suicide was also found to be significantly higher for those aged 60 to 74 years old and Chinese, with RR = 4.26 (95%CI:2.94, 6.18) and RR = 5.81 (95%CI: 3.70, 9.12), respectively. Hanging was found to be a statistically significant suicide method (IRR:4.76, 95%CI:2.34,9.65) as compared to pesticide poisoning. The completed suicide rate was fluctuating over the years.
CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, it is believed that Malaysia's elderly suicide rate has reached an alarmingly high incidence. By identifying the crucial criteria of sociodemographic factors, the government and responsible agencies have the essential and additional information to put together a more effective strategy and approach to overcome the issue in the future.
Fulltext Effect of organic loading on anaerobic digestion of cow dung: Methane production and kinetic study

Aili Hamzah AF, Hamzah MH, Che Man H, Jamali NS, Siajam SI, Ismail MH

Heliyon, 2023 Jun;9(6):e16791.
PMID: 37303543 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16791

Organic loading influences the effectiveness of producing biogas through anaerobic digestion. This study set out to investigate the effect of organic loading on the anaerobic mesophilic digestion of cow dung, the parameters involved in the digestion process and to evaluate the kinetics. Anaerobic digestion of cow dung at different organic loading (gVS/L) of 14 gVS/L, 18gVS/L, 22 gVS/L, 26 gVS/L and 30 gVS/L were investigated. Increasing the organic loading increased the methane yield of the cow dung. The highest cumulative methane yield was observed at 30 gVS/L with 63.42 mL CH4/gVS while the highest biogas yield was reported at 192.53 mL/gVS with the highest methane content of 89%. In addition, the modified Gompertz model equation with an R2 of 0.9980 demonstrated strong consistency and a good fit between predicted and experimental data. The high number of substrates added to the systems when increasing the organic loading increased the λ and slow down the nutrient transport and hydrolysis. This study provides current information on the effects of organic loading on the anaerobic digestion of cow dung in batch mode, including experimental conditions and operational parameters.
Land characteristics and land suitability assessment for Styrax sp. in Humbang Hasundutan Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Rahmawaty, Ismail MH, Rauf A, Batubara R, Elena Sitorus EW, Simamora Z, et al.

Heliyon, 2023 Jul;9(7):e16936.
PMID: 37539247 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16936

Styrax sp. is a valuable latex-producing plant in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia, which requires sustainable land use practices to maintain its production and ecological value. This study aimed to assess the land characteristics and suitability of Styrax sp. in Humbang Hasundutan Regency, North Sumatra Province, to support the development of sustainable land use practices for the cultivation of this plant. The study employed a survey method to collect soil samples and evaluated the land suitability using a matching method and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. The results showed that Styrax sp. had moderately suitable land suitability in three villages in Humbang Hasundutan Regency. The limiting factors for land suitability were identified as rooting media, nutrient retention, water availability, and erosion hazard. These findings have important implications for the development of sustainable land use practices for Styrax sp. cultivation in the region, which can contribute to the conservation of this valuable plant species and the maintenance of ecological balance. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the land characteristics and suitability of Styrax sp. in North Sumatra Province and highlights the importance of sustainable land use practices for the conservation of valuable plant species.
Fulltext Top-Down Nanofabrication and Characterization of 20 nm Silicon Nanowires for Biosensing Applications

M Nuzaihan MN, Hashim U, Md Arshad MK, Rahim Ruslinda A, Rahman SF, Fathil MF, et al.

PLoS One, 2016;11(3):e0152318.
PMID: 27022732 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0152318

A top-down nanofabrication approach is used to develop silicon nanowires from silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers and involves direct-write electron beam lithography (EBL), inductively coupled plasma-reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE) and a size reduction process. To achieve nanometer scale size, the crucial factors contributing to the EBL and size reduction processes are highlighted. The resulting silicon nanowires, which are 20 nm in width and 30 nm in height (with a triangular shape) and have a straight structure over the length of 400 μm, are fabricated precisely at the designed location on the device. The device is applied in biomolecule detection based on the changes in drain current (Ids), electrical resistance and conductance of the silicon nanowires upon hybridization to complementary target deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). In this context, the scaled-down device exhibited superior performances in terms of good specificity and high sensitivity, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 10 fM, enables for efficient label-free, direct and higher-accuracy DNA molecules detection. Thus, this silicon nanowire can be used as an improved transducer and serves as novel biosensor for future biomedical diagnostic applications.
Biomass-derived carbon-based and silica-based materials for catalytic and adsorptive applications- An update since 2010

Chen K, Ng KH, Cheng CK, Cheng YW, Chong CC, Vo DN, et al.

Chemosphere, 2022 Jan;287(Pt 2):132222.
PMID: 34826917 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132222

Biomass, which defined as plant- or animal-based materials, is intriguing tremendous scientific attentions due to its renewable attribute in serving energy security. Amongst, the plant-based biomasses, particularly those that co-generated in the agriculture activities, are commonly regarded as fuel for burning, which overlooked their hidden potentials for high-end applications. Organically, the plant-based biomass constitutes of lignocellulose components, which can be served as promising precursors for functionalized carbon materials. Meanwhile, its inorganic counterpart made up of various minerals, with Si being the most concerned one. With the advancement of biomass technologies and material synthesis in recent years, numerous attempts were endeavoured to obtain valorised products from biomass. Particularly, syntheses of catalytic and adsorptive materials are actively researched in the field of biomass reutilization. Herein, our work systematically summarized the advancements of biomass-materials for these applications in recent 10 years (2010-2020), with a special focus on the carbon-based and Si-based catalytic/adsorptive materials. Significantly, the deriving steps, inclusive of both pre-treatment and post-treatment of such materials, are incorporated in the discussion, alongside with their significances revealed too. The performance of the as-obtained materials in the respective application is systematically correlated to their physicochemical properties, hence providing valuable insights to the readers. Challenges and promising directions to be explored are raised too at the end of the review, aiming to advocate better-usage of biomass while offering great opportunities to sustain catalysis and adsorption in the industrial scale.
Fulltext Empathy among undergraduate medical students: A cross-sectional study in one Malaysian public medical school

Haque M, Sa B, Majumder MAA, Islam MZ, Othman NSAB, Lutfi SNNB, et al.

