Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 666 in total

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  1. Ab Murat, N.
    Ann Dent, 2008;15(2):71-76.
    MyJurnal
    Teaching is a complex activity which consists not only of giving instructions but also promotion of learning. Different students have different preference for learning styles. Dental educators must therefore attempt to mix and match their methods of teaching to accommodate students with differing learning styles to provide an opportunity to maximize their learning. This paper aims to share the writer's experience and students' perceptions towards a different mode of teaching/learning method. The Jigsaw Classroom method was employed on University of Malaya's third-year dental students during their Water Fluoridation lecture. At the end of the session, students were asked to reflect upon the learning experience and to inscribe their feelings. Initially, students showed their resentment towards the new learning style but their resistance changed once they got into a group and started to learn from each other. In the reflective essay, most students expressed that learning through teaching and discussing as required in the Jigsaw method enhanced their understanding of the topic and they claimed that they were able to retain the information better. In this study, the Jigsaw method proved that learning in the lecture hall can be fun, educational and enriching.
    Matched MeSH terms: Perception
  2. Ismail FF, Mohamed Noor Z, Muda SM, Ab Rahman NS
    J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2020 Nov;12(Suppl 2):S681-S690.
    PMID: 33828361 DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.JPBS_383_19
    Context: The attitude of healthcare professionals and social supports give big influence toward self-esteem of physically disabled people.

    Aims: To explore how impairments could affect the self-esteem of physically disabled people and how healthcare professionals and social support boost their self-esteem.

    Materials and Methods: This study was conducted qualitatively whereby face-to-face interviews were conducted among 10 participants with physical disabilities. Participants were recruited from two rehabilitation centres in Kuantan, namely Community-based rehabilitation and rehabilitation, occupational therapy, and physiotherapy of public hospital in Kuantan. Interviews were conducted using the developed interview guide that explored on the disabled peoples' self-esteem and motivation, feelings toward attitude of the healthcare professionals, and satisfaction toward the physical, services, and social support from the healthcare professionals. Thematic analysis was done to identify the themes emerged from the interview transcripts.

    Results: Five males and five females with age ranging from 31 to 58 years were interviewed. Five are still working or studying post impairments. Participants claimed being low self-esteem resulted from negative perception from the society, issue of rejection, being discriminated, and difficulty in getting support from the society. Most of the participants asserted that they gained their motivation and self-esteem due to the continuous support from various groups, such as their spouses, family members, colleagues, employers, and healthcare professionals.

    Conclusions: Despite heavy workload and stressful working environment, positive attitude showed by the healthcare professionals is highly praised. Hence, this will indirectly improve the self-esteem, motivation, and rehabilitation progress of physically disabled people.

    Matched MeSH terms: Perception
  3. Mohamad Ishak NN, Jamani NA, Mohd Arifin SR, Abdul Hadi A, Abd Aziz KH
    Malays Fam Physician, 2021 Mar 25;16(1):84-92.
    PMID: 33948146 DOI: 10.51866/oa1098
    Background: Menopause signifies the beginning of a non-reproductive phase from the reproductive period. Although it is considered a natural life transition, recent studies have indicated that a woman's menopausal experience may impact her quality of life. While studies have examined Malaysian women's knowledge and awareness of menopause, they have focused on the prevalence of menopausal symptoms and sociocultural aspects. These investigations also used a quantitative design that may have limited the information regarding the nature and experience of menopause. Objectives: This study explores women's perceptions and understanding of their menopausal experience.

    Methods: A total of 20 menopausal women were recruited using purposive sampling through social media in the state of Pahang, Malaysia. In-depth semi-structured interviews were used to explore how they perceived their menopausal experience. The data were then analyzed using thematic analysis.

    Results: Three themes that emerged from the findings included perceptions of menopause, biopsychosocial changes and help-seeking behavior. For many Muslim women, menopause was perceived as a time for them to engage in religious commitment more than they had before.

    Conclusion: The study findings uncovered a knowledge gap and a lack of support for women impacted by menopause. Muslim women regarded their menopause phase as a time for them to engage in religious duty fully. These results indicate the need for a psychosocial intervention and educational program to ensure women a better transition throughout their menopausal phase.

