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Fulltext Rational mutagenesis of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase at the calcium binding regions for enhancement of thermostability

Goh PH, Illias RM, Goh KM

Int J Mol Sci, 2012;13(5):5307-23.
PMID: 22754298 DOI: 10.3390/ijms13055307

Studies related to the engineering of calcium binding sites of CGTase are limited. The calcium binding regions that are known for thermostability function were subjected to site-directed mutagenesis in this study. The starting gene-protein is a variant of CGTase Bacillus sp. G1, reported earlier and denoted as "parent CGTase" herein. Four CGTase variants (S182G, S182E, N132R and N28R) were constructed. The two variants with a mutation at residue 182, located adjacent to the Ca-I site and the active site cleft, possessed an enhanced thermostability characteristic. The activity half-life of variant S182G at 60 °C was increased to 94 min, while the parent CGTase was only 22 min. This improvement may be attributed to the formation of a shorter α-helix and the alleviation of unfavorable steric strains by glycine at the corresponding region. For the variant S182E, an extra ionic interaction at the A/B domain interface increased the half-life to 31 min, yet it reduced CGTase activity. The introduction of an ionic interaction at the Ca-I site via the mutation N132R disrupted CGTase catalytic activity. Conversely, the variant N28R, which has an additional ionic interaction at the Ca-II site, displayed increased cyclization activity. However, thermostability was not affected.
Pornography consumption and sexual health among emerging adults from Malaysia: an observational study

Goh PH, Phuah LA, Low YH

Sex Health, 2023 Apr;20(2):134-147.
PMID: 36848630 DOI: 10.1071/SH22181

BACKGROUND: Despite the high prevalence, few studies have examined pornography consumption among emerging adults in Malaysia. The current study examined the attitudes, motivations, and behaviours related to pornography consumption and their association with sexual health.
METHODS: Using a cross-sectional survey that was conducted online, a convenience sample of 319 Malaysians aged 18-30years (M =23.05, s.d.=2.55) reported their attitudes and behaviours related to pornography consumption, including the degree of problematic consumption, and completed measures of sexual health. These included sexual satisfaction, awareness of sexual feelings, sexual self-reflection, sexual assertiveness, embarrassment during partnered sex, and genital image. To capture pornography genre preferences, participants also reported the keywords that they typically use to search for pornography. These open-ended responses were thematically coded.
RESULTS: Between 60 and 70% of participants reported positive attitudes toward pornography and 81.2% (N =259) reported lifetime intentional exposure to pornography. Gender differences were present in pornography consumption attitudes, motivations, preferences, and behaviours. Problematic pornography consumption, and not consumption frequency, was associated with poorer sexual satisfaction. Among women and not men, more frequent consumption was associated with more sexual self-reflection and positive feelings about their genitals. Sexual embarrassment was higher among women who consume pornography more problematically and among men who consumed pornography more frequently.
CONCLUSIONS: Pornography consumption attitudes and behaviours appear rather universal. However, the benefits of pornography consumption frequency and disadvantages associated with problematic consumption appear to be more relevant for women's than men's sexual health, specifically sexual self-reflection, genital image, and sexual embarrassment.
Fulltext Associations Between Negative Body Image and Sexual Health Practices in Emerging Adults from Malaysia

Goh PH, Luginbuehl T, Swami V

Arch Sex Behav, 2024 Apr;53(4):1473-1486.
PMID: 38321341 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-024-02810-y

Past findings on the association between negative body image and sexual health behaviors have been mixed and mostly derived from Western samples. The aim of the current study was to examine associations between indices of negative body image and sexual health practices that reduce the risk of disease transmission in emerging adults, and whether these associations are moderated by gender. Using an online survey, a convenience sample of 584 Malaysian adults aged 18-30 years (230 men, 354 women) completed measures of satisfaction with overall appearance, body size dissatisfaction, weight satisfaction, height satisfaction, and genital image evaluation. They also reported if they ever had partnered sex, condomless sex, and been screened for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), as well as their lifetime number of penetrative sex partners. Hierarchical logistic and ordinal regression analyses indicated that more positive genital image evaluation, but not the other body image indices, was significantly associated with having had partnered sex and fewer lifetime penetrative sex partners. None of the body image indices were significantly associated with condomless sex. All associations were consistent across men and women. For HIV testing, a significant interaction between genital image evaluation and gender emerged. However, this was reduced to non-significance after controlling for the number of penetrative sex partners. Overall, our findings underline the importance of promoting improved genital image in interventions aimed at increasing positive sexual health behaviors.
Fulltext Masturbation Among Malaysian Young Adults: Associated Sexual and Psychological Well-Being Outcomes

