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Fulltext Evaluation of image quality of bitewing radiographs taken by UITM dental students.

Ayoub,A,A,, A,Rasid,L,H,, Razak,S,, Kamaruzaman,M,, Azmi,N,W,

Compendium of Oral Science, 2020;7(1):32-40.
MyJurnal

Abstract
Objectives: To evaluate the quality of bitewing radiograph taken by Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) dental
students during daily clinical practices and to evaluate the difference in caries lesions found on bitewing
radiographs and clinical examination.
Materials and method: 120 patients who attended the undergraduate dental clinic for dental examination were
included in this study. The inclusion criteria were patients within the age range of 17-45 years old, possessing
at least three sets of posterior teeth, with bitewing radiographs taken by undergraduate dental students. The
number of caries lesions detected by clinical examination, bitewing radiographs, and a combination of both
methods were recorded. The quality of 240 bitewing radiographs was classified into three categories; excellent,
acceptable, and unacceptable. The frequency of radiographic errors; foreshortening/elongation, horizontal
overlapping, inadequate film coverage, non-ideal centering and inadequate contrast and density were also
evaluated.
Results: The quality of bitewing radiographs are mostly accepted to be used as a diagnostic tool and one of the
factors which commonly affected the quality of the bitewing is the overlapping of adjacent teeth. The highest
number of caries lesions were detected radiographically (74%) compared with 25% caries by clinical
examination. The majority of radiographs (71%, n=171) were deemed to be of acceptable quality, 39(16%) were
excellent, and 30(13%) were diagnostically unacceptable. “Horizontal overlap” was the most common error
detected on the radiographs (n=139, 57.9%), followed by “non-ideal centering” (n=93, 38.8%), “inadequate
contrast” (n=46, 19.2%) and “inadequate film coverage” (n=24,10%). The highest number of caries lesions were
detected radiographically (74%) compared with 25% caries by clinical examination.
Conclusion: The quality of the majority of bitewing radiographs taken by undergraduate dental students in this
institution is acceptable. However, given that more than half of the radiographs possessed horizontal
overlapping error, caries diagnosis may have been underestimated. Further training and periodic audits are
required to reduce the percentage of errors in bitewing radiographs amongst undergraduate dental students.
Fulltext Ecological and Ontogenetic Components of Larval Lake Sturgeon Gut Microbiota Assembly, Successional Dynamics, and Ecological Evaluation of Neutral Community Processes

Abdul Razak S, Scribner KT

Appl Environ Microbiol, 2020 05 05;86(10).
PMID: 32169941 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.02662-19

Gastrointestinal (GI) or gut microbiotas play essential roles in host development and physiology. These roles are influenced partly by the microbial community composition. During early developmental stages, the ecological processes underlying the assembly and successional changes in host GI community composition are influenced by numerous factors, including dispersal from the surrounding environment, age-dependent changes in the gut environment, and changes in dietary regimes. However, the relative importance of these factors to the gut microbiota is not well understood. We examined the effects of environmental (diet and water sources) and host early ontogenetic development on the diversity of and the compositional changes in the gut microbiota of a primitive teleost fish, the lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), based on massively parallel sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Fish larvae were raised in environments that differed in water source (stream versus filtered groundwater) and diet (supplemented versus nonsupplemented Artemia fish). We quantified the gut microbial community structure at three stages (prefeeding and 1 and 2 weeks after exogenous feeding began). The diversity declined and the community composition differed significantly among stages; however, only modest differences associated with dietary or water source treatments were documented. Many taxa present in the gut were over- or underrepresented relative to neutral expectations in each sampling period. The findings indicate dynamic relationships between the gut microbiota composition and host gastrointestinal physiology, with comparatively smaller influences being associated with the rearing environments. Neutral models of community assembly could not be rejected, but selectivity associated with microbe-host GI tract interactions through early ontogenetic stages was evident. The results have implications for sturgeon conservation and aquaculture production specifically and applications of microbe-based management in teleost fish generally.IMPORTANCE We quantified the effects of environment (diet and water sources) and host early ontogenetic development on the diversity of and compositional changes in gut microbial communities based on massively parallel sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes from the GI tracts of larval lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens). The gut microbial community diversity declined and the community composition differed significantly among ontogenetic stages; however, only modest differences associated with dietary or water source treatments were documented. Selectivity associated with microbe-host GI tract interactions through early ontogenetic stages was evident. The results have implications for lake sturgeon and early larval ecology and survival in their natural habitat and for conservation and aquaculture production specifically, as well as applications of microbe-based management in teleost fish generally.
Controversies in congenital clubfoot : literature review

