METHODS: The study included all pregnant women aged >18 years. Sociodemographic data, information related to COVID-19 and vaccination and information on the knowledge, acceptance and concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccination were collected using a validated questionnaire.
RESULTS: Out of 420 eligible pregnant women, 412 participated in the study, yielding a response rate of 98.1%. Of the respondents, 97.1% had received a COVID-19 vaccine, while 2.9% had not. Approximately 85.2% demonstrated a good understanding of COVID-19 vaccination. Among those vaccinated, 76.8% based their decision on recommendations from healthcare providers or the Ministry of Health. Among those unvaccinated, 91.7% believed that COVID-19 vaccines could harm their pregnancy and baby. Although 51% of the respondents expressed concerns about vaccine safety, 202 still chose to be vaccinated, indicating a willingness to prioritise their health despite apprehensions.
CONCLUSION: The study found no significant link between acceptance and good knowledge of COVID-19 vaccination. However, income and prior COVID-19 booster vaccination were strongly associated with acceptance. Despite safety concerns, 97.1% of the respondents had received a COVID-19 vaccine. This emphasises the importance of providing comprehensive information and addressing concerns to support informed decision-making among pregnant women. Healthcare providers play a vital role in guiding them through this crucial decision-making process.
METHODS: This cross-sectional exploratory study was conducted from June to December 2022 among 265 patients with hypertension from the Pusat Kesehatan Masyarakat. The status of hypertension control was assessed by checking the serial blood pressure. The physical activity (PA) level, sleep quality, stress level and eating pattern were measured using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21; and 24-Hour Food Recall Questionnaire, Adolescent Food Habits Checklist and Emotional Eating Scale, respectively. Stepwise binary logistic regression and a generalised linear model were used for the statistical analysis.
RESULTS: Approximately 72.2% of the participants had uncontrolled hypertension. The majority showed a low PA level (46%), normal stress level (94.7%), good sleep quality (80%), low caloric intake (95.5%), neutral food habit (55.5%) and low emotional eating (93.2%). Sex (P=0.030), age (P=0.018), PA level (P=0.011), sleep quality (P=0.032) and stress level (P=0.030) significantly influenced hypertension control. Specifically, moderate (odds ratio [OR]=5.868, 95% confidence interval [CI]=3.024-11.798, P=0.000) and vigorous PA levels (OR=2.188, 95% CI=1.026-4.678, P=0.042) were significantly associated with hypertension control.
CONCLUSION: Moderate and vigorous PA levels are lifestyle factors that may play a role in controlling hypertension.
METHODS: A total of 351 UniKL RCMP undergraduate students participated in this study. Descriptive analysis was used to evaluate the sociodemographic and educational profiles of respondents. The chi-square test was conducted to identify the relationship between the sociodemographic and educational profiles and the level of knowledge and attitudes towards overweight and obesity.
RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 25.4%. The majority of the respondents possessed a good level of knowledge regarding overweight and obesity (n=316, 90%). The respondents' programme was significantly associated with their level of knowledge (P=0.001).
CONCLUSION: This study provides important information to university authorities, students, lecturers, parents and other stakeholders in education and health sectors about the impacts of overweight and obesity on the physical, social and academic welfare of university students.
METHODS: This study was conducted in three phases: (1) pre-production, (2) production and (3) post-production. The pre-production phase involved designing the storyboard and scripts, which underwent content validation by content experts and subsequently by patients with hypertension. Once the storyboards and scripts achieved acceptable consensus, the videos were recorded (production phase). The post-production phase included video editing and face validation among patients with hypertension. Statistical analysis included the calculation of the item-level content validation index (I-CVI) and item-level face validation index (I-FVI) during content and face validation, respectively.
RESULTS: The storyboards and scripts for five videos were developed. The I-CVI of all videos was 1.0 after two rounds of content validation among six content experts. The I-CVI of all videos was 1.0 among five patients with hypertension. Five videos were recorded and edited, achieving an I-FVI of 1.0 during face validation among 10 patients.
CONCLUSION: A VBI series consisting of five videos was developed and validated for use among patients with hypertension in primary care settings to improve their knowledge of self-care practices.
METHODS: This study adopted a cross-sectional design and collected data using self-administered questionnaires. The hypotheses were analyzed using the smart partial least squares (Smart-PLS) structural equation modeling method with a dataset containing 503 valid responses. Subsequently, comprehensive data analysis was conducted.
