Mahfoudh Abdulghani - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Mahfoudh Abdulghani

Prescription of substitute generic medicines was encouraged by most policy makers in developed an... more Prescription of substitute generic medicines was encouraged by most policy makers in developed and developing
countries across the world. Maintaining the confidence of patients in using generics is the main challenge, whichever
policy - generic prescribing or generic substitution - is adopted. This is the place where the role of the pharmacist
becomes crucial. The availability of different brands of the same drug at the equivalent strength and in the unchanged
dosage form creates a special challenge to healthcare professionals, making these issues very relevant to pharmacists in
all practice settings. Therefore, a cross-sectional survey was undertaken to evaluate pharmacy pre-registrants’
perceptions and knowledge of generic medicines. Data were collected through a standard pre-tested questionnaire. More
than 70% of study participants from private universities thought that generic medicines are inferior, less effective and
produce more side effects compared to brand name medicines. These findings highlight that private universities’
pharmacy pre-registrants require an enhanced understanding of the concepts and principles of bioavailability and
bioequivalence of health system to prevent pre-registrants to contribute inappropriately to generic medicine use.

Objective: Understanding current perceptions of medical students regarding learning pharmacology ... more Objective: Understanding current perceptions of medical
students regarding learning pharmacology and understanding
pharmacology’s important role in both clinical
practice and research may be helpful in improving the
teaching of this discipline. This study was conducted to
evaluate medical students’ opinions toward pharmacology.
Methods: One hundred fifty medical students, randomly
selected from the Management and Sciences University
(MSU) in Malaysia, completed a self-administered
questionnaire that inquired concerning their views toward
learning pharmacology.
Results: The majority (75.3%), of the participants were
female and (68%) were Malays whose parents were nonmedical
professionals (88.7e95.3%). The average percentage
of respondents agreeing to participate
(47.15 11.69) was highly significant (p < 0.0001)
compared with the average percentage of respondents
that disagreed (9.97 3.15). The percentage of students
that considered pharmacology as a favoured subject and
a choice for post-graduate studies was significantly lower
(p < 0.05) compared with the percentage that did not,
although the students that agreed were less than 30% of
the total participants.
Conclusions: The study found that the general perceptions
of students regarding the study of pharmacology

Background: Students’ perceptions of their learning environment, by defining its strengths and we... more Background: Students’ perceptions of their learning environment, by defining its strengths and weaknesses, are important for continuous improvement of the educational environments and curriculum. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore students’ perceptions of their learning environment, among medical students in Malaysia. Various aspects of the education environment were compared between year levels and sex.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Management and Science University, Shah Alam, Malaysia in 2012. A total number of 438 medical students participated in this study, and the response rate was 87.6%. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Comparisons of the mean scores of Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) subscales were calculated. The t-test was used to determine statistically significant differences.
Results: The majority of the study participants were female, Malay, and from year 3 (68.7%, 65.3%, and 55.7%; respectively). Analysis of each of the 50 items of the DREEM inventory showed that 47 items scored ranged between 2.00 and 3.00, and three items scored below 2.00. These were identified as problem areas in this medical school that are required to be critically addressed. The overall score showed that the medical students’ perceptions were positive. The students’ perception toward educational environment was positive for all five DREEM subscales.
Conclusion: The study found that, in general, the perceptions of the participants about the learning environment were positive. Nevertheless, the study also found there is a need for curriculum improvement in this school and identified priority areas for such improvement.

Intake yogurt has been linked to a reduced risk of developing bladder cancer, a lower risk of hea... more Intake yogurt has been linked to a reduced risk of developing bladder cancer, a lower risk of heart attack and heart disease, and decrease in blood pressure. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of low fat yogurt in reducing body weight among Malaysian university students. Thirty volunteer were participated in this study; 15 cases and 15 controls. The participants were university students. Measuring waist, height and weight were recorded in the base line and at the end of the trail. For cases, the participant required to consume one container of low-fat yogurt (140ml) everyday for 14 days. Daily follow-up to measure waist, height and weight were recorded. They required carrying out their daily activities as usual and recording any changes to their normal daily activities. The control group is not required to consume any yogurt during the duration of the study. They followed-up by measuring their waist, height and weight. A total number of 30 volunteer were participated in this study. The majority of them were Malay (15), single (24), non-smoker (22), not physically active (24), and their age 18 to 20 years. This study showed significant differences between the weight of those who consumed 140 ml of low fat yogurt and those who did not. Consuming 140 ml of low fat yogurt for 14 days is significantly reducing the body weight.

