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Modeling of nitrate concentration in groundwater using artificial intelligence approach--a case study of Gaza coastal aquifer

Alagha JS, Said MA, Mogheir Y

Environ Monit Assess, 2014 Jan;186(1):35-45.
PMID: 23974533 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-013-3353-6

Nitrate concentration in groundwater is influenced by complex and interrelated variables, leading to great difficulty during the modeling process. The objectives of this study are (1) to evaluate the performance of two artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, namely artificial neural networks and support vector machine, in modeling groundwater nitrate concentration using scant input data, as well as (2) to assess the effect of data clustering as a pre-modeling technique on the developed models' performance. The AI models were developed using data from 22 municipal wells of the Gaza coastal aquifer in Palestine from 2000 to 2010. Results indicated high simulation performance, with the correlation coefficient and the mean average percentage error of the best model reaching 0.996 and 7 %, respectively. The variables that strongly influenced groundwater nitrate concentration were previous nitrate concentration, groundwater recharge, and on-ground nitrogen load of each land use land cover category in the well's vicinity. The results also demonstrated the merit of performing clustering of input data prior to the application of AI models. With their high performance and simplicity, the developed AI models can be effectively utilized to assess the effects of future management scenarios on groundwater nitrate concentration, leading to more reasonable groundwater resources management and decision-making.
The quantification of PET-CT radiotracers to determine minimal scan time using quadratic formulation

Said MA, Musarudin M, Zulkaffli NF

Ann Nucl Med, 2020 Dec;34(12):884-891.
PMID: 33141408 DOI: 10.1007/s12149-020-01543-x

OBJECTIVE: 18F is the most extensively used radioisotope in current clinical practices of PET imaging. This selection is based on the several criteria of pure PET radioisotopes with an optimum half-life, and low positron energy that contributes to a smaller positron range. In addition to 18F, other radioisotopes such as 68Ga and 124I are currently gained much attention with the increase in interest in new PET tracers entering the clinical trials. This study aims to determine the minimal scan time per bed position (Tmin) for the 124I and 68Ga based on the quantitative differences in PET imaging of 68Ga and 124I relative to 18F.
METHODS: The European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) procedure guidelines version 2.0 for FDG-PET tumor imaging has adhered for this purpose. A NEMA2012/IEC2008 phantom was filled with tumor to background ratio of 10:1 with the activity concentration of 30 kBq/ml ± 10 and 3 kBq/ml ± 10% for each radioisotope. The phantom was scanned using different acquisition times per bed position (1, 5, 7, 10 and 15 min) to determine the Tmin. The definition of Tmin was performed using an image coefficient of variations (COV) of 15%.
RESULTS: Tmin obtained for 18F, 68Ga and 124I were 3.08, 3.24 and 32.93 min, respectively. Quantitative analyses among 18F, 68Ga and 124I images were performed. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast recovery coefficients (CRC), and visibility (VH) are the image quality parameters analysed in this study. Generally, 68Ga and 18F gave better image quality as compared to 124I for all the parameters studied.
CONCLUSION: We have defined Tmin for 18F, 68Ga and 124I SPECT CT imaging based on NEMA2012/IEC2008 phantom imaging. Despite the long scanning time suggested by Tmin, improvement in the image quality is acquired especially for 124I. In clinical practice, the long acquisition time, nevertheless, may cause patient discomfort and motion artifact.
Fulltext Co-morbid hypertension, diabetes mellitus or dyslipidemia among patients prescribed with second generation antipsychotic: a comparison study between aripiprazole, quetiapine and clozapine based on pharmacy prescription database

