Characterisation of Antimony and Antimony-Bismuth Oxides Synthesised By Precipitation Technique.

Antimony oxide exists in several different phases and this single oxide has generated considerable interest in applications such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) production and semiconductor devices manufacturing. In this study, antimony oxide and antimony bismuth oxide have been prepared via precipitation and coprecipitation technique, respectively. The influence of various preparation parameters (starting material, precipitating agent, precipitation route and pH) on the prepared antimony oxide has been investigated. The characteristics of the samples (antimony oxide and antimony bismuth oxide) were determined by Differential Thermogravimetry/Thermogravimetric Analysis (DTG/TGA), Powder X-ray Diffraction Analysis (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Analysis (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller Surface Area Measurements (BET) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Extent of reduction of antimony bismuth oxide was investigated by employing Temperature-Programmed Reduction in H2 (TPR) technique. Starting material and precipitation route have influenced the formation of the final products which have given the different surface area. By using antimony(III) acetate (raw material) via forward precipitation route, a single phase of Sb2O3 senarmontite phase with high surface area can be obtained. As the concentration of precipitating agent, NaOH is increased, the formation of antimony oxide phase changed from single phase to mixed phase which was vice versa with increasing of NH4OH concentration. The sample of high surface area with corresponding ultrafine particle could be achieved at optimum condition (0.6 M of NaOH concentration). The microstructural change of prepared antimony oxide was determined at various pH values. The pH change does not effect the formation of antimony oxides phases but led to the higher surface area as the pH increases. The evolvement of the antimony bismuth oxide phase occurred as the NH4OH concentration increases. The high surface area sample with small grain size can be obtained using 0.6 M NH4OH. This sample gave small amount of oxygen removal in accordance to TPR result

Characterization of hair follicle derived stem cells and keratinocytes induction following seeding on chitosan scaffold

Hair follicles repeatedly regress and reconstitute themselves, suggesting the presence of intrinsic tissue stem cells. Adult stem cells isolated from hair follicle have a unique characteristic which is differentiating into keratinocytes. Chitosan skin regenerating template (SRT), produced by AMREC-SIRIM has been successfully used as a scaffold in skin tissue engineering. This study aims to investigate isolation of HFSCs from scalp tissues and the characterization of the stem cells was performed. The HFSCs attachment, growth and differentiation ability on chitosan SRTs were evaluated. HFSCs were isolated from human scalp tissues using cell dissociation method and then cultured in CnT-07 growth media. The squamous shaped HFSCs formed groups of cells and grown well in the CnT-07 growth media. The characterization of the cultured HFSCs was performed by using the stem cell marker of K15 and CD200. HFSCs culture were positive for the presence of K15 and CD200. Meanwhile, the attachment and growth of the HFSCs on the chitosan SRTs were evaluated using scanning electron microscope (SEM), Live/Dead assay and Alamar blue assay. The SEM images revealed that HFSCs were shown to attach and grown on chitosan. A live/dead assay shown that living HFSCs population on chitosan at day 1 was 216±6 meanwhile the dead HFSCs was 99±9 (p=0.068). At day 2, the population of viable HFSCs on the chitosan was 367±18, while the dead population of HFSCs was 213±3 (p=0.068). At day 3, the population of viable HFSCs was 452±18 compared with the dead HFSCs was 221±9 (p=0.068). The population of viable and dead HFSCs grown on chitosan showed no significant differences at day 1, day 2 and day 3. Alamar Blue assay also shown the OD from day 1 to day 7 continues to increase as the days increase, indicating HFSCs able to grow and proliferate on chitosan. The mean of the OD values of HFSCs grown on chitosan on theday 7 was the highest compared to 1, 3, and 5 days of the culture (0.0207 ± 0.001 for day 1; 0.0763 ± 0.003 for day 3; 0.0746 ± 0.003 for day 5; 0.1317 ± 0.020 for day 7). These stem cells were also induced to differentiate into epidermal keratinocytes using CnT-02 differentiation media. The characterization of the epidermal keratinocytes was confirmed by the presence involucrin and K6 positive cells. In this present study, the HFSCs were successfully isolated, grown in CnT-07 growth media and expressing stem cell markers K15 and CD200. The study also proved that the chitosan SRT is suitable for HFSCs to attach, grow and also support the differentiation of HFSCs into epidermal keratinocytes. This study provides knowledge on HFSCs isolation and their growth and differentiation on chitosan that in future can be used as an alternative method in treating burn patients

