Clinical Outcomes of Laparoscopic Versus Open Appendectomy

Results of this study suggest that laparoscopic appendectomy offers the benefit of a shortened hospital stay, decreased need for postoperative anesthesia, and early return to normal activities

Ownership type, business model, market structure, and the performance of Takaful and conventional insurance companies in Malaysia

The paper evaluates the performance of the Takaful and insurance companies in Malaysia. It examines the impact of ownership, business model, and market structure on conventional and Takaful companies’ performance. The inter-firm comparisons provide information about the performance and competitiveness of firms operating under different modes of business. The study adopts the unbalanced panel data approach with Panel Corrected Standard Error (PCSE) regression to analyse the data of 44 Malaysian Takaful and insurance companies with 255 firm observations over the period from 2011 to 2016. The study’s findings show that Takaful and insurance companies perform at par in terms of their premiums. However, Takaful has better investment income. Foreign-owned firms perform better than local firms. The efficient market hypothesis is more powerful than the structural conduct hypothesis in explaining the firms’ performance. The study’s implications are expected to help improve and develop the Takaful and insurance sector as an efficient industry in-line with regulation changes. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to compare the Takaful with conventional insurance in Malaysia concerning their performance, market structure, and ownership

Waqif Preference of Waqf-Based Qardhul Hassan Financing in Malaysia: An Analytic Hierarchy Process Perspective

Although Islamic banking products like tawarruq and bay al-inah personal financing products available in the Malaysian Islamic banking market, their ability to meet the need of those disadvantaged in the case of health crisis like COVID-19 or financial crisis are somehow marginal.  There is a need for Islamic social finance products to meet this challenge and one of them is the offered qardhul hassan financing funded through crowdfunding on the basis of waqf. This is called waqf-based qardhul hassan financing. For this purpose, this study introduces QAFSCALE, referred to qardhul hassan financing scale to gauge waqif preference on the facility should it is made available in the market. A total of 324 waqif or donors were participated in this study to identify their preference in donating their money in the facility should it is introduced. This study used Attia’s (2010) maqasid al-Shariah theory to generate the QAFSCALE, beginning from the conceptualisations, dimensions and importantly the batter items that represent the QAFSCALE. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used. The results obtained indicate that humanity factor is ranked first in importance, followed by family factor, consumer factor and ummah factor. This study limitation is the sample size. A broader sample would have made the result better. Adding to that, the newly designed scale is first of its kind in the context of waqf-based qardhul hassan financing and more studies needed to prove its applicability and generalization, at least. The results obtained might be of interest to managers of Islamic banks and the like to understand their potential waqif preference in the context of waqf-based qardhul hassan financing. Four factors drawn from QAFSCALE were evaluated to identify important factors leading to the waqif contribution on waqf

Effects of particle sizes, resin content and board densities on the properties of phenol formaldehyde particleboard from oil palm trunk particles / Jamaludin Kasim ... [et al.]

Twenty five year old oil palm trunk supplied by MPOB, Bangi, Selangor, was converted into strands using a disk flaker and into particles using a dust extractor. Particleboard was produced using phenolic resin at 7, 9 and 11% compositions based on particle weight used Particle size variedfrom 1.0-2.0 mm and the board density varied from 500-700 kg m'. No significant improvement in MOR, MOE and IB was observed when the particle size was increased from 1.0 to 2.0 mm. However, with larger particle size the water absorption and thickness swelling properties improved. Increasing the resin content from 7-11 % significantly increases the mechanical properties and improves the water absorption and thickness swelling properties. Increasing the board density results in an increase in MOR, MOE and 1B and a significant increase in the water absorption and thickness swelling properties. Particleboard with a high board density and resin content of more than 9 % met the minimum British Standard requirements

Antioxidant capabilities of Litsea garciae bark extracts and their relation to the phytochemical compositions

