Browse publications by year: 2023

  1. Naeem NI, Hadie SNH, Ismail IM, Yusoff MSB
    Pak J Med Sci, 2023;39(6):1573-1583.
    PMID: 37936768 DOI: 10.12669/pjms.39.6.8430
    OBJECTIVES: To develop and validate Digital Medical Education Environment (Digi-MEE) Instrument for measuring online learning environment in medical education.

    METHODS: This series of studies involved 696 participants from May 2022 to December 2022. Following scoping review, invited modified e-Delphi experts developed consensus on the components and related items for measuring online learning environments. A panel of content experts and a group of medical students carried out content and response-process validation to determine Content Validity Index (CVI) and Face Validity Index (FVI) respectively. This was followed by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analysis to determine Digi-MEE's factorial structure and internal consistency using SPSS version 26.0 and AMOS 26.0.

    RESULTS: Delphi experts agreed upon nine components with 73 items of initial Digi-MEE version. CVI of Digi-MEE 2.0 was more than 0.90. with FVI of Digi-MEE 3.0 of 0.87. Exploratory factor analysis yielded 46 items with 57.18% variance. Confirmatory factor analysis led to the final Digi-MEE version containing 28 items within nine components with acceptable levels of goodness of fit indices. Overall Cronbach alpha of the final Digi-MEE was more than 0.90, and for the nine components ranged between 0.62 and 0.76.

    CONCLUSION: Digi-MEE is a promising valid and reliable instrument to evaluate online education environment in medical education. Content, response-process, factorial structure, and internal consistency evidence support the validity of Digi-MEE. Medical schools can use Digi-MEE as an evaluation tool for the continuous quality improvement of online learning environments.

  2. Petrus CF, Mohd Salleh Sahimi H, Midin M, Lim JTY
    Front Psychiatry, 2023;14:1243015.
    PMID: 37937231 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1243015
    INTRODUCTION: Mental health stigma (MHS) has been a pervasive social issue and a significant barrier to treatment seeking behavior. The treatment pathways and outcomes for people with mental illness, specifically those with recurrent suicidal ideations and attempts have been influenced by how MHS was experienced in clinical practice.

    METHODS: We reported a case of a young lady diagnosed with bipolar II disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and borderline personality disorder who had recurrent visits to various emergency departments (ED) of tertiary hospitals in Malaysia for suicidality; each time presenting with increased mortality risk and escalating near-lethal outcomes. Among the multiple ED visits after her alleged overdoses of psychotropic medications, thrice she was near-unconscious and had to be intubated for airway protection, subsequently requiring ventilatory support and ICU care. These near-lethal presentations in ED were due to her delays in seeking treatment for fear of re-experiencing the stigmatizing environment among healthcare staff and professionals in the ED.

    DISCUSSION: The impact of MHS is detrimental. Effective interventions at various levels in the clinical setting is of utmost importance to prevent the negative consequences of suicidality against MHS.