Development, validity and reliability of Tramadol use and misuse knowledge assessment questionnaire

The prevalence of tramadol misuse in Nigeria and lack of a quantitative and valid instrument to assess knowledge on the use and misuse of tramadol necessitated this study. The objective of this studywas to develop and validate a questionnaire to assess knowledge about tramadol use and misuse among tramadol users in Benue State of Nigeria. A mixedmethod design was used. Literature review and focus group discussions were conducted to generate items for the questionnaire. Six experts were involved in content validation. The item-level content validity index (I-CVI) cut-off point was set at 0.83. Chain-referral sampling method was applied. Data were collected from tramadol users (n = 200) for the validation study. Item response theory model was applied in the assessment of the psychometric properties of the questionnaire. Cronbach alpha was computed to determine the internal consistency. Ten items were initially deleted for failing to meet the I-CVI cut-off point (I-CVIs < 0.83). The over-all CVI of the questionnaire was 0.86. Five more items were deleted for poor performance in both the difficulty and discrimination parameters, leaving 35 items for the final questionnaire. The reliability coefficient was 0.78 indicating good internal consistency. A valid and reliable self-report questionnaire therefore, emerged for the assessment of knowledge about tramadol in five domains including medical use, prescription, misuse, effects of misuse and withdrawal/detoxification. The questionnairecan serve as a valid and reliable tool for assessment of knowledge about tramadol and for evaluation of intervention efforts at curtailing tramadol abuse. Keywords: development; validity; questionnaire; knowledge; tramadol; misus

Optimization of extraction conditions of antioxidant activity from zingiber zerumbet oleoresin

The health promoting capacity of natural antioxidant from phytochemicals has increase attention from researchers and public. However, processing is affecting the activity and the bioavailability of bioactive compounds. Therefore, the optimization of extraction condition of antioxidant activity from Zingiber zerumbet oleoresin was investigated. A Box-Behnken design technique was employed to study the effect of different range parameters of soxhlet extraction. Analysis of variance and response surface methodology were applied to identify the optimal processing parameter. Independent variables were extraction time (8, 10 and 12), type of solvent used (hexane, acetone, ethanol) and blanching treatment (steam treated, boil treated, untreated). The response and variables were fitted well to each other by multiple regressions. All the independent parameters affected oleoresin yield and antioxidant activity significantly. The optimal processing parameter that fulfilled the requirement for yield of oleoresin and antioxidant activity were found to be 12 h extraction time, ethanol as the solvent used and untreated sample. While, the optimal yield of oleoresin was 13.05% w/w and antioxidant activity was 16.01% w/w

Immediate and long-term relationship between severe maternal morbidity and health-related quality of life: a prospective double cohort comparison study

Abstract Background Given the growing interest in severe maternal morbidity (SMM), the need to assess its effects on quality of life is pressing. The objective of this study was to compare the quality of life scores between women with and without SMM at 1-month and 6-month postpartum in Kelantan, Malaysia. Methods A prospective double cohort study design was applied at two tertiary referral hospitals over a 6-month period. The study population included all postpartum women who delivered in 2014. Postpartum women with and without SMM were selected as the exposed and non-exposed groups, respectively. For each exposed case identified, a non-exposed case with a similar mode of delivery was selected. The main outcome measures used were scores from the Short Form-12 Health Survey (SF-12). Results The study measured 145 exposed and 187 non-exposed women. The group-time interaction of the repeated measure analysis of variance (RM ANOVA) showed no significant difference in the mean overall SF-12 physical component summary score changes (P = 0.534) between women with and without SMM. Similarly, the group-time interaction of the RM ANOVA showed no significant difference in the mean overall SF-12 mental component summary score changes (P = 0.674) between women with and without SMM. However, women with SMM scored significantly lower on a general health perceptions subscale at 1-month (P = 0.031), role limitations due to physical health subscale at 6-month (P = 0.019), vitality subscale at 1-month (P = 0.007) and 6-month (P = 0.008), and role limitations due to emotional problems subscales at 6-month (P = 0.008). Conclusions Women with severe maternal morbidity demonstrated comparable quality of life during the 6-month postpartum period compared to women without severe maternal morbidity