Obesity prevalence has increased dramatically over the past three decades worldwide. Animal studi... more Obesity prevalence has increased dramatically over the past three decades worldwide. Animal studies found that green tea decreased food intake, body weight, and fat mass in mice. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of green tea in reducing weight among Malaysian obese students. A single blinded intervention study was conducted among female university students. Thirty female obese participants were randomly selected among the students who were voluntary recruited in this intervention study. Their weight and body circumstance were measured. Subjects were divided into two groups; 15 cases and 15 controls. Cases matched with control using age and weight. The participants have to drink 1.5 litres of green tea per day. For the control group, placebo of 1.5 litres per day was given. The participant age was range from 20 to 25 years old. In case group, the differences in body weight, BMI and waist showed significant differences before and after green tea consumptions (p<0.001). However, in control group there were no significant differences. Conclusions: This study showed that daily consumption of green tea beverage in amount of 1.5 litters per day for up to consecutively 25 days is affectively way to reduce body weight.

(CAM) among cancer patients in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was carried out among cancer pat... more (CAM) among cancer patients in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was carried out among cancer patients at
two Malaysian referral hospitals. The questionnaire consisted of 28 items includes patients’ socio-demographic
characteristics, clinical characteristics and questions about CAM use. A total number of 200 cancer patients
participated in this study. The majority were female, Malay, married, with tertiary education and working
(54.5%, 36.5%, 53.5%, 46.5%, 45.0%; respectively). The majority were in stage 2 and diagnosed with cancer 1
to 2 years ago (47.5%, 37.5%; respectively). The prevalence of CAM used among the study participants was
found to be 14%. The majority of them used the CAM during the treatment (72.7%), used the CAM less than
six months (37.0%). The majority of cancer patients reported that CAM is beneficial for them and there is no
side effect of CAM and they were satisfied with CAM (65.5%, 92.0%; 80.0%; respectively). Only few patients
stopped conventional treatment while using CAM (14.5%). Relieve pain (19.5%) and relieve the symptoms
(16.5%) were the reasons for CAM used. The most popular CAM used among cancer patients was sea
cucumber (22%) and homeopathy (10.5%). The least popular CAM used reported by the study participants was
green tea (0.5%). Level of education found to be significantly influence the use of CAM among cancer patients
in this study. In light of the growing interest in CAM, health-care professionals need to be educated about the
most common CAM therapies used among cancer patients. This study reported a new finding that 16.4% of
cancer patients stopped the standard treatment while using CAM. This is a serious problem and should be
addressed and further intervention studies needed.

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the practice and associated factors of HPV... more Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the practice and associated factors of HPV vaccine
among school girls in Melaka, Malaysia. Methodology: A total number of 612 secondary school girls participated
in this study. The questionnaire consists of 38 questions which included 3 sections. The first section is about sociodemography.
The Second section is about knowledge and awareness of HPV vaccines. The third section is about
practices with associated barriers of HPV vaccination. Verbal consent was obtained from all participants, and
data were analyzed using SPSS 13. Results: A total number of 612 secondary school girl students participated in
this study. The mean age was 13.93±SD (1.09); minimum age was 13 years old and maximum was 17 years old.
The majority of them was Malay, from rural areas and had a family monthly income of RM 3000 or less (91.8%,
53.1%, 69.6%; respectively). The majority of the parents of the school girls were with secondary education
level (56.4%). The majority of the participants did not have a family history of cervical cancer (99.0%). The
prevalence of HPV vaccination was 77.9% among school girls in Melaka. The majority of the participants were
vaccinated in their schools (77.0%). About 69% knew about cervical cancer and 77.6% had ever heard about
HPV vaccine. Regarding the factors that influence the practice of uptake HPV vaccine, they were age, race,
income, parents’ education, knowledge about cervical cancer, heard about HPV vaccine and place of getting the
vaccine (p<0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence of HPV vaccine among school girls is high. Age, race, income,
parents’ education, knowledge about cervical cancer, heard about HPV vaccine and place of getting the vaccine
were the significant factors that influence the practice of uptake HPV vaccine among school girls.