Nordin S, Aidura M, Razak S, Faisham W

Malays J Med Sci, 2002 Jan;9(1):34-40.
PMID: 22969316

Despite common occurrence, congenital talipes equinovarus (clubfoot) is still a subject of controversy. It poses a significant problem with its unpredictable outcome, especially when the presentation for treatment is late. The true etiology remains unknown although many theories have been put forward. A standard management scheme is difficult as there is no uniformity in the pathoanatomy, classification and radiographic evaluation. These differ according to the age of the child and the severity of the condition. The paper discusses these controversies with an emphasis on the proposed etiologies and types of treatment performed.
Fulltext Relationship between anthropometric characteristics and aerobic fitness among Malaysian men and women

Razak S, Justine M, Mohan V

J Exerc Rehabil, 2021 Feb;17(1):52-58.
PMID: 33728289 DOI: 10.12965/jer.2142026.013

This cross-sectional study evaluated the relationships between anthropometric and aerobic fitness (rate of perceived exertion [RPE] and predicted maximal oxygen uptake [VO2max]) among 228 participants (age: 23.78±4.42 years). RPE and predicted VO2max were determined during the cycle ergometer exercise test. Data were also obtained for height, weight, body mass index (BMI), hip and waist (WC) circumferences. Data analysis revealed VO2max is correlated with WC (r=-0.571), weight (r=-0.521), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) (r=-0.516), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (r=-0.487), and BMI (r=-0.47) in men, while, in women with WC (r=-0.581), weight (r=-0.571), WHtR (r=-0.545), BMI (r=-0.545), WHR (r=-0.473), and height (r=-0.287) (all P<0.05). Regression analysis showed WC was a significant predictor for VO2max in men and women (r2=32.6% vs. 33.7%). The receiver operating characteristic curve of WC showed 0.786 and 0.831 for men and women, respectively. WC or abdominal obesity is the strongest predictor for VO2max, which is an indicator of aerobic fitness in Malaysian adults.
Fulltext Optimisation of stabiliser combinations in instant ice cream mix powder formulation via mixture design methodology

Abdul Razak, S. Z., Abd. Rahman, N. A., Baharuddin, A. S., Mohd Amin, N. A., Mat Johari, A., Mohammad Parid, D.

International Food Research Journal, 2019;26(6):1689-1698.
MyJurnal

The present work aimed at obtaining the optimum combination of stabilisers used in an
instant ice cream formulation. Instant ice cream mixes were formulated using milk protein,
fat, sucrose, stabilisers, emulsifiers and water. A basic formulation for ice cream mix was
prepared according to the process flow of instant ice cream. Three different stabilisers
mixtures, which were carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), carrageenan, and sodium alginate
used in 14 formulations were studied using mixture design methodology. Physical analyses on
meltdown rate, hardness, melted ice cream viscosity, and overrun were performed. The results
were compared with those of commercial instant ice cream to determine the acceptability and
quality of the final products. From the optimisation study, the recommended combination of
stabilisers was found to be 0.151% CMC and 0.149% sodium alginate. The optimised sample
had a higher viscosity of 0.17 Pa.s than the commercial one (0.16 Pa.s), which corresponded to
higher hardness thus indicating slower melting rate, which is a good texture for ice cream. The
overrun of the optimised sample was 108.33%, which is considered high. The high amount of
air, viscosity, and hardness resulted in a low melting rate of 0.22 g/min, which is desirable for
ice cream consumption. Based on sensory evaluation, the optimised instant ice cream was the
most preferred by panellists as compared to commercial sample.
Managing adolescent pregnancy: The unique roles and challenges of private general practitioners in Malaysia