    Matched MeSH terms: Perception
  4. Wan Abdul Hamed WN, Abd Aziz NA
    J Prim Care Community Health, 2020 2 14;11:2150132720907472.
    PMID: 32052684 DOI: 10.1177/2150132720907472
    Perception of body weight has been recognized as an important barrier in the adoption of healthy lifestyles. Several factors affect perception of body weight, but the outcomes have been varied. This study aimed to study the perception and misperception of body weight and its association with the measured body mass index. A clinic-based cross-sectional study was done in the clinic using systematic sampling. Data were collected by using a self-administered questionnaire consisting of the sociodemographic profile, body weight perception question adopted from Weight Management Questionnaire and Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) 1991-2017. The prevalence of body weight misperception in the sample population was 58.6%. Most of the respondents were overweight (33.9%) and obese (33.9%). Respondents aged 25 years and older were 2.98 times more likely to have misperception compared with other age groups (95% CI: 1.21-3.19, P = .006). Divorced respondents were 4.70 times more likely to have body misperception compared with married respondents (95% CI 1.44-15.32, P = 0.01). This study showed that misperception of body weight could be influenced by reversible factors and measured body mass index. Hence, the rectification of these misperceptions is important in the clinical setting especially in these vulnerable groups of respondents.
    Matched MeSH terms: Weight Perception*
  5. Mohamad, M., Yusoff, A.N., Mukari, S.Z.M., Abdullah, A., Abd Hamid, A.I.
    MyJurnal
    This study was carried out to investigate the effects of noisy background on brain activation during a working memory task. Fourteen healthy male subjects underwent silent functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scans while listening to words presented verbally against quiet (WIS) and noisy (WIN) backgrounds. The stimuli were binaurally presented to the subjects at 70 dB sound pressure level (SPL) in both conditions. Group results indicated significant (p < 0.001) bilateral widespread of brain activations in the primary auditory cortex, superior temporal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus and inferior parietal lobes during WIS. Additional significant activation was observed in the middle cingulate cortex and anterior cingulate cortex during WIN, suggesting the involvement of cingulate cortex in working memory processing against a noisy background. The mean percentage of signal change in all regions was higher during WIN as compared to WIS. Right hemispheric predominance was observed for both conditions in primary auditory cortex and middle frontal gyrus and this could be attributed to the increased difficulty of the tasks. The results obtained from this study demonstrated that background noise increased task demand and difficulty. Task demand was found to play an important role in determining the activation magnitude in the brain areas during working memory task.
    Matched MeSH terms: Auditory Perception
  6. Yusuf, A.N., Abdul Hamid, K., Mohamad, M., Abd hamid, A.I.
    Medicine & Health, 2008;3(2):300-317.
    MyJurnal
    In this study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is used to investigate func-tional specialisation in human auditory cortices during listening. A silent fMRI paradigm was used to reduce the scanner sound artefacts on functional images. The subject was instructed to pay attention to the white noise stimulus binaurally given at an inten-sity level of 70 dB higher than the hearing level for normal people. Functional speciali-sation was studied using the Matlab-based Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM5) software by means of fixed effects (FFX), random effects (RFX) and conjunction analyses. Individual analyses on all subjects indicated asymmetrical bilateral activation of the left and right hemispheres in Brodmann areas (BA) 22, 41 and 42, involving the primary and secondary auditory cortices. The percentage of signal change is larger in the BA22, 41 and 42 on the right as compared to the ones on the left (p>0.05). The average number of activated voxels in all the respective Brodmann areas are higher in the right hemisphere than in the left (p>0.05). FFX results showed that the point of maximum intensity was in the right BA41 whereby 599±1 activated voxels were ob-served in the right temporal lobe as compared to 485±1 in the left temporal lobe. The RFX results were consistent with that of FFX. The analysis of conjunction which fol-lowed, showed that the right BA41 and left BA22 as the common activated areas in all subjects. The results confirmed the specialisation of the right auditory cortices in pro-cessing non verbal stimuli.
    Matched MeSH terms: Auditory Perception
  7. Abd-Manan F
    Malays J Med Sci, 2000 Jul;7(2):18-26.
    PMID: 22977386 MyJurnal
    Previous studies have shown that stress on the vergence and accommodation systems, either artificially induced or naturally occurring, results in small misalignment of the visual axes, reduces binocular visual acuity and produces symptoms of ocular discomfort. This study examines the effect of artificially induced visual stress using ophthalmic prisms on three dimensional perception on 30 optometry students ages ranging from 19 to 29 years old. 6D base-in prisms, equally divided between the eyes (3D base-in each) was used to induce stress on the visual system producing misalignment of visual axes known as fixation disparity. The fixation disparity is quantified using near vision Mallett Unit and an enlarged scaled diagram. Stereoscopic perception was measured with the TNO test, with and without the presence of stress and the results was compared. Wilcoxon's matched pair ranked tests show statistically significant difference in the stereo thresholds of both conditions, p = 0.01 for advancing stereopsis and p = 0.01 for receding stereopsis, respectively. The study concludes that visual stress induced by prisms, produce misalignment of the visual axes and thus reduces three dimensional performance.
    Matched MeSH terms: Depth Perception
  8. Jamani NA, Said AH, AbdAziz KH, AbdRahman MA
    Med J Malaysia, 2020 03;75(2):158-163.
    PMID: 32281598
    OBJECTIVES: Body weight perception may determine the practice of proper weight management. The objective of this study was to measure the agreement between body weight perception and actual body weight status and its associated factors among late adolescents in Kuantan, Malaysia.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to October 2018 among 479 adolescents aged 17-19 years old from seven institutions of higher learning in Kuantan. Body weight status was described as body mass index (BMI). Weight and height were measured, and BMI was calculated. Validated, self-administered Figure Rating Scale (FRS) questionnaires were used. Agreement between BMI and body weight perception was calculated using Kappa statistics. Logistic regression was employed to examine the association between body weight perception and sociodemographic variables.