There is growing evidence that inflammation may be one of the causative factors of many chronic d... more There is growing evidence that inflammation may be one of the causative factors of
many chronic diseases especially which is related to eyes such as cataract,age-related macular
degeneration and uveitis. Several cytokines such as IL-1,IL-6, RANKL, OPG, and M-CSF
were implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic diseases. Anticytokine therapy using cytokine
antagonists such as IL-receptor antagonist and TNF-binding protein was able to suppress the
activity of the respective cytokines and prevent bone loss. Few animal studies have shown that
vitamin E in the forms of palm-derived tocotrienol and α-tocopherol may prevent chronic eye
disease in rat models by suppressing IL-1 and IL-6. Free radicals are known to activate
transcription factor NFκB which leads to the production of bone resorbing cytokines.
Tocotrienol, a potent antioxidant, may be able to neutralize free radicals before they could
activate NFκB, therefore suppressing cytokine production and inflammatory reaction.
Curcumin is widely reported to have potent anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic
effects. The anti-inflammatory action of curcumin seems to be closely related to
inhibition of TNF-α and other inflammatory cytokines production and suppression of NF-κB
activation by blocking phosphorylation of inhibitory factor I-kappa B kinase (IκB) Tocotrienol
and curcuminhave also been shown to inhibit COX-2, the enzyme involved in inflammatory
reactions of the these studied, tocotrienol seemed to be better than tocopherols in terms of its
ability to suppress inflammation induced by cytokines.

Objective: the objective of this study is to determine the quality of life among breast cancer pa... more Objective: the objective of this study is to determine the quality of life among breast cancer patients in Yemen based on socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. Methodology: This study was designed as a cross-sectional study. The data collected from 106 female breast cancer patients who were chosen for recruitment from the outpatient in National Oncology Centre (NOC), Sana’a, Yemen from November 2008 to June 2011. Questionnaires were distributed to the patients during their visit to the outpatient clinics in the center. The instrument of this study consists of two parts: Socio-demographic and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B) questionnaire. Regarding data analysis, means and SD of subscales were evaluated for descriptive purpose. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to compare the three groups regarding QOL subscales. Whereas, independent t-test was performed for comparing two groups regarding QOL subscales. Multiple linear regression using backward analysis was performed to obtain the final model for each domain. The final model was chosen depending on R2 and the p value of the model. A p value less than 0.05 is considered statistically significant. Results: A total number of 106 breast cancer patients were participated in this study. The majority of them were uneducated, unemployed with normal weight and had middle income (60.4%; 95.3%; 59.4%, 46.2%; respectively). As for clinical characteristics of the study participants; the majority of them had had no family history of breast cancer, have been diagnosed at least 2 years, were diagnosed at grade 3 and size of tumor greater than 2 cm (88.7%, 66.0%, 35.8%, 73.6%; respectively). The majority of them underwent mastectomy, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and tamoxifen therapy (85.8%, 63.2%, 94.3% and 62.3%; respectively). For univariate analysis, the present study has identified several factors includes family monthly income, BMI, educational status, years after diagnosis, histological grade radiotherapy and surgery that influence the QOL of breast cancer patients in Yemen. For multivariate analysis, years after diagnosis, family monthly income and radiotherapy were significantly associated with total QOL of the breast cancer patients (p=0.01, p=0.023, p=0.039; respectively). Conclusion: Family monthly income, BMI, educational status, years after diagnosis, histological grade radiotherapy and surgery were significantly influence the QOL of breast cancer patients in Yemen, in univariate analysis. For multivariate analysis, years after diagnosis, family monthly income and radiotherapy were significantly associated with total QOL of the breast cancer patients.

