Background: Diabetic kidney disease populations are categorized as high risk for fasting in Ramadan due to various potential fasting-related complications. Insulin analogues are recommended to be used in place of human insulin during fasting, as they carry a lower risk of hypoglycaemia and stable glycaemic variability. A paucity of data exits on the safety and efficacy of different basal insulin types during fasting for this population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBacterial cellulose (BC) is a biopolymer synthesized extracellularly by certain bacteria through the polymerization of glucose monomers. This study aimed to produce BC using Enterobacter chuandaensis with fruit extracts from Phoenix dactylifera (D) and Musa acuminata (M) as carbon sources. Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) showed characteristic cellulose vibrations, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) identified distinct peaks at 15.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWorld J Microbiol Biotechnol
October 2024
Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a highly versatile biopolymer renowned for its exceptional mechanical strength, water retention, and biocompatibility. These properties make it a valuable material for various industrial and biomedical applications. In this study, Enterococcus faecalis synthesized extracellular BC, utilizing Phoenix dactylifera and Musa acuminata fruit extracts as sustainable carbon sources.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBananas (Musa spp.), which serve millions of people worldwide, face a serious threat from Fusarium wilt (FW) disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Waterlogging poses a significant threat to plant growth and yield worldwide. Identifying the genes responsible for mitigating waterlogging stress is crucial. Ethylene-responsive factors (ERFs) are transcriptional regulators that respond to various biotic and abiotic stresses in plants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExcessive deposit of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) were recently shown to be positively correlated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aims to investigate the thickness of EAT and its association with the components of metabolic syndrome among multi-ethnic Malaysians with and without acute coronary syndrome (ACS). A total of 213 patients were recruited, with the thickness of EAT were quantified non-invasively using standard two-dimensional echocardiography.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) is a diagnosis characterised by severe, persistent and disabling grief beyond 6 months post-death of a loved one. The new text revision of DSM-5 (DSM-5-TR) approved a new diagnosis PGD on March 2022. In Malaysia, PGD is not routinely screened in healthcare settings and hence goes untreated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) is a major public health concern, studies on PCC in Southeast Asia are lacking. This study aimed to describe PCC symptoms and its functional impact among COVID-19 survivors undergoing outpatient rehabilitation in Malaysia. We evaluated 3037 patients with confirmed COVID-19, referred between November 2020 and September 2022, 3 to 6 months after infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFusarium wilt of bananas caused by f. sp. Tropical Race 4 (Foc TR4) poses the most serious threat to banana production globally.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVacuolar processing enzyme (VPE) is a cysteine protease responsible for vacuolar proteins' maturation and regulation of programmed cell death (PCD). Four isoforms of VPEs were identified previously, but only the functions of βVPE, γVPE, and δVPE were determined. The specific function of a gene is linked to the cis-acting elements in the promoter region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Microalbuminuria presents significant health risks for the progression of endstage renal-failure (ESRF) among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. This study aims to determine the proportion and associated factors of microalbuminuria among T2DM patients in Kuala Selangor district, Malaysia.
Method: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2020 to February 2021 using secondary data from the National Diabetic Registry (NDR), Malaysia, and reviewed patients' diabetic records for the year 2020.
Flooding caused or exacerbated by climate change has threatened plant growth and food production worldwide. The lack of knowledge on how crops respond and adapt to flooding stress imposes a major barrier to enhancing their productivity. Hence, understanding the flooding-responsive mechanisms of crops is indispensable for developing new flooding-tolerant varieties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe impact of psoriasis on quality of life may have implications for the sexual function of patients. We aimed to determine the frequency of sexual difficulties and associated factors among adult patients with psoriasis. This cross-sectional study involved 13 673 patients notified to the Malaysian Psoriasis Registry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cervical cancer is preventable. In Malaysia, women are found to have good awareness of the disease and yet, the Pap smear uptake is still poor. Measuring health literacy level could explain this discrepancy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAvascular necrosis, or osteonecrosis of the femoral head, is a debilitating condition which leads to the destruction of the hip joint due to an interruption in the blood supply to the bony region and is most commonly due to trauma. The case discussed here has been highlighted as it presented as non-traumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head with an absence of risk factors in a healthy adult male. A 37-year-old male presented with a 4-month history of recurrent left hip pain, which worsened with initiation of movement and weightbearing on the affected side.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Reliability studies are commonly used in questionnaire development studies and questionnaire validation studies. This study reviews the sample size guideline for Cronbach's alpha test.
Methods: Manual sample size calculation using Microsoft Excel software and sample size tables were tabulated based on a single coefficient alpha and the comparison of two coefficients alpha.
Objective: We aimed to validate the Malay version of Diabetes Quality of Life (DQOL) questionnaire for Malaysian adult population with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).
Methods: This is a cross-sectional study to validate Malay version of DQOL among the adult diabetic patients. DQOL questionnaire has 46 items consist of three domains, namely Satisfaction Domain, Impact Domain and Worry Domain.
Background: Psoriasis involving the face is visible and can cause considerable emotional distress to patients. Its presence may also confer a poorer prognosis for the patient. This study sought to evaluate the characteristics of facial psoriasis in Malaysia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patients with severe psoriasis, namely those requiring phototherapy or systemic treatment, have an increased risk of death. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, aetiology and risk factors for mortality among adult patients aged 18 years and above with psoriasis in Malaysia.
Methods: This was a retrospective study involving adult patients notified by dermatologists to the Malaysian Psoriasis Registry between July 2007 and December 2013.