METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2021 to November 2021 by recruiting 333 employers at healthcare facilities in Kelantan, Malaysia. The original draft of the Malay version of the questionnaire comprised 62 items constructed under two domains (perception and practice). A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate construct validity and internal consistency using R software.
RESULTS: The final model for the perception and practice domain of the questionnaire consisted of 13 factors and 56 items. The factor loadings for all items were above 0.6. The fit indices used for confirmatory factor analysis in the final model were as follows: χ2 = 2092.6 (P < 0.001), standardised root mean squared residual (SRMR) = 0.053, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.042, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.928 and Tucker Lewis index (TLI) = 0.920. The construct reliability for all factors was reliable, with Raykov's rho coefficients above 0.70.
CONCLUSION: The newly developed questionnaire demonstrated excellent psychometric properties and adequate validity and reliability, confirming that this instrument is reliable and valuable for evaluating employers' perceptions and practices towards workplace violence prevention at healthcare facilities.
Objectives: The present study aims to evaluate concentrations of TSP and to estimate the health risks of TSP exposure through the inhalation pathway in communities surrounding a private cement industry in Maros regency, Indonesia.
Methods: Total suspended particulates were collected using a high-volume air sampler (HVAS) at five locations. Samples were taken by grab sampling for 24 hours. The SCREEN3 program was used to view the maximum range and distribution of pollutants based on the geographical, stack profiles and meteorological factors in the study area. Hazard quotient (HQ) was used to estimate non-carcinogenic risks of TSP in surrounding communities.
Results: Total suspended particulate concentrations were measured with a maximum value of 133.24 μg/m3 and a minimum value of 18.48 μg/m3. This maximum value exceeds the minimum acceptable level from Canadian National Ambient Air Quality Objectives (C-NAAQOs). The non-carcinogenic risks from the inhalation pathway were low except for location 3 (HQ>1) across all locations.
Conclusions: The cement plant may significantly contribute to total TSP concentrations in air and may potentially have adverse effects on human health. Communities near the cement plant are vulnerable to TSP exposure and measures are needed to reduce TSP in Maros regency, Indonesia.
Participant Consent: Obtained.
Ethics Approval: This study was approved by the Health Research Ethics Committee of Hasanuddin University with protocol number 28920093022.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This scoping review was reported in alignment with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Studies were identified through searches of five databases: Cochrane, Scopus, ProQuest, MEDLINE, and Web of Science (WoS).
RESULTS: Of the 294 articles initially identified, 20 studies were included and analysed thematically after removing duplicates. The majority of these assessments measure body function and structure such as grip and pinch strength while the rest are measuring the activity and participation domain. Most of the hand assessments were performancebased measurements. It is suggestible to employ both types of assessments to obtain a comprehensive understanding of hand conditions in individuals with DM. While some validated hand assessments were identified, only the Duruöz Hand Index (DHI) has been validated as a reliable tool specifically for evaluating hand function in individuals with DM.
CONCLUSION: There is a need to evaluate the measurement properties of existing instruments for assessing the hand function in individuals with DM, or to develop hand assessments specifically for the DM population. This scoping review was forging a new path, by discovering diabetes care through the utilisation of hand assessments.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with, one hundred and forty individuals with paraplegic SCI, who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and attended an outpatient rehabilitation clinic. The impairment of body function/structures of participants was assessed using the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Scale, which classified them as A, B, C, D, or E. A set of questionnaire survey forms was used to collect sociodemographic information, occupational participation, environmental factors, and QOL by using a demographic questionnaire, World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS-II), Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors (CHIEF) scale and World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) BREF form respectively.
RESULTS: The results showed that occupational participation was the strongest predictor of QOL among persons with paraplegic SCI (β=-0.586, p<0.001). In the second step, variables representing body function/structure factors (ASIA-A, B, C, D, E) were added, and the overall model explained 40.7% of the variance in QOL. In the third step, personal factors (age groups, gender, marital status, level of education, and rehabilitation duration) were added, and the overall model explained 51.4% of the variance in QOL. In the final step, environmental factors (CHIEF 12 Items scale) were added, but they did not significantly explain the model.
CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that occupational participation was found to be the most significant predictor of QOL among individuals with paraplegic SCI. Body function/structure factors, personal factors, and environmental factors were also significant predictors, but to a lesser extent. The findings of this study can inform healthcare professionals and policymakers in developing interventions and, policies targeting occupational participation, and personal factors that may be effective to improve the QOL of individuals with paraplegic SCI in Pakistan.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sound extracted human molars were randomly divided into: manufacturer's instructions (MI), manual blend 2 mm (MB2), and manual blend 4 mm (MB4). Occlusal enamel was removed and flattened, dentin surfaces were bonded by Prime & Bond universal (Dentsply and Optibond FL, Kerr). For the MI group, adhesives were applied following the manufacturer's instructions then light-cured. For MB groups, SDR flow+ bulk-fill flowable composite resin was applied in 2- or 4-mm increment then manually rubbed by a micro brush for 15 s with uncured dentine bonding agents and the mixture was light-cured. Composite buildup was fabricated incrementally using Ceram.X One, Dentsply nanohybrid composite resin restorative material. After 24-h water storage, the teeth were sectioned to obtain beams of about 0.8 mm2 for 24-h and thermocycled micro-tensile bond strength at 0.5 mm/min crosshead speed. Degree of conversion was evaluated with micro-Raman spectroscopy. Contraction gaps at 24 h after polymerization were evaluated and atomic force microscopy (AFM) nano-indentation processes were undertaken for measuring the hardness across the interface. Depth of resin penetration was studied using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Bond strength data was expressed using two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's test. Nanoindentation hardness was separately analyzed using one-way ANOVA.
RESULTS: Factors "storage F = 6.3" and "application F = 30.11" significantly affected the bond strength to dentine. For Optibond FL, no significant difference in nanoleakage was found in MI/MB4 groups between baseline and aged specimens; significant difference in nanoleakage score was observed in MB2 groups. Confocal microscopy analysis showed MB2 Optibond FL and Prime & Bond universal specimens diffusing within the dentine. Contraction gap was significantly reduced in MB2 specimens in both adhesive systems. Degree of conversion (DC) of the MB2 specimens were numerically more compared to MS1 in both adhesive systems.
CONCLUSION: Present study suggests that the new co-blend technique might have a positive effect on bond strengths of etch-and-rinse adhesives to dentine.
METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted in two main wet markets in Kelantan and 232 wet market workers were randomly selected. Blood samples were analysed for microscopic agglutination test (MAT) against 20 live leptospirosis reference serovars. MAT titres of 1:100 or more were considered as seropositive.
RESULTS: It was found that the overall seroprevalence for leptospirosis among the respondents was 33.6% (95% CI = 27.5, 39.7). The samples were tested positive against serovars Melaka (IMR LEP 1), Terengganu (IMR LEP 115), Sarawak (IMR LEP 175), Copenhageni (IMR LEP 803/11), Hardjobovis (IMR LEP 27), Australis, Autumnalis, Bataviae, Canicola, Grippotyphosa, Hardjoprajitno, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Javanica, Pyrogenes, Terrasovi, Djasiman, Patoc and Pomona. The predominant serovars was Autumnalis (18.2%).
CONCLUSION: Wet markets workers were at risk for leptospirosis infection evidenced by high seroprevalence of leptospirosis in this study. Further research need to be conducted to determine factors that favours infection in this groups.
OBJECTIVE: To examine factors related to the QoL of mothers having preterm newborns hospitalized in the neonatal critical unit.
METHODS: A non-probability convenience survey was used in a public hospital in Malaysia, covering 180 mothers whose preterm newborns were hospitalized into level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) through the completion of a 26-questions survey of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) and the 26-questions of Parental Stress Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PSS: NICU). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and Pearson correlation coefficients.
RESULT: The mean scores for mothers' quality of life were (M = 3.67, SD = 0.73) and maternal stress (M = 3.03, SD = 0.90) out of 5. A mother's occupation was found to be the only factor associated with the quality of life among mothers who have preterm newborns admitted to the NICU. Furthermore, maternal role change was found to have a moderate negative relationship with the quality of life (r = 0.310, p = 0.05).
CONCLUSION: The findings of this study revealed that the main factors contributing to the mother's QoL during their preterm newborns' NICU admission were role change-related stress. Thus, to maintain a better QoL among this group of mothers during this traumatic period, a special nursing intervention program must be implemented immediately, right after the preterm newborns' admission, to relieve the mothers' stress which has been proven to have a direct effect on the mothers' QoL. The study results will alert healthcare providers, particularly neonatal nurses, on the need to support mothers psychologically in terms of role change. This is to ensure a better quality of life among mothers whose newborns were admitted to the NICU.