Factors associated with psychological disturbance among healthcare providers during the early phase of COVID-19 pandemic in Kelantan, Malaysia

COVID-19 pandemic had significant emotional and psychological effects on the general population where healthcare providers were no exception. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with psychological disturbances such as vicarious traumatisation, anxiety and depression among healthcare providers during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study included 306 participants who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria from May to July 2020 in a state tertiary hospital. We employed a self-administered case report form containing socio-economic data and three questionnaires, i.e. Malay version Vicarious Traumatization Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Medical Outcome Study Social Support Survey. Descriptive analysis and linear regression were applied for vicarious traumatisation while binary logistic regression was applied for anxiety and depression outcomes. The findings suggested that participants worked in the Medical Department were more likely to develop psychological disturbances than other departments. Non-frontline (adjusted coefficient [95% CI]: -17.04 [-24.77, -9.30]) and female healthcare providers (adjusted coefficient [95% CI]: 10.73 [2.99, 18.46]) were associated with vicarious traumatisation. Non-frontline healthcare providers (adjusted odds ratio [95% CI]: 0.13 [0.06, 0.29]) were also associated with anxiety besides shift work (adjusted odds ratio [95% CI]: 3.80 [1.04, 13.83]). Meanwhile, medical officers (adjusted odds ratio [95% CI]: 0.31 [0.10, 0.91]) were less likely to report depression symptoms compared to staff nurses. These findings can assist hospital bureaucracy to focus on necessary interventions to improve the mental and psychological health of healthcare providers

Kualiti peribadi kaunselor kaunseling keluarga: implikasi pendidikan di institut pengajian tinggi

Kualiti peribadi kaunselor kanseling keluarga adalah elemen yang penting dalam penawaran perkhidmatan kaunseling keluarga secara profesional kepada masyakat. Maka pendidikan yang ditawarkan di peringkat IPT turut memberikan kesan kepada pembentukan kualiti peribadi kaunselor kaunseling keluarga. Artikel ini bertujuan meneroka kualiti peribadi kaunselor yang diperlukan di dalam menjalankan proses kaunseling keluarga. Kajian pendekatan kualitatif dengan reka bentuk kajian kes. Meneroka pandangan dan pengalaman 12 orang kaunselor yang menjalankan kaunseling keluarga di tiga agensi kerajaan yang sedia ada menawarkan perkhidmatan kaunseling keluarga kepada masyarkat di Malaysia. Kaedah temu bual mendalam dengan menggunakan soalan separa struktur sebanyak 2 hingga 3 pusingan. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa terdapat 10 personaliti yang membentuk kualiti peribadi kaunselor iaitu i. Kesediaan belajar, ii. Motivasi tinggi, iii. Genuine, iv. Keyakinan dan keterampilan diri, v. Proaktif, vi. Humanistik vii. Sedia membantu, viii. Jalinan Hubungan Kerja, ix. Jalinan hubungan sosial dan x. Minat. Maka kesepuluh trait kualiti peribadi ini telah menunjukkan kaunselorkaunseling keluarga telah dapat menjalankan tugas secara profesional dan berwibawa kepada keluarga (klien) di dalam proses kaunseling keluarga. Justeru itu pendidikan di IPT di peringkat ijazah pertama dan peringkat sarjana sewajarnya mengambilkira pembinaan dan pembentukan elemen kualiti peribadi. Latihan berterusan peningkatan kualiti peribadi sewajarnya turut dijalankan kepada kaunselor yang sedia ada di agensi kerajaan agarperkhidmatan kaunseling keluarga dapat dilestarikan

Proliferation and Differentiation of Human Hair Follicle Stem Cells on Chitosan-Skin Engineered Template in Vitro

