USM Journal Management System (Univ. Sains Malaysia)
Not a member yet
2330 research outputs found
Sort by
Phytoconstituents Analysis and In Vitro Antiproliferative Activity of Abrus precatorius Leaves on Cancer Cells (Early view)
Get PDFTraditionally in Malaysia the leaves of Abrus precatorius, a flowering plant that belongs to the legume family, Fabaceae, are used to treat various ailments such as coughs, diarrhoea, wound healing and even as anti-cancer and antivirus remedy. The study aimed to identify the phytocompounds present in A. precatorius leaves using (1) different solvents and (2) two different extraction methods for each solvent. Additionally, we have also intended to investigate the anti-proliferative activity of those maceration-based extracts on selected cancer and normal cell lines. In this study, two extraction methods were used (maceration and Soxhlet extraction), using sequential solvents according to their polarity, starting with hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol. The phytocompounds were identified via the GC-MS technique. The findings reported that the ethyl acetate extract (obtained via Soxhlet extraction) contained the highest amounts of terpenoids, while the methanol extract (obtained via maceration) contained the highest combination of terpenoids and phenolic compounds. The triple negative breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231 showed high sensitivity towards all A. precatorius leaf extracts (maceration-based). The hexane extract of A. precatorius leaves (maceration-based) showed the lowest IC50 on MDA-MB-231 cells at 80.75 ± 64.0 µg/ml. In conclusion, potential anti-cancer phytocompounds were identified in the A. precatorius leaves extracts such as 1-octacosanol, neophytadiene and 4-vinylphenol. All maceration-based extracts exhibited non-cytotoxicity effect on both normal breast cell MCF-10a and fibroblast cell NIH (3T3). The MDA-MB-231 cell line was the most sensitive towards all maceration-based extracts, particularly hexane-maceration based
A Scoping Review of Home-Based Vestibular Rehabilitation for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo Patients
Get PDFBenign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a common vestibular disorder among older adults, characterised by dizziness and imbalance caused by the displacement of otoconia into the semicircular canals. Although canalith repositioning manoeuvres are considered the standard treatment, their high recurrence rate and the need for frequent clinic visits highlight the demand for supplementary therapeutic approaches. This review examines the effectiveness of home-based vestibular rehabilitation and the associated challenges in managing patients with BPPV. A comprehensive search of databases including PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science, PEDro, Mendeley, and Google Scholar identified 251 records using keywords such as “BPPV” and “home-based exercise rehabilitation.” Following the screening of 228 records and full-text review of 172 articles, 17 studies met the inclusion criteria. The total sample included 541 patients with BPPV, with intervention group sizes ranging from 10 to 154 and control group sizes from 10 to 151. Intervention durations varied between 1 and 24 weeks. The findings indicate that home-based rehabilitation can reduce dizziness, improve balance and gait, lower fall risk, and enhance quality of life. Digital tools such as telephone consultations and online platforms were frequently used to support adherence and monitor exercise performance. However, the effectiveness varied across studies, with some reporting substantial benefits and others showing limited improvements. This review highlights the potential of digital technologies in enhancing home-based vestibular rehabilitation, while also emphasising the need for further research to optimise protocols and assess long-term outcomes
Demographic and Pathological Features of 430 Cases of Lymphoma from a Tertiary Hospital in Seremban, Malaysia (2015–2022)
Get PDFBackground: Lymphoma, including both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin types, is the fourth most common cancer in Malaysia. Few large studies have examined the frequencies and patterns of occurrence. This study describes the epidemiology of lymphoma in Malaysia based on cases from a public hospital, and compares demographic characteristics, distribution, subtypes, and anatomical sites.
Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at Hospital Tuanku Ja’afar, Seremban, Malaysia. Admitted patients who had received medical or surgical treatment for lymphoma between 2015 and 2022 were reviewed.
Results: A total of 430 cases were recorded. The distribution between extranodal (52.1%) and nodal (46.0%) lymphoma was nearly equal. Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) accounted for 16.3% of cases, with a mean age at presentation of 37 years, compared with 55.7 years for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) was the most common NHL subtype, representing 44.2% of all lymphoma cases. Among patients with staging information, 63% were diagnosed at stage IV. Males comprised 61% of the population. The predominant ethnic group was Malay (70.2%). The largest age group was 60 to 69 years (32.2%). Follicular lymphoma occurred less frequently than in Western and other Asian countries but was more common among ethnic Indians in Malaysia. Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, like other large B-cell lymphomas, was more frequent among Malays. Ethnic Indians also showed higher rates of HL (30.7%) and lower rates of DLBCL (25.6%).