  3. Kumarasamy G, Mohd Salim NH, Mohd Afandi NS, Hazlami Habib MA, Mat Amin ND, Ismail MN, et al.
    Future Oncol, 2023 Nov;19(34):2313-2332.
    PMID: 37937446 DOI: 10.2217/fon-2023-0704
    Colorectal cancer (CRC) signifies a significant healthcare challenge in Southeast Asia. Despite advancements in screening approaches and treatment modalities, significant medical gaps remain, ranging from prevention and early diagnosis to determining targeted therapy and establishing personalized approaches to managing CRC. There is a need to expand more validated biomarkers in clinical practice. An advanced technique incorporating high-throughput mass spectrometry as a liquid biopsy to unravel a repertoire of glycoproteins and glycans would potentially drive the development of clinical tools for CRC screening, diagnosis and monitoring, and it can be further adapted to the existing standard-of-care procedure. Therefore this review offers a perspective on glycoproteomics-driven liquid biopsy and its potential integration into the clinical care of CRC in the southeast Asia region.
    MeSH terms: Humans; Protein Processing, Post-Translational
  4. Chen C, Granados A, Brodie JF, Kays R, Davies TJ, Liu R, et al.
    Conserv Biol, 2023 Nov 08.
    PMID: 37937455 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14221
    Reliable maps of species distributions are fundamental for biodiversity research and conservation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) range maps are widely recognized as authoritative representations of species' geographic limits, yet they might not always align with actual occurrence data. In recent area of habitat (AOH) maps, areas that are not habitat have been removed from IUCN ranges to reduce commission errors, but their concordance with actual species occurrence also remains untested. We tested concordance between occurrences recorded in camera trap surveys and predicted occurrences from the IUCN and AOH maps for 510 medium- to large-bodied mammalian species in 80 camera trap sampling areas. Across all areas, cameras detected only 39% of species expected to occur based on IUCN ranges and AOH maps; 85% of the IUCN only mismatches occurred within 200 km of range edges. Only 4% of species occurrences were detected by cameras outside IUCN ranges. The probability of mismatches between cameras and the IUCN range was significantly higher for smaller-bodied mammals and habitat specialists in the Neotropics and Indomalaya and in areas with shorter canopy forests. Our findings suggest that range and AOH maps rarely underrepresent areas where species occur, but they may more often overrepresent ranges by including areas where a species may be absent, particularly at range edges. We suggest that combining range maps with data from ground-based biodiversity sensors, such as camera traps, provides a richer knowledge base for conservation mapping and planning.
  5. Mailafiya MM, Abubakar K, Chiroma SM, Danmaigoro A, Zyoud TYT, Rahim EBA, et al.
    Food Sci Nutr, 2023 May;11(5):2211-2231.
    PMID: 37181299 DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.3096
    A substantial global health burden is associated with neurotoxicity caused by lead (Pb) exposure and the common mechanism of this toxicity is mainly via oxidative damage. Curcumin has remarkable pharmacological activities but remains clinically constrained due to its poor bioavailability when orally administered. Currently, cockle shell-derived calcium carbonate nanoparticle (CSCaCO3NP) is gaining more acceptance in nanomedicine as a nanocarrier to various therapeutics. This study aimed at investigating the ameliorative effect of curcumin-loaded CSCaCO3NP (Cur-CSCaCO3NP) on lead-induced neurotoxicity in rats. A total of 36 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into five groups. Each group consists of 6 rats apart from the control group which consists of 12 rats. During the 4 weeks induction phase, all rats received a flat dose of 50 mg/kg of lead while the control group received normal saline. The treatment phase lasted for 4 weeks, and all rats received various doses of treatments as follows: group C (Cur 100) received 100 mg/kg of curcumin, group D (Cur-CSCaCO3NP 50) received 50 mg/kg of Cur-CSCaCO3NP, and group E (Cur-CSCaCO3NP 100) received 100 mg/kg of Cur-CSCaCO3NP. The motor function test was carried out using the horizontal bar method. The cerebral and cerebellar oxidative biomarker levels were estimated using ELISA and enzyme assay kits. Lead-administered rats revealed a significant decrease in motor scores and SOD activities with a resultant increase in MDA levels. Furthermore, marked cellular death of the cerebral and cerebellar cortex was observed. Conversely, treatment with Cur-CSCaCO3NP demonstrated enhanced ameliorative effects when compared with free curcumin treatment by significantly reversing the aforementioned alterations caused by lead. Thus, CSCaCO3NP enhanced the efficacy of curcumin by ameliorating the lead-induced neurotoxicity via enhanced attenuation of oxidative stress.
  6. Mahesar RA, Shahid S, Asif S, Khoso AK, Kar SK, Shabbir T
    CNS Spectr, 2023 Oct 20.
    PMID: 37861078 DOI: 10.1017/S1092852923006351
    Numerous studies have been conducted globally to assess the compliance level of newspapers with the World Health Organization's media guidelines for responsible suicide reporting. To identify and review such studies conducted in Muslim-majority countries between 2014 and 2022, we searched PubMed and Google Scholar databases. We identified 12 eligible studies from Pakistan (n = 4), Bangladesh (n = 2), Malaysia (n = 1), Indonesia (n = 1), Iraq (n = 1), Iran (n = 1), Nigeria (n = 1), and Egypt (n = 1). These studies indicated an overall lack of adherence to the guidelines. However, the level of nonadherence was particularly high in Pakistan. Effective suicide prevention programs may help in promoting responsible reporting of suicide.
  7. Teh HX, Phang SJ, Looi ML, Kuppusamy UR, Arumugam B
    Life Sci, 2023 Dec 01;334:122228.
    PMID: 37922981 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2023.122228
    Diabetic wounds are slow healing wounds characterized by disordered healing processes and frequently take longer than three months to heal. One of the defining characteristics of impaired diabetic wound healing is an abnormal and unresolved inflammatory response, which is primarily brought on by abnormal macrophage innate immune signaling activation. The persistent inflammatory state in a diabetic wound may be attributed to inflammatory pathways such as nuclear factor kappa B (NF-ĸB) and nod-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, which have long been associated with inflammatory diseases. Despite the available treatments for diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) that include debridement, growth factor therapy, and topical anti-bacterial agents, successful wound healing is still hampered. Further understanding of the molecular mechanism of these pathways could be useful in designing potential therapeutic targets for diabetic wound healing. This review provides an update and novel insights into the roles of NF-ĸB and NLRP3 pathways in the molecular mechanism of diabetic wound inflammation and their potential as therapeutic targets in diabetic wound healing.
    MeSH terms: Diabetes Mellitus*; Humans; Inflammation/drug therapy; NF-kappa B/metabolism; Inflammasomes/metabolism; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/metabolism
  8. Khosla R, Mishra V, Singh S