Phuah LA, Teng JHJ, Goh PH

Sex Cult, 2023 May 26.
PMID: 37360020 DOI: 10.1007/s12119-023-10101-2

Despite being a common sexual practice, not much is known about masturbation within the Malaysian context. The current study examined the masturbation practices of a convenience sample of Malaysian young adults, and how one's reported experience of masturbating and frequency of masturbation is associated with sexual and psychological well-being. Satisfaction with sex life, satisfaction with life, depression, anxiety, and stress were measured as outcome variables. Responses from 621 participants (M = 22.1 years, SD = 2.4 years) that were collected through an online questionnaire were analyzed. Results revealed that most participants (77.7%) had masturbated at least once in their life. Sexual satisfaction and psychological well-being did not differ between those who reported masturbating before and those who did not. Among those with masturbation experience, higher frequency of masturbation was associated with less sexual satisfaction and more symptoms of anxiety and stress. Masturbation frequency was not associated with life satisfaction or reports of depressive symptoms. Gender, frequency of partnered sex, availability of a sexual partner, and religiosity did not moderate the relationships between masturbation frequency with sexual satisfaction and psychological well-being. Although the limitations of the current study impede generalizability, masturbation was found to be a common behavior among the current sample. Causal inferences cannot be drawn from the significant associations found in the current study, as the findings indicate such relationships may be bidirectional.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12119-023-10101-2.
Fulltext Body (dis)satisfaction and health screening behaviors: A systematic review of observational studies

Goh PH, Loh HY, Chung KR, Ramadas A

J Health Psychol, 2024 Feb;29(2):137-155.
PMID: 37493189 DOI: 10.1177/13591053231189413

Engagement in health-promoting behaviors has been argued to be dependent on psychological factors in addition to simply having knowledge or access to resources. We systematically reviewed the evidence for the association between body (dis)satisfaction and health screening behaviors using six electronic databases and supplementary manual searches in the current study. To be included in the review, studies had to be empirical, in any language, and examined the potential link between body (dis)satisfaction and health screening. Findings from the final 16 quantitative and 12 qualitative studies generally suggest that people who were more satisfied or less dissatisfied with their bodies were more likely to engage in health screening. This review also highlighted key gaps in the literature such as the limited studies that included men as participants and the lack of examination of the underlying mechanisms and contingencies of the relationship between body (dis)satisfaction and health screening behaviors.
Relationship Between Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms and Caregiver Burden In Breast Cancer Patients: The Mediating Role of Anxiety and Depression

Wang S, Zhang Q, Goh PH, Hu J, Liu X, Du J, et al.

J Clin Psychol Med Settings, 2023 Sep;30(3):645-653.
PMID: 36385422 DOI: 10.1007/s10880-022-09927-z

Breast cancer impacts not only the physical and mental health of patients but also the people around them-especially their caregivers. This study examined the relationship between post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and caregiver burden in breast cancer patients through the mediating pathway of anxiety and depression.
METHODS: A total of 236 breast cancer patients from China completed the Chinese Version of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale (PSS), the Chinese version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Chinese version of the General Anxiety Symptoms Scale (GAD-7). In addition, caregivers of these breast cancer patients were surveyed by the Caregiver Self-Assessment Questionnaire (CSAQ).
RESULTS: Structural equation model showed that our model fitted well [χ2 /df = 1.966, TLI = 0.959, CFI = 0.994, RMSEA (90% CI) = 0.065 (0-0.12)] and revealed that anxiety, but not depression, mediated the relationship between PTSS in breast cancer patients and caregiver burden.
CONCLUSION: The level of PTSS was positively correlated with anxiety and depression in breast cancer patients, and the level of anxiety and depression was positively related to caregiver burden. The PTSS of patients positively predicted caregiver burden and this relationship appears to be mediated by the patient's anxiety.
Fulltext A systematic review on the cultural factors associated with stigma during pandemics

