Papers by NURUL ATIKAH HASHIM ABDULLAH
International Medical Journal Malaysia, Jun 1, 2013
Introduction: Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) are highly proliferative, c... more Introduction: Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) are highly proliferative, clonogenic cells capable of differentiating into osteoblasts and inducing bone formation. It is a potential alternative for stem cell bone regeneration therapy. However, stem cell therapy carries the risk of immune rejection mediated by inflammatory cytokines of the human defense system. Objective: This preliminary research studies the interaction between SHED and the immune system by determining the inflammatory cytokines profile and osteogenic potential of SHED. Methods: Human fetal osteoblasts (hFOb) cell line and isolated SHED were cultured and total RNA was extracted, followed by reverse transcription cDNA synthesis. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR and Multiplex PCR were performed to detect the expression levels of OPG/RANKL and TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and TGF-β in both cell types. Results: Analysis showed that SHED expressed significantly lower amounts of IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 compared to hFOB. IL-1β is a potent bone-resorbing factor, while IL-6 and IL-8 induce osteoclastogenesis and osteolysis respectively. SHED did not express TNF-α which stimulates osteoclastic activity. SHED demonstrated high OPG/RANKL ratio, in contrast with that of marrow stem cells described in previous studies. Our findings suggest that SHED may have improved immunomodulatory profile in terms of promoting relatively lower inflammatory reaction during transplant and enhancing bone regeneration. Conclusion: SHED has a potential to be a good source of osteoblasts for bone regeneration therapy. Further studies on the immunomodulatory properties of SHED-derived osteoblasts are necessary to enable stem cell therapy in immunocompetent hosts.
2014 IEEE Conference on Biomedical Engineering and Sciences (IECBES), 2014
ABSTRACT This study attempted to determine the pattern of the human bioenergy frequency measured ... more ABSTRACT This study attempted to determine the pattern of the human bioenergy frequency measured by Resonant Field Imaging (RFI) frequency counter at the frontal area of stressed and non-stressed individuals. Subjects were categorized into stressed and non-stressed groups by the scores of self-report questionnaires which consist of Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The mean of bioenergy frequencies revealed to be significantly different among gender and educational levels of the subjects. Significant differences on mean of bioenergy frequencies were also found between the groups of stressed and non-stressed subjects. Male subjects showed statistically significant differences on the mean frequencies of bioenergy between stressed and non-stressed groups for K10 and HADS-Depression while female subjects only reported a significant difference on the mean of bioenergy frequencies between stressed and non-stressed groups based on HADS-Depression. In conclusion, RFI frequency counter was able to differentiate the human bioenergy frequencies in the stressed and non-stressed subjects, illustrating that the frequency counter may have a great potential to be applied as a screening tool in detecting individual with stress.
Clinics in Mother and Child Health, 2014
Red blood cell (RBC) parameters obtained from hematology analyser has been very useful as the fir... more Red blood cell (RBC) parameters obtained from hematology analyser has been very useful as the first line screening for thalassaemia. The changes are prominent in most type of β-thalassaemia but milder in α-thalassaemia. RBC parameters could have been normalized especially during pregnancy and in such situation screening these patients would require a different protocol. Blood samples from two hundred (200) Malay pregnant women attended obstetric clinic at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) were collected to screen for double α-gene deletion (-SEA, and -THAI), and the two single α-globin gene deletion (-α 3.7 and -α 4.2 ). Standard hematological analyses including red blood cell count and indices, and hemoglobin quantitation were performed on the blood samples. Of these, sixteen were excluded as they had HbA 2 levels more than 4% and were diagnosed as HbE or β-thalassaemia trait. Then, multiplex GAP polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses of α-globin gene were performed on the remaining 184 blood samples. Total of 17 from 184 subjects confirmed to have α-thalassaemia (-α 3.7 /αα and --SEA / αα genotype). The RBC indices were compared between those with α-thalassaemia and normal pregnant women and they were significantly different. -α 3.7 kb single gene deletion (8.1%) was the commonest type followed by double gene South East Asia ( --SEA ) deletion (1.1%). We conclude that mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) with the cut off value of less than 86.3fl and 27.4 pg respectively are two useful RBC indices which can be used for screening of α-thalassaemia in pregnant women.
