Introduction: Most patients with malocclusion are given orthodontic leveling therapy with the aim of reducing the vertical discrepancy between teeth. This computational study aims to evaluate the degree of deformation of su- perelastic NiTi arch wire upon bending at different deflections in a bracket system. Methods: A three-dimensional finite-element model of a wire-bracket system was developed to simulate the bending behavior of superelastic NiTi arch wire in three-brackets configuration. A superelastic subroutine was integrated in the model to anticipate the superelastic behavior of the arch wire. The mid span of the arch wire was loaded to different extent of deflections, ranging from 1.0 to 4.0 mm. The mechanical deformation of the arch wires was accessed from three parameters, in specific the unloading force, the bending stress and the martensite fraction. Results: The superelastic wire deflected at 4.0 mm yielded smaller unloading force than the wire bent at 1.0 mm. The bending stress was highly localized at the wire curvature, with the stress magnitude increased from 465 MPa at 1.0 mm to 951 MPa at 4.0 mm deflection. The martensite volume consistently increased throughout the bending, with a fully transformed martensite was ob- served as early as 2.0 mm of deflection. The magnitude of bending stress and the volume of fully transformed mar- tensite increased gradually in relation to the wire deflection. Conclusion: The wire-bracket system induced localize wire deformation, hindering complete utilization of superelasticity during orthodontic treatment.
Introduction: Detecting breast cancer at earlier stage is crucial to increase the survival rate. Mammography as the golden screening tool has shown to be less effective for younger women due to denser breast tissue. Infrared Ther- mography has been touted as an adjunct modality to mammography. Further investigation of thermal distribution in breast cancer patient is important prior to its clinical interpretation. Therefore, thermal profiling using 3D compu- tational simulation was carried out to understand the effect of changes in size and location of tumour embedded in breast to the surface temperature distribution at different breast densities. Methods: Extremely dense (ED) and pre- dominantly fatty dense (PF) breast models were developed and simulated using finite element analysis (FEA). Pennes’ bioheat equation was adapted to show the heat transfer mechanism by providing appropriate thermophysical prop- erties in each tissue layer. 20 case studies with various tumour size embedded at two asymmetrical positions in the breast models were analysed. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed by recording the temperature values along the arc of breast, calculating of temperature difference at the peaks and comparing multiple thermal images. Results: Bigger size of tumour demands a larger increase in breast surface temperatures. As tumour is located far from the centre of the breast or near to the edge, there was a greater shift of temperature peak. Conclusion: Size and location of tumour in various levels of breast density should be considered as a notable factor to thermal profile on breast when using thermography for early breast cancer detection.
MeSH terms: Body Temperature; Breast; Breast Neoplasms; Female; Hot Temperature; Humans; Hypertrophy; Mammography; Temperature; Thermography; Survival Rate; Finite Element Analysis; Early Detection of Cancer; Breast Density
Introduction: : Ginseng is a type of traditional medicine that has been used for thousand years to treat various dis- eases and has been proven effective in treating cardiovascular diseases. Incorporation of polyaniline (PANI) which is a type of conductive polymer together with ginseng into poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microcapsules is neces- sary for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases as the polymer will control drug release and the electroconductivity of PANI is beneficial on myocardium cells. Methods: Therefore, this project involved the encapsulation of ginseng inside PLGA/PANI microcapsules. The encapsulation of ginseng inside the microcapsules was verified through the identification of chemical composition of ginseng, PLGA and PANI using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier trans- form infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Results: The results of scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed the formation of microspheres where the microcapsule size was decreased from 3.14±1.87 μm to 1.98±1.30 μm as the concentration of PANI increased. The distribution of microcapsules size was more homogeneous in the high con- centration of PANI as been determined through the histogram analysis. In addition, the fluorescence analysis demon- strated the efficiency of ginseng encapsulation inside PLGA/PANI microcapsules through the appearance of stained ginseng inside the microcapsules. Conclusion: As a conclusion, the ginseng was successfully encapsulated within PLGA/PANI microcapsules that will be beneficial in drug delivery application, specifically in the cardiovascular area.