    Sex Reprod Health Matters, 2023 Dec;31(4):2269003.
    PMID: 37930349 DOI: 10.1080/26410397.2023.2269003
    MeSH terms: Humans; Reproduction*; Reproductive Health*
  9. Rashidi NA, Lai YJ, Lakadir MSA
    PMID: 37930571 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-30703-5
    The problem faced during bio-based activated carbon synthesis is related to its low yield production, which is plausibly due to intricate conventional activation processes, along with utilization of corrosive chemical activator. Therefore, in this study, the activated carbon synthesis from palm kernel shell as starting material has been carried out via a facile solid-solid mixing (mechanochemical) activation. The feasibility and optimization of the high-yielded palm kernel shell activated carbon production has been done via the L9 Taguchi orthogonal array, whereby the larger-the-better signal to noise (S/N) ratio has been applied to determine the optimum operating conditions. Four parameters have been studied including the activation temperature (600-800 °C), impregnation ratio (1-3:1), activation time (60-120 min), and nitrogen flow rate (300-900 mL/min). Depending on the operating conditions, the activated carbon yield is ranging from 10 to 50 wt.%. Upon optimization, both the pristine precursor and activated carbon at the optimal conditions are characterized in terms of their surface morphology, porosity, and the surface functionalities. In context of carbon dioxide adsorption, the adsorption capacity at an ambient condition is found to be approximately 1.65 mmol/g, which is comparable to the values reported in the literatures.
  10. Vinayagam V, Kishor Kumar NK, Palani KN, Ganesh S, Kushwaha OS, Pugalenthi A
    Environ Res, 2023 Nov 04.
    PMID: 37931737 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117549
    Since ecosystems are becoming inherently polluted, long-term contaminant removal methods are required. Electrodeionization, in particular, has recently been demonstrated as an effective approach for eliminating ionic compounds from contaminated water sources. Being a more environmentally friendly technology is most likely the main reason for its eminence. It uses electricity to replace toxic contaminants that are conventionally used to regenerate and hence reducing the toxins associated with resin regeneration. In wastewater treatment, continuous electrodeionization system overcomes several limitations of ion exchange resins, notably ion dumping. This prospective assessment delves into the mechanism, principle, and theory of electrodeionization system. It also focused on the design and applications, particularly in the removal of toxic compounds, as well as current advances in the electrodeionization system. Recent breakthroughs in electrodeionization were comprehensively discussed. Further developments in electrodeionization systems are also projected, with improved efficiency at the time of functioning at lower costs because of reduced energy use, proving them desirable for commercial usage with a broad array of applications across the globe.
  11. Hanbali L, Hannon E, Lehtimaki S, McNab C, Schwalbe NR
    BMJ Glob Health, 2023 Nov;8(11).
    PMID: 37931937 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013348
    Negotiations are underway at the WHO for a legally binding instrument for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. As seen in the International Health Regulations, however, countries signing up to an agreement is no guarantee of its effective implementation. We, therefore, investigated the potential design features of an accountability framework for the proposed pandemic agreement that could promote countries' compliance with it. We reviewed the governance of a number of international institutions and conducted over 40 interviews with stakeholders and experts to investigate how the pandemic agreement could be governed.We found that enforcement mechanisms are a key feature for promoting the compliance of countries with the obligations they sign up for under international agreements but that they are inconsistently applied. It is difficult to design enforcement mechanisms that successfully avoid inflicting unintended harm and, so, we found that enforcement mechanisms generally rely on soft political levers rather than hard legal ones to promote compliance. Identifying reliable information on states' behaviour with regard to their legal obligations requires using a diverse range of information, including civil society and intergovernmental organisations, and maintaining legal, financial, and political independence.We, therefore, propose that there should be an independent mechanism to monitor states' compliance with and reporting on the pandemic agreement. It would mainly triangulate a diverse range of pre-existing information and have the authority to receive confidential reports and seek further information from states. It would report to a high-level political body to promote compliance with the pandemic agreement.
    MeSH terms: Humans
  12. Lai YY, Lim CH, Nazli MS, Samsudin IN, Thambiah SC
    Clin Chem, 2023 Nov 02;69(11):1220-1225.
    PMID: 37932109 DOI: 10.1093/clinchem/hvad158
    MeSH terms: Anoxia; Humans; Hypokalemia*; Patients; Potassium
  13. Ahsan M, Khusna H, Wibawati, Lee MH
    Sci Rep, 2023 Nov 06;13(1):19149.
    PMID: 37932421 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46719-3
    Multivariate control charts have been applied in many sectors. One of the sectors that employ this method is network intrusion detection. However, the issue arises when the conventional control chart faces difficulty monitoring the network-traffic data that do not follow a normal distribution as required. Consequently, more false alarms will be found when inspecting network traffic data. To settle this problem, support vector data description (SVDD) is suggested. The control chart based on the SVDD distance can be applied for the non-normal distribution, even the unknown distributions. Kernel density estimation (KDE) is the nonparametric approach that can be applied in estimating the control limit of the non-parametric control charts. Based on these facts, a multivariate chart based on the integrated SVDD and KDE (SVDD-KDE) is proposed to monitor the network's anomaly. Simulation using the synthetic dataset is performed to examine the performance of the SVDD-KDE chart in detecting multivariate data shifts and outliers. Based on the simulation results, the proposed method produces better performance in detecting shifts and higher accuracy in detecting outliers. Further, the proposed method is applied in the intrusion detection system (IDS) to monitor network attacks. The NSL-KDD data is analyzed as the benchmark dataset. A comparison between the SVDD-KDE chart with the other IDS-based-control chart and the machine learning algorithms is executed. Although the it has high computational cost, the results show that the IDS based on the SVDD-KDE chart produces a high accuracy at 0.917 and AUC at 0.915 with a low false positive rate compared to several algorithms.
  14. Pee XK, Low A, Ab Kahar MEPI, Mohamed SO, Chong YJ
    BMC Ophthalmol, 2023 Nov 07;23(1):444.
    PMID: 37932684 DOI: 10.1186/s12886-023-03186-8
    BACKGROUND: To report a rare case of pulmonary and ocular complications with visual loss due to bilateral Purtscher-like retinopathy and paracentral acute middle maculopathy (PAMM) following a hyaluronic acid (HA) filler injection to the breast. Systemic and visual recovery was attained following corticosteroid therapy.