Ng CG, Chan PL, Said MA

Malaysian Journal of Psychiatry, 2015;24(2):0-0.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Second generation antipsychotic (SGA) was linked to increased risk of metabolic syndrome. The risk varies between different SGA. We aim to study this risk by examining the co-prescription of antihypertensive, antidiabetic and lipid lowering drugs in patients prescribed with either aripiprazole, quetiapine or clozapine.
Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study based on the prescription records of a teaching hospital. Prescription records between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014 for
psychiatric unit were extracted. Patients with at least one prescription of any antipsychotic were included. The odds of antihypertensive, antidiabetic and lipid lowering drugs co-prescription in patients with either aripiprazole, quetiapine or clozapine were calculated.
Results: Of the 1742 study subjects, 88 patients were prescribed with aripiprazole, 175 patients with clozapine and 124 patients with quetiapine. Patients prescribed with quetiapine had
higher odds of co-prescribed with antihypertensive (OR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.11, 2.63), antidiabetic drugs (OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.11, 2.95) and lipid lowering drugs (OR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.19, 3.16). There were higher odds of co-prescription of antihypertensive (OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.05, 2.25), antidiabetic drugs (OR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.10, 2.59) and lipid lowering drugs
(OR = 1.90, 95% CI = 1.24, 2.91) in patients with clozapine. However, there were no increase odds of co-prescription of the three agents in patients with aripiprazole.
Conclusion: We need to monitor the risk of metabolic syndrome in patients treated with SGA. Aripiprazole has lower risk of metabolic syndrome.
Fulltext Protocol For Intervention Study In Reducing Elevated Blood Pressure Through Intermittent Fasting

Baharuddin D, Said MA, Majid HA

J Pak Med Assoc, 2023 Nov;73(11):2171-2176.
PMID: 38013523 DOI: 10.47391/JPMA.7748

OBJECTIVES: To chart out a protocol for conducting an intervention-based study to compare the efficacy of intermittent fasting intervention and usual diet in reducing elevated blood pressure among working adults.
METHODS: The quasi-experimental study with single-blinded parallel groups will comprise subjects from two civil departments. The intervention group will be required to conduct 2 days of fasting and 5 days of ad libitum diet in a week, while the control group will follow the usual healthy lifestyle. The largest sample size will be taken to achieve a power of 80% and an alpha value of 5%. Based on the 30% attrition rate, the total sample size needed in the study will be 140 participants, with 70 in each of the two arms. This study will use SPSS 24 for statistical analysis.
DISCUSSION: The study describes a unique protocol of intermittent fasting mimicking the Muslim Sunnah of fasting among people with elevated blood pressure. The findings will contribute to decrease blood pressure among those with elevated blood pressure. If proven to be effective, the intermittent fasting method would be useful for developing an effective programme to prevent elevated blood pressure among adults. The protocol will contribute to efforts to find whether or not intermittent fasting can improve elevated blood pressure as well as body weight, body mass index, waist circumference and nutrition status among adults.
CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: The study was registered with clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04953650).
Numerical simulation of undular jumps on graveled bed using volume of fluid method

Rostami F, Yazdi SR, Said MA, Shahrokhi M

Water Sci Technol, 2012;66(5):909-17.
PMID: 22797216 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2012.213

Undular hydraulic jumps are characterized by a smooth rise of the free surface, followed by a train of stationary waves. These jumps sometimes occur in natural waterways and rivers. Numerical difficulties are especially distinct when the flow condition is close to the critical value because of the high sensitivity of the near-critical flow field to flow and channel conditions. Furthermore, the free surface has a wavy shape, which may indicate the occurrence of several transitions from supercritical to subcritical states and vice versa (i.e., undular hydraulic jumps). In this study, a flow model is used to predict an undular hydraulic jump in a rectangular open channel. The model is based on the general two-dimensional, Reynolds-averaged, Navier-Stokes flow equations. The resulting set of partial differential equations is solved using the FLOW-3D solver. The results are compared with the experimental data to validate the model. The comparative analysis shows that the proposed model yields good results. Several types of undular hydraulic jumps occurring in different situations are then simulated to prove the potential application of the model.
Chronic diseases, depressive symptoms and functional limitation amongst older people in rural Malaysia, a middle income developing country

Hairi NN, Bulgiba A, Mudla I, Said MA

Prev Med, 2011 Oct;53(4-5):343-6.
PMID: 21864564 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2011.07.020

To determine prevalence and prevalence ratio of functional limitation amongst older people with combined chronic diseases and co-morbid depressive symptoms compared with older people with either chronic disease or depressive symptoms alone.
Numerical investigation on the effect of bileaflet mechanical heart valve's implantation tilting angle and aortic root geometry on intermittent regurgitation and platelet activation