Although the transformation towards adopting an Outcome-based Education (OBE) is gathering momentum globally, several medical schools are finding it hard to implement the change. Based and built on authors’ experience and cues from the literature, the tips – relating to the process of identification, description and dissemination of learning outcomes (LOs); usage of LOs to ascertain the curricular contents, the teaching/learning and assessment methods; implementing, monitoring and reviewing the curriculum – are the actions that the institutions of higher learning need to perform to transform the existing curriculum or to develop an altogether a new curriculum according to OBE approach. The development of the faculty through dialogues, discussions and training sessions should be an initial and essential step in this process. It is hoped that these tips will alley some of the fears and facilitate the adoption of OBE curriculum in new as well as in existing established institutions.
Introduction: Health care involves team work. Physicians, nurses, pharmacists and social workers need to work in collaboration to deliver quality health care. It is therefore vital that team work and collaboration are integrated into the training of medical students. In a medical school where interprofessional education has not been introduced, the preclinical students are trained in silos whereas the clinical students have interprofessional experiences in hospital and community centers. This study was conducted to explore medical student’s receptiveness for interprofessional education and to identify any differences in attitude among the preclinical and clinical year students. Methods: This study adopted a cross-sectional study design using purposive sampling technique at a private medical school in Malaysia. Participants completedthe standardized Readiness for inter-professional learning Scale and the data was analyzed. Results: 436 students witha mean age of 22 years participated in this study. Among them, 170 were from preclinical and 266 were from clinical years Both the groups scored high on team work while clinical students scored better than preclinical students in understanding professional identity and recognizing their roles. Conclusion: This study shows a readiness among medical students for IPE. Clinical year medical student’s attitude was similar to preclinical students.
MeSH terms: Social Workers; Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Delivery of Health Care; Education, Medical; Education, Professional; Hospitals; Humans; Malaysia; Pharmacists; Physicians; Schools, Medical; Social Identification; Students, Medical; Young Adult
Introduction: Recently mobile communication technology had tremendous advances and became the priority for most of the users with some opponent opinions that highlight the accountability and the privacy issues in using these messaging applications. WhatsApp is scored to be the first top used messaging application worldwide that is used in 180 countries by about 1.5 billion population. This research aims to determine the staff reflections regarding the WhatsApp usage for organizational communication. Methods: This study is implied among the staff at the medical and health life science cluster, Management and Science University (MSU), Malaysia. A questionnaire was distributed to all the staff through an online google form. Responses were analysed by the ‘Statistical Package for Social Sciences’ (SPSS) Version 24.0. Results: Results showed that all the staff responded (100%) are using WhatsApp for organizational communication with variable degrees of satisfaction; 8.1% are extremely satisfied, 61.3 % are satisfied, 12.9% are not satisfied and 16.1 % are extremely not satisfied. Their level of satisfaction is significantly affected by the respondent’s age, benefit of usage, and the time of messaging. Conclusion: To ensure effectiveness of communication through WhatsApp, it should be through official groups and the organization should put specific announced rules for the time of usage and the content of messages to be posted to all members.