    CASE PRESENTATION: A 27-year-old lady presented with painless blurring of vision in both eyes for 2 weeks following hyaluronic acid breast filler injections by a non-medical practitioner. She was initially admitted to the medical ward for diffuse alveolar haemorrhage and altered sensorium. The presenting visual acuity was counting fingers in both eyes. Bilateral dilated fundus examination showed hyperaemic discs, concentric rim of retinal whitening around macula with patches of polygonal-shaped retinal whitening, generalised cotton-wool spots, tortuous veins, and flame-shaped haemorrhages. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) macula revealed hyper-reflective bands at the inner nuclear layer (INL). Fluorescein angiography demonstrated hot discs, delayed arm-to-retina time, arterial filling, and arterio-venous transit time with staining of the vessels at the posterior pole. She was managed with a tapering dose of systemic corticosteroids. The visual acuity improved to 6/12 over 8 weeks with significant anatomical and functional improvement. Dilated fundus examination showed resolution of initial funduscopy findings. The hyper-reflective bands on the OCT had resolved with subsequent thinning of the INL and disorganisation of retinal inner layers.

    CONCLUSION: Filler injections are in increasing demand and are frequently being performed by non-medical practitioners. Visual loss from non-facial HA fillers is rare. Inadvertent entry of HA into a blood vessel may potentially cause systemic and sight-threatening ocular complications. Good anatomical knowledge and proper injection technique are vital in preventing this unfortunate sequela. There are limited reports on successful visual recovery following various treatment approaches and we hope this case provides valuable insights.