Conclusion: This study highlights many similarities in the distribution of lymphoma in Malaysia compared with patterns observed in the region and globally
Validation of the Bahasa Malaysia Version of the General Attitudes Towards Artificial Intelligence Scale Among Academicians
Get PDFBackground: The growing incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) within academic settings has prompted increased scholarly attention to understanding how academicians perceive its impact. Although the General Attitudes Towards Artificial Intelligence Scale (GAAIS) is a widely recognised instrument for evaluating perceptions of AI, a formally validated version in Bahasa Malaysia has not yet been developed. This study, therefore, sought to adapt and validate the GAAIS in Bahasa Malaysia to assess attitudes toward AI among Malaysian academicians accurately.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among academicians at the Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus in Malaysia. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed to evaluate the factor structure of the translated scale. Composite reliability (CR) was utilised to assess reliability, whereas convergent validity was determined by calculating the average variance extracted (AVE).
Results: The final CFA model confirmed a two-factor structure, retaining 14 out of 20 original items. Factor 1 (Optimism and Benefits) comprised eight items, while Factor 2 (Risks and Ethical Concerns) consisted of six items. The model demonstrated strong fit indices (?²/df = 1.616, TLI = 0.947, CFI = 0.936, RMSEA = 0.073) and high internal consistency (CR values: Factor 1 = 0.899, Factor 2 = 0.888). An AVE of 0.530 for Factor 1 and 0.573 for Factor 2 indicates the convergent validity of the scales.
Conclusion: The translated Bahasa Malaysia version of GAAIS is a valid and reliable tool for assessing AI attitudes in general among Malaysian academicians. Its relevance spans multiple academic fields and professional industries, contributing valuable support to ongoing research involving multilingual and multicultural populations
Do Corruption Risk and Characteristics of the Top Management Team Matter for Company Performance? Evidence from Malaysia
Get PDFThe purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the relationships between top management team (TMT) characteristics (including women representation, political connections, age and tenure) and company performance, moderated by corruption risk. The data analysis is conducted using financial information from publicly traded companies on the primary market of Bursa Malaysia for the period spanning from 2018 to 2022. The regression analysis reveals a significant association between the political connections and tenure of the TMT and company performance. In addition, the moderation analysis demonstrates that corruption risk has a significantly positive effect on the relationship between the representation of women in the TMT and political connections, as well ason company performance. From a theoretical aspect, this study adds to the governance literature on how corruption risk strengthens the relationship between TMT characteristics and company performance in Malaysia. From a practical aspect, the results of this study will aid Malaysian business leaders in understanding the importance of the role of women representation and political connections in TMT, while also helping them develop their corporate governance framework better in uncertain environments. Furthermore, this study offers a unique contribution by advising company owners to enhance the influence of the TMT in improving company performance in conditions of significant corruption risk
Peranakan Chinese Identities in Globalizing Malay Archipelago, by Leo Suryadinata. Singapore: ISEAS Publishing, 2022. v + 289 pp. ISBN 978-981- 4951-67-8.
Get PDFThe author wants to illustrate the complexities of Peranakan identities, which Leo Suryadinata admits are not homogeneous and that “the identity of the Peranakan Chinese is far from clear” (p. 45). Yet with his most recent book, Peranakan Chinese Identities in the Globalizing Malay Archipelago, Suryadinata, a retired sinologist in Singapore who has written extensively on the Chinese in Indonesia, attempts to explore Peranakan identities mainly in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore (IMS)
Malay Land Loss Dilemma: Was the Malay Reservations Enactment 1913 Relevant?