MeSH terms: Biological Science Disciplines; Biometry; Communication; Humans; Malaysia; Organizations; Personal Satisfaction; Surveys and Questionnaires; Social Responsibility; Technology; Universities; Privacy
Introduction: Anatomy continues to be an important basic subject in medicine and other related health sciences which is delivered by method of either through lectures or demonstration. Thus, having a gross anatomy practi- cal with cadaver is a crucial phase for the students to have a deep understanding about anatomy of human body. The objective of this study is to explore the attitude and perception of medical and health science students in the importance of cadaver dissection in learning anatomy. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted by distrib- uting closed structured questionnaires to 270 respondents consisting of socio-demographic in part one, frequency on practical with dissected cadaver in part two, the attitude of student towards the dissected cadaver in part three, suggestion for improvement during practical with cadaver in part four and the value of cadavers during practical in part five. The collected data were processed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. Result: Descriptive statistical evaluation shows majority of the students perform practical with cadavers. They find cadaveric dissection exciting with no feeling of stress and anxiety. Many of them never had an emotional shock when exposing themselves to the cadavers for the first time accepting the cadaveric dissection ethically. The students recommended keeping cadaveric dissection in the health science curriculum. Conclusion: The cadaveric dissection helps in grounded understanding of anatomy. It promotes and develops psychomotor skills in students. The findings of the study discovered dissection to be a motivating tool in learning anatomy.
MeSH terms: Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Biometry; Cadaver; Cross-Sectional Studies; Curriculum; Demography; Dissection; Humans; Medicine; Motivation; Perception; Surveys and Questionnaires; Students; Human Body
Introduction: Prostate cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer deaths among men worldwide. In Ma- laysia however, it is the fifth leading cause of cancer among men. The increases of prostate cancer among men in Malaysia due to its close association with lack of awareness, poor knowledge and attitude. Therefore, this study is to obtain information on the prostate in terms of the level of awareness, perception, and the practice of prevention of prostate cancer among Malaysians, particularly residents of PPR Lembah Subang 1. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was collected among 200 respondents aged 18 years and above in PPR Lembah Subang 1 consisting of 37 questions comprised of socio-demographic data, source of information, risk factors, knowledge on prostate cancers, attitude on prostate cancer and practice of prevention. Likert scale scoring system used in this research. Results: Men in PPR Lembah Subang 1, show a significant association between knowledge on prostate cancer with age group, level of education, and family history showing (p value:
Introduction: The twenty-first-century learning is adopting the student-centered learning techniques and the teach- ers are mainly facilitators to direct the process of learning and so social media and mobile applications became an important learning platform. Mobile learning (M-learning) is the practice of learning activities through a portable device such as cellular phone or a personal digital assistant. The aim of this research is to screen the medical stu- dents’ intention toward the adoption of M-learning and to determine factors affecting the intentions of the medical students to practice M-learning. Methods: A cross-sectional study among medical students was performed through a questionnaire based on the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Technology Acceptance Model. The study included 129 students in different stages of the medical study. Results: Results showed that the factors affecting the students’ inten¬tion to practice M-learning include the students’ attitude, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and availability of resources. In the current sample 82.7% of students are already using M-Learning; 41.7% are using it for assessment, 22.8% are using it for learning and 35.5% are using it for both. Conclusion: It was concluded that most medical students have higher intention to adopt M-learning and they are mostly using it for assessment purposes rather than in learning.
MeSH terms: Computer-Assisted Instruction; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Learning; Surveys and Questionnaires; Students, Medical; Technology; Problem-Based Learning; Intention; Computers, Handheld; Social Media; Mobile Applications
Introduction: The Gallbladder stone (GBS) disease is most commonly asymptomatic that may lead to several complications such as ascending cholangitis and obstructive jaundice. In this study the frequency of gallblad- der stones among patients referred for abdominal ultrasound at the University of Science and Technology hospital (USTH), Sana’a – Yemen, have been estimated during the period between January and June 2013. Methods: This study is a record-based and conducted at the radiology department in USTH, on cases underwent abdominal ultrasound during the period from January – June 2013. Information were collected from abdominal ultrasonography reports. Results: In this study 4935 patients’ records are included. Of them, 2541 were males and 2394 were females. The frequency of patients with GBS was 5.53%. Multiple stones were observed in 3.57% of patients and 4.34% patients had large stones with size 5 mm. Females had significantly higher frequency of GBS (8.0%: 191/2394) than males (3.2%: 82/2541) (P < 0.001). It was found that, no significant difference between males and females in harboring small stones (< 5mm) (P = 0.251). However, significantly higher frequency of large GBS ( 5 mm) was found among females compared to males (P < 0.001). The frequencies of GBS, small size of GBS and large size of GBS have significantly increased with increasing age (P < 0.001). Conclusion: In this study it was found that females had significantly higher frequency of GBS than males. No significant difference between males and females in harboring small stones. There was a significantly higher frequency of large GBS was found among females compared to males. The frequencies of GBS, small size of GBS and large size of GBS have significantly increased with increasing age.
