METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 231 market workers and food handlers in wet markets and food premises from two localities in central Malaysia. Respondents' background information was obtained using a questionnaire. Serum samples were tested for leptospiral antibodies using ELISA and microscopic agglutination test (MAT).
RESULTS: Seroprevalence of leptospirosis among healthy workers was 46.3%. Detection of seropositivity was higher by MAT (46%) than ELISA (15%). We observed high seropositivity among local workers (49%), food handlers (49.5%), females (60.8%) and those aged 34 years and older (46.3%). Local strain LEP175 was the predominant serovar, followed by WHO strain Patoc.
CONCLUSION: Overall seroprevalence among healthy food handlers and market workers was high in this study. The workplace places susceptible individuals at risk of leptospirosis.
METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in five well-known academic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, and the Cochrane Library) up to July 1, 2023. The literature screening criteria included: (1) studies involving healthy athletes, (2) a HIFT program, (3) an assessment of outcomes related to athletes' physical fitness or sport-specific performance, and (4) the inclusion of randomized controlled trials. The Physical Therapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was used to evaluate the quality of studies included in the meta-analysis.
RESULTS: 13 medium- and high-quality studies met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review, involving 478 athletes aged between 10 and 24.5 years. The training showed a small to large effect size (ES = 0.414-3.351; all p < 0.05) in improving upper and lower body muscle strength, power, flexibility, and sport-specific performance.
CONCLUSION: High-intensity functional training effectively improves athletes' muscle strength, power, flexibility, and sport-specific performance but has no significant impact on endurance and agility. Future research is needed to explore the impact of high-intensity functional training on athletes' speed, balance, and technical and tactical performance parameters.
DESIGN: A quasi-experimental and longitudinal study was conducted among mothers with premature infants.
METHODS: Forty-eight mother-infant dyads were enrolled per arm in the control and experimental groups. The control group received standard routine care, while the experimental group received a maternal kangaroo care education program. Data were collected through self-administered Kangaroo Care Questionnaires. Chi-square, the general linear model and repeated measures ANOVA were used to analyse data.
RESULTS: The demographics are a majority of Malay mothers with multipara, a caesarean delivery with prematurity. At 3 months post-intervention, the experimental group reported a significant reduction in stress, a positive perception and good knowledge towards kangaroo care implementation. The mothers' perceived barriers towards kangaroo care significantly decreased after 3 months in the experimental group.
RESULTS: Doping of a minute fraction of iron(III) salt (0.5 mol%) in a volatile solvent (ethanol) was carried out via the sol-gel technique. Fe3O4 was further calcined at various temperatures (in the range of 500-700 °C) to evaluate the thermal stability of the Fe3O4 nanoporous oxidizer nanoparticles. The physicochemical properties of the samples were characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and UV-Visible spectroscopy techniques. XRD results revealed that the nanoparticles framework of Fe3O4 was maintained well up to 650 °C by the Fe dopant. UV-Vis results suggested that absorption property of combination Fe3O4/CNTs nanopowder by PLAL was enhanced and the band gap is reduced into 2.0 eV.
CONCLUSIONS: Density functional theory (DFT) studies emphasize the introduction of Fe+ and Fe2+ ions by replacing other ions in the CNT lattice, therefore creating oxygen vacancies. These further promoted anti-microbial efficiency. A significantly high bacterial inactivation that indicates results was evaluated and that the mean estimations of restraint were determined from triple assessment in every appraisal at 400 ml which represent the best anti-bacterial action against gram-positive and gram-negative microbes.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: This longitudinal quasi-experimental study with pre- and post-intervention design involved 96 infants born between 28 and 37 weeks of gestation for three months, and was carried out at a neonatal intensive care unit in Malaysia. The experimental group received a structured education program and careful monitoring of their kangaroo care practices, while the control group received routine care without a structured education program. The institutional review board approved the study design and registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04926402).
RESULTS: The kangaroo care hours performed by mothers at baseline in the experimental and control group was 4.12 and 0.55 hours per week, respectively. At three months post-discharge, the experimental group had significantly higher weight gain, higher breastfeeding rates and shorter lengths of hospitalization than the control group.
CONCLUSION: A locally contextualized and structured kangaroo care education program is effective in the performance of kangaroo care. One hour per day of kangaroo care is positively associated with an extended period of breastfeeding, improved weight gain and shorter hospitalization of premature infants.
METHODS: The study was conducted in a Malaysian tertiary hospital for a period of 1 year. Forty pregnant women with IDA between 24 and 38 weeks of gestation were randomized into two groups receiving treatment with either ISC or LMWID.
