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Preliminary findings of performing aerosol generating procedures using a novel innovative mask in times of COVID-19 pandemic

Eugene Wong HC, Maher S, Jidon J

Med J Malaysia, 2021 08;76(Suppl 4):20-22.
PMID: 34558552

This article describes an innovative mask consisting of a newly fabricated 3-ply surgical face mask with a custom made attachment consisting of a plastic dome and a oneway valve port that allows endoscopes to be inserted through it. The mask was tested in-vitro with simulated sneezing using fluorescent dyes and also received positive feedbacks from field tests of 30 masks on real users in different hospitals. This innovative mask is useful in providing extra barrier for endoscopic procedures in ENT and can be used beyond this pandemic in patients with other infectious diseases.
Itching for a diagnosis - A travel medicine perspective on delusional infestation

Maher S, Hallahan B, Flaherty G

Travel Med Infect Dis, 2017 05 31;18:70-72.
PMID: 28576666 DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2017.05.011
Experiences of international travel in patients with psychotic illness: a case series

Maher S, Mikic Z, McDonald C, Flaherty GT, Hallahan B

Ir J Psychol Med, 2023 Jun;40(2):127-133.
PMID: 31969203 DOI: 10.1017/ipm.2019.52

OBJECTIVES: To identify factors influencing successful international travel among patients with psychotic illness.
METHODS: Eight individuals participated in a semi-structured interview of 15-20-minute duration with a clinician in relation to their recent experience of international travel. Clinical files were reviewed and a case series was compiled.
RESULTS: Four individuals engaged in international travel without any adverse effects. Four other individuals experienced significant psychotic and/or affective symptoms while travelling. Treatment non-adherence, a lack of awareness of how to obtain support and limited or no pre-travel planning were noted in these individuals.
CONCLUSIONS: Pre-travel counselling, treatment adherence, provision of information packages relating to their mental illness and having contact details of their treating mental health team increase the likelihood of successful international travel in patients with psychotic illness. Travelling with a companion may reduce fear of relapse.
Fulltext Exploring Team-Based Teaching of Basic Sciences and Clinical Practice: Experiences of Pharmacy Students at a Malaysian Pharmacy School

Tang KS, Maher S, Lee SWH

Med Sci Educ, 2023 Feb;33(1):83-89.
PMID: 37008431 DOI: 10.1007/s40670-022-01703-w

Interdisciplinary learning combining foundational science concepts and clinical practice applications is important in many healthcare-related programmes, including pharmacy. The coherent, structured interdisciplinary curricula designed by specialists may not always be perceived as integrated by students. Team teaching, an education approach where two or more instructors share teaching responsibilities within a classroom setting, may help eliminate this perception. This study aims to explore whether team teaching can improve Asian students' experience of learning in an undergraduate pharmacy programme in Malaysia. A single 2-h interactive lecture session was delivered using a team-based approach to year 4 undergraduate pharmacy students enrolled at the School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, from 2015 to 2017. All students who attended the team-based teaching lectures were provided with an anonymous link, which requested responses on their views towards team-based teaching. Fifty out of 104 participants from three different cohorts responded to the survey of this study. Over 75% of students reported that they learnt better with the team teaching approach compared to traditional lectures delivered by one lecturer and that the team teaching approach was superior to private study. About 60% of the participants agreed that the team-based teaching approach helped develop their information-synthesising and problem-solving skills. This study provides evidence for using team teaching for design and delivery in an Asian context. The approach was well received by the participants.
Fulltext White Light Emission from a Simple Mixture of Fluorescent Organic Compounds

Muhamad Sarih N, Myers P, Slater A, Slater B, Abdullah Z, Tajuddin HA, et al.

Sci Rep, 2019 08 14;9(1):11834.
PMID: 31413269 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-47847-5

Three fluorescent organic compounds-furocoumarin (FC), dansyl aniline (DA), and 7-hydroxycoumarin-3-carboxylic acid (CC)-are mixed to produce almost pure white light emission (WLE). This novel mixture is immobilised in silica aerogel and applied as a coating to a UV LED to demonstrate its applicability as a low-cost, organic coating for WLE via simultaneous emission. In ethanol solution and when immobilised in silica aerogel, the mixture exhibits a Commission Internationale d'Eclairage (CIE) chromaticity index of (0.27, 0.33). It was observed that a broadband and simultaneous emission involving coumarin carboxylic acid, furocoumarin and dansyl aniline played a vital role in obtaining a CIE index close to that of pure white light.
Fulltext Furo[3,2-c]coumarin-derived Fe3+ Selective Fluorescence Sensor: Synthesis, Fluorescence Study and Application to Water Analysis

Sarih NM, Ciupa A, Moss S, Myers P, Slater AG, Abdullah Z, et al.