Introduction: With the increasing number of institutions implementing competency-based education which demands to provide feedback to students at regular intervals, there is an increase in the frequency of assessments. For this purpose, the written examinations using multiple choice questions (MCQs) are the most feasible form of assessment. However, constructing MCQs is an arduous task and significantly adds to the work-load of the academ- ic staff members. To ease this burden, the institutions may consider to develop banks of valid and reliable MCQs. Methods: Based and built on our experience and literature review, the steps – relating to the process of constructing valid and reliable questions and development of question banks (QBs) – are the actions needed to develop new QBs or improve on the existing ones. Results: We have described ten practical steps for developing and banking of MCQs. The first five steps relate to the development of quality items and the remaining steps relate to the development of QBs, their maintenance, growth and safety and security. We have also established the criteria for selection and the frequency of reuse of questions. Conclusion: Using QBs will alleviate some of the burden of constructing novel quality questions needed for frequent assessments of students using 21st century teaching/learning approaches. The use of banked questions with known psychometric properties would allow the authorities to take charge and control of items’ quality and overall examination standards.
Introduction: Estimation of gestational age (GA) is clinically crucial for managing pregnancy and assessing the foetal anatomy, growth and development. Transverse cerebellar diameter (TCD) has been reported as an accurate tool for dating the pregnancy. This study aimed to determine the accuracy of foetal TCD for dating the pregnancy and to con- struct a reference chart for GA of Yemeni foetuses. Methods: We conducted this prospective cross-sectional study among 400 Yemeni pregnant women between 18 and 40 weeks of gestation provided that they were with known last menstrual period and singleton normal pregnancies. Sonographic TCDs were measured for each foetus. The mean TCD was measured for gestational weeks separately, and a polynomial regression model was then used to predict the GA by TCD. Results: There was a robust correlation between GA and TCD (r = 0.995, p
Introduction: Cigarette smoking is showing an increasing prevalence among university students nowadays. Smok- ing includes the act of smoking cigarette containing tobacco and/or other ingredients or just inhaling the cigarette smoke. Smoking has many known physical side effects that include psychological or cognitive effects. Therefore, the aim of this research is to identify the effect of cigarette smoking on the academic achievement among university students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 136 students including 113 male and 23 fe- male aged 18 to 29 years from Management and Science University with 30 non smoker students. The question- naire included items about the social demographic characteristics, smoking status, the study styles and the aca- demic achievement of the participants. A frequency statistics, descriptive statistics and chi square test were used to analyze the collected data using SPSS version 25. Results: Among the smoker students, 51.5% came to class ear- ly, 80.8% attend classes regularly, 49.3% studied on weekends and 39.7% planned sufficient time to study for exam. Mean CGPA for smoker students is 2.6. Conclusion: Smoking is proven to be associated with low academic performance among university student.
Introduction: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition which develops following exposure to life-threatening events. This cross-sectional study was conducted among adult patients from all walks of life who had injuries related to motor vehicle accidents to determine the cut-off point of the Malay Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist For DSM-5 (MPCLC-5) for its use as a screening tool for PTSD in the Malaysian population. Methods: Using convenient sampling method, 204 subjects who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were recruited and they were given the 17 item self-rated MPCLC-5 to fill up. Subsequently, trained personnel administered the gold standard Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM 5 (CAPS-5). ROC curve analysis was done to determine appropriate cut-off point for the MPCLC-5. Results: Cut off point of 42/43 would yield the most preferable sensitivity and specificity for MPCLC-5 when compared to CAPS-5 (Sensitivity: 67.56% (95%CI 55.68% to 78.00%); Specificity : 80% (95% CI 72.08% to 86.50%) ). Conclusion: The easy to administer MPCLC-5 is suitable for screening of PTSD among local patients with a proposed cut off point of 42/43.