    RESULTS: More than one-third (35.3%) of the respondents misjudged their own body weight. More than one third of the respondents (38.7%) who were underweight, misperceived themselves as having normal weight whilst 31.7% of obese respondents identified themselves as overweight. The agreement between body weight perception and body mass index was moderate (k0.46, p<0.01).

    CONCLUSION: Body weight perception was in moderate agreement with actual weight in late adolescents. Accurate body weight perception is an important factor in late adolescent's weight management behaviour. Hence, health education related to body weight management should be emphasized among this age group.

    Matched MeSH terms: Perception*
  9. Kwang NB, Yee CM, Shan LP, Teik CK, Chandralega KN, Abdul Kadir AK
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2014;15(21):9117-23.
    PMID: 25422188
    BACKGROUND: To evaluate the knowledge, perception and attitudes towards human papilloma virus (HPV) among pre-university students in Malaysia.

    STUDY DESIGN: In this cross sectional study, between November 2013 to March 2014, in a public university, a convenient sampling method was used. A total of 716 respondents were recruited and interviewed with a set of standard questionnaires for assessment of knowledge, perception and attitudes towards HPV and predictor variables associated with level of knowledge.

    RESULTS: Almost half (48.9%) of the respondents scored less than 5 and were categorised as having poor knowledge. Three hundred and twelve (43.6%) respondents had moderate knowledge and only 54 (7.5%) respondents exhibited good knowledge with the score of 11 and above. Only 142 (20%) students perceived themselves to be vulnerable to HPV infection though 560 (78.2%) students thought that HPV infection is a serious disease. Perceived benefits and desire to be vaccinated were significantly associated with gender (p=0.000) and knowledge of HPV vaccine and cervical cancer (p=0.000).

    CONCLUSIONS: The level of knowledge regarding HPV among the pre-university students was low. However, student intention for vaccination increased with increasing level of knowledge. Thus, efforts to improve knowledge and awareness should be prioritised to increase uptake of the HPV vaccination programme and hence reduce morbidity and mortality from consequences of HPV infection, including cervical carcinoma.