Abbas SS, Nasif MS, Al-Waked R, Meor Said MA

Artif Organs, 2020 Feb;44(2):E20-E39.
PMID: 31378963 DOI: 10.1111/aor.13536

Platelet activation induced by shear stresses and non-physiological flow field generated by bileaflet mechanical heart valves (BMHVs) leads to thromboembolism, which can cause fatal consequences. One of the causes of platelet activation could be intermittent regurgitation, which arises due to asynchronous movement and rebound of BMHV leaflets during the valve closing phase. In this numerical study, the effect of intermittent regurgitation on the platelet activation potential of BMHVs was quantified by modeling a BMHV in the straight and anatomic aorta at implantation tilt angles 0°, 5°, 10°, and 20°. A fully implicit Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian-based Fluid-Structure Interaction formulation was adopted with blood modeled as a multiphase, non-Newtonian fluid. Results showed that the intermittent regurgitation and consequently the platelet activation level increases with the increasing implantation tilt of BMHV. For the straight aorta, the leaflet of the 20° tilted BMHV underwent a rebound of approximately 20° after initially closing, whereas the leaflet of the 10°, 5°, and 0° tilted BMHVs underwent a rebound of 8.5°, 3°, and 0°, respectively. For the anatomic aorta, the leaflet of the 20° tilted BMHV underwent a rebound of approximately 24° after initially closing, whereas the leaflet of the 10°, 5°, and 0° tilted BMHVs underwent a rebound of 14°, 10°, and 7°, respectively. For all the implantation orientations of BMHVs, intermittent regurgitation and platelet activation were always higher in the anatomic aorta than in the straight aorta. The study concludes that the pivot axis of BMHV must be implanted parallel to the aortic root's curvature to minimize intermittent regurgitation and platelet activation.
Screen-based media and young children: Review and recommendations

Arumugam CT, Said MA, Nik Farid ND

Malays Fam Physician, 2021 Jul 22;16(2):7-13.
PMID: 34386158 DOI: 10.51866/rv1143

Early childhood development is influenced by a child's environmental experiences. The qualities of surrounding in which a child lives, grows up and learns are key for attaining their milestones. Increased availability of screen-based media in families leads to excessive screen time among young children, resulting in high chances of displacing parent-child interaction which is fundamental in a thriving child's process of learning and development. Numerous publications have investigated the potential health impacts of early exposure and excessive usage of screen-based media among children, with literature suggesting links between excessive screen time and behavioural difficulties, developmental delay and increased risk of obesity, among other issues. Existing guidelines from international bodies call for limiting screen time to an hour per day for children aged two to five years old and urge that children below the age of two should not be exposed to any screen time. To spark awareness among parents and caregivers concerning the potential health impacts of screen-based media usage among young children, child media habits are recommended to be incorporated as part of toddlers' developmental assessment in health clinics. A guideline for mindful usage of screen-based media focusing on children below the age of five tailored to a Malaysian context ought to be developed based on current evidence from research, theory and practice. A collaborative effort between concerned agencies is essential to ensuring a developmentally stimulating environment in which young children may grow up.
Fulltext Distribution and abundance of the land snail Pollicaria elephas (Gastropoda: Pupinidae) in limestone habitats in Perak, Malaysia

Liew TS, Phung CC, Mat Said MA, Hoo PK

PeerJ, 2021;9:e11886.
PMID: 34395099 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11886

This study aimed to reveal the habitat variables that determine the distribution and abundance of the land snail Pollicaria elephas in limestone habitats in Perak, Malaysia. Seventeen plots were selected on a limestone hill to determine the effect of environmental variables on the abundance of this land snail. The environmental variables we considered included habitat (canopy cover and leaf litter thickness), topography (elevation, aspect, ruggedness, and slope), microclimate (soil temperature, air temperature, and humidity), and vegetation (abundance of respective vascular plant species). The correlation analyses suggested that the snails' abundance was positively correlated with the abundance of the four vascular plant species: Diospyros toposia var. toposoides, Croton cascarilloides, Kibatalia laurifolia, and Mallotus peltatus. Plots with lower soil temperatures had more snails than plots with higher soil temperatures. Our results show that plots in the southern part of the limestone hill, in which P. elephas were absent, were similar in habitat, topography, microclimate, and vegetation to the plots in the northern part of the limestone hill, where specimens were mostly present. The absence of this species in suitable habitats may be due to their low dispersal ability rather than adverse environmental conditions.
Optimization of scanning time of 18F-FDG whole body PET/CT imaging in obese patients using quadratic dose protocol