Biodiesel fuel has become more attractive recently because of environmental concerns and the limi... more Biodiesel fuel has become more attractive recently because of environmental concerns and the limited resources of fossil fuel. Biodiesel also recognized as “green fuel” with several advantages, ie; safe, non-toxic and biodegradable compared to petroleum diesel. In this work, biodiesel production by transesterification of palm oil with methanol has been studied in a heterogeneous system using sodium hydroxide loaded on alumina. A series of solid base catalyst consisting of NaOH supported on commercial alumina were prepared for the transesterification of palm oil with methanol in order to find a support which can work better compared to homogeneous catalyst. During catalyst preparation, different amount of sodium compounds were impregnated into alumina. A screening of the reaction conditions has been carried out by examining the effect of methanol/oil molar ratio, catalysts amount, reaction temperature and reaction time. The prepared catalysts were then characterized by using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) Analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectrometer, Brunner-Emmett-Teller (BET) Surface Area Measurement, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Temperature Programmed Desorption of Carbon Dioxide (CO2-TPD). Gas Chromatography (GC) and FT-IR was further used for characterization of biodiesel samples. The experimental results indicated that alumina supported with 50 wt% NaOH and calcined in air at 250°C for 3h (50NaC)gave the highest basicity and the best catalytic activities for transesterification reaction. The catalytic activities of the catalyst are explained by formation of aluminates that originated the stronger basic sites of the catalyst. The formation of aluminates is shown by characterization using XRD and FT-IR. The highest conversion 99% reached when the transesterification reaction was carried out at 15:1 methanol/oil molar ratio with 3 wt% catalyst, reaction temperature 60°C and reaction time 3h.
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Saccharum officinarum (sugarcane) is abundant agricultural by-products in Malaysia. In this study... more Saccharum officinarum (sugarcane) is abundant agricultural by-products in Malaysia. In this study, bagasse (the residue of Malaysian saccarhum officinarum) was used as adsorbent for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. Batch studies were conducted to evaluate the adsorption capacity of unmodified bagasse (UMB) under different experimental conditions. Effect of various process parameters; contact time, initial metal ion concentration and adsorbent dosage have been studied for the removal of MB. Batch experiments were carried out at various dosage of adsorbent (0.2-2.0 g), initial MB concentration (10-50 mgl~l) and contact time (15-240) min. Then, the optimum conditions were applied to acid-modified bagasse (AMB) and base-modified bagasse (BMB) for the comparative study. The maximum MB removal capacity by UMB, BMB and AMB are 7.274, 5.599 and 5.514 mg g~] respectively. Adsorption process was expressed by using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm. A Langmuir isotherm curve was found to be significant compared to Freudlich isotherm. The results indicate that such bagasse without modification could be employed as low cost adsorbent in wastewater treatment for the removal of colour and dyes.
Pleurotus sajor-caju (oyster mushroom, PSC) is widely used in culinary due to its various benefit... more Pleurotus sajor-caju (oyster mushroom, PSC) is widely used in culinary due to its various benefits on human health. However, no study has been reported on its immunomodulating properties. Cultivated mushroom powder was used for hot aqueous extraction using Soxhlet technique. The PSC extract was suspended into CMC and prepared into 3 groups: 0.2 g/kg, 1g/kg and 2g/kg. Balb/c mice were orally fed daily for 21 consecutive days. Treatment of mice with various concentrations of PSC showed increased populations of CD3 + /CD4 + , CD3 + /CD8 + , CD14 + and CD 19 + cells. Interestingly, PSCtreated mice demonstrated significant increase in CD3 + /CD4 + and CD19 + cells. Most importantly, mice treated with PSC showed improved CD4 + /CD8 + ratio; which indicated potential immunostimulating activity by PSC. In addition, no physical changes and signs of mortality could be detected from PSC-treated mice. The results suggest that PSC may improve general immune status when consumed consistently as a daily food option.
Issue of imbalance growth economics between ethnics in Malaysia has long been a central developme... more Issue of imbalance growth economics between ethnics in Malaysia has long been a central development issue. Rate of emergence of entrepreneurs between ethnicities in the country is one of the best predictor to the issue. This gap could be influenced by the ethnics' culture. Hence, this study is conducted to determine the students' ethnics' cultural difference on the entrepreneurial intention. The elements of culture included are based on the five Hofstede's cultural dimensions; uncertainty avoidance, power distance, collectivism, masculinity, and long term orientation. Survey methods by Yoo, Donthu, and Lenartowicz (2011) (CVScale) and by Linan and Chen (2006 (Entrepreneurial Intention Questionnaire) were used on a population of potential entrepreneurs such as students. By employing convenient sampling, the data was gathered from the respondents studying in University Malaysia Sabah. The study has used SPSS 17 to investigate data and to test developed hypotheses. It was found that uncertainty avoidance, masculinity and long-term orientation are effecting on the growth of entrepreneurial intention in the context of the students of University Malaysia Sabah. Findings of this study would be beneficial to policy makers, practitioners and researchers.
