Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 37 in total

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  1. Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium) Green manures as a potential source of N for maize production in the tropics
    Bah AR, Rahman ZA
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2001 Nov 22;1 Suppl 2:90-5.
    PMID: 12805783
    Use of cheap, N-rich, and environmentally benign legume green manures to correct N deficiency in infertile soils is a very attractive option in the humid tropics. Understanding the influence of management and climate on their effectiveness, and quantifying their contribution to crop productivity, is therefore crucial for technology adoption and adaptation. Mineral N buildup and the contribution to N uptake in maize were studied in an Ultisol amended with fresh Gliricidia leaves. Net mineral N accumulation was compared in mulched and incorporated treatments in a field incubation study. The 15 N isotope dilution technique was used to quantify N supplied to maize by Gliricidia leaves in an alley cropping. Mineral N accumulation was slow, but was much greater after incorporation than after mulching. Also, N buildup was always higher in the topsoil (0 to 10 cm) than in the subsoil (10 to 20 cm). More NO3-N was leached than NH4-N, and the effect was greater in the incorporated treatment. Surface-applied Gliricidia leaves significantly increased N uptake by maize, and supplied >30% of the total N in the stover and >20% of that in the corn grain, even in the presence of hedgerows. Thus Gliricidia leaf mulch has immense potential to improve productivity in tropical soils.
  2. Hypernasality in singing among children with cleft palate: a preliminary study
    Peter S, Abdul Rahman ZA, Pillai S
    Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg, 2019 Oct;48(10):1317-1322.
    PMID: 31014926 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijom.2019.03.896
    The aim of this study was to document differences in hypernasality during speaking and singing among children with cleft palate and to compare nasality score ratings of trained and untrained listeners. Twenty subjects with cleft palate aged between 7 and 12 years participated in this study. Audio recordings were made of the children reading a passage and singing a common local song, both in the Malay language. The degree of hypernasality was judged through perceptual assessment. Three trained listeners (a speech therapist, a classical singer, and a linguistic expert - all academicians) and two untrained listeners (a cleft volunteer worker and a national high school teacher) assessed the recordings using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability for hypernasality in both speaking and singing were verified using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). A significant reduction in hypernasality was observed during singing as compared to speaking, indicating that hypernasality reduces when a child with cleft palate sings. The act of singing significantly reduces hypernasality. The outcome of this study suggests that children with cleft palate would benefit from singing exercises to ultimately reduce hypernasality. However, future research is needed to objectively measure nasality in singing compared to speaking.
  3. Fulltext An audit of sputum smear negative pulmonary tuberculosis cases in Kinta district, Perak, in 2011
    Subashini A, Lau KM, Habibur Rahman ZA
    Malays Fam Physician, 2012;7(2-3):31-4.
    PMID: 25606253 MyJurnal
    58 cases of sputum smear negative pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) were reported to Kinta Health Department between January and June 2011. It was found that 47 cases (81%) were sputum smear negative cases. Six cases (10.3%) were actually sputum smear positive but were wrongly reported as smear negative. Five cases (8.6%) were misdiagnosed as tuberculosis. Majority of these patients (82.7%) sought consultation and treatment after two weeks of having cough. Only 6.9% sought treatment for cough that was less than two weeks old. Accurate diagnosis of PTB is crucial and the Perak State Health Department needs to quickly adopt steps to improve the situation.
  4. Fabrication of a three-dimensional temporomandibular joint model for arthrocentesis and arthroscopy simulation
    Foo QC, Hariri F, Abdul Rahman ZA
    Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg, 2021 Aug;50(8):1095-1099.
    PMID: 33422383 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijom.2020.12.007
    Arthrocentesis and arthroscopy are relatively safe treatments for arthrogenic temporomandibular disorders. Hands-on training in both procedures is essential for surgeons to become competent. In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) temporomandibular joint (TMJ) prototype was developed at a relatively low cost, and arthrocentesis and arthroscopy were performed successfully on the model. Despite its limitations, this model is a viable adjunct to TMJ surgical training and can be fabricated easily by any training centre with a 3D printer.