Musarudin M, Badrul Fikli NH, Zulkaffli NF, Rashid Jusoh A, Said MA

Med J Malaysia, 2021 09;76(5):637-642.
PMID: 34508368

INTRODUCTION: 18F-FDG imaging of overweight and obese patients is often challenging due to higher scattering and attenuation. Degradation of positron emission tomography (PET) image quality as the body weight increases is best overcome by using the quadratic dose protocol. Previously the implementation of this protocol on a Bismuth Germanium Oxide (BGO) scintillation crystal-based PET/CT system at Institut Kanser Negara (IKN), Malaysia practices using the linear dose protocol (Tmin=2.5 minutes). Hence, this study aims to optimize the Tmin of the quadratic dose protocol for 18F-FDG PET/CT.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted based on the guideline published by the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) version 2.0 FDG-PET/CT and conducted in two phases. Firstly, 100 whole-body scan 18FFDG PET/CT images were selected for the average coefficient of variation (COV) analysis in the liver region. Second, a NEMA 2012/IEC2008 phantom was used to obtain the relationship between the COVphantom and the scanning time. Finally, the images acquired using the two Tmin were quantitatively compared using contrast recovery coefficient (QH), signal to noise ratio (SNR), and visibility (VH). Independent t-test between each image quality parameter performed with p-value <0.05 considered significant.
RESULTS: The average COV of the liver was 17.7%. Currently, this value was clinically accepted to produce appropriate image quality at IKN. Interpolation at COV=17.7% gave a Tmin value of 2.9 minutes. Comparisons show that the two Tmin yielded equivalent PET/CT image quality (p-value of QH=0.774, SNR=0.780 and VH=0.915).
CONCLUSION: The optimal Tmin defined in this study was 2.9 minutes, 27.6% shorter than the Tmin previously defined based on COV=15%. Despite the higher average COV, the shorter Tmin beneficial in the lower total 18F-FDG activity administered, reduce the internal dose to the patient while producing equivalent image quality.
Fulltext Depression and associated factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Hashim NA, Ariaratnam S, Salleh MR, Said MA, Sulaiman AH

East Asian Arch Psychiatry, 2016 Jun;26(2):77-82.
PMID: 27377489

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of major depressive disorder and its association with socio-demographic and clinical factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who attended the hospital-based primary care clinics at the University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The patients were interviewed using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview to diagnose depression based on the DSM-IV criteria. The socio-demographic and clinical data were obtained by interviewing the patients and subsequently verified against their respective case notes.

RESULTS: A total of 204 patients were recruited. The prevalence of major depressive disorder was 15.7%. Major depressive disorder was significantly associated with younger age of patients (mean ± standard deviation, 57.8 ± 15.1 years, p = 0.04), younger age at diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (46.2 ± 13.0 years, p = 0.01), having secondary education (p = 0.02), and having a history of depression (p = 0.002). Multivariate analysis showed that current age (p = 0.04), duration of diabetes mellitus (p = 0.04), age at diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (p = 0.01), and secondary education (p = 0.01) were significant factors.

CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of major depressive disorder was high among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Screening of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus for depression should be performed periodically or routinely, especially in the primary care setting.
Health literacy research in Malaysia: Health literacy and other aging challenges among Malaysian public employees

Su TT, Bahuri NHA, Said MA

Stud Health Technol Inform, 2020 Jun 25;269:212-219.
PMID: 32593995 DOI: 10.3233/SHTI200034

This report focuses on a study that addresses the role of health literacy in the challenges surrounding aging. The study was conducted among n=533 public employees ages 40 to 60 years old in Johor state, Malaysia. The validated Malay version of World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument (WHOQOL-BREF) and the Short-Form Health Literacy Instrument (HLS-SF12) were used to assess perceived quality of life and general health literacy respectively. The WHOQOL-BREF comprises 26 items with six outcomes and the HLS-SF12 consists 12 items. This study provides an overview of participant quality of life, which was operationalized as a precondition of active aging. The participants' preconditions related to active aging were worrisome as 28% perceived their quality of life as poor and 34% were dissatisfied with their health. More positively, health literacy was found to be a significant determinant that may enable active aging.
Association of ADRA2A and MTHFR gene polymorphisms with weight loss following antipsychotic switching to aripiprazole or ziprasidone

Roffeei SN, Reynolds GP, Zainal NZ, Said MA, Hatim A, Aida SA, et al.