Sci Rep, 2020 May 04;10(1):7421.
PMID: 32366859 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-63262-7

Furocoumarin (furo[3,2-c]coumarin) derivatives have been synthesized from single step, high yielding (82-92%) chemistry involving a 4-hydroxycoumarin 4 + 1 cycloaddition reaction. They are characterized by FTIR, 1H-NMR, and, for the first time, a comprehensive UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy study has been carried out to determine if these compounds can serve as useful sensors. Based on the fluorescence data, the most promising furocoumarin derivative (2-(cyclohexylamino)-3-phenyl-4H-furo[3,2-c]chromen-4-one, FH), exhibits strong fluorescence (ФF = 0.48) with long fluorescence lifetime (5.6 ns) and large Stokes' shift, suggesting FH could be used as a novel fluorescent chemosensor. FH exhibits a highly selective, sensitive and instant turn-off fluorescence response to Fe3+ over other metal ions which was attributed to a charge transfer mechanism. Selectivity was demonstrated against 13 other competing metal ions (Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Mn2+, Fe2+, Al3+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Co2+, Pb2+ and Ru3+) and aqueous compatibility was demonstrated in 10% MeOH-H2O solution. The FH sensor coordinates Fe3+ in a 1:2 stoichiometry with a binding constant, Ka = 5.25 × 103 M-1. This novel sensor has a limit of detection of 1.93 µM, below that of the US environmental protection agency guidelines (5.37 µM), with a linear dynamic range of ~28 (~2-30 µM) and an R2 value of 0.9975. As an exemplar application we demonstrate the potential of this sensor for the rapid measurement of Fe3+ in mineral and tap water samples demonstrating the real-world application of FH as a "turn off" fluorescence sensor.
Fulltext Accelerated nucleophilic substitution reactions of dansyl chloride with aniline under ambient conditions via dual-tip reactive paper spray

Sarih NM, Romero-Perez D, Bastani B, Rauytanapanit M, Boisdon C, Praneenararat T, et al.

Sci Rep, 2020 12 09;10(1):21504.
PMID: 33299034 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78133-4

Paper spray ionization (PSI) mass spectrometry (MS) is an emerging tool for ambient reaction monitoring via microdroplet reaction acceleration. PSI-MS was used to accelerate and monitor the time course of the reaction of dansyl chloride with aniline, in acetonitrile, to produce dansyl aniline. Three distinct PSI arrangements were explored in this study representing alternative approaches for sample loading and interaction; conventional single tip as well as two novel setups, a dual-tip and a co-axial arrangement were designed so as to limit any on-paper interaction between reagents. The effect on product abundance was investigated using these different paper configurations as it relates to the time course and distance of microdroplet travel. It was observed that product yield increases at a given distance and then decreases thereafter for all PSI configurations. The fluorescent property of the product (dansyl aniline) was used to visually inspect the reaction progress on the paper substrate during the spraying process. Amongst the variety of sample loading methods the novel dual-tip arrangement showed an increased product yield and microdroplet density, whilst avoiding any on-paper interaction between the reagents.
Fulltext Isolation of Antidiabetic Withanolides from Withania coagulans Dunal and Their In Vitro and In Silico Validation

Maher S, Choudhary MI, Saleem F, Rasheed S, Waheed I, Halim SA, et al.

Biology (Basel), 2020 Jul 30;9(8).
PMID: 32751610 DOI: 10.3390/biology9080197

Withania coagulans (W. coagulans) is well-known in herbal medicinal systems for its high biological potential. Different parts of the plant are used against insomnia, liver complications, asthma, and biliousness, as well as it is reported to be sedative, emetic, diuretic, antidiabetic antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, hepatoprotective, antihyperglycemic, cardiovascular, immuno-suppressive and central nervous system depressant. Withanolides present in W. coagulans have attracted an immense interest in the scientific field due to their diverse therapeutic applications. The current study deals with chemical and biological evaluation of chloroform, and n-butanol fractions of W. coagulans. The activity-guided fractionation of both extracts via multiple chromatographic steps and structure elucidation of pure isolates using spectroscopies (NMR, mass spectrometry, FTIR and UV-Vis) led to the identification of a new withanolide glycoside, withacogulanoside-B (1) from n-butanol extract and five known withanolides from chloroform extract [withanolid J (2), coagulin E (3), withaperuvin C (4), 27-hydroxywithanolide I (5), and ajugin E (6)]. Among the tested compounds, compound 5 was the most potent α-glucosidase inhibitor with IC50 = 66.7 ± 3.6 µM, followed by compound 4 (IC50: 407 ± 4.5 µM) and compound 2 (IC50: 683 ± 0.94 µM), while no antiglycation activity was observed with the six isolated compounds. Molecular docking was used to predict the binding potential and binding site interactions of these compounds as α-glucosidase inhibitors. Consequently, this study provides basis to discover specific antidiabetic compounds from W. coagulans.
New isolate from Salvinia molesta with antioxidant and urease inhibitory activity

Naheed N, Maher S, Saleem F, Khan A, Wadood A, Rasheed S, et al.