Murdannia bracteata (C. B. Clarke) is a local plant that is widely used in Malaysia as a traditio... more Murdannia bracteata (C. B. Clarke) is a local plant that is widely used in Malaysia
as a traditional remedy for various diseases of the kidney and liver, including
inflammation and cancer. In the present study, we investigated the antioxidant
and hepatoprotective activities of M. bracteata methanol extract (MB). 2,2’-diphenyl-
1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity, lipid peroxidation inhibition and
trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity of MB were determined. The hepatoprotective
activity of MB was studied using a CCl4-induced liver toxicity model in rats.
The hepatoprotective effect was assessed by monitoring the plasma malondialdehyde
level and serum alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase activities.
Histopathological changes of hepatic tissue were also investigated. The results
indicated that MB possessed potential antioxidant, lipid peroxidation inhibition and
free radical scavenging activities. Pretreatment of rats with MB (500 mg/kg and
1000 mg/kg per os) before induction of CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity showed a dosedependent
reduction in the necrotic changes in hepatic tissue. The increases in
plasma malondialdehyde level, serum alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase
activities were also significantly inhibited by MB. The total phenolic content
of MB determined using Folin-Ciocalteu assay was found to be 10%. The results of
the present study indicated that the hepatoprotective effect of MB is most likely
due to its antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties.

Herbdrug interaction studies have getting attention recently due to the increasingly use of herba... more Herbdrug
interaction studies have getting attention recently due to the increasingly use of herbal products worldwide. The porpose of the present study was to examine the in vitro
effect of methanol leaf extract of Orthosiphon stamineus and Morinda citrofolia fruit juice extract on hepatic aminopyrine metabolism by CYP 3A in different age of normal and STZinduced
diabetic Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. Isolated rat hepatocytes were prepared using the collagenase perfusion technique. Aminopyrine was used as a probe substrate to
determine the hepatic levels of CYP 3A by measuring the activity of Ndemethylation
of aminopyrine in rat hepatocytes according to the method described by Nash. Results obtained
showed that aminopyrine Ndemethylase
activity measured from all diabetic rat hepatocytes was not affected by 0. stamineus and M. citrifolia extract. A significant decrease in the
aminopyrine Ndemethylase
activity was observed in the normal old male SD rat hepatocytes preincubated with 0.1 mg/kg (P<0.01) of methanol extract of 0. stamineus when
compared to the respective control group. M. citrifolia juice extract at 0.1 mg/ml (P<0.01) significantly increased aminopyrine Ndemethylase
activity in normal adult male SD rat
hepatocytes as compared to the control group. For conclusion, both M. citrifolia and 0. stamineus extract could affect the in vitro metabolism of aminopyrine by CYP3A in normal rat
hepatocytes. No significant change in the hepatic aminopyrine metabolism was observed in the diabetic rats after incubating with different concentrations of M. citrifolia and 0.
stamineus extracts. The observed herbdrug
interactions in the present study was ageand
diseasedependent.

Abstract Morinda citrifolia Linn. (Rubiaceae), common name noni, has been used as a herbal medici... more Abstract
Morinda citrifolia Linn. (Rubiaceae), common name noni, has been used as a herbal medicine for over 2000
years. The consumption of noni, and especially the fruit, stresses the importance, urgency, and possibility
of the examination of drug interaction when concomitantly administered with a drug. The objectives of
this study were to determine the effects of noni juice (NJ) on aminopyrine N-demethylase (APND), uridine
diphosphoglucuronosyl-transferase (UGT), and cytosolic glutathione S-transferase (GST) drug metabolizing
enzymes and the molecular mechanism elucidation of NJ on APND using different inhibitors and
stimulators. The in vitro results for APND showed that different concentrations of NJ significantly increased
the activity in isolated hepatocytes at 1.0 ng/mL, 10 ng/mL, 10 μg/mL, 20 μg/mL, 50 μg/mL, and 100 μg/mL.
The ex vivo results demonstrated that NJ (210 mg/kg) produced a statistically significant increase in APND
activity following 1 day of NJ treatment. The results for UGT and GST showed a decrease in the activity of
UGT at a dose of 21 mg/kg following 1 day of treatment, and at 2.1 and 21 mg/kg following 14 days of treatment.
GST enzyme demonstrated an increase in activity by 100% for all doses following 1 day of treatment.
Molecular mechanism elucidation of the ex vivo effect of NJ on phase I APND showed that KT5720 significantly
reduced the activity as compared to control. A change in activity of APND, UGT, and GST following
1 day and 14 days of treatment suggests that all three metabolic pathways may play a role in herb–drug
interaction by modulation of metabolic enzymes.

