Methods: The English-language validated questionnaires using data about demographics and monthly health records were translated into the Chinese language. Both forward and backward translated versions were validated.
Results: The developed demographic and monthly health questionnaires showed an overall item-level content validity index (I-CVI) of 0.99 and 0.97, respectively; while the translated Chinese versions showed I-CVI of 0.97 and 0.98, respectively. Item-level of response process validity index of 1.00 for this questionnaire was obtained from 30 respondents inferring that the items were clear and comprehensible.
Conclusions: This study showed acceptable levels validity in the Chinese translated version, illustrating a valid and reliable tool to be used for simultaneous assessment of gastrointestinal and respiratory tract-related illnesses in young children that is applicable for Malaysia's Chinese population and other Chinese-speaking nations.
METHODS: A randomised controlled trial involving 197 participants from three institutions was conducted. The control group attended a freestyle lecture on the gross anatomy of the heart, delivered by a qualified anatomist from each institution. The intervention group attended a CLT-bLM-based lecture on a similar topic, delivered by the same lecturer, three weeks thereafter. The lecturers had attended a CLT-bLM workshop that allowed them to prepare for the CLT-bLM-based lecture over the course of three weeks. The students' ratings on their cognitive engagement and internal motivation were evaluated immediately after the lecture using a validated Learners' Engagement and Motivation Questionnaire. The differences between variables were analysed and the results were triangulated with the focus group discussion findings that explored students' experience while attending the lecture.
RESULTS: The intervention group has a significantly higher level of cognitive engagement than the control group; however, no significant difference in internal motivation score was found. In addition, the intervention group reported having a good learning experience from the lectures.
CONCLUSION: The guideline successfully stimulated students' cognitive engagement and learning experience, which indicates a successful stimulation of students' germane resources. Stimulation of these cognitive resources is essential for successful cognitive processing, especially when learning a difficult subject such as anatomy.
METHODS: A total of 139 participants (plateletpheresis donors and normal controls) were recruited and divided into two groups: Group 1 participants who underwent tests for haemostatic and platelet indices and Group 2 participants who underwent tests for platelet activation markers using CD62P and PAC-1 monoclonal antibodies.
RESULTS: A significant mild shortening of prothrombin time and platelet activation were demonstrated (by increased CD62P and PAC-1 markers) among regular plateletpheresis donors as compared to healthy controls. The current pre-donation platelet count of plateletpheresis donors was significantly lower than their mean baseline platelet count obtained before their first plateletpheresis procedure. However, no significant differences were observed for the other platelet parameters (platelet count, mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width, activated partial thromboplastin time, protein C, protein S, antithrombin, and von Willebrand Factor antigen) between plateletpheresis donors and healthy controls.
CONCLUSION: This study concludes that regular plateletpheresis is a safe procedure. A possibility of mild platelet activation among regular donors requires further confirmation. However, pre-analytical platelet and FVII activations could occur in vitro contributing to these findings.
Methods: A cross-sectional analytical observational study was conducted among 380 secondary school teachers in Kelantan, Malaysia. A self-administered questionnaire addressing sociodemographic data and factors influencing CVD screening activities was administered. Descriptive analysis, simple and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed.
Results: A total of 348 teachers responded to the questionnaire, with a response rate of 91.6%. The prevalence of optimal CVD screening activities was 29.3% (95% CI: 24.52, 34.08). Age, knowledge of CVD screening, family history of CVD and availability of health facilities were significantly linked to CVD screening.
Conclusion: The prevalence of optimal screening activities was low. A great majority of the factors contributing to optimal screening were modifiable. Health care providers should widely implement global health-oriented rather than disease-orientated assessment in their daily practice.
Methods: A total of 101 currently enrolled pre-university students were recruited for this cross-sectional study. They answered a questionnaire about their demographic details and their frequency of backpack usage. Their backpacks were weighed for four consecutive school days. The Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire and Body Discomfort Chart were used to rate discomfort levels.
Results: The use and weight of a backpack were not significantly associated with low back pain, as indicated by the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire and Body Discomfort Chart (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: This study did not find an association between the use of a backpack and low back pain in Malaysian pre-university students.