MeSH terms: Accidents; Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Malaysia; Mass Screening; Mental Health; Reference Standards; ROC Curve; Sensitivity and Specificity; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Walking; Motor Vehicles; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Checklist
Introduction: Cell phone is a device that has been used almost every day for all age groups. It connects everyone and everything around the world as it provides various social platforms. However, not many people realized that cell phone is a source of non-ionizing electromagnetic waves that can be associated with various physical effects. Therefore, the aim of this research is to identify the physical side effects associated with exposure to the electromagnetic waves emitted by cell phone use and to detect if these effects are associated with specific pattern of use. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 166 participants randomly selected from university students. Results: showed that those suffering side effects associated with cell phone usage are usually using more than one cell phone (79%) since about 5 – 10 years (41.9%) for more than 5 hours daily (65.7%) for entertainment (34.3%) and
making about 1-5 calls daily (41%) with average call duration 1 – 30 min (56.2%). 66.7% of them started using cell phone at age 7 – 12 years old, mostly handheld (61%), at their right side (40%), at all times of the day (64.8%). Most common side effects associated with cell phone usage include ear pain (52.4%), headache (79.5%), fatigue, anxiety or insomnia (57.8%), tremors and eye pain beside statistically significant (P
Introduction: Dyslexia, which is a learning disability that affects many aspects of children’s development, has a prevalence of 5 – 17%, worldwide. There are many negative perceptions towards children with dyslexia, and one of it is when there is lack of teachers’ knowledge about this problem. Aim: The objective of this study is to develop and discuss on a newly developed module on dyslexia, i.e. Dyslexia Health Education Module (DHEM) for preschool teachers, Method: This module is developed using the ADDIE model (A-Analysis, D-De- sign, D-Develop, I- Implement, E-Evaluate). The content of DHEM consists of general information for pre-school teachers about dyslexia, identification and intervention for dyslexia among children as well as its mental health implications. Results: The newly developed module was found to have a good content validity with a score of 0.7 when evaluated by eight expert panels from respective fields. The Cronbach alpha’s value for reliability test was 0.90. These findings suggest that this module is good, reliable and applicable. Discussion: It is hoped that with the development of DHEM, this would increase teachers’ knowledge on dyslexia among children in Malaysia, especially in recognizing at-risk children and consequently may lead to early intervention in managing the problem. This study also suggests that future longitudinal studies should be carried out using this module to ensure its effectiveness in the long run.
MeSH terms: Child; Child, Preschool; Dyslexia; Health Education; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Malaysia; Mental Health; Perception; Reproducibility of Results; Prevalence; School Teachers; Educational Personnel
Capsaicin (N-vanillyl-8-methyl-6-(E)-none amide) is a unique and significant compound from group component of capsaicinoids. This component can only be found in the plants from the Capsicum genus. It is the primary source of pungency or spiciness of chilli pepper. Traditionally, capsaicin has been used to alleviate pain. Recently, some studies showed significant therapeutic effects of capsaicin in many diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer and obesity. Determination of the most effective dosage used and underlying working mechanism of capsaicin are still in progress. Currently, capsaicin research, especially in drug interaction and encapsulation technologies, has not been reviewed. We aim to report current experimental evidence of capsaicin research focusing on its pharmacolog- ical properties, interaction with drugs and ways to improve the bioavailability of capsaicin. It is essential to provide a general orientation for further investigation that can discover more potency of capsaicin usage as a medicinal supplement to treat various diseases.
