Module development of halal consumerism education in Malaysia: a proposal

Halal consumer education is growing in Malaysian context. It is driven by greater awareness among the various parties. Various programmes are offered such as awareness courses, professional courses, diploma, and degree. These include the government and private sectors. This study focuses on the proposed development of the halal consumerism education short-term module. It encompasses three levels, i.e. preliminary, intermediate, and advanced. This course is targeted at consumer groups, industry, and the halal authority. Hence, with the offering of halal consumer education programmes, it can contribute to the understanding and awareness of halal to the halal industry players whether consumers, entrepreneurs of halal industry, or the authoritative party

Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma of the left hand with bilateral breast metastases in an adolescent female

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a common extramammary malignancy in pediatric age groups, but it rarely metastasizes to the breast. Breast rhabdomyosarcomas are commonly metastatic, with possible primary locations at the head and neck, trunk, extremities, retroperitoneum and perianal region. We report a case of primary alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma of the upper extremities in a 17-year-old adolescent female who presented with bilateral lower limb weakness and bilateral breast lumps

Immunohistochemical study of p16INK4A and survivin expressions in cervical squamous neoplasm.

Introduction: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer affecting Malaysian women. Despite the implementation of pap smear screening, many women are still diagnosed only in the advanced stage of cervical cancer. This could partly be due to failure of detection of its precursor lesions; hence the need to search for novel biomarkers to assist in the screening and diagnosis of cervical neoplasia. This study aims to determine the expression of p16 INK4A and survivin as possible predictive biomarkers in cervical squamous neoplasm. Material and Methods: This is a retrospective study on 201 cases of cervical neoplasm comprising of 129 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and 72 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). All samples were evaluated by two independent observers using p16INK4A and survivin monoclonal antibodies. The p16INK4A expression was graded as negative, focal and diffuse positivity. The intensity for survivin expression was graded as weak, moderate and intense. Results: It is seen that p16INK4A expression in CIN 1, CIN 2 and CIN 3 were 25.4%, 42.9% and 95.9% respectively. Majority of SCC (98.6%) showed p16INK4A expression. Survivin expressions in CIN 1, CIN 2, CIN 3 and SCC were 56.7%, 33.4%, 87.5% and 98.6%. There was a linear relationship between increasing grade of CIN and p16INK4A expressions. Conclusion: Our study showed that p16INK4A expressions correlate well with the increasing grade of CIN. Although survivin does not correlate well to the increasing grade of CIN, it could be useful in differentiating CIN 3 from SCC

Fas promoter -670 polymorphism and the risk of cervical cancer: a case-control study in multi-ethnic Malaysia

Background/Objective: Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is a commonly occurring DNA sequence variation within the human population. The prevalence of these sequence variations differs in various populations and may lead to the suboptimal regulation of genes, including those of the apoptosis pathway. The regulation of cellular death is partially controlled by the interaction between tumor necrosis factor receptor family gene, Fas and its ligand, FasL. A base substitution in Fas -670 A>G (rs1800682) has been found to alter the binding affinity of the Fas protein to its activators, potentially altering its apoptotic potential. The lack of proper apoptosis regulation can lead to a wide plethora of human conditions involving uncontrolled cellular growth such as cancer. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether there was any association between the Fas -670 polymorphism and risk of cervical cancer in multi-ethnic Malaysian women. Methods: Using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP-PCR), Chi-square and logistic regression analysis, this study investigated the Fas -670 SNP and its associations with cervical cancer in the multi-ethnic population of Malaysia. Results: No significant associations were found between Fas -670 A>G SNP and risk of cervical cancer using the genotype model, dominant model and allele frequency model analysis, even after stratification into the Malay, Chinese and Indian ethnic subgroups; and cancer types. Conclusions: Our results showed that the A>G SNP of Fas -670 does not affect the risk of cervical carcinogenesis in Malaysian females

CYP1A1 MspI polymorphism and cervical carcinoma risk in the multi-ethnic population of Malaysia: a case-control study