    Matched MeSH terms: Perception
  10. Zafar R, Malik AS, Kamel N, Dass SC, Abdullah JM, Reza F, et al.
    J Integr Neurosci, 2015 Jun;14(2):155-68.
    PMID: 25939499 DOI: 10.1142/S0219635215500089
    Brain is the command center for the body and contains a lot of information which can be extracted by using different non-invasive techniques. Electroencephalography (EEG), Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are the most common neuroimaging techniques to elicit brain behavior. By using these techniques different activity patterns can be measured within the brain to decode the content of mental processes especially the visual and auditory content. This paper discusses the models and imaging techniques used in visual decoding to investigate the different conditions of brain along with recent advancements in brain decoding. This paper concludes that it's not possible to extract all the information from the brain, however careful experimentation, interpretation and powerful statistical tools can be used with the neuroimaging techniques for better results.
    Matched MeSH terms: Visual Perception
  11. Ramli HA, Moey SF, Abdul Mutalib AM
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2019 06 01;20(6):1913-1920.
    PMID: 31244318 DOI: 10.31557/APJCP.2019.20.6.1913
    Background: Breast cancer (BC) awareness is relatively poor among Malaysian women indicated by the presence of BC at a late stage and the low rate of mammography screening. Only a few theoretically based studies have been conducted on Malaysian women’s participation in mammography. Therefore, the objective of this study is to use health belief model (HBM) and stage of change model (SCM) to determine the relationship between health beliefs on the behavioral adoption of mammography amongst women in Kuantan, Pahang. Methods: Five hundred and twenty women were randomly selected to complete the survey. Data were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression (MLR) to ascertain the multivariate relationships between health beliefs and stage of mammography behavioral adoption. Results:
    The MLR test indicates that there is no significant difference in perceived severity, benefits, motivator factors and cues to action between participants in the action stage and the maintenance stage. However, significant differences existed in perceived severity, susceptibility, motivator factors and self-efficacy between the pre-contemplation, relapse and contemplation stage to that of the referenced (maintenance) stage of mammography adoption. Conclusion: Women in the action stage are more likely to progress towards maintenance stage as they perceived breast cancer as a disease that leads to death and that mammogram screening is beneficial in detecting the disease at an early stage. However, women in the pre-contemplation, relapse and contemplation stage are found unlikely to move towards the maintenance stage as they perceived their risk of getting breast cancer is low.
    Matched MeSH terms: Perception
  12. Dellemin NA, Zahari Z, Ahmad Hassali MA, Abdul Rashid S
    J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2020 10 08;12(4):428-435.
    PMID: 33679089 DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.JPBS_247_19
    Introduction: National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency, Ministry of Health Malaysia has received 1018 adverse drug reaction reports related to paracetamol with 1972 adverse events from the year 2000 to February 2015. Serious skin reactions including Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis, and acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis may develop as a result of allergic reactions of paracetamol. This study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire regarding Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception towards Allergic Reactions of Paracetamol (KAP-ARP) among the general population.

    Materials and Methods: Content and face validity of the KAP-ARP were determined by four experts and 20 respondents, respectively. A questionnaire with 36 items, consisting of 16 Knowledge, 9 Attitude, and 11 Perception items, was distributed to 177 respondents. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed for construct validity. Cronbach's alpha was used to determine the reliability of the questionnaire.

    Results: EFA constructed 13 Knowledge, 8 Attitude, and 8 Perception items. The final KAP-ARP questionnaire is reliable based on its internal consistency reliability (Knowledge: α = 0.78; Attitude: α = 0.63; Perception: α = 0.70).

    Conclusion: A valid and reliable questionnaire that is useful for measuring KAP-ARP among the general population has been developed.

    Matched MeSH terms: Perception
  13. Quar TK, Soli SD, Chan YF, Ishak WS, Abdul Wahat NH
    Int J Audiol, 2017 02;56(2):92-98.
    PMID: 27686009 DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2016.1210828
    OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to evaluate the speech perception of Malaysian Chinese adults using the Taiwanese Mandarin HINT (MHINT-T) and the Malay HINT (MyHINT).

    DESIGN: The MHINT-T and the MyHINT were presented in quiet and noise (front, right and left) conditions under headphones. Results for the two tests were compared with each other and with the norms for each test.