Hum Psychopharmacol, 2014 Jan;29(1):38-45.
PMID: 24424705 DOI: 10.1002/hup.2366

Various genetic polymorphisms have been reported to be associated with antipsychotic-induced weight gain. In this study, we aimed to determine whether risk polymorphisms in 12 candidate genes are associated with reduction in body mass index (BMI) of patients following switching of antipsychotics to aripiprazole or ziprasidone.
A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of aripiprazole for the treatment of methamphetamine dependence and associated psychosis

Sulaiman AH, Gill JS, Said MA, Zainal NZ, Hussein HM, Guan NC

Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract, 2013 Jun;17(2):131-8.
PMID: 22486597 DOI: 10.3109/13651501.2012.667116

The objectives of this study were to determine the efficacy and safety of aripiprazole for treatment of psychosis, retention and abstinence in patients with methamphetamine dependence.
Fulltext Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Mono- and Disubstituted 4-Hydroxyacetophenone Derivatives via Mannich Reaction: Synthesis, XRD and HS-Analysis

Aljohani G, Said MA, Lentz D, Basar N, Albar A, Alraqa SY, et al.

Molecules, 2019 Feb 07;24(3).
PMID: 30736403 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24030590

An efficient microwave-assisted one-step synthetic route toward Mannich bases is developed from 4-hydroxyacetophenone and different secondary amines in quantitative yields, via a regioselective substitution reaction. The reaction takes a short time and is non-catalyzed and reproducible on a gram scale. The environmentally benign methodology provides a novel alternative, to the conventional methodologies, for the synthesis of mono- and disubstituted Mannich bases of 4-hydroxyacetophenone. All compounds were well-characterized by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, 13C NMR, and mass spectrometry. The structures of 1-{4-hydroxy-3-[(morpholin-4-yl)methyl]phenyl}ethan-1-one (2a) and 1-{4-hydroxy-3-[(pyrrolidin-1-yl)methyl]phenyl}ethan-1-one (3a) were determined by single crystal X-ray crystallography. Compound 2a and 3a crystallize in monoclinic, P2₁/n, and orthorhombic, Pbca, respectively. The most characteristic features of the molecular structure of 2a is that the morpholine fragment adopts a chair conformation with strong intramolecular hydrogen bonding. Compound 3a exhibits intermolecular hydrogen bonding, too. Furthermore, the computed Hirshfeld surface analysis confirms H-bonds and π⁻π stack interactions obtained by XRD packing analyses.
Fulltext Health-related quality of life of younger and older lower-income households in Malaysia

Rizal H, Said MA, Abdul Majid H, Su TT, Maw Pin T, Ismail R, et al.

PLoS One, 2022;17(2):e0263751.
PMID: 35134086 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263751

BACKGROUND: Globally, a lower income is associated with poorer health status and reduced quality of life (QOL). However, more research is needed on how being older may influence QOL in lower-income households, particularly as older age is associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases and care needs. To this end, the current study attempts to determine the health-related QOL (HRQOL) among individuals from lower-income households aged 60 years and over compared to lower-income adults aged less than 60 years.
METHODS: Participants were identified from the Department of Statistics Malaysia sampling frame. Surveys were carried out with individual households aged 18 years and older through self-administered questionnaires. Information was collected on demographics, household income, employment status, number of diseases, and HRQOL assessed using the EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level (EQ-5D-5L) tool.
RESULTS: Out of a total of 1899 participants, 620 (32.6%) were female and 328 (17.3%) were aged 60 years and above. The mean (SD) age was 45.2 (14.1) and mean (SD) household income was RM2124 (1356). Compared with younger individuals, older respondents were more likely to experience difficulties in mobility (32.1% vs 9.7%, p<0.001), self-care (11.6% vs 3.8%, p<0.001), usual activities (24.5% vs 9.1%, p<0.001), pain/discomfort (38.8% vs 16.5%, p<0.001) and anxiety/depression (21.4% vs 13.5%, p<0.001). The mean (SD) EQ-5D index scores were lower among older respondents, 0.89 (0.16) vs 0.95 (0.13), p = 0.001. After adjusting for covariates, age was a significant influencing factor (p = 0.001) for mobility (OR = 2.038, 95% CI:1.439-2.885), usual activities (OR = 1.957, 95% CI:1.353-2.832) and pain or discomfort (OR = 2.241, 95% CI:1.690-2.972).
CONCLUSION: Lower-income older adults had poorer HRQOL compared to their younger counterparts. This has important implications concerning intervention strategies that incorporate active ageing concepts on an individual and policy-making level to enhance the QOL and wellbeing, particularly among the older lower-income population.
Fulltext Income Inequality in Quality of Life among Rural Communities in Malaysia: A Case for Immediate Policy Consideration