International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, 2011

This study provides the first investigation on the occurrence of human pharmaceuticals in the tro... more This study provides the first investigation on the occurrence of human pharmaceuticals in the tropical aquatic environment of Malaysia. Water samples were collected at seven different sites along the Langat River and effluents from five sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Langat River Basin. Samples were extracted by solid phase extraction (SPE) and analyzed using liquid chromatography coupled with a tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for 18 pharmaceuticals from six therapeutic classes and one metabolite. Fifteen out of these 19 pharmaceuticals were detected in the river water samples. Mefenamic acid, salicylic acid and glibenclamide were detected in all river water samples indicating their ubiquitous nature and resistance to degradation under the warm and humid tropical conditions. The median concentrations of detected pharmaceuticals ranged from less than the method detection limit (<MDL) for furosemide, loratadine, salbutamol, perindopril, metoprolol and nifedipine to 112.7 ng L−1 for diclofenac. A similar number of pharmaceuticals were detected in the STPs’ effluents samples. Several of these pharmaceuticals, namely salbutamol, atenolol, metoprolol, mefenamic acid, salicylic acid and furosemide were detected in all the STPs’ effluents samples. The median concentrations for the detected pollutants ranged between <MDL for lovastatin and amlodipine to 1994 ng L−1 for metformin. The highest concentration detected in the river water samples was for acetaminophen (346.3 ng L−1) and in STPs effluents was for metformin (34228 ng L−1). The concentrations of most analytes found in this study were comparable to those reported in the other parts of the world. However, this is the first time amlodipine is detected in the environmental samples.

Planta Medica, 2010

13 α,21-Dihydroeurycomanone (1), a known quassinoid of Eurycoma longifolia Jack was recrystallize... more 13 α,21-Dihydroeurycomanone (1), a known quassinoid of Eurycoma longifolia Jack was recrystallized from chloroform into a novel crystal structure in space group P2 (1). Its X-ray data were compared with those of eurycomanone ( 2). Following intraperioneal injections at similar doses of 2.44 µmol/kg/day for 3 consecutive days, 2 displayed comparable potency with tamoxifen but was more potent than 1 in the anti-estrogenic effect against 17 α-ethynylestradiol (EE)-induced uterotrophy of immature rats.

Students' perceptions of their learning environment, by defining its strengths and weaknesses, ar... more Students' perceptions of their learning environment, by defining its strengths and weaknesses, are important for continuous improvement of the educational environments and curriculum. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore students' perceptions of their learning environment, among medical students in Malaysia. Various aspects of the education environment were compared between year levels and sex. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Management and Science University, Shah Alam, Malaysia in 2012. A total number of 438 medical students participated in this study, and the response rate was 87.6%. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Comparisons of the mean scores of Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) subscales were calculated. The t-test was used to determine statistically significant differences. Results: The majority of the study participants were female, Malay, and from year 3 (68.7%, 65.3%, and 55.7%; respectively). Analysis of each of the 50 items of the DREEM inventory showed that 47 items scored ranged between 2.00 and 3.00, and three items scored below 2.00. These were identified as problem areas in this medical school that are required to be critically addressed. The overall score showed that the medical students' perceptions were positive. The students' perception toward educational environment was positive for all five DREEM subscales. Conclusion: The study found that, in general, the perceptions of the participants about the learning environment were positive. Nevertheless, the study also found there is a need for curriculum improvement in this school and identified priority areas for such improvement.

International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, 2011

Planta Medica, 2010