RESULTS: No significant difference was found between the groups in terms of demographic data, parity, and mean gestational age. A mean total of 835 ± 150 mg doses of ISC and 656 ± 382 mg doses of LMWID were administered (P = 0.0001). Adverse events were reported in five patients who received LMWID and none in those treated with ISC (P = 0.024). The mean hemoglobin (Hb) level increment 2 weeks post treatment was higher among those who received ISC than in those who received LMWID. The ISC group demonstrated an increase of 1.91 ± 1.10 g/dL (from 8.43 ± 1.03 g/dL to 10.29 ± 0.90 g/dL) compared with the LMWID group at 1.39 ± 0.54 g/dL (from 8.61 ± 0.70 g/dL to 9.92 ± 0.88 g/dL, P = 0.023). All participants in both groups delivered at term. The estimated blood loss during delivery was significantly higher in the LMWID group (359 ± 247 mL) than in the ISC group (280 ± 100 mL, P = 0.026). Otherwise, no significant difference was observed in terms of Hb level during delivery and the perinatal outcomes for both groups.
CONCLUSION: Parenteral ISC is more effective than LMWID in treating maternal IDA, and it is associated with fewer adverse events.
METHODS: This study followed the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). A systematic search of electronic databases was also conducted, including EBSCOhost, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, Google Scholar, and Wanfang. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was an effective indicator to evaluate the quality of studies included in the systematic review.
RESULTS: This systematic review included 474 participants aged 8-24 years old. The intervention period for most studies was 12 weeks. Among the included studies, 6 focused on muscle strength, 4 on jumping performance, and 11 on functional movement screen.
CONCLUSION: These articles have been analysed, and the positive impact of functional training interventions on muscle strength, jumping, and functional movement screen of wushu athletes has been verified.
METHODS: The rank-sum ratio (RSR) was employed to evaluate the attack, defense, and overall attacking and defensive performance between the top and bottom teams during the 2019 Men's Basketball World Cup. Additionally, an independent sample T-test was conducted to test the difference in performance indicators of attack and defense between the top eight and bottom eight teams. Spearman Rho Correlation was conducted to determine the relationship between the attacking and defensive RSR value and the final competition ranking at the 0.05 confidence level. Pearson Correlation was employed to test the relationship between the performance indicators and the attacking and defensive RSR value at the 0.05 confidence level. According to Spearman and Pearson Correlation, the indicators which contributed most to the attacking and defensive performance, as well as the correlation between attack and defense and the final ranking, can thus be determined.
RESULTS: The results showed that the attacking performance of the top eight teams was far better than the bottom eight teams in terms of average points (p = 0.000), 2-point shoot percentage (p = 0.001), 3-point shoot percentage (p = 0.003), free throw percentage (p = 0.001), turnovers (p = 0.012), and assists (p = 0.000), and there was a significant difference (p < 0.05). However, second attack (p = 0.484), fast-break (p = 0.174), and offensive rebounds (p = 0.261) showed no significant difference between the two cohorts (P > 0.05), and the offensive rebounds of the bottom eight teams were better than the top eight teams. Additionally, there was a large gap between the top eight teams and the bottom eight teams in lost points (p = 0.001) and defensive rebounds (p = 0.000), with a very significant difference (p < 0.01). However, steals (p = 0.760), blocks (p = 0.166), and fouls (p = 0.686) had no significant difference between the two cohorts (P > 0.05). Additionally, there was a very significant difference between attack RSR (p = 0.000), defense RSR (p = 0.006), and the overall attack-defense RSR (p = 0.000) of the top eight and bottom eight teams (p < 0.01), and most top teams focused on developing both attack and defense and paid attention to improve the overall attacking and defensive ability. Moreover, there was a significant relationship between the overall attack-defense performance and assists (p = 0.832), rebounds (p = 0.762), turnovers (p = 0.702), 2-point shoot percentage (p = 0.704), defensive rebounds (p = 0.809), fast-break points (p = 0.577), blocks (p = 0.600), and free throw percentage (p = 0.575).
CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the top basketball teams focused on developing both attack and defense, and have the common characteristics of strong attack and defense. Whether it was the attack, defense, or overall attacking and defensive ability, there was a significant relationship with the final ranking. Additionally, this study showed that there were very significant differences in both attacking and defensive abilities between the top eight and bottom eight teams, as well as highlighted their respective advantages and disadvantages in attacking and defensive indicators. Besides that, this study found that performance indicators such as assists, defensive rebounds, 2P%, turnovers, FT%, fast-breaks, and blocks were the main factors that distinguish the top and bottom teams, and they had a significant relationship with overall attacking and defensive performance. The above information allows coaches and players to learn the latest developments in competitive basketball, as well as their advantages and disadvantages, to help them organize targeted training in the future.