RESULTS: Blogger and video quality factors present in health science popularization videos substantially influenced users' perceived value (p
MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty national rugby players received custom-fitted mouthguards. Questionnaire responses and speech recordings were collected before mouthguard use and at various intervals after using mouthguards: immediately, 1 week, 2 month, and 6 months. Spectrographic analysis was performed to measure voice onset time (VOT) for /p, b, t, d/ phonemes. Questionnaire responses were assessed with Friedman's test, while VOT changes were examined using one-way repeated measure analysis of variance.
RESULTS: Compliance with mouthguard use improved during training and competitions, with consistent wear reported during matches. Over time, speaking difficulties and lisping decreased significantly (p
OBJECTIVE: This modality is aimed to boost the immune system through the application of engineered antibodies, which can be produced using recombinant DNA technology.
RESULTS: The discussion of the technologies leads to an introduction of the single-chain variable fragment (scFv). Thereafter, the advantages, disadvantages, and challenges associated with different expression systems, such as mammalian cells, yeast cells, bacterial cells, plant cells, and phage display were discussed comprehensively.
CONCLUSION: Furthermore, conventional approaches such as hybridoma and modern approaches such as cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) and simple colony assays are included. In short, this article has compiled evidence relating to each display system and may serve as a reference for those who aim to explore antibody engineering using one of the methods listed in this article.
METHODS: We performed an ecological study utilizing peer-reviewed published datasets reporting for 26 countries prevalence rates of DGBI (Rome Foundation Global Epidemiology Study, RFGES), with six independent variables: Helicobacter pylori prevalence and household size as proxy measures for orofecal infections, gross domestic product per capita (GDP), and median age as a proxy measures for socioeconomic development, density of fast food outlets (FFO) per 100,000 population as proxy measure for processed food exposure, and suicide mortality rate per 100,000 people, and world happiness scores were used as a proxy for psychological stress. The data were retrieved from publicly accessible datasets (United Nations, CIA World Factbook, World Bank, World Happiness Report, commercial/financial reports of a global FFO chain). We used linear regression to assess variables in univariate and multivariate analysis and report standardized β coefficients with 95% confidence intervals (CI).
KEY RESULTS: The regression model revealed that the overall prevalence of DGBI was inversely associated with both GDP per capita (β = -0.57, 95% CI: -0.92, -0.22, p = 0.002) and happiness scores (β = -0.433 95% CI: 0.821, -0.065, p = 0.023), while being positively associated with H. pylori prevalence (β = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.008, 0.81, p = 0.046). The prevalence of functional constipation (FC) was also inversely associated with GDP per capita (β = -0.50, 95% CI: -0.86, -0.13, p = 0.01) and happiness scores (β = -0.497, 95% CI: -0.863, -0.132, p = 0.01), while being positively associated with H. pylori prevalence (β = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.16, 0.91, p = 0.007). The Multivariate model analysis revealed that combining the factors of H. pylori prevalence, suicide rate, household size and happiness scores showed statistically significant association with FC (p = 0.039). Household size (β = -0.43, 95% CI: -0.82, 0.038, p = 0.033) and suicide rates (β = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.90, p = 0.004) were statistically significantly associated with functional diarrhea. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was associated with GDP per capita (β = -0.40, 95% CI: -0.79, -0.014, p = 0.043) and happiness scores (β = -0.390, 95% CI: -0.778, -0.003, p = 0.049).
CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: Utilizing publicly available data, the prevalence of DGBI across diverse countries is linked to various socio-cultural and environmental factors. Collectively, the data suggests that the prevalence of DGBI is increased in less prosperous regions of the world.
METHODS: Bed bugs were collected from March 2021 to June 2022 from infested residential buildings and apartments in eastern Iran, including North Khorasan, Khorasan Razavi, and Sistan and Baluchistan Provinces. The morphological and morphometrical characteristics were used to identify collected bed bugs at inter- and intra-specific levels.
RESULTS: A total of 34 isolates comprising 127 adult bed bugs were collected from Bojnord, Mashhad, Neishabur, Taibad, Sabzevar, Kashmer, Zahedan, Saravan, Rask, Pishin and Chabahar. Of these, 33 isolates (n=124) were found to be tropical bed bugs, C. hemipterus, and one population (n=3) was identified as C. lectularius. The index pronotal width/length ratio was calculated from 2.72 to 2.94 and 1.98 to 2.47 for C. lectularius and C. hemipterus, respectively. The length/width ratio of the hind femur was 3.365 in C. hemipterus and 4.267 in C. lectularius. The ratio of length/width of the third femur (F3 l/w) between populations of C. hemipterus was different, and this difference was statistically significant (P< 0.05).
CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated that C. hemipterus was the dominant bed bug species in the east of Iran and provided more morphometric criteria of C. hemipterus for researchers to identify the species and determine the intraspecific variations in the present and future.