Semiconductor waste from electroplating industry becomes a major concern in term of environmental... more Semiconductor waste from electroplating industry becomes a major concern in term of environmental problem and monetary value due to toxicity and novel metal in the wastewater. In electroplating processes, several metals have been used such as silver plating, nickel plating, palladium plating and copper plating. The targeted electroplating metal in this study is palladium. There are several methods have been research to find the suitable method that have high selectivity on extraction of Palladium from simulated wastewater and one of the promising methods is Liquid Membrane technique. Liquid membrane system comprises of three liquid phases; feed phase (wastewater), liquid membrane organic phase and receiving phase. Emulsion liquid membrane is a liquid membrane in which the membrane phase of an emulsion is dispersed into the feed phase to be treated. This method was investigated as an alternative process for treatment and also recovery of Palladium from simulated semiconductor waste. The important parameters governing the extraction of Palladium such as concentration of carrier and stripping agents, types of stripping agents, contact time and treat ratio were investigated. This experiment has been conducted using a mixer-settler in a batch system. The results show that the mobile carrier D2EHPA is selective toward Palladium metal in simulated semiconductor waste. The optimum Palladium extraction was around 90% obtained by using 0.1M D2EHPA, 0.1M H2SO4 stripping agent, 5 minutes contact time, and 1: 3 treat ratio. However, the study on emulsion stability shows unstable results due to the leakage and swelling occurrence during the experiments. As a conclusion, the research shows high possibility of palladium extraction from simulated semiconductor waste using ELM process.
International Journal of Pharma and Bio Sciences, Jul 20, 2014
Ixora coccinea Linn is commonly known as jungle of geranium and red ixora found throughout India.... more Ixora coccinea Linn is commonly known as jungle of geranium and red ixora found throughout India. In addition, the flowers, leaves, root and stems of Ixora coccinea Linn are used to treat various ailments in the Indian traditional system of medicine, the Ayurveda and also in various folk medicines. In the current study, the methanolic extract of Ixora coccinea Linn root has been subjected to GC-MS analysis. Seventeen chemical constituents have been identified, the major chemical constituents are n-Hexadecanoic acid (7.38 %), 9-Octadecenoic acid, Methyl-ester (1.97), Phenol, 2,6-dimethoxy (1.35 %), 13-Docosenamide (1.31%), Phenol, 3,4,5-trimethoxy (1.24 %), 4, 8, 12, 16- Tetramethylheptadecan-4-olide (1.13 %).
Sociobiology, 2015
Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Associated with Pig Carcasses in an Urban Area Introduction The mo... more Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Associated with Pig Carcasses in an Urban Area Introduction The most important aspect of forensic entomology is the study of cadaveric fauna, which is based on the successional patterns of insects that feed on decomposing carcasses (Catts & Goff, 1992). The most commonly utilized insects for analysis of a crime scene are flies and beetles
GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies, 2014
Tennessee Williams"s plays have frequently been criticized for overt use of poetic language and h... more Tennessee Williams"s plays have frequently been criticized for overt use of poetic language and his constant focus on poetic devices such as alliteration and metaphor, as well as tropes like violence and feminine madness. A psychoanalytic study of his famous drama Suddenly Last Summer (1958) will enable us to explore the qualities of unresolved psychological complexes in the characters and also in the author himself, as the play is believed to draw strongly upon the playwright"s own biography. Towards this end, an intertextual interpretation serves to reflect upon the semiotic disposition of author and characters, which figures out a paradigm of the "transcendental ego" (Moi, 1986, p. 28). This analysis therefore aims at projecting the unconscious of the characters and the author through language, while examining how language can represent characters" identities and their hidden complexes through fragmentation of their identities. Through the analysis it will be shown how the interpretation of poetic language uncovers the unconscious via the effects and affects of devices such as metaphor, metonymy, replacement and condensation. Using a Kristevan interpretation of poetic language and its revelation of the semiotic, this paper therefore attempts to show that violence presented in the text is rooted in the fragmented identities of the characters and their creator and ultimately, it suggests the potential to recover one"s identity through poetic language. It may thus offer some clues to puzzling issues that have been misunderstood with regard to the recurrent poetic language and images in Suddenly Last Summer.
Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition, 2013
The main objective of this paper was to determine the utility of various anthropometric measures ... more The main objective of this paper was to determine the utility of various anthropometric measures to assess total and regional body fatness using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as the criterion in 454 adolescent boys and girls aged 12-19 years. Multivariable regression analyses of gender-specific and gender-combined models were used to determine anthropometric measures on DXA-derived body fatness models, after adjusting for known confounding biological factors. Partial correlation analyses, after adjusting for age, pubertal growth status and ethnicity in boys and girls, showed that body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and waist-height ratio (WhtR) were significantly correlated with total body fat (TBF), percent body fat (%BF), android region fat (ARF) and trunk fat (TF) (all p<0.0001). BMI was the greatest independent determinant, contributing 43.8%-80.9% of the total variance for DXA-derived body fatness models. Results confirmed that...
ABSTRACT Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence and the contributing fac... more ABSTRACT Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence and the contributing factors of infected socket in post-sur-gical removal of mandibular wisdom tooth. Materials and Methods: The dental records of patients who attended Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) for surgical removal of mandibular third molars were reviewed. Patients&#39; identification data, medical problem, oral hygiene, smoking status and occurrence of post-operative complication were recorded. From the total of the 342 surgical removals, 256 patients were found to have complete dental record, where 149 were female and the remaining 107 were male the average age of 24.4 years. Results: Out of the 256 patients, postoperative infected socket occurred in 27 patients (10.5%). Other complications were ulcer (n = 8, 3.1%), swelling more than 1 week (n = 11, 4.3%), sensory dysfunction of the inferior alveolar nerve (n = 6, 2.3%), and trismus (n = 10, 3.9%). The risk of infected socket was greater among the patients who had poor hygiene (p = 0.001). There was no significant relationship between the medical problems, age, gender, smoker status and infected socket. Conclusion: Postoperative infection is the most common type of complication and oral hygiene is one of the contribution fac-tors for development of infected socket. KEY WORDS infected socket, post-surgical removal, mandibular wisdom tooth
Education is an important element in enhancing pupils' awareness on the environment, in line ... more Education is an important element in enhancing pupils' awareness on the environment, in line with environmental education (EE) which aims to increase knowledge, awareness and understanding of the environment (MOE Malaysia, 1998). In this context, EE across curriculum has long been established in Malaysia. This study looks at the perceptions of school’s administrators. The respondents are from the selected primary school in Kulaijaya, Johor. The research was conducted through a survey using a questionnaires and the analysis is conducted using SPSS version 20. Research finding shows that the Science curriculum currently applied is appropriate, but should be improved to be more effective. In addition, the proposed improvements to the EE implementation across curriculum is through hands-on activities. While regular program conducted at school level is recycling program.
ABSTRACT Background: There are many medications and traditional remedies in treating mouth ulcers... more ABSTRACT Background: There are many medications and traditional remedies in treating mouth ulcers. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness between virgin coconut oil (VCO) and triamcinolone in treating RAS in oral cavity. Methods: The effectiveness of healing ulcer was measured using two parameters, ulcer size and pain score. Twenty patients (n = 20) with RAS were volunteered to join the study. Subjects are the staffs and students of Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kelantan as well as patients who attend HUSM dental clinic without systemic disease. Subjects were divided into two groups. One group received VCO and the other group received triamcinolone acetonide (0.1%) for RAS treatment. The subjects were required to apply the medication twice per day. Ulcer size and pain were measured on treatment days 1 and 5. Data were analyzed using t test. Results: No significant differences were found between the two studied groups. Even though the difference in ulcer size is not significant, the mean comparison revealed that virgin coconut oil is better in reducing the size of the ulcer and relieving pain compare to triamcinolone. Conclusion: Treatments applied had similar effectiveness as they both relieved pain and reduced the size of ulcer. As an alternative, the VCO can be used for treating RAS. KEY WORDS virgin coconut oil, triamcinolone, minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, minor recurrent aphthous ulcer Received on December
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Papers by NURUL ATIKAH HASHIM ABDULLAH