Malek KA, Abdul-Razak S, Abu Hassan H, Othman S

Malays Fam Physician, 2019;14(3):37-45.
PMID: 32175039

Introduction: Managing adolescent pregnancy in the primary care setting is complex, as it requires doctors to navigate through a combination of medical, social, financial and legal needs. Objective: This study explores the perspectives of private general practitioners on their roles and challenges in managing adolescent pregnancy in Malaysia.
Methods: Nineteen private general practitioners in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur participated in in-depth interviews in 2015. A topic guide was used for interview navigation. Participants were asked to discuss their experiences and approaches in managing pregnant adolescents. We used purposive sampling to recruit consenting private general practitioners who had experience in managing adolescent pregnancy. The verbatim transcripts of the audio-recorded interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Data reached saturation at the nineteenth in-depth interview. Results: Two themes emerged. Under the theme 'inadvertent advocator,' participants described their tasks with regards to building trust, calming angry parents and delivering comprehensive counseling and care related to the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents, including requests for abortions. Theme two, 'challenges of private general practitioners,' refers mainly to personal and religious conflicts arising from a request for an abortion and deficiencies in support and multidisciplinary integration within their practice settings.
Conclusion: General practitioners practicing in the private sector identify themselves as active players in supporting pregnant adolescents but face many challenges arising from the personal, religious, professional and community levels. Addressing these challenges is important for optimal care delivery to pregnant adolescents in this community.
Fulltext Integration and analysis of neighbor discovery and link quality estimation in wireless sensor networks

Radi M, Dezfouli B, Abu Bakar K, Abd Razak S

ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:789642.
PMID: 24678277 DOI: 10.1155/2014/789642

Network connectivity and link quality information are the fundamental requirements of wireless sensor network protocols to perform their desired functionality. Most of the existing discovery protocols have only focused on the neighbor discovery problem, while a few number of them provide an integrated neighbor search and link estimation. As these protocols require a careful parameter adjustment before network deployment, they cannot provide scalable and accurate network initialization in large-scale dense wireless sensor networks with random topology. Furthermore, performance of these protocols has not entirely been evaluated yet. In this paper, we perform a comprehensive simulation study on the efficiency of employing adaptive protocols compared to the existing nonadaptive protocols for initializing sensor networks with random topology. In this regard, we propose adaptive network initialization protocols which integrate the initial neighbor discovery with link quality estimation process to initialize large-scale dense wireless sensor networks without requiring any parameter adjustment before network deployment. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first attempt to provide a detailed simulation study on the performance of integrated neighbor discovery and link quality estimation protocols for initializing sensor networks. This study can help system designers to determine the most appropriate approach for different applications.
Fulltext Myalgia Cruris Epidemica: an unusual presentation of dengue fever

Ahmad R, Abdul Latiff AK, Abdul Razak S

Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 2007 Nov;38(6):1084-7.
PMID: 18613550

We describe a 5-year-old girl who had sudden onset difficulty in walking after 3 days of febrile illness. In the emergency department her creatine kinase level was elevated but urine myoglobin was normal. She was diagnosed as having benign acute childhood myositis. Because of poor oral intake and dehydration, she was admitted to the pediatric ward. The next day she had a petechial rash over the antecubital fossa, and dengue IgM back was positive. She was treated conservatively and recovered uneventfully. Despite dengue fever being endemic in Malaysia, this is the first case report of myositis following dengue infection in Malaysia.
Fulltext Validation study of the Parent Attitudes About Childhood Vaccines (PACV) questionnaire: the Malay version

Abd Halim H, Abdul-Razak S, Md Yasin M, Isa MR

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2020 05 03;16(5):1040-1049.
PMID: 31567057 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2019.1674112