Methods: HUVECs were divided into six groups: control, treatment with 10 ng/ml TNF-α, and co-treatment of 10 ng/ml TNF-α with four different concentrations of AEPS (100, 150, 250, and 300 μg/ml) for 24 h. Subsequently, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) protein expression, U937 monocyte cells adhesion, and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) p65 expression in HUVECs were measured.
Results: Treatment of TNF-α-stimulated HUVECs with AEPS at different concentrations resulted in decreased VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 protein expression in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, AEPS also inhibited TNF-α-stimulated U937 monocyte cells adhesion to HUVECs. In addition, AEPS reduced TNF-α-induced NF-κB p65 expression in a dose-dependent manner.
Conclusions: The results indicated that AEPS suppressed TNF-α-induced VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 expression NF-κB signaling.
Methods: A quasi-experimental trial study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of nasal rinsing between two groups. The intervention group was instructed to perform nasal rinsing during ablution, while the control group was not asked to do nasal rinsing. Both groups were provided progress diaries to record the symptoms of respiratory tract infection, including cough, rhinorrhoea, nasal blockage, fever, and sore throat, as well as thick phlegm, shortness of breath, epistaxis, and changes in sense of smell. The groups were also instructed to record any visits to clinics for their symptoms throughout their stay in Makkah for the Hajj ritual.
Results: The study showed that nasal rinsing significantly reduced the symptoms of cough, rhinorrhoea, and nasal blockage. The intervention group had an increased number of visits to healthcare facilities for treatment, when compared to those of the control group. There were no significant differences in the groups regarding the symptoms of fever and sore throat.
Conclusion: Nasal rinsing can be included as part of intervention methods that include vaccination and the use of a face mask. Nasal rinsing can be easily practiced by the pilgrims, since it is a Sunnah act in ablution, which is an integral element of Muslims' daily life.
Methods: This study utilized a descriptive and cross-sectional design to evaluate academic dishonesty among nursing students using a purposive sampling method. The participants of this study consisted of 201 students from diploma (Year 2 and 3) and degree (Year 2 to Year 4) nursing programmes. A self-administered, validated questionnaire was used for data collection. Institutional ethics committee clearance was obtained prior to commencement of the study.
Results: The results of this study showed that 82.1% and 74.6% of nursing students had engaged at least once in an act of academic dishonesty in an academic or clinical setting, respectively. The most frequent form of academic dishonesty in an academic setting was plagiarism (77.1%). There was a significant association between gender and academic dishonesty in a clinical setting (p
Methods: Participants were selected via stratified sampling. Participants completed an online questionnaire comprising demographic details and the Health Professional Stress Inventory. Scores on each domain and the aggregate scores were compared between physicians in public and private hospitals using a univariate analysis adjusted for potential confounders.
Results: The overall stress level between physicians in public and private hospitals was similar. However, physicians in private hospitals experienced a higher stress level related to patient care responsibilities and professional uncertainty as compared to those in public hospitals.
Conclusion: Physicians from private hospitals experience stress in different aspects of their profession as compared to physicians in public hospitals, especially with reference to patient care and career uncertainty. Measures should be taken to relieve the stress of physicians and thus improve their wellbeing.
Methods: A retrospective study was conducted among patients with hyperthyroidism who received RAI therapy at Nuclear Medicine Clinic, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kelantan. Data regarding patients' demographics, gender, aetiology of hyperthyroidism, presence of autoantibodies, dose of RAI used and usage of antithyroid drug post RAI therapy were included in the analysis.
Results: Of a total of 167 screened patients, 137 subjects were eligible for this study. The incidence of hypothyroidism within one year of RAI therapy was 32.9%. Women were found to be less likely to develop hypothyroidism post RAI therapy (adjusted odds ratio, 0.406; 95% confidence interval: 0.181-0.908; p = 0.028). The usage of antithyroid drug post RAI was significantly associated with a lower incidence of hypothyroidism post RAI therapy (adjusted odds ratio, 0.188; 95% confidence interval: 0.081-0.438; p<0.001).
Conclusion: This study showed a high incidence of hypothyroidism within one-year post RAI therapy. Gender and usage of antithyroid drug post RAI therapy are significantly associated with the development of hypothyroidism.