    MeSH terms: Adult; Female; Fluorescein Angiography/methods; Humans; Hyaluronic Acid; Macular Degeneration*; Retina; Tomography, Optical Coherence/methods
  15. Liew SH, Razak MAA, Kassim MSA, Ahmad NA, Tan L
    BMC Public Health, 2023 Nov 06;23(1):2165.
    PMID: 37932717 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17019-2
    BACKGROUND: According to World Health Organization (WHO), the fourth leading cause of death among adolescents aged 15 -19 years is suicide. The National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2017 reported that suicidal attempts among school adolescents increased from 6.8%-6.9% as compared to NHMS 2012. Suicide attempts can cause significant negative impacts on health, social and economic status. Bullying is one of the factors for adolescent suicide attempts, and its relationship to suicidality in adolescents has been shown in numerous research.

    OBJECTIVES: This study examined the relationship between suicide attempts and bullying among school adolescents in Malaysia.

    METHODS: Data from the Malaysia NHMS 2017, a nationwide study that adopted a two-stage cluster sampling design, were analysed. The survey used a self-administered questionnaire in bilingual language adapted from GSHS developed by WHO. Participants were secondary school students aged 13 -17 in all states. Descriptive and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed using IBM SPSS version 28.

    RESULTS: A total of 27,497 school adolescents participated in the study. Results showed that 6.9% of school adolescents had attempted suicide. There was 16.2% of adolescents being bullied. Multiple logistic regression revealed that students who were bullied were more likely to have suicide attempts (aOR 4.827, 95% CI: 4.143, 5.624) P 

    MeSH terms: Adolescent; Humans; Surveys and Questionnaires; Risk Factors; Schools; Suicide, Attempted*; Bullying*; Suicidal Ideation
  16. Siak PY, Heng WS, Teoh SSH, Lwin YY, Cheah SC
    J Transl Med, 2023 Nov 06;21(1):786.
    PMID: 37932756 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04673-8
    Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an aggressive malignancy with high propensity for lymphatic spread and distant metastasis. It is prominent as an endemic malignancy in Southern China and Southeast Asia regions. Studies on NPC pathogenesis mechanism in the past decades such as through Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) infection and oncogenic molecular aberrations have explored several potential targets for therapy and diagnosis. The EBV infection introduces oncoviral proteins that consequently hyperactivate many promitotic pathways and block cell-death inducers. EBV infection is so prevalent in NPC patients such that EBV serological tests were used to diagnose and screen NPC patients. On the other hand, as the downstream effectors of oncogenic mechanisms, the promitotic pathways can potentially be exploited therapeutically. With the apparent heterogeneity and distinct molecular aberrations of NPC tumor, the focus has turned into a more personalized treatment in NPC. Herein in this comprehensive review, we depict the current status of screening, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention in NPC. Subsequently, based on the limitations on those aspects, we look at their potential improvements in moving towards the path of precision medicine. The importance of recent advances on the key molecular aberration involved in pathogenesis of NPC for precision medicine progression has also been reported in the present review. Besides, the challenge and future outlook of NPC management will also be highlighted.
    MeSH terms: Herpesvirus 4, Human/physiology; Humans; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms*; Epstein-Barr Virus Infections*; Precision Medicine
  17. Poh BK, Wong JE, Lee ST, Chia JSM, Yeo GS, Sharif R, et al.
    Public Health Nutr, 2023 Nov 07.
    PMID: 37932916 DOI: 10.1017/S1368980023002239
    OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to report South East Asian Nutrition Surveys (SEANUTS) II Malaysia data on nutritional status, dietary intake, and nutritional biomarkers of children aged 6 months to 12 years.

    DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey conducted in 2019-2020.

    SETTING: Multistage cluster sampling conducted in Central, Northern, Southern, and East Coast regions of Peninsular Malaysia.

    PARTICIPANTS: 2989 children aged 0.5-12.9 years.