Hair follicles repeatedly regress and reconstitute themselves, suggesting the presence of intrinsic tissue stem cells. Among the unique characteristics of adult stem cells isolated from hair follicles is their ability to differentiate into keratinocytes. Study on chitosan skin-engineered templates (SETs) as scaffolds for the proliferation of human fibroblasts have shown the promise of SETs in facilitating skin cell growth in three-dimensional culture. High proliferation in three-dimensional culture using human cells allows the researcher to extensively evaluate the cultivation of desirable cell types on chitosan SETs. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the in vitro attachment, proliferation and differentiation of hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) on a chitosan SETs. HFSCs were isolated from human scalp tissues using collagenase type I prior to propagation in supplemented CnT-07 media. The phenotype of the HFSCs was verified using the markers keratin-15 (K15) and CD200, as detected by immunocytochemical staining. The attachment and proliferation of the HFSCs on the chitosan SETs were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), an alamar blue assay and a live/dead assay. Subsequently, the HFSCs were differentiated using CnT-2D differentiation media. The cells’ differentiation was verified using the markers involucrin and keratin-6 (K6), as detected by immunofluorescence staining. The HFSCs were successfully isolated, proliferated and differentiated according to staining positivity and microscopy imaging. HFSCs are able to proliferate and directly differentiate into keratinocytes on a chitosan SETs, which may facilitate their use in regenerative medicine

Compatibility of Porous Chitosan Scaffold with the Attachment and Proliferation of human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells In Vitro

Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) have potential applications in the repair and regeneration of various tissues and organs. The use of various scaffold materials as an excellent template for mimicking the extracellular matrix to induce the attachment and proliferation of different cell types has always been of interest in the field of tissue engineering because ideal biomaterials are in great demand. Chitosan, a marine polysaccharide, have wide clinical applications and it acts as a promising scaffold for cell migration and proliferation. ASCs, with their multi-differentiation potential, and chitosan, with its great biocompatibility with ASCs, were investigated in the present study. ASCs were isolated and were characterized by two different methods: immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry, using the mesenchymal stem cell markers CD90, CD105, CD73 and CD29. The ASCs were then induced to differentiate into adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic lineages. These ASCs were incorporated into a porous chitosan scaffold (PCS), and their structural morphology was studied using a scanning electron microscope and hematoxylin and eosin staining. The proliferation rate of the ASCs on the PCS was assessed using a PrestoBlue viability assay. The results indicated that the PCS provides an excellent template for the adhesion and proliferation of ASCs. Thus, this study revealed that PCS is a promising biomaterial for inducing the proliferation of ASCs, which could lead to successful tissue reconstruction in the field of tissue engineering

Proliferation and Differentiation of Human Hair Follicle Stem Cells on Chitosan-Skin Engineered Template in Vitro

Hair follicles repeatedly regress and reconstitute themselves, suggesting the presence of intrinsic tissue stem cells. Among the unique characteristics of adult stem cells isolated from hair follicles is their ability to differentiate into keratinocytes. Study on chitosan skin-engineered templates (SETs) as scaffolds for the proliferation of human fibroblasts have shown the promise of SETs in facilitating skin cell growth in three-dimensional culture. High proliferation in three-dimensional culture using human cells allows the researcher to extensively evaluate the cultivation of desirable cell types on chitosan SETs. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the in vitro attachment, proliferation and differentiation of hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) on a chitosan SETs. HFSCs were isolated from human scalp tissues using collagenase type I prior to propagation in supplemented CnT-07 media. The phenotype of the HFSCs was verified using the markers keratin-15 (K15) and CD200, as detected by immunocytochemical staining. The attachment and proliferation of the HFSCs on the chitosan SETs were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), an alamar blue assay and a live/dead assay. Subsequently, the HFSCs were differentiated using CnT-2D differentiation media. The cells’ differentiation was verified using the markers involucrin and keratin-6 (K6), as detected by immunofluorescence staining. The HFSCs were successfully isolated, proliferated and differentiated according to staining positivity and microscopy imaging. HFSCs are able to proliferate and directly differentiate into keratinocytes on a chitosan SETs, which may facilitate their use in regenerative medicine