This article aimed to review the available anthropometry measurements used in the assessment of nutritional sta- tus among Cerebral Palsy (CP) children. Searched journals were from Medline, PubMed and Ovid published from 2015 to 2018. The search identified 443 articles, and eight studies met the criteria. Anthropometric measurements included weight, height, recumbent length, knee height, tibia length, Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), Bio- electrical impedance (BIA), Mid arm circumference (MUAC) subscapular skinfold (SFT), Triceps skinfold (TSF) and prediction equations. Body fat composition can be obtained by DXA, BIA, skinfold measurement, and also prediction equation. The predictive equation is the most reported method to determine nutritional status among CP. This review found that TSF and SFT are more accurate to determine body fat percentage when using together with the predictive equation. Besides, predictive equations using segmental length are reliable in estimating the height and can be used to evaluate the nutritional status using the specific CP growth chart.
MeSH terms: Adipose Tissue; Arm; Body Composition; Body Weight; Cerebral Palsy; Child; Humans; Nutritional Status; Periodicals as Topic; Tibia; Absorptiometry, Photon; Electric Impedance; PubMed; Growth Charts
The role of dietitians involves not solely on clinical responsibilities. Additionally, operation management responsibil- ities such as managing human labor, financial resources, and problem solver are the tasks that a dietitian look after. It is reported to be challenging and stressful and could affect job satisfaction levels in the working environment. This scoping review aimed to explore the job satisfaction level and skills needed among dietitians to assume management responsibilities at their workplace. This study was completed using PRISMA guidelines. Online databases (Scopus and Science Direct) were used to identify papers published from 2000 to 2019. We selected English publications from the United States, Australia, South Africa, Korea, and the United Kingdom that used job satisfaction as a pri- mary or secondary outcome. Studies were included if they addressed dietitians who were involved in clinical work, food service, and management in their dietetic practices. Findings on existing skills, including managerial skills, communication, teamwork, and time management among dietitians with management responsibilities, have helped to enhance the job satisfaction and work quality of the dietetic profession. The findings would be useful for human resource management in the organisation, preserving the professional identity of a dietitian.
MeSH terms: Australia; Communication; Dietetics; Food Services; Humans; Job Satisfaction; Social Behavior; South Africa; United States; Bibliometrics; Workplace; Time Management; Republic of Korea; Nutritionists
Introduction: Manilkara zapota (L.) P. Royen or sapodilla is a fruit-bearing tree that has been cultivated mainly in tropical areas including Mexico and South East Asia. The fruits and the other parts of M. zapota plant have been used since ages ago for various medicinal purposes. However, the data on the antioxidant properties of various parts of M. zapota is limited. Therefore, we aimed to measure the content and capacity of antioxidants in various M. zapota plant parts and also to screen the phytoconstituents present in the part with the highest antioxidant content and capacity. Methods: The in vitro antioxidant evaluation including the content of total phenolic (TPC) and total flavonoids (TFC) as well as β-carotene bleaching and 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging ability of the leaves, seeds, flesh, and peels of M. zapota extracted by aqueous and ethanol were determined. The plant part that exhibited the highest TPC, TFC, and antioxidant capacity was selected for phytoconstituents identification using liq- uid chromatography mass spectrometry. Results: M. zapota leaves aqueous extract exhibited the highest TPC, TFC, and antioxidant capacities and therefore selected for phytoconstituents identification. Our study provide additional data in which a total of 39 phytoconstituents have been identified in the M. zapota leaves including m-coumaric acid, quinic acid, robinetinidol-4alpha-ol, isoorientin 6’’-O-caffeate, apocynin A, and C16 Sphinganine. Conclusion: Thus, our study revealed that M. zapota leaves aqueous extract has potential as a promising naturally-occurring an- tioxidant candidate which could be useful for medicinal and nutritional functions.