Methods: In 2015, a cross-sectional study was conducted among adults visiting an outpatient clinic in Northeast Malaysia. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using Malay and English versions of the Malaysia Non-Communicable Disease surveillance questionnaire. This instrument captured information about sociodemographic, lifestyle status, and anthropometric data. Blood pressure was measured three times with a sphygmomanometer, the first measurement value was discarded, and an average of blood pressure from the second two readings was recorded for further data analysis. Logistic regression was performed to analyse factors associated with prehypertension.
Result: A total 151 adults participated in the study, and the prevalence of prehypertension was 37.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 29.29, 44.69). Factors associated with prehypertension in this study were age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.06 95% CI: 1.02, 1.11; p = 0.007), male sex (aOR = 4.44 95% CI: 1.58, 12.44; p = 0.005), and abnormal waist circumference (aOR = 31.65 95% CI: 11.25, 89.02; p
Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on the interviewed and non-interviewed cohorts. Their examination marks were obtained from the academic office, psychological health was measured by DASS-21, personality traits were measured by USMaP-15, and emotional intelligence was measured by USMEQ-17.
Results: The interviewed cohort performed significantly better in the clinical examination than the non-interviewed cohort. Conversely, the non-interviewed cohort performed significantly better in the theoretical examination. Depression, anxiety, and stress level between the two cohorts showed no difference. The interviewed cohort demonstrated more desirable personality traits, higher emotional intelligence, and social competence than the non-interviewed cohort.
Discussion: This study provides evidence to support the claim that the interview-based admission process has favourable outcomes on clinical performance, emotional intelligence, and personality traits. Several insights gained as a result of this study are discussed.
Methods: This multicentre randomised controlled trial included 244 patients, of whom 86 were treated with chitosan derivative film and 84 with hydrocolloid. The percentage of epithelisation, as well as patient comfort, clinical signs, and patient convenience in application and removal of the dressings were assessed.
Results: The primary outcome of this study was the percentage of epithelisation. Except for race (p = 0.04), there were no significant differences between groups in sex, age, antibiotic usage, or initial wound size (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the mean epithelisation percentage between groups (p = 0.29). Patients using chitosan derivative film experienced more pain during removal of dressing than those in the hydrocolloid group (p = 0.007). The chitosan derivative film group showed less exudate (p = 0.036) and less odour (p = 0.024) than the control group. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between groups in terms of adherence, ease of removal, wound drainage, erythema, itchiness, pain, and tenderness. No oedema or localised warmth was observed during the study.
Conclusion: This study concluded that chitosan derivative film is equivalent to hydrocolloid dressing and can be an option in the management of superficial and abrasion wounds.
Clinical trial No: NMRR-11-948-10565.
Methods: Seventy-two postmenopausal women with stage I, II, or III breast cancer from the Oncology Clinic, Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital were treated with anastrozole (1 mg/day). Patients were randomly assigned to one of the two groups (n = 36/group): a control group (no honey) and a honey group (20 g/day of honey for 12 weeks). Fasting blood samples were obtained pre- and post-intervention to investigate differences in the haematological, renal, and liver profiles of patients in both the groups.
Results: Post-intervention, alanine aminotransferase levels were significantly higher in the control group than in the honey group. In the honey group, white blood cell counts, platelet counts, and creatinine levels were significantly higher following honey supplementation for 12 weeks. Nevertheless, the values were still within normal ranges.
Conclusions: The present study suggests that honey supplementation of 20 g/day for 12 weeks is safe and beneficial for postmenopausal breast cancer patients.
Methods: Nineteen young state-level weightlifters performed concentric strength tests of the upper limbs using an isokinetic dynamometer. Peak torque/body weight was measured for each weightlifter in dominant and non-dominant limbs.
Results: Peak torque/body weight was significantly different in external rotation (p 0.05). Time to peak torque in external rotation was less in the dominant than in the non-dominant limb. However, opposite results were obtained in external rotation, whereby time to peak torque was longer in the dominant limb compared to the non-dominant limb. Similarly, no significant difference was found between dominant and non-dominant limbs in terms of average power (p > 0.05).
Conclusions: The findings of this study may help in establishing potential imbalance in variables of muscular contractions between dominant and non-dominant limbs of weightlifters. This may help to maximise performance and minimise potential shoulder injury.