  5. Fulltext Knowledge, perceptions and practices of malaysian hajj pilgrims for prevention of influenza-like illness (ili) in 2013 hajj season.
    Salmuna ZN, Hashim S, Hasan H, Harun A, Abdul Rahman Z, Ismail N, et al.
    IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia, 2019;18(3):144-152.
    MyJurnal
    Influenza-like illnesses (ILI) were defined as a triad of cough, sore throat and fever. The aim of this study is to determine the changes in knowledge, perceptions and practices towards preventive measures of succumbing to ILI before and after hajj among Malaysian hajj pilgrims.Methodology: An open-labeled randomized control trial study performed on five hundred Malaysian hajj pilgrims in the year 2013. After validated pre-hajj questionnaires completed, 250 subjects were given health education, benzalkonium-based handrub and demonstration of the handrub usage together with pamphlets and labelled as an intervention group. Another 250 subjects from another flight batch were given the same questionnaires without health education with unmedicated hand lotion as a control group. The knowledge, perception, practices and compliances to the handrub practice in both groups were compared with the pre-hajj results. Results: No significant difference between pre and post hajj knowledge and practice among hajj pilgrims in intervention group. Pre hajj perception score [ M (IQR) = 30 (5.00), Z= -2.441, p < 0.05 ] is much higher compared to post hajj perception [ M (IQR) = 29 (6.00), Z = -2.441, p < O.O5 ]. No significant difference between pre and post hajj knowledge, perception and practices among hajj pilgrims in control group. Hand hygiene compliance was not improved with provision of health education and free handrub supply. Conclusion: No significant changes in knowledge, perceptions and practices of Malaysian hajj pilgrims pre and post-hajj in both groups. Provision of handrub did not improved hajj pilgrims compliance.
  6. Rapid detection of Salmonella Typhi by loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method
    Abdullah J, Saffie N, Sjasri FA, Husin A, Abdul-Rahman Z, Ismail A, et al.
    Braz J Microbiol, 2014;45(4):1385-91.
    PMID: 25763045
    An in-house loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) reaction was established and evaluated for sensitivity and specificity in detecting the presence of Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) isolates from Kelantan, Malaysia. Three sets of primers consisting of two outer and 4 inner were designed based on locus STBHUCCB_38510 of chaperone PapD of S. Typhi genes. The reaction was optimised using genomic DNA of S. Typhi ATCC7251 as the template. The products were visualised directly by colour changes of the reaction. Positive results were indicated by green fluorescence and negative by orange colour. The test was further evaluated for specificity, sensitivity and application on field samples. The results were compared with those obtained by gold standard culture method and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). This method was highly specific and -10 times more sensitive in detecting S. Typhi compared to the optimised conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.
  7. Distraction osteogenesis in the surgical management of syndromic craniosynostosis: a comprehensive review of published papers
    Al-Namnam NMN, Hariri F, Rahman ZAA
    Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg, 2018 06;56(5):353-366.
    PMID: 29661509 DOI: 10.1016/j.bjoms.2018.03.002
    Our aim was to summarise current published evidence about the prognosis of various techniques of craniofacial distraction osteogenesis, particularly its indications, protocols, and complications. Published papers were acquired from online sources using the keywords "distraction osteogenesis", "Le Fort III", "monobloc", and "syndromic craniosynostosis" in combination with other keywords, such as "craniofacial deformity" and "midface". The search was confined to publications in English, and we followed the guidelines of the PRISMA statement. We found that deformity of the skull resulted mainly from Crouzon syndrome. Recently craniofacial distraction has been achieved by monobloc distraction osteogenesis using an external distraction device during childhood, while Le Fort III distraction osteogenesis was used in maturity. Craniofacial distraction was indicated primarily to correct increased intracranial pressure, exorbitism, and obstructive sleep apnoea in childhood, while midface hypoplasia was the main indication in maturity. Overall the most commonly reported complications were minor inflammatory reactions around the pins, and anticlockwise rotation when using external distraction systems. The mean amount of bony advancement was 12.3mm for an external device, 18.6mm for an internal device and 18.7mm when both external and internal devices were used. Treatment by craniofacial distraction must be validated by long-term studies as there adequate data are lacking, particularly about structural relapse and the assessment of function.