    RESULTS: Prevalences of stunting, thinness, overweight, and obesity among children aged 0.5-12.9 years were 8.9%, 6.7%, 9.2%, and 8.8%, respectively. Among children below 5 years old, 11.4% were underweight, 13.8% had stunting, and 6.2% wasting. Data on nutritional biomarkers showed a small proportion of children aged 4-12 years had iron (2.9%) and vitamin A deficiencies (3.1%). Prevalence of anaemia was distinctly different between children below 4 years old (40.3%) and those aged 4 years and above (3.0%). One-fourth of children (25.1%) had vitamin D insufficiency, which was twice as prevalent in girls (35.2% vs. boys: 15.6%). The majority of children did not meet the recommended dietary intake for calcium (79.4%) and vitamin D (94.8%).

    CONCLUSIONS: Data from SEANUTS II Malaysia confirmed that triple burden of malnutrition co-exists among children in Peninsular Malaysia, with higher prevalence of overnutrition than undernutrition. Anaemia is highly prevalent among children below 4 years old, while vitamin D insufficiency is more prevalent among girls. Low intakes of dietary calcium and vitamin D are also of concern. These findings provide policymakers with useful and evidence-based data to formulate strategies that address the nutritional issues of Malaysian children.

    MeSH terms: Child; Child, Preschool; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet/statistics & numerical data; Female; Humans; Infant; Malaysia/epidemiology; Male; Nutrition Surveys*; Nutritional Status*; Thinness/epidemiology; Vitamin D Deficiency/epidemiology; Child Nutrition Disorders/epidemiology; Prevalence; Malnutrition/epidemiology; Overweight/epidemiology
  18. Wan Ibrahim WH, Thong JZ, Lo MC, Mohamad AA, Ching JL
    J Emerg Manag, 2023;21(5):469-479.
    PMID: 37932948 DOI: 10.5055/jem.0777
    In Sarawak, Malaysia, several exceptional safety precautions and measures were adopted to prevent the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic from spreading. Individuals' attitudes and opinions have impact on their obedience toward control procedures. Sarawak residents' attitudes and opinions toward COVID-19 were investigated in the present study. An online questionnaire developed using Google Forms was completed by 1,462 residents from all 12 divisions in Sarawak. The findings show that most Sarawak residents have positive attitudes and opinions about current standard operating procedures (SOPs) toward COVID-19. More than half of the respondents stand unbiased for the effectiveness of these SOPs, while most respondents have a neutral standpoint regarding the current law enforcement. The partial least square regression results found using the WarpPLS 7.0 software indicate that Sarawak residents' attitudes, opinions about current SOPs, and their effectiveness are significantly linked to practices for the prevention of COVID-19 outbreak, whereas these residents' opinions about current law enforcement were observed to have no significant relationship with proper practices for measures.
    MeSH terms: Humans; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Malaysia/epidemiology; Global Health; Pandemics
  19. Almansour A, Madkhali M, Alzhrani M, Alanazi A, Aldaihan MM, Alamri YH, et al.
    Medicine (Baltimore), 2023 Nov 03;102(44):e35645.
    PMID: 37933019 DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000035645
    The fear of re-injury may persist after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR) in professional soccer players (PSPs) even after a successful return to sport (RTS). This study aimed to determine the extent of this fear of re-injury and the impact of demographic variables and this fear of re-injury on the lower extremity functional scale (LEFS) scores in PSPs who had completed a successful RTS following ACLR. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Sixty-seven PSPs who had successfully RTS after ACLR, completed a demographic information sheet, the Athlete Fear-Avoidance Questionnaire (AFAQ), and the LEFS. The average AFAQ scores indicated low fear (M = 10.2, SD = 6.7), while high LEFS scores were observed (M = 67.1, SD = 12.4). There were significant strong negative correlations between LEFS and body mass index (BMI; rs [65] = -0.501, P = .001) and AFAQ and BMI (rs [65] = -0.378, P = .001). A hierarchical linear regression analysis found AFAQ to be a significant predictor of LEFS (b = -0.92, s.e. = 0.19, P = .001), with a total variance (adjusted R2) of 32.9%. PSPs' fear of re-injury post-ACLR significantly reduced their perceived levels of lower limb functionality. This study highlights the need to further explore and develop strategies to manage PSP fear of re-injury to improve sports-related performance post-ACLR.
    MeSH terms: Cross-Sectional Studies; Fear; Humans; Lower Extremity
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