Vaccine hesitant parents are linked with re-emergence of vaccine preventable diseases, but evidence is scarce locally. The Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) questionnaire was validated and used in the USA to identify vaccine hesitant parents. This study aimed to adapt and translate the 15-item PACV questionnaire from English into the Malay language, and to examine its validity and reliability. The sample population was parents of children aged 0-24 months, recruited at an urban government health clinic between November 2016-June 2017. During content validation, two items from the "Behavior" subdomain were identified as items with formative scale and excluded from exploratory factor analysis (EFA) but retained as part of demography. A total of 151 parents completed the questionnaire with response rate of 93.3%. Test-retest reliability was tested in 25 respondents four weeks later and the intra-class correlation was between 0.53 and 1.00. EFA of the 13 items showed possibility of two to four factor domains, but three domains were most conceptually equivalent. Two of the domains were similar to the original and one factor was identified de novo. One item was deleted due to poor factor loading of < 0.3. Therefore, the validated final PACV-Malay consisted of 12 items framed within three-factor domains. The PACV-Malay was reliable with total Cronbach alpha of 0.77. In conclusion, the PACV-Malay is a valid and reliable tool which can be used to identify vaccine hesitant parents in Malaysia. Confirmatory factor analysis and predictive validity are recommended for future studies.
Fulltext A metamodel for mobile forensics investigation domain

Ali A, Abd Razak S, Othman SH, Mohammed A, Saeed F

PLoS One, 2017;12(4):e0176223.
PMID: 28445486 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176223

With the rapid development of technology, mobile phones have become an essential tool in terms of crime fighting and criminal investigation. However, many mobile forensics investigators face difficulties with the investigation process in their domain. These difficulties are due to the heavy reliance of the forensics field on knowledge which, although a valuable resource, is scattered and widely dispersed. The wide dispersion of mobile forensics knowledge not only makes investigation difficult for new investigators, resulting in substantial waste of time, but also leads to ambiguity in the concepts and terminologies of the mobile forensics domain. This paper developed an approach for mobile forensics domain based on metamodeling. The developed approach contributes to identify common concepts of mobile forensics through a development of the Mobile Forensics Metamodel (MFM). In addion, it contributes to simplifying the investigation process and enables investigation teams to capture and reuse specialized forensic knowledge, thereby supporting the training and knowledge management activities. Furthermore, it reduces the difficulty and ambiguity in the mobile forensics domain. A validation process was performed to ensure the completeness and correctness of the MFM. The validation was conducted using two techniques for improvements and adjustments to the metamodel. The last version of the adjusted metamodel was named MFM 1.2.
Fulltext Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Presenting with Chronic Cough and Hemoptysis in Primary Care: A Case Report

Abd Hamid MF, Abdul Razak S, Azraai AM, Miptah HN

Am J Case Rep, 2023 Nov 10;24:e941089.
PMID: 37946402 DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.941089

BACKGROUND The article discusses an unusual case of papillary thyroid carcinoma in which chronic cough and hemoptysis were the predominant symptoms. While the more common causes of hemoptysis are pulmonary in origin, extrapulmonary etiologies have been reported, including thyroid carcinoma. The clinical presentation of thyroid malignancy in this case mimics many other common disorders, such as pulmonary tuberculosis, bronchogenic carcinoma, bronchiectasis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Hence, making it challenging to suspect early when patients present to primary care. CASE REPORT A 54-year-old woman presented with a chronic cough and hemoptysis in our Primary Care Medicine Clinic. While initial assessments in the primary care medicine clinic yielded no remarkable findings, a subsequent high-resolution computed tomography scan of the thorax uncovered a thyroid lesion. Subsequent evaluation in the hospital setting included an ultrasound examination, revealing multiple thyroid nodules, and fine needle aspiration that confirmed papillary thyroid carcinoma. She underwent total thyroidectomy with central and left lateral neck dissection, complicated by left vocal cord palsy. She received 2 cycles of periodic radioactive iodine therapy and injection laryngoplasty postoperatively. There was no evidence of iodin avid disease and recurrence of hemoptysis after surgery. CONCLUSIONS This case report emphasizes the significance of considering papillary thyroid carcinoma when assessing hemoptysis in the primary care setting, as early detection and treatment of it would result in a better outcome.
Anti-HCMV IgG positivity rate among renal transplant recipients in Baghdad