Ann Afr Med, 2018;17(4):183-188.
PMID: 30588931 DOI: 10.4103/aam.aam_57_17

BACKGROUND: Empathy is one of the cardinal components for physician-patient relationships, optimal outcomes in patient care, improved patient satisfaction, greater adherence to therapy, and lower malpractice liability. It is also considered an essential quality for health-care professionals to practice medicine. The aim of the present study was to assess the empathy level of medical students of Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) National Defense University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2017 which recruited medical students of UPNM. The Empathy Quotient, a self-reported questionnaire, was utilized for data collection. The total empathy score of the questionnaire is 80.
RESULTS: Majority of the respondents were male (60.9%), year-V students (26.6%), Malay (70.5%), and cadet officer (69.6%). The overall mean score achieved by the respondents was 36.76 ± 9.18, and 74.4% of the respondents scored more than 30. The empathy scores of the students were significantly affected by the gender (t = 2.371; df = 205; P < 0.05), year of study (F = 2.553; df = 4/202; P < 0.05), and examination grades (F = 3.488; df = 2/204; P < 0.05). The findings showed that female students are more empathetic than their male counterparts. Further, the post hoc Tukey test analysis revealed that Year-V students are more empathetic than their junior counterparts and students who got highest grade are more empathetic.
CONCLUSIONS: To improve the empathy level of the UPNM medical students, appropriate educational strategies and interventions should be designed and implemented in the curriculum to inculcate, maintain, and enhance empathy.
Porous NiTi Dental Implant Fabricated by a Metal Injection Molding: An in Vivo Biocompatibility Evaluation in an Animal Model

Mustafa NWNA, Ahmad R, Ahmad Khushaini MA, Kamar Affendi NH, Ab Ghani SM, Tan SK, et al.

ACS Biomater Sci Eng, 2024 Jan 08;10(1):405-419.
PMID: 38040671 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c01551

This study assessed the corrosion resistance, intracutaneous reactivity, acute systemic toxicity, and in situ tissue effect of the implantation of porous NiTi fabricated by metal injection molding in animal models. For the intracutaneous reactivity study, five intracutaneous injections were administered per site with and without the tested extract in polar and nonpolar solutions. The extract was also delivered via intravenous and intraperitoneal routes for acute systemic toxicity. TiAl6 V4 (control) and porous NiTi were implanted in rabbit femora for a period of 13 weeks to evaluate the in situ tissue response. Corrosion was evaluated through open and cyclic polarization in PBS, while biocompatibility was investigated by assessing the general conditions, skin irritation score (edema and erythema), and histopathology. No active dissolution or hysteresis loop was observed in the corrosion study. None of the animals exhibited death, moribundity, impending death, severe pain, self-mutilation, or overgrooming. No edema was observed at injection sites. Only the positive control showed an erythematous reaction at 24, 48, and 72 h observations (p < 0.001). Porous NiTi showed a low in situ biological response for inflammation, neovascularization, and fibrosis in comparison to the control implant (p = 0.247, 0.005, and 0.011, respectively). Porous NiTi also demonstrated high pitting corrosion resistance while causing no acute hypersensitivity or acute systemic toxicity. The study concludes that porous NiTi implants were unlikely to cause local sensitization, acute systemic toxicity, or chronic inflammatory reactions in an animal model. Porous NiTi also exhibited osseointegration equivalent to Ti6AI4 V of known biocompatibility.
Fulltext Development of an indoor air quality checklist for risk assessment of indoor air pollutants by semiquantitative score in nonindustrial workplaces

Syazwan A, Rafee BM, Hafizan J, Azman A, Nizar A, Izwyn Z, et al.

Risk Manag Healthc Policy, 2012;5:17-23.
PMID: 22570579 DOI: 10.2147/RMHP.S26567

To meet the current diversified health needs in workplaces, especially in nonindustrial workplaces in developing countries, an indoor air quality (IAQ) component of a participatory occupational safety and health survey should be included.
Menopausal hormone therapy and risk of venous thromboembolism: The story so far

Abdelhafez MMA, Ahmed KAM, Ahmed NAM, Ismail MH, Daud MNM, Eldiasty AME, et al.

Afr J Reprod Health, 2024 Mar 31;28(3):122-129.
PMID: 38583076 DOI: 10.29063/ajrh2024/v28i3.13

Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is known to increase the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and less frequently cerebral vein thrombosis, but the absolute risk for a given patient is very low. After starting MHT, the risk of VTE seems to be at its highest, declining to the non-HRT user baseline level of risk after stopping. Whether estrogen-only or estrogen-progestin HRT combination is linked to a similar risk of VTE is unclear from the available evidence. The aim of this study is to evaluate the risks of developing VTE in relation to different types as well as different modes of administration of MHT through a database search including PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, and others in order to provide the women carers with the up-to-date and evidence-based guidelines and recommendations while counseling the post-menopausal women enquiring on use of hormonal therapies either to alleviate the menopausal symptoms or to prevent the long-term sequelae of estrogen deficiency.

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