Drug Dev Res, 2021 12;82(8):1169-1181.
PMID: 33983647 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.21831

Urease plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of urolithiasis pyelonephritis, urinary catheter encrustation, hepatic coma, hepatic encephalopathy, and peptic acid duodenal ulcers. Salvinia molesta was explored to identify new bioactive compounds with particular emphasis on urease inhibitors. The aqueous methanol extract was fractionated using solvents of increasing polarity. A series of column chromatography and later HPLC were performed on butanol extract. The structures of the resulting pure compounds were resolved using NMR (1D and 2D), infrared, and mass spectroscopy. The novel isolate was evaluated for antioxidant activity (using DPPH, superoxide anion radical scavenging, oxidative burst, and Fe+2 chelation assays), anti-glycation behavior, anticancer activity, carbonic anhydrase inhibition, phosphodiesterase inhibition, and urease inhibition. One new glucopyranose derivative 6'-O-(3,4-dihydroxybenzoyl)-4'-O-(4-hydroxybenzoyl)-α/β-D-glucopyranoside (1) and four known glycosides were identified. Glycoside 1 demonstrated promising antioxidant potential with IC50 values of 48.2 ± 0.3, 60.3 ± 0.6, and 42.1 ± 1.8 μM against DPPH, superoxide radical, and oxidative burst, respectively. Its IC50 in the Jack bean urease inhibition assay was 99.1 ± 0.8 μM. The mechanism-based kinetic studies presented that compound 1 is a mixed-type inhibitor of urease with a Ki value of 91.8 ± 0.1 μM. Finally, molecular dynamic simulations exploring the binding mode of compound 1 with urease provided quantitative agreement between estimated binding free energies and the experimental results. The studies corroborate the use of compound 1 as a lead for QSAR studies as an antioxidant and urease inhibitor. Moreover, it needs to be further evaluated through the animal model, that is, in vivo or tissue culture-based ex-vivo studies, to establish their therapeutic potential against oxidative stress phosphodiesterase-II and urease-induced pathologies.
Diabetes and Ramadan: Practical guidelines 2021

Hassanein M, Afandi B, Yakoob Ahmedani M, Mohammad Alamoudi R, Alawadi F, Bajaj HS, et al.

Diabetes Res Clin Pract, 2022 Jan 08.
PMID: 35016991 DOI: 10.1016/j.diabres.2021.109185

Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam and is obligatory for all healthy Muslims from the age of puberty. Though individuals with some illness and serious medical conditions, including some people with diabetes, can be exempted from fasting, many will fast anyway. It is of paramount importance that people with diabetes that fast are given the appropriate guidance and receive proper care. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and Diabetes and Ramadan (DaR) International Alliance have come together to provide a substantial update to the previous guidelines. This update includes key information on fasting during Ramadan with type 1 diabetes, the management of diabetes in people of elderly ages and pregnant women, the effects of Ramadan on one's mental wellbeing, changes to the risk of macrovascular and microvascular complications, and areas of future research. The IDF-DAR Diabetes and Ramadan Practical Guidelines 2021 seek to improve upon the awareness, knowledge and management of diabetes during Ramadan, and to provide real-world recommendations to health professionals and the people with diabetes who choose to fast.
Mammal responses to global changes in human activity vary by trophic group and landscape

Burton AC, Beirne C, Gaynor KM, Sun C, Granados A, Allen ML, et al.

Nat Ecol Evol, 2024 Mar 18.
PMID: 38499871 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02363-2

Wildlife must adapt to human presence to survive in the Anthropocene, so it is critical to understand species responses to humans in different contexts. We used camera trapping as a lens to view mammal responses to changes in human activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Across 163 species sampled in 102 projects around the world, changes in the amount and timing of animal activity varied widely. Under higher human activity, mammals were less active in undeveloped areas but unexpectedly more active in developed areas while exhibiting greater nocturnality. Carnivores were most sensitive, showing the strongest decreases in activity and greatest increases in nocturnality. Wildlife managers must consider how habituation and uneven sensitivity across species may cause fundamental differences in human-wildlife interactions along gradients of human influence.