The plant species belonging to the Litsea genus are widely investigated due to their nutritional and medicinal purposes. In this regard, this study is another similar sincere effort in which the antioxidant property and phytochemical composition of Litsea garciae (L. garciae) bark’s hexane, chloroform, methanol, and aqueous extracts were evaluated to confirm its traditional benefits. The total flavonoid content (TFC) and total phenolic content (TPC) were determined first, followed by an assessment of in vitro antioxidant activity using the DPPH and FRAP assays. The composition of the secondary metabolites was determined using Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-MS). As a result, methanol extract was recorded to have the highest TPC value aligned with its positive appearance in phytochemical screening. Its antioxidant capacity indicated the least IC50. The results indicated that the significant free radical scavenging activity was due to the methanolic extract’s high phenolic content. The secondary metabolites found in the methanol extract varied significantly according to UHPLC-MS analysis. The major phenolic compounds were found including N-trans-feruloyl-4-O-methyldopamine, N-cisferuloyltyramine, epicatechin-(4beta->6)-epicatechin-(2beta->7,4beta->8)-epicatechin, 7-Hydroxy-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)- 4-propyl-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one and 9-O-Methylneodunol. In general, the results indicate that L. garciae bark may be a promising source of novel natural compounds with antioxidative properties

Antioxidant capabilities of Litsea Garciae bark extracts and their relation to the phytochemical compositions

The plant species belonging to the Litsea genus are widely investigated due to their nutritional and medicinal purposes. In this regard, this study is another similar sincere effort in which the antioxidant property and phytochemical composition of Litsea garciae (L. garciae) bark’s hexane, chloroform, methanol, and aqueous extracts were evaluated to confirm its traditional benefits. The total flavonoid content (TFC) and total phenolic content (TPC) were determined first, followed by an assessment of in vitro antioxidant activity using the DPPH and FRAP assays. The composition of the secondary metabolites was determined using Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-MS). As a result, methanol extract was recorded to have the highest TPC value aligned with its positive appearance in phytochemical screening. Its antioxidant capacity indicated the least IC50. The results indicated that the significant free radical scavenging activity was due to the methanolic extract’s high phenolic content. The secondary metabolites found in the methanol extract varied significantly according to UHPLC-MS analysis. The major phenolic compounds were found including N-trans-feruloyl-4-O-methyldopamine, N-cisferuloyltyramine, epicatechin-(4beta->6)-epicatechin-(2beta->7,4beta->8)-epicatechin, 7-Hydroxy-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)4-propyl-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one and 9-O-Methylneodunol. In general, the results indicate that L. garciae bark may be a promising source of novel natural compounds with antioxidative properties

Phytochemical composition and antioxidant properties on bark of Litsea garciae

The plants of the Litsea genus are widely explored concerning their nutritional and medicinal purposes. The recent study investigated the antioxidant capabilities and phytochemical composition of Litsea garciae (LG) bark’s hexane, chloroform, methanol, and aqueous extracts. Antioxidant measurements were performed by determining the total phenolic content (TPC) and the total flavonoid content (TFC). Antioxidant capacities were assessed employing free radical scavenging (DPPH assay) and ferric reducing power (FRAP assay). The secondary metabolites composition was evaluated by Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) method. As a result, methanol extract was recorded to have the highest TPC value aligned with its positive appearance in phytochemical screening. Its antioxidant capacity indicated the least IC50. Results showed that the significant free radical scavenging activity was related to the presence of high phenolic content in the methanolic extract. UHPLC-MS analysis revealed significant variation in the secondary metabolites present in the methanol extract. The major phenolic compounds were found including N-trans-feruloyl-4-O-methyldopamine, N-cis-feruloyltyramine, epicatechin-(4beta->6)-epicatechin-(2beta->7,4beta->8)-epicatechin, 7-Hydroxy-3- (4-methoxyphenyl)-4-propyl-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one and 9-O-Methylneodunol. Overall, results have suggested LG bark to be a lead source for novel natural products possessing antioxidative potential