  8. Fulltext Totally opportunistic routing algorithm (TORA) for underwater wireless sensor network
    Rahman Z, Hashim F, Rasid MFA, Othman M
    PLoS One, 2018;13(6):e0197087.
    PMID: 29874237 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197087
    Underwater Wireless Sensor Network (UWSN) has emerged as promising networking techniques to monitor and explore oceans. Research on acoustic communication has been conducted for decades, but had focused mostly on issues related to physical layer such as high latency, low bandwidth, and high bit error. However, data gathering process is still severely limited in UWSN due to channel impairment. One way to improve data collection in UWSN is the design of routing protocol. Opportunistic Routing (OR) is an emerging technique that has the ability to improve the performance of wireless network, notably acoustic network. In this paper, we propose an anycast, geographical and totally opportunistic routing algorithm for UWSN, called TORA. Our proposed scheme is designed to avoid horizontal transmission, reduce end to end delay, overcome the problem of void nodes and maximize throughput and energy efficiency. We use TOA (Time of Arrival) and range based equation to localize nodes recursively within a network. Once nodes are localized, their location coordinates and residual energy are used as a matrix to select the best available forwarder. All data packets may or may not be acknowledged based on the status of sender and receiver. Thus, the number of acknowledgments for a particular data packet may vary from zero to 2-hop. Extensive simulations were performed to evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme for high network traffic load under very sparse and very dense network scenarios. Simulation results show that TORA significantly improves the network performance when compared to some relevant existing routing protocols, such as VBF, HHVBF, VAPR, and H2DAB, for energy consumption, packet delivery ratio, average end-to-end delay, average hop-count and propagation deviation factor. TORA reduces energy consumption by an average of 35% of VBF, 40% of HH-VBF, 15% of VAPR, and 29% of H2DAB, whereas the packet delivery ratio has been improved by an average of 43% of VBF, 26% of HH-VBF, 15% of VAPR, and 25% of H2DAB. Moreover, the average end-to-end delay has been reduced by 70% of VBF, 69% of HH-VBF, 46% of VAPR, and 73% of H2DAB. Furthermore, average hope-count has been improved by 57%, 53%, 16% and 31% as compared to VBF, HHVBF, VAPR, and H2DAB, respectively. Also, propagation delay has been reduced by 34%, 30%, 15% and 23% as compared to VBF, HHVBF, VAPR, and H2DAB, respectively.
  9. Fulltext Crouzon syndrome: Genetic and intervention review
    Al-Namnam NM, Hariri F, Thong MK, Rahman ZA
    J Oral Biol Craniofac Res, 2018 08 29;9(1):37-39.
    PMID: 30202723 DOI: 10.1016/j.jobcr.2018.08.007
    Crouzon syndrome exhibits considerable phenotypic heterogeneity, in the aetiology of which genetics play an important role. FGFR2 mediates extracellular signals into cells and the mutations in the FGFR2 gene cause this syndrome occurrence. Activated FGFs/FGFR2 signaling disrupts the balance of differentiation, cell proliferation, and apoptosis via its downstream signal pathways. However, very little is known about the cellular and molecular factors leading to severity of this phenotype. Revealing the molecular pathology of craniosynostosis will be a great value for genetic counselling, diagnosis, prognosis and early intervention programs. This mini-review summarizes the fundamental and recent scientific literature on genetic disorder of Crouzon syndrome and presents a graduated strategy for the genetic approach, diagnosis and the management of this complex craniofacial defect.