    STUDY SAMPLE: Malaysian Chinese native speakers of Mandarin (N = 58), 18-31 years of age with normal hearing.

    RESULTS: On average, subjects demonstrated poorer speech perception ability than the normative samples for these tests. Repeated measures ANOVA showed that speech reception thresholds (SRTs) were slightly poorer on the MHINT-T than on the MyHINT for all test conditions. However, normalized SRTs were poorer by 0.6 standard deviations for MyHINT as compared with MHINT-T.

    CONCLUSIONS: MyHINT and MHINT-T can be used as norm-referenced speech perception measures for Mandarin-speaking Chinese in Malaysia.

    Matched MeSH terms: Speech Perception*
  14. Zakaria MN, Tahir A, Zainun Z, Salim R, Mohd Sakeri NS, Abdul Wahat NH
    Acta Otolaryngol, 2021 Jan;141(1):62-65.
    PMID: 32957810 DOI: 10.1080/00016489.2020.1817552
    BACKGROUND: The graviceptive otolith function can be measured using subjective visual horizontal (SVH) testing. Nevertheless, more research efforts are required to understand the essential variables affecting SVH.

    OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of type of visual image and gender on subjective visual horizontal (SVH) perception among healthy adults.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this comparative study, 50 healthy young adults were enrolled. While in an upright body position, they were required to report their perception of horizontality for two types of visual images (solid line and arrow pattern) using a computerized SVH device.

    RESULTS: The arrow pattern produced significantly bigger SVH angles than the solid line (p < .001). In contrast, no significant influence of gender was found on SVH results (p = .743), Based on the statistical outcomes, the preliminary normative data for SVH were established.

    CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: The arrow pattern (a more complex visual image) produced bigger SVH deviations than the simple solid line image. In contrast, the horizontality perception does not appear to be affected by gender. The preliminary normative SVH data gathered from the present study can be beneficial for clinical and future research applications.

    Matched MeSH terms: Space Perception/physiology*; Visual Perception/physiology*
  15. Rozali MA, Abd Rahman NS, Sulaiman H, Abd Rahman AN, Atiya N, Wan Mat WR, et al.
    J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2020 Nov;12(Suppl 2):S804-S809.
    PMID: 33828380 DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.JPBS_266_19
    Introduction: Approach to managing infection in the intensive care unit (ICU) often varies between institutions and not many readily adapt to available local guidelines despite it was constructed to suite local clinical scenario. Malaysia already has two published guidelines on managing infection in the ICU but data on its compliance are largely unknown.

    Objectives: A cross-sectional survey was carried out and sent to a total of 868 specialists working primarily in the ICU. The aim of this study was to explore knowledge, perception, and the antibiotic prescribing practice among specialists and advanced trainees in Malaysian ICU.

    Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was used, consisted of three sections: knowledge, perception, and antibiotic prescribing practice in ICU. Three case vignettes on hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), infected necrotizing pancreatitis (INP), and catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) were used to explore antibiotic prescribing practice.

    Results: A total of 868 eligible subjects were approached with 104 responded to the survey. Three hundred eighty-nine antibiotics were chosen from seven different classes in the case vignettes. All respondents acknowledged the importance of pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) in antibiotic optimization and majority (97.2%) perceived that current dosing is inadequate to achieve optimal PK/PD target in ICU patients. Majority (85.6%) believed that antibiotic dose should be streamlined to the organisms' minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). In terms of knowledge, only 64.4% provided the correct correlations between antibiotics and their respective PK/PD targets. Compliance rates in terms of antibiotic choices were at 79.8%, 77.8%, and 27.9% for HAI, INP, and CRBSI, respectively.

    Conclusion: Malaysian physicians are receptive to use PK/PD approach to optimize antibiotic dosing in ICU patients. Nonetheless, there are still gaps in the knowledge of antibiotic PK/PD as well as its application in the critically ill, especially for β-lactams.