Al-Alousy BM, Abdul-Razak SH, Al-Ajeeli KS, Al-Jashamy KA

Saudi J Kidney Dis Transpl, 2011 Nov;22(6):1269-74.
PMID: 22089802

In developing countries, the majority of infection by human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) occurs during childhood and continues as a latent infection. By adulthood, almost all the population may show anti-HCMV IgG as positive. This study was undertaken to determine the correlation between the prevalence of HCMV antibodies and HCMV infection during post transplant period among renal transplant patients in Baghdad. 43 renal transplant patients attending three renal transplantation centers, and 40 healthy individuals who served as controls were enrolled in this study. 18 (41.9%) were transplanted recently and they were under post-operative follow-up and 25 (58.1%) were transplanted more than one year ago. Detection of anti-HCMV IgG was carried out using enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). The results revealed that anti-HCMV IgG was significantly higher among renal transplant recipients compared to healthy controls (97.7% vs 85%, P = 0.04). The anti-HCMV IgG positivity rate was not affected by patients' age, sex, and duration after transplantation or immunosuppressive therapy. We conclude that the high anti-HCMV IgG positivity rate among Iraqi renal transplant recipients make them prone to considerable risk of reactivation of HCMV infection.
Fulltext Effects of Seasonal Variability on the Physicochemical, Biochemical, and Nutritional Composition of Western Peninsular Malaysia Gracilaria manilaensis

Aroyehun AQ, Palaniveloo K, Ghazali F, Rizman-Idid M, Abdul Razak S

Molecules, 2019 Sep 10;24(18).
PMID: 31510066 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24183298

This study evaluated the effect of seasonal variation on the physicochemical, biochemical, and nutritional composition of Gracilaria manilaensis. Sampling was designed during the main monsoon seasons in Malaysia-the Southwest monsoon (SWM) and Northeast monsoon (NEM)-to understand the intraspecific variation (p < 0.05). Carbohydrates, protein, and dietary fiber were found to be higher in NEM-G. manilaensis, whereas a higher ash content was quantified in SWM-G. manilaensis. No significant differences were found in crude lipid and moisture content (p > 0.05). Vitamin B2 was calculated as (0.29 ± 0.06 mg 100 g-1) and (0.38 ± 0.06 mg 100 g-1) for the NEM and SWM samples, respectively (p < 0.05). The fatty acid profile showed the dominance of saturated fatty acids (SFAs)-palmitic acids, stearic acid, and myristic acid-while the mineral contents were found to be good sources of calcium (1750.97-4047.74 mg 100 g-1) and iron (1512.55-1346.05 mg 100 g-1). Tryptophan and lysine were recorded as the limiting essential amino acids (EAAs) in NEM G. manilaensis, while leucine and phenylalanine were found to be the limiting EAAs in the SWM samples. None of the extracts exhibited antibacterial properties against the screened strains. The study concluded that seasonal changes have a great effect on the biochemical composition of G. manilaensis.
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
Fulltext Feasibility of implementing chronic care model in the Malaysian public primary care setting

Ariffin F, Ramli AS, Daud MH, Haniff J, Abdul-Razak S, Selvarajah S, et al.

Med J Malaysia, 2017 04;72(2):106-112.
PMID: 28473673 MyJurnal

INTRODUCTION: Non-communicable diseases (NCD) is a global health threat. the Chronic Care Model (CCM) was proven effective in improving NCD management and outcomes in developed countries. Evidence from developing countries including Malaysia is limited and feasibility of CCM implementation has not been assessed. this study intends to assess the feasibility of public primary health care clinics (PHC) in providing care according to the CCM.

METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the public PHC ability to implement the components of CCM. All public PHC with Family Medicine Specialist in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur were invited to participate. A site feasibility questionnaire was distributed to collect site investigator and clinic information as well as delivery of care for diabetes and hypertension.