  10. Exploratory factor analysis of items for evaluating healthy lifestyles related to mental health among undergraduate students
    Ab Rahman Z, Isa B, Shahibi MS, Mansor MI
    Malays Fam Physician, 2023;18:62.
    PMID: 38026576 DOI: 10.51866/oa.448
    INTRODUCTION: A healthy lifestyle is pivotal for improving mental health. As the concept of a healthy lifestyle is comprehensive, there is a need to prioritise components related to mental health in planning proper mental health interventions. In this regard, physical activity, diet, sleep quality, substance abuse and social support have been identified to enhance mental health. It is necessary to develop a valid scale for assessing healthy lifestyles related to mental health. Thus, this study aimed to adapt and validate an existing scale to evaluate healthy lifestyles related to mental health.

    METHOD: This study included 177 (men: n=73, women: n=104) participants from University Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam, Selangor. The data were presented using descriptive statistics and subjected to an exploratory factor analysis.

    RESULTS: The 22 scale items evaluated were valid and reliable in assessing the five components of healthy lifestyles related to mental health. The total variance explained for measuring the construct was 68.610%. The Cronbachs alpha value for the five components ranged from 0.784 to 0.903.

    CONCLUSION: The adapted scale is acceptable and reliable in evaluating healthy lifestyles related to mental health within the target population. Thus, it can be used to assess significant components of healthy lifestyles to promote mental health. Accordingly, relevant authorities can formulate the best strategies to enhance mental health.

  11. Fulltext Light After Darkness: A Case Report of Isolated Optic Perineuritis
    Abdul Rahman Z, Mohamad SA, Abdul Hamid H
    Cureus, 2024 Mar;16(3):e55811.
    PMID: 38586634 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.55811
    This is a report on remarkable visual recovery from blindness in a case of isolated optic perineuritis (OPN). A 68-year-old Chinese lady presented with a two-week history of progressive painless bilateral vision loss. Her vision was 6/18 on the right eye and no perception of light (NPL) on the left eye with positive relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD). Fundus showed hyperaemic and swollen optic disc bilaterally. MRI of the brain and orbit revealed hyperintense periventricular white matter lesions, possibly early changes of multiple sclerosis (MS), and perineural enhancement of optic nerve bilaterally, consistent with OPN. All other investigations were negative. Intravenous methylprednisolone 1g/day for three days was started, followed with oral prednisolone, tapered in three months. At the third month of follow-up, her vision had improved to 6/12 on the left and 6/9 on the right. The hyperaemic and swollen disc has resolved. Intravenous megadose corticosteroid treatment is an effective first-line treatment for OPN.
  12. Fulltext Study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex genotypic diversity in Malaysia reveals a predominance of ancestral East-African-Indian lineage with a Malaysia-specific signature
    Ismail F, Couvin D, Farakhin I, Abdul Rahman Z, Rastogi N, Suraiya S
    PLoS One, 2014;9(12):e114832.
    PMID: 25502956 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114832
    Tuberculosis (TB) still constitutes a major public health problem in Malaysia. The identification and genotyping based characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) isolates causing the disease is important to determine the effectiveness of the control and surveillance programs.
  13. Fulltext High risk human papillomavirus type 16 and 18 infection in the cervical lesions of women with epithelial cell abnormality in Pap smear: A cytohistomorphologic association in Bangladeshi women
    Banik U, Ahamad MS, Bhattacharjee P, Adhikary AK, Rahman Z
    Cytojournal, 2013;10:14.
    PMID: 23976895 DOI: 10.4103/1742-6413.115088
    BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to find out the extent of high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) type 16/18 infection in the cervical tissue of women with epithelial cell abnormality in Pap smear and to establish an association between hrHPV type 16/18 infection and cytohistomorphology.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in 1699 patients who went through Pap smear examination. Prevalence of epithelial cell abnormality was calculated. Forty eight of these women underwent routine histopathology and 47 were evaluated for human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16/18 by polymerase chain reaction assay.