Zay Hta MK, Ting RS, Goh PH, Gan QH, Jones L

Curr Psychol, 2023 Mar 15.
PMID: 37359581 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-023-04509-0

Both public stigma and perceived self-stigma are prevalent during pandemics threatening a divide among the global community. This systematic review examined the cultural factors associated with viral respiratory-related pandemic stigma. Following PRISMA guidelines, the keywords, "culture, stigma, and pandemic" were searched across relevant databases for empirical papers between January 2000 to March 2022. Quality assessment and coding were adopted in the screening process. Thirty-one articles were included in the final analysis. Themes revealed that collectivistic values, cultural identities, and non-western regions were associated with public (others) stigma; mismatch of cultural values, minority groups, and North America, Asia, Oceania, and African regions were associated with higher perceived and self-stigma. We further mapped the themes into a proposed systemic cultural stigma model to integrate the dynamic intersection of cultural values, identity, and ecology. The cultural factors and their influence on stigma were then explained by drawing on two evolutionary theories: Cultural rationality theory and scapegoating theory. Lastly, we proposed culturally sensitive and responsive practices for stigma management at the community level, especially in non-Western regions during the pandemic recovery phase.
Fulltext Assessment of community pharmacists' communication and comfort levels when interacting with Deaf and hard of hearing patients

Chong EY, Jacob SA, Ramadas A, Goh PH, Palanisamy UD

Pharm Pract (Granada), 2021;19(2):2274.
PMID: 34221194 DOI: 10.18549/PharmPract.2021.2.2274

BACKGROUND: Deaf and hard of hearing patients who use sign language face considerable communication barriers while accessing pharmacy services. Low comfort-levels between community pharmacists and Deaf and hard of hearing patients result in poor interactions and increase patient safety risks.
OBJECTIVE: 1) To examine the way community pharmacists interact with Deaf and hard of hearing patients in Malaysia, and their level of comfort in such interactions. 2) To examine how comfort-levels vary by the preferred communication methods, resources and employer support.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among registered community pharmacists practicing in Malaysia. Questionnaire items included comfort-levels of community pharmacists when interacting with Deaf and hard of hearing patients, used and preferred communication methods, necessary resources, and perceived employer's level of support. Based on the list of registered pharmacies, the questionnaire with a pre-paid return envelope was mailed out while pharmacies close to the university were approached in person. This questionnaire was distributed online using Google Form. Comparisons between comfort-levels and study parameters were analyzed using independent t-tests and ANOVA.
RESULTS: A total of 297 community pharmacists responded (response rate 29.2%). Higher comfort-levels were reported in those who had received between 1 to 5 prescriptions as compared to those who did not receive prescriptions from Deaf and hard of hearing patients (MD= -0.257, SD=0.104, p=0.042). More than 80% used written information and only 3.4% had used the services of a qualified sign language interpreter throughout their community pharmacist career. Significantly lower comfort-levels (p=0.0004) were reported in community pharmacists who perceived training in sign language as a necessity to interact with Deaf and hard of hearing patients (M=3.6, SD=0.9) versus those who were not interested in sign language training (M=3.8, SD=0.6).
CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that community pharmacists were neither extremely comfortable nor averse when interacting with Deaf and hard of hearing patients. The lack of significant findings in terms of comfort-levels may indicate other potential drivers for their choice of communication method when interacting with Deaf and hard of hearing patients.
Fulltext Biological Activities of Snowdrop (Galanthus spp., Family Amaryllidaceae)

Kong CK, Low LE, Siew WS, Yap WH, Khaw KY, Ming LC, et al.

Front Pharmacol, 2020;11:552453.
PMID: 33679383 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.552453

Snowdrop is an iconic early spring flowering plant of the genus Galanthus (Amaryllidaceae). Galanthus species (Galanthus spp.) are economically important plants as ornaments. Galanthus spp has gained significance scientific and commercial interest due to the discovery of Galanthamine as symptomatic treatment drug for Alzhiermer disease. This review aims to discuss the bioactivities of Galanthus spp including anticholinesterase, antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer potential of the extracts and chemical constituents of Galanthus spp. This review highlights that Galanthus spp. as the exciting sources for drug discovery and nutraceutical development.