Neurotoxicity of aluminium chloride and okadaic acid in zebrafish: Insights into Alzheimer's disease models through anxiety and locomotion testing, and acute toxicity assessment with Litsea garciae bark's methanolic extract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complicated neurodegenerative disorder that presents significant challenges for the development of effective therapeutic interventions. Understanding disease mechanisms and exploring potential treatments require the use of animal models that accurately replicate the pathology of AD. In this study, we investigated the potential of two neurotoxin inducers, aluminium chloride (AlCl3) and okadaic acid (OKA), to validate the zebrafish as a model organism for AD. AD can impact locomotor activity and induce anxiety-like behaviors. To assess these behaviors, a 6-minute novel tank test was conducted. Zebrafish were administered with low, medium, or high doses of neurotoxic agent (AlCl3 or OKA) intraperitoneally twice weekly for 21 days. Behavioral activities were recorded at three time points: day 7 (short duration), day 14 (moderate duration), and day 21 (extended duration). The behavioral task required the evaluation of four endpoints. Methanolic extract of Litsea garciae bark was selected as a potential plant for the treatment of AD in this study, based on its previously demonstrated antioxidant effect. However, the acute toxicity of this plant has not been previously assessed. Therefore, this research was aimed to investigate the acute toxicity of the L. garciae bark’s methanolic extract in adult zebrafish. The extract was immersed in a static system following OECD Test Guideline No. 203, and the acute toxicity test involved monitoring the adult zebrafish for 96 h for any deaths or apparent abnormalities. Regarding the behavioural task, the groups induced with 100 nM of OKA demonstrated significant differences in all measured parameters compared to the control group at the 21-day time point. In contrast, none of the parameters were significantly different between the AlCl3-induced groups and the control group at any of the three time points (7, 14, or 21 days). Regarding acute toxicity, neither the test group (100 mg/L) nor the control group recorded any deaths or abnormalities. Therefore, no LC50 value could be determined. These findings confirm the acceptance of OKA as an inducer in the zebrafish model of AD and highlight the significance of the safe and non-toxic nature of L. garciae bark's methanolic extract for future ethnopharmacological investigations

Neurotoxicity of aluminium chloride and okadaic acid in zebrafish: insights into alzheimer's disease models through anxiety and locomotion testing, and acute toxicity assessment with Litsea garciae bark's methanolic extract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complicated neurodegenerative disorder that presents significant challenges for the development of effective therapeutic interventions. Understanding disease mechanisms and exploring potential treatments require the use of animal models that accurately replicate the pathology of AD. In this study, we investigated the potential of two neurotoxin inducers, aluminium chloride (AlCl3) and okadaic acid (OKA), to validate the zebrafish as a model organism for AD. AD can impact locomotor activity and induce anxiety-like behaviors. To assess these behaviors, a 6-minute novel tank test was conducted. Zebrafish were administered with low, medium, or high doses of neurotoxic agent (AlCl3 or OKA) intraperitoneally twice weekly for 21 days. Behavioral activities were recorded at three time points: day 7 (short duration), day 14 (moderate duration), and day 21 (extended duration). The behavioral task required the evaluation of four endpoints. Methanolic extract of Litsea garciae bark was selected as a potential plant for the treatment of AD in this study, based on its previously demonstrated antioxidant effect. However, the acute toxicity of this plant has not been previously assessed. Therefore, this research was aimed to investigate the acute toxicity of the L. garciae bark’s methanolic extract in adult zebrafish. The extract was immersed in a static system following OECD Test Guideline No. 203, and the acute toxicity test involved monitoring the adult zebrafish for 96 h for any deaths or apparent abnormalities. Regarding the behavioural task, the groups induced with 100 nM of OKA demonstrated significant differences in all measured parameters compared to the control group at the 21-day time point. In contrast, none of the parameters were significantly different between the AlCl3-induced groups and the control group at any of the three time points (7, 14, or 21 days). Regarding acute toxicity, neither the test group (100 mg/L) nor the control group recorded any deaths or abnormalities. Therefore, no LC50 value could be determined. These findings confirm the acceptance of OKA as an inducer in the zebrafish model of AD and highlight the significance of the safe and non-toxic nature of L. garciae bark's methanolic extract for future ethnopharmacological investigations