    RESULTS: Total 139 women revealed epithelial cell abnormality. Histopathology showed simple inflammation to malignancy. HPV type 16/18 infection was detected in 40.42% (19/47) of the patients. Individually type 16 and 18 were positive in 7 (14.9%) cases each and dual infection with type 16 and 18 were seen in 5 (10.6%) cases. While cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1 (CIN 1) and < CIN 1 lesions showed 18.75% (3 out of 16) and 35% (7 out of 20) positivity respectively, ≥CIN 2 lesions revealed positivity of 81.82% (9 out of 11). Eighty percent HPV 16/18 positivity was seen in women of < 30 years of age.

    CONCLUSION: The findings of this study will contribute to HPV 16/18 knowledge in Bangladesh that will be useful in assessing the success of current vaccines with limited type spectra and augmenting cervical cancer screening strategies.

  14. Fulltext The significance of coagulase-negative staphylococci bacteremia in a low resource setting
    Abdul Rahman Z, Hamzah SH, Hassan SA, Osman S, Md Noor SS
    J Infect Dev Ctries, 2013 Jun;7(6):448-52.
    PMID: 23771288 DOI: 10.3855/jidc.2535
    INTRODUCTION: Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are a group of micro-organisms that are increasingly implicated as a cause of significant infection and the leading cause of bloodstream infection (BSI). One important predictor of true BSI is the isolation of CoNS from multiple blood cultures, presuming that the isolates represent the same species. Thus the objective of this study was to determine the significance of repeated CoNS isolated from blood cultures.
    METHODOLOGY: This was a prospective laboratory study which was initiated in June 2007 and lasted until July 2008. CoNS isolates were obtained from patients who had two positive blood cultures within a 14-day interval. CoNS were identified to the species level using an API-Staph, and antibiotics susceptibility testing was performed according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute specifications. Strain relatedness was confirmed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.
    RESULTS: During the study period, 202 CoNS-positive samples were isolated from 101 patients. The most common species isolated was Staphylococcus epidermidis (59.0%), and 83.2% of the patients isolated the same species of CoNS from repeated blood cultures. Among the isolates of the same species, only 40.7% had the same antibiogram. CoNS with the same species and antibiogram had 93.3% probability of belonging to the same strain. Most (65.5%) of the patients were treated with antibiotics, primarily from the glycopeptides group.
    CONCLUSION: Speciation and antibiogram of CoNS from repeated blood cultures are adequate in determining the significance of repeated CoNS isolated from blood cultures.
  15. Fulltext Coronary artery bypass surgery in a patient with asymptomatic brugada syndrome
    Raj JM, Kanagaratnam K, Mohammad NM, Abdul Rahman Z, Badmanaban B, Chong YS, et al.
    Med J Malaysia, 2013 Apr;68(2):171-2.
    PMID: 23629569 MyJurnal
  16. Fulltext Prevalence of Clostridium difficile toxin in diarhoeal stool samples of patients from a tertiary hospital in North Eastern Penisular Malaysia
    Hassan SA, Othman N, Idris FM, Abdul Rahman Z, Maning N, Abdul Rahman R, et al.
    Med J Malaysia, 2012 Aug;67(4):402-5.
    PMID: 23082450 MyJurnal
    This study describes the prevalence of Clostridium difficile toxin (CDT) in loose stool samples from inpatients aged more than two years of a tertiary hospital. A total of 175 samples that had been examined were from stool samples that were sent to the Medical Microbiology & Parasitology Laboratory for various clinical indications. The toxin was detected by a commercial immunochromatograhic test, and the patients' demography, clinical features, treatment and outcomes were analyzed from their medical records. Clostridium difficile toxin was positive in 24 (13.7%) of the stool samples. Male and female were 11 (45.8%) and 13 (54.2%) respectively, with the majority of them aged more than 50 years. Most were from medical wards (n = 21, 87.5%), with the rest from surgical wards (n = 2, 8.3%) and intensive care units (n = 1, 3.4%). All the CDT positive patients had history of prior antibiotic usage within 6 weeks before the detection of the toxin. The mean duration of antibiotics usage was 17.75 (+/- 13.75) days, while the mean duration of diarrhea was 5.21((+/- 5.85) days. Eighteen patients had underlying medical illnesses that were diabetes mellitus, chronic renal disease, hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and malignancy; with seven of them being CDT positive while on chemotherapy. Stool occult blood test was positive in 15 patients whereas presence of pus cells in the CD positive stool samples were detected in 21 patients. The duration of hospitalization among the patients was 27.96 (+/- 23.22) days.