Thangiah G, Said MA, Majid HA, Reidpath D, Su TT

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 11 24;17(23).
PMID: 33255397 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17238731

Quality of life (QOL) is a proxy of health and social well-being. Hence, it is vital to assess QOL as it informs the strategies of policymakers to enhance the living conditions in communities. Rural areas in emerging economies are underserved in terms of modern facilities and technologies, which impact QOL. To address this, this study investigated whether income played a role in the QOL of rural residents within emerging economies using a large survey of Malaysian adults above 18 years old. The study extracted data from a sample of 18,607 respondents of a health and demographic surveillance system survey. A generalized linear model was used to estimate the impact of three income groups, the bottom 40%, middle 40% and top 20%, on perceived QOL, controlling for sociodemographic, chronic disease co-morbidities and mental health status. Results of the study showed a statistically significant association between income and the physical, psychological, social and environmental QOL domains. Using the bottom 40% as a reference category, the middle 40% and top 20% income groups showed a significant and positive association across the four domains of QOL. Hence, intervention programs are necessary to escalate the income levels of rural communities, especially the bottom 40%, to uplift perceived QOL among rural residents.
Fulltext Active Ageing Awareness and Quality of Life among Pre-Elder Malaysian Public Employees

Bahuri NHA, Rizal H, Said MA, Myint PK, Su TT

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022 Jul 25;19(15).
PMID: 35897412 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19159034

Increasing life expectancy has led to a global rise in late-life diseases. Quality of Life (QOL) is important for healthy life expectancy. The active ageing framework serves as a guide for policymakers to design policies that enhance the QOL of older people. This study aims to determine the association between awareness of active ageing and QOL. The Malay version of the 26-item WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire was utilised along with the 14-item Active Ageing Awareness Questionnaire (AAAQ). A total of 532 participants had a mean (SD) age of 50.2 (5.9), were largely ethnic Malay (96.2%), female (52.8%), and comprised largely of low-income households (65.4%). The median (IQR) AAAQ score was 71.4 (19.1). The hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed significant positive association between AAAQ and the QOL domains of physical (β = 0.154, p < 0.001), psychological (β = 0.196, p < 0.001), social relationship (β = 0.175, p < 0.001), and environment (β = 0.145, p < 0.001) after adjusting for all covariates. Awareness of active ageing was found to have a positive effect on all domains of QOL among pre-elder employees, and thus, we recommend that policies to improve active ageing awareness should be implemented for healthy life expectancy in ageing populations.
Fulltext Development of the Active Ageing Awareness Questionnaire in Malaysia

Ahmad Bahuri NH, Rizal H, Abdul Majid H, Said MA, Su TT

Healthcare (Basel), 2021 Apr 22;9(5).
PMID: 33922206 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare9050499

The world's ageing population is associated with increased morbidity, disability, and social and financial insecurity, which may affect quality of life (QoL). Therefore, the World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed the Active Ageing Framework (AAF) in 2002 to enhance QoL as people age. However, little is known about the status of awareness of active ageing among the population, and there is no appropriate tool for assessment. Hence, the Awareness of Active Ageing Questionnaire (AAAQ) was developed. The content, linguistic and face validations together with test-retest reliability were conducted. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to test the structural validity of the AAAQ. A total of 110 participants (mean ± SD = 50.19 ± 5.52) were selected for the pilot, 81 participants (mean ± SD = 49.40 ± 5.70) for the test-retest, and 404 participants (mean ± SD = 49.90 ± 5.80) for CFA and EFA tests. The 16-item AAAQ Malay version showed satisfactory reliability and validity. The Cronbach's alpha was more than 0.7 and showed good fit: Cmin/df = 2.771, GFI = 0.903, TLI = 0.951, RMSEA = 0.08. The AAAQ is suitable for measuring the awareness of active ageing among the middle-aged population in Malaysia.
Association of FTO, LEPR and MTHFR gene polymorphisms with metabolic syndrome in schizophrenia patients receiving antipsychotics

Roffeei SN, Mohamed Z, Reynolds GP, Said MA, Hatim A, Mohamed EH, et al.

Pharmacogenomics, 2014 Mar;15(4):477-85.
PMID: 24624915 DOI: 10.2217/pgs.13.220

The occurrence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in schizophrenia patients receiving long-term antipsychotics (APs) contributes to their high mortality rate. We aimed to determine whether genetic polymorphisms of identified candidate genes are associated with MS in our study population.

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