Background: Tobacco smoking is considered a risk factor for cervical cancer development due to the presence of tobacco based carcinogenic metabolites in cervical cells of female smokers. In this study, we investigated the role of the T3801C (MspI) polymorphism of CYP1A1, a gene encoding an enzyme necessary for the initiation of tobacco based carcinogen metabolism, on cervical cancer risk. The T to C substitution may alter CYP1A1 activities, potentially elevating cervical cancer risk. Since results of gene-disease association studies vary according to the study population, the multi-ethnic population of Malaysia provides an excellent representative cohort for identifying and comparing the cervical cancer risk among the 3 major ethnics in Southeast Asia in relation to CYP1A1 MspI polymorphism. Materials and Methods: A total of 195 Thin Prep Pap smear samples from HPV negative and cancer free females were randomly selected as controls while 106 formalin fixed paraffin embedded samples from females with invasive cervical cancer were randomly selected for the cases group. The polymorphisms were identified using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) PCR. Results: We found no significant associations between CYP1A1 MspI polymorphism and cervical cancer in the general Malaysian female population. However, upon ethnic stratification, the variant C/C genotype was significantly associated with a 4.66-fold increase in cervical cancer risk in Malay females (95% CI= 1.21-17.9; p=0.03). No significant association was observed in the Chinese and Indian females. Additionally, there were no significant associations in the dominant model and allele frequency model analysis in both the general and ethnically stratified female population of Malaysia. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the C/C genotype of CYP1A1 MspI polymorphism is associated with the development of cervical carcinoma in the Malay females of Malaysia

Utility of Ki-67 and p53 in distinguishing cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 3 from squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix

The differentiation between cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 3 (CIN 3) and early squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the cervix may be difficult in certain situations. Identification of invasion beyond the basement membrane is the gold standard for the diagnosis of the latter. The objective of this study was to determine whether the use of Ki-67 and p53 could help in solving the above dilemma. This was a retrospective study on 61 cases of cervical neoplasms comprising of 25 cases of CIN 3 and 36 SCC. All cases were evaluated by immunohistochemistry using Ki-67 and p53 monoclonal antibodies. Results showed that the differences of Ki-67 and p53 expression between CIN 3 and SCC were statistically significant. In conclusion, Ki-67 and p53 may serve as helpful adjuncts to routinely-stained histological sections in differentiating between CIN 3 and SCC

A comprehensive review of the influences of nanoparticles as a fuel additive in an internal combustion engine (ICE)

Nanofluid is a colloidal mixture consisting of nano-sized particles dispersed in a liquid medium. It improves heat transfer properties and promotes high energy efficiency in a wide spectrum of engineering applications. In recent years, particularly in the automotive industry, the addition of nanofluid in diesel/biodiesel as an additive for ICE has become an attractive approach to promote enhanced combustion efficiency and emission reduction due to their superior thermophysical properties. Many researchers have previously demonstrated that the addition of nanoparticles in diesel/biodiesel fuel improved the overall engine combustion characteristics. As a whole, this study aims to summarize the recent research findings related to the effect of nanoparticles on the fuel properties and engine combustion efficiency. Furthermore, different types of additive blended with varying fuel properties are also compared and discussed. Lastly, the advantages and prospects of using nanofluid as an additive fuel are summarized for future research opportunities

Religious ethics on industrialization: a discourse from Islamic perspective

This study looks at the religious teaching, which apparently give a full meaning and ethics on industrialization. Islam encourages industrialization and sets its pristine teachings as enshrined in the Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet PBUH as the guiding principles and values for Muslims to create a kind of industrialization that shall bring about not only economic prosperity and sustainable development to the nation, but also one that is in harmony with the environment. The main objectives of this research are to investigate Quranic point of view about the industrialization and relate it to both Western and Islamic perspectives. Its main emphasis is to identify the driving philosophy behind the process of industrialization implemented in Malaysia with the universal values and teachings of Islam. This research is conducted through primarily of historical approach and relies on library research in order to achieve its objectives. A textual and critical analysis of Quranic verses will be utilized to demonstrate the application of Quran pertaining industrialization. Apart from that, this study will attempt to present the concept of industrialization from the Quranic point of view with special reference to selected Quranic verses. The ideas presented could be further developed and appreciated by the society in promoting sustainability environment in this industrialization er