National University of Malaysia

About: National University of Malaysia is a education organization based out in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Heat transfer. The organization has 26593 authors who have published 41270 publications receiving 552683 citations. The organization is also known as: NUM & Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin for the treatment of wrist and finger spasticity after stroke.

Abstract: Botulinum toxin is effective in reducing spasticity post stroke. As there are limited data on post stroke spasticity in Asia, we undertake this study to determine the effectiveness and safety of intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin type-A (BTX-A), in the treatment of chronic focal post-stroke hand spasticity, and the impact of BTX-A on the activities of daily living and quality of life, in comparison to placebo, in Malaysian stroke patients. This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the efficacy and safety of BTX-A in 27 subjects with wrist and finger spasticity after a stroke. The outcome measures were assessed with the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) to assess spasticity of the flexor muscles, Barthel Index (BI) for activities of daily living and EQ-5D and EQ VAS for quality of life. Assessments were performed at baseline and 1 and 3 months after injection. Compared to placebo, the BTX-A group had greater improvement in the flexor tone of the wrist and fingers (p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively), at first month follow-up visit and sustained the improvement through to three months. Although there was an improvement in the measures of global function and quality of life in the BTX-A group, there was no significant improvement in between the two groups. No serious BTX-A related adverse effects were reported. The results of this study demonstrate that intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin A is safe and effective in the treatment of chronic focal post-stroke spasticity of the hand.

Renewable hydrogen economy in Asia – Opportunities and challenges: An overview

Abstract: Renewable alternative energy sources are getting more attention due to the depleting nature of non-renewable fossil fuels. Increasing global warming, caused by the combustion of fossil fuels, triggered the intense research in finding out better energy options with low emission. Among the potential energy options, hydrogen is a clean fuel candidate as it simply produces water as byproducts when burning. Hydrogen can be generated from different renewable sources and Asia is one of the continents which is rich in renewable energy resources. The resources, safety parameters, public acceptability, and proper government incentives are the major factors affecting the implementation of hydrogen as an economical energy source in Asian countries. The present review deals with the necessity of employing hydrogen as an alternative fuel, its production paths, storage issues, transportation and the available sources. Special emphasis has been given to the discussion of renewable hydrogen economy in some Asian countries like, Japan, Korea, China, India and Malaysia. The challenges in the execution of hydrogen as an economical fuel in Asia are also highlighted.