RESULTS: there were a total of 34 public PHC invited to participate with a response rate of 100%. there were 20 urban and 14 suburban clinics. the average number of patients seen per day ranged between 250-1000 patients. the clinic has a good mix of multidisciplinary team members. All clinics had a diabetic registry and 73.5% had a hypertensive registry. 23.5% had a dedicated diabetes and 26.5% had a dedicated hypertension clinic with most clinic implementing integrated care of acute and NCD cases.

DISCUSSION: the implementation of the essential components of CCM is feasible in public PHCs, despite various constraints. Although variations in delivery of care exists, majority of the clinics have adequate staff that were willing to be trained and are committed to improving patient care.
Fulltext Comparable Enhanced Prothrombogenesis in Simple Central Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome

Mohd Nor NS, Saimin H, Rahman T, Abdul Razak S, Mohd Nasir N, Ismail Z, et al.

J Obes, 2018;2018:8508549.
PMID: 29785305 DOI: 10.1155/2018/8508549

Objective: There is limited data comparing prothrombogenic or fibrinolysis biomarkers (tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1)) simultaneously in subjects with Metabolic Syndrome (MS), simple central obesity without MS (COB) and normal controls (NC). We investigated the concentrations of fibrinolysis biomarkers in subjects with MS, COB and NC.
Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 503 drug naive subjects (163 males, aged 30-65 years old (mean age ± SD = 47.4 ± 8.3 years)) divided into MS, COB and NC groups. COB was defined as central obesity (waist circumference (WC) males ≥90 cm, females ≥80 cm) in the absence of MS according to the International Diabetes Federation 2006. Fasting blood levels of tPA and PAI-1were analyzed.
Results: MS and COB had significantly higher concentration of all biomarkers compared to NC. The MS group had significantly higher concentration of tPA and PAI-1 compared to COB. WC and HDL-c had significant correlation with all biomarkers (tPA p < 0.001, PAI-1 p < 0.001). Fasting plasma glucose and diastolic blood pressure were independent predictors after correcting for confounding factors.
Conclusion: Central obesity with or without MS both demonstrated enhanced prothrombogenesis. This suggests that simple obesity possibly increases the risk of coronary artery disease in part, via increased susceptibility to thrombogenesis.
Fulltext Validity and reliability of the patient assessment on chronic illness care (PACIC) questionnaire: the Malay version

Abdul-Razak S, Ramli AS, Badlishah-Sham SF, Haniff J, EMPOWER-PAR Investigators

BMC Fam Pract, 2018 07 19;19(1):119.
PMID: 30025525 DOI: 10.1186/s12875-018-0807-5

BACKGROUND: Majority of patients with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, receive care at primary care setting. Efforts have been made to restructure diabetes care in the Malaysian primary care setting in accordance with the Chronic Care Model (CCM). The Patient Assessment on Chronic Illness Care (PACIC) is a validated self-report tool to measure the extent to which patients with chronic illness receive care that aligns with the CCM. To date, no validated tool is available to evaluate healthcare delivery based on the CCM in the Malay language. Thus, the study aimed to translate the PACIC into the Malay language and validate the questionnaire among patients with diabetes in the Malaysian public primary care setting.
METHODS: The English version of the PACIC questionnaire is a 20-item scale measuring five key components, which are patient activation, decision support, goal setting, problem solving and follow-up care. The PACIC underwent forward - backward translation and cross cultural adaptation process to produce the PACIC-Malay version (PACIC-M). Reliability was tested using internal consistencies and test-retest reliability analyses, while construct validity was tested using the exploratory factor analysis (EFA).
RESULTS: The content of PACIC-M and the original version were conceptually equivalent. Overall, the internal consistency by Cronbach's α was .94 and the intra-class correlation coefficient was .93. One item was deleted (item 1) when the factor loading was
Fulltext Two-stage motion artefact reduction algorithm for electrocardiogram using weighted adaptive noise cancelling and recursive Hampel filter

Ghaleb FA, Kamat MB, Salleh M, Rohani MF, Abd Razak S

PLoS One, 2018;13(11):e0207176.
PMID: 30457996 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207176