  17. Multiwavelength Brillouin fiber laser with enhanced reverse-S-shaped feedback coupling assisted by out-of-cavity optical amplifier
    Rahman ZA, Hitam S, Al-Mansoori MH, Abas AF, Mahdi MA
    Opt Express, 2011 Oct 24;19(22):21238-45.
    PMID: 22108976 DOI: 10.1364/OE.19.021238
    A multiwavelength widely tunable Brillouin optical comb with an enhanced reverse-S-shaped feedback coupling assisted by out-of-cavity optical amplifier is demonstrated. The enhancement is done by locating the amplifier and the Brillouin pump into the reverse-S-shaped fiber section. The oscillating modes in the cavity are directly influenced solely by the Brillouin gain. A wide tuning range of 45 nm is obtained that is only limited by the erbium amplification bandwidth. An average of eleven laser lines that can be tuned to over 45 nm wavelengths is obtained at 40% optimum output coupling ratio.
  18. The utilization of cranial models created using rapid prototyping techniques in the development of models for navigation training
    Waran V, Pancharatnam D, Thambinayagam HC, Raman R, Rathinam AK, Balakrishnan YK, et al.
    J Neurol Surg A Cent Eur Neurosurg, 2014 Jan;75(1):12-5.
    PMID: 23315670 DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1330960
    Navigation in neurosurgery has expanded rapidly; however, suitable models to train end users to use the myriad software and hardware that come with these systems are lacking. Utilizing three-dimensional (3D) industrial rapid prototyping processes, we have been able to create models using actual computed tomography (CT) data from patients with pathology and use these models to simulate a variety of commonly performed neurosurgical procedures with navigation systems.
  19. A comparative study of sevoflurane sedation with nitrous oxide sedation for dental surgery
    Wang CY, Chiu CL, Har KO, Chan C, Rahman ZA
    Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg, 2002 Oct;31(5):506-10.
    PMID: 12418566
    This study compares the use of inhalation sedation using sevoflurane (group S) with inhalation sedation using nitrous oxide (group N) in patients undergoing bilateral extraction of third molar teeth under local anaesthesia. The study was designed as a cross-over study. Seventeen ASA I, day surgery patients were studied. Patients were randomly allocated to receive either 8 l/min 50% nitrous oxide in oxygen (group N) or same flow of 1% sevoflurane (group S) for the first procedure. Each patient then had the alternate method of sedation for the second procedure. There were no significant differences between the methods in patient co-operation and surgeon's satisfaction with sedation. Psychomotor tests were comparable in both groups. The patients were significantly more sedated in the group S compared to group N (P=0.004). Significantly more patients complained of an unpleasant odour group S (P<0.01) but none withdrew from the study for this reason. No adverse cardiorespiratory effects resulted from sevoflurane or nitrous oxide sedation. Both methods gave good amnesia during the procedure. There was high acceptance of both methods and the patients rated the technique as equally satisfactory. We conclude that inhalation sedation with sevoflurane is a suitable alternative method to nitrous oxide sedation.
  20. Isolation and characterization of novel microsatellite loci for Asian sea bass, Lates calcarifer from genome sequence survey database
    Abdul Rahman Z, Choay-Hoong L, Mat Khairuddin R, Ab Razak S, Othman AS
    J Genet, 2012 Aug;91(2):e82-5.
    PMID: 22932425
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