Get PDFThe British administration in Malaya argued that the Malay Reservations Enactment 1913 aimed to safeguard the land rights of Malays. It was believed that Malay land rights were endangered by the prevalent practice of selling and mortgaging land to foreigners for quick profit among the Malays. Consequently, the enactment was introduced to protect and consolidate Malay land rights. However, this article contends that the formulation of this enactment not only failed to secure Malay land rights consistently but also served to mask the shortcomings of British law and land administration under the Land Enactment of 1911. This legislation was later replaced by the Land Code 1926, which further exacerbated the issue and contributed significantly to the loss of land among the Malays. Despite the existence of the Malay Reservations Enactment 1913, British land laws and administration posed challenges for Malays in maintaining existing land ownership and acquiring new land. Therefore, the enactment proved ineffective in preventing Malays from losing their land. This article employs a historical method that focuses on primary resources. The primary resources referred to are colonial records, specifically the Perak Government Gazettes, Annual Reports of Perak, Malayan Agricultural Journal and Year Book and Manual of Statistics
Islamic Political Ideas in Malaysia under Ahmad Fuad, Abbas Alias and Burhanuddin al-Helmy: Contributions and Challenges
Get PDFIn the Malaysian political landscape, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) has grown from a small to an influential Malay-Islamic party under the leadership of three early figures, namely Ahmad Fuad, Abbas Alias and Burhanuddin al-Helmy. Their leadership was essential as they guided the party from its formation to eventually governing states in Malaysia. This study explored the impact of these figures’ leadership on the party and the country over their 18-year tenure. A case study research design was employed to elucidate their leadership experiences. Document analysis was employed to gather data from secondary sources, and thematic analysis was conducted to identify the contributions and challenges faced by these leaders, as well as to assess their leadership efficacy. The results were reported in chronological order, consistent with the historical descriptive analysis employed. The study findings revealed that these political figures had made various contributions, particularly in establishing Islamic ideologies and practices, which paved the way for the party’s direction and fostered electoral success. Despite facing various challenges, PAS has emerged as a party that represents conservative Islam, from right-wing to left-wing nationalism, which later became its core ideology (conservative nationalism) that remains to this day
Exchange Rate Pass-Through and Inflation: Policy Insights for Vietnam Based on Comparative Analyses Across Asia
Get PDFThe exchange rate is a crucial macro indicator for any open economy, whereby any change in the rate would influence, to a certain extent, various socioeconomic facets. One of the significant impacts is revealed in the pass-through of exchange rate variations to price inflation, also known as the exchange rate pass-through (ERPT). This paper explores the effect of ERPT on domestic inflation in Vietnam by comparing with other Asian economies. Specifically, pass-through mechanisms are examined for every single price as well as a distribution chain from import price index (IMP), producer price index (PPI) to consumer price index (CPI). The empirical results show that exchange rate shocks positively influence the price changes in Vietnam as well as in other Asian countries. According to Cholesky decomposition, the exchange rate plays a limited role in regulating CPI movements. Besides, world commodity prices are found to have a significant impact on domestic inflation across the sample-countries. Our findings reveal profound implications for monetary policy management and price stability
The Impact of Youth Leadership Program on Perceived Employability Skills: Evidence from Brunei Darussalam
Get PDFYouth leadership programs foster skills development in youth which are pivotal for gaining successful careers and being more employable throughout their career. Given the concerning youth unemployment issues in Brunei, the study aims to highlight the importance of youth leadership programs and examine their influence on perceived employability skills. By utilising structural equation modelling to analyse the survey data gathered from 229 samples of participants from youth leadership programs, it was revealed that the impact of learning involving skills-based and attitudinal outcomes has significant positive relationships with perceived employability skills. The results further confirmed the role of behavioural outcomes as a mediating variable in the relationship between learning and perceived employability skills. Findings from this study can be valuable for program designers, practitioners, and stakeholders in contributing to the process of structuring and making ongoing improvements to these programs to align with the essential employability skills. It also offers youth the foundation to be employable in the 21st-century job market, by highlighting the importance of youth leadership programs as a channel through which youth acquire desirable capabilities necessary for attaining a set of attributes that reflect the employability skills sought by employees in the current competitive job market. Therefore, the study can be a starting point in moving forward to mitigate the unemployment issues in Brunei through improving programs to meet the demand of employers concerning employability skills. The study provides notable contributions to the existing body of literature on youth leadership development in Brunei as well as contributing to a few other studies in the Asian region to demonstrate the impact of youth leadership programs on employability skills perceptions