    Matched MeSH terms: Perception
  16. Lee K, Abdul Fatah AA, Mohd Norizan N, Jefrey Z, Md Nawi FH, Wan Nor WFK, et al.
    PLoS One, 2019;14(6):e0218428.
    PMID: 31211821 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218428
    The topcoat color of motor vehicles offers vital information while investigating vehicular accidents, especially in instance of hit-and-run, since witnesses seldom perceive and retain the plate details. Differences in color perceptions among individuals with normal vision may lead to confusion in determining the color of the car involved. In this way, witnesses of crash accidents could potentially initiate flawed leads in forensic investigation, and thus affect the administration of justice. In this study, the inter-rater reliability of vehicle color determination by different volunteers was explored. Six individuals observed the topcoat colors of 500 stationary and 500 moving vehicles from five locations, employing a common system of color gradation. The outcome was binary: the vehicle color was either a "match" or "non-match". This was followed by statistical analysis in terms of the colors' frequencies and inter-rater reliability, based on which more suitable color descriptions were determined for subsequent comparisons of stationary and moving vehicles. Higher match frequencies and greater inter-rater reliability were observed when color gradations were disregarded. The frequency of correct matches could have been closely related to their relative on-the-road distribution, regardless of the statuses of observed vehicles. It was also found that black and white were associated with a greater number of matches than were intermediate colors, which should be carefully interpreted during forensic investigation to avoid wrong leads. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated the forensic significance of vehicle topcoat color determination, particularly in cases where witness statements are crucial.
    Matched MeSH terms: Color Perception
  17. Javed E, Faye I, Malik AS, Abdullah JM
    J Neurosci Methods, 2017 11 01;291:150-165.
    PMID: 28842191 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2017.08.020
    BACKGROUND: Simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI) acquisitions provide better insight into brain dynamics. Some artefacts due to simultaneous acquisition pose a threat to the quality of the data. One such problematic artefact is the ballistocardiogram (BCG) artefact.

    METHODS: We developed a hybrid algorithm that combines features of empirical mode decomposition (EMD) with principal component analysis (PCA) to reduce the BCG artefact. The algorithm does not require extra electrocardiogram (ECG) or electrooculogram (EOG) recordings to extract the BCG artefact.

    RESULTS: The method was tested with both simulated and real EEG data of 11 participants. From the simulated data, the similarity index between the extracted BCG and the simulated BCG showed the effectiveness of the proposed method in BCG removal. On the other hand, real data were recorded with two conditions, i.e. resting state (eyes closed dataset) and task influenced (event-related potentials (ERPs) dataset). Using qualitative (visual inspection) and quantitative (similarity index, improved normalized power spectrum (INPS) ratio, power spectrum, sample entropy (SE)) evaluation parameters, the assessment results showed that the proposed method can efficiently reduce the BCG artefact while preserving the neuronal signals.

    COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: Compared with conventional methods, namely, average artefact subtraction (AAS), optimal basis set (OBS) and combined independent component analysis and principal component analysis (ICA-PCA), the statistical analyses of the results showed that the proposed method has better performance, and the differences were significant for all quantitative parameters except for the power and sample entropy.

    CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method does not require any reference signal, prior information or assumption to extract the BCG artefact. It will be very useful in circumstances where the reference signal is not available.