The presence of motion artefacts in ECG signals can cause misleading interpretation of cardiovascular status. Recently, reducing the motion artefact from ECG signal has gained the interest of many researchers. Due to the overlapping nature of the motion artefact with the ECG signal, it is difficult to reduce motion artefact without distorting the original ECG signal. However, the application of an adaptive noise canceler has shown that it is effective in reducing motion artefacts if the appropriate noise reference that is correlated with the noise in the ECG signal is available. Unfortunately, the noise reference is not always correlated with motion artefact. Consequently, filtering with such a noise reference may lead to contaminating the ECG signal. In this paper, a two-stage filtering motion artefact reduction algorithm is proposed. In the algorithm, two methods are proposed, each of which works in one stage. The weighted adaptive noise filtering method (WAF) is proposed for the first stage. The acceleration derivative is used as motion artefact reference and the Pearson correlation coefficient between acceleration and ECG signal is used as a weighting factor. In the second stage, a recursive Hampel filter-based estimation method (RHFBE) is proposed for estimating the ECG signal segments, based on the spatial correlation of the ECG segment component that is obtained from successive ECG signals. Real-World dataset is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed methods compared to the conventional adaptive filter. The results show a promising enhancement in terms of reducing motion artefacts from the ECG signals recorded by a cost-effective single lead ECG sensor during several activities of different subjects.
Fulltext Peninsular Malaysia’s Negrito orang asli and its theory of African origin

Ismail E, Amini F, Abdul Razak S, Mohd Zaini H, Alwi Z, Farhour R

Sains Malaysiana, 2013;42:921-926.

Negritos of Peninsular Malaysia have physical features which strongly resemble the African pygmies rather than any of the other main South East Asian ethnic groups. In addition, their features are also completely different from the two other large sub-groups of the Peninsular Malaysia Orang Asli, i.e. Senoi and Proto-Malay. In this study, we genetically screened three African-specific markers, Glucose-6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) gene PvuII Type 2 polymorphism and A- mutation; and Sickle Cell trait in 103 unrelated individuals with G6PD deficiency. None of the Negritos’ samples carried A- and Sickle cell mutations but all males and females have the PvuII Type 2 polymorphism. The same results were seen in all DNA samples of the Malaysian’s Malay, Chinese and Indians. Additionally, all females in this study were homozygous for PvuII Type 2 polymorphism. Thus, we concluded that this polymorphism is widespread in all Malaysian population and is not unique to just Africans. However, these findings indicated that the polymorphism was widely conserved and can be used to study the African descendant in any world population hitherto supporting the ‘Out of Africa’ theory.
Fulltext The Prevalence of Limited Health Literacy and Its Associated Factors among Elderly Patients Attending an Urban Academic Primary Care Clinic in Malaysia

Abd-Rahim SNH, Mohamed-Yassin MS, Abdul-Razak S, Isa MR, Baharudin N

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2021 08 27;18(17).
PMID: 34501632 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18179044

Limited health literacy (HL) is linked to many negative health outcomes, including poor self-management of chronic diseases and medication adherence among patients. There are a lack of data regarding HL in the elderly population in Malaysia. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of limited HL levels and its associated factors among elderly patients in an urban academic primary care clinic in Selangor, Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 413 elderly patients (≥60 years old) who attended this academic primary care clinic between January 2020 and January 2021. Sociodemographic data, clinical characteristics, and health literacy scores were collected. Descriptive statistics (median with interquartile ranges (IQR), frequency, and percentages) and multiple logistic regression were utilized. The prevalence of limited HL in our population was 19.1% (95% CI: 15.3, 23). The middle-old (70-79 years) and very-old (≥80 years) age groups were more likely to have limited HL (aOR 4.05; 95% CI: 2.19, 7.52 and aOR 4.36; 95% CI: 1.02, 18.63, respectively). Those with at least secondary school education (aOR 0.06; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.24) and those who found medical information via the internet/television (aOR 0.21; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.93) had lower odds of having limited HL. In conclusion, having limited HL levels was not common among elderly patients in this primary care clinic. Further studies involving rural and larger primary care clinics in Malaysia are required to support these findings.

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