    Matched MeSH terms: Motion Perception/physiology; Visual Perception/physiology
  18. Lei CP, Har YC, Abdullah KL
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2011;12(3):797-802.
    PMID: 21627386
    BACKGROUND: Cancer and chemotherapy are sources of anxiety and worry for cancer patients. Information provision is therefore very important to empower them to overcome and adjust to the stressful experience. Thus, nurses should be aware of the informational needs of the patients throughout the course of their care.
    PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to identify the important information required by breast cancer patients during the first and fourth cycles of chemotherapy from both the patients' and nurses' perceptions.
    METHODOLOGY: This is a longitudinal study used a questionnaire adapted from the Toronto Informational Needs Questionnaires-Breast Cancer (TINQ-BC). Some modifications were made to meet the specific objectives of the study. The study was conducted in the Chemotherapy Day Care at the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Malaysia. A total of 169 breast cancer patients who met the inclusion criteria, and 39 nurses who were involved in their care were recruited into the study.
    RESULTS: The overall mean scores at first and fourth cycle of chemotherapy were 3.91 and 3.85 respectively: i.e., between 3 (or important) and 4 (or very important), which indicated a high level of informational needs. There was no significant difference in information needed by the breast cancer patients between the two cycles of chemotherapy (p=0.402). The most important information was from the subscale of disease, followed closely by treatment, physical care, investigative tests and psychosocial needs. Nurses had different views on the important information needed by breast cancer patients at both time points (p = 0.023).
    CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancer patients on chemotherapy have high levels of informational needs with no significant differences in information needed at first cycle as opposed to fourth cycle. There were differences between the perceptions of the breast cancer patients and the nurses on important information needed. A paradigm shift, with an emphasis on patients as the central focus, is needed to enhance the information giving sessions conducted by nurses based on the perceptions of the patients themselves.
    Matched MeSH terms: Perception
  19. Akoi C, Rahman MM, Abdullah MS
    Int J Public Health Res, 2013;3(1):236-240.
    MyJurnal
    Medication adherence is very important for the effective treatment or control of various health problems, including chronic disease like diabetes mellitus (DM). However, medication non-adherence among diabetic patients on follow-up treatment is still a global health problem. This study aimed to identify factors associated with medication adherence and to determine methods on how it could be improved. A cross-sectional study was conducted on medication adherence among Malays, Iban and Melanau ethnic groups in Kota Samarahan and Sarikei, Sarawak using the Health Belief Model framework. Interviews with questionnaires, which were tested for its validity and reliability using the Cronbach’s Alpha, were conducted to collect data on the respondent’s socio-demographic and economic characteristics, and health beliefs of 442 respondents. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 17.0 for frequency distribution, measures of central tendencies, significance testing and logistic regression. The medication adherence rates were low in terms of all the treatment indicators such as amount of medication (31.7%), frequency (38.9%), duration (26%), and follow-up treatment (24.2%). The respondent’s socio-economic and economic characteristics have statistically significant association with medication adherence. The respondents adhered towards medication because they believed in its benefits. They also took their medication because they believed in the severity of DM and their susceptibility to its serious complications. The cues to action (medication taking) such as worrying about their socio-economic well-being, effectiveness of medication, and health campaign on diabetic control have influenced medication adherence. However, forgetfulness, distance of clinic, and costs of transport have caused medication non-adherence. The respondent's health beliefs in the benefits of taking medication, perceived severity and susceptibility to DM and its serious complications have contributed towards medication adherence. Their concerns about the socio-economic well-being, effectiveness of medication, and health campaign on diabetic control were positive cues to medication taking behavior. Therefore, modifying the respondent's related health beliefs and reinforcing the positive cues to actions are the relevant intervention strategies that could be used in improving medication adherence among diabetic patients.
    Matched MeSH terms: Perception
  20. Tamrin NAM, Zainudin R, Esa Y, Alias H, Isa MNM, Croft L, et al.
    Animals (Basel), 2020 Dec 10;10(12).
    PMID: 33321745 DOI: 10.3390/ani10122359
    Taste perception is an essential function that provides valuable dietary and sensory information, which is crucial for the survival of animals. Studies into the evolution of the sweet taste receptor gene (TAS1R2) are scarce, especially for Bornean endemic primates such as Nasalis larvatus (proboscis monkey), Pongo pygmaeus (Bornean orangutan), and Hylobates muelleri (Muller's Bornean gibbon). Primates are the perfect taxa to study as they are diverse dietary feeders, comprising specialist folivores, frugivores, gummivores, herbivores, and omnivores. We constructed phylogenetic trees of the TAS1R2 gene for 20 species of anthropoid primates using four different methods (neighbor-joining, maximum parsimony, maximum-likelihood, and Bayesian) and also established the time divergence of the phylogeny. The phylogeny successfully separated the primates into their taxonomic groups as well as by their dietary preferences. Of note, the reviewed time of divergence estimation for the primate speciation pattern in this study was more recent than the previously published estimates. It is believed that this difference may be due to environmental changes, such as food scarcity and climate change, during the late Miocene epoch, which forced primates to change their dietary preferences. These findings provide a starting point for further investigation.
    Matched MeSH terms: Taste Perception
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