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  1. A Azizi, HM Rafidah
    MyJurnal
    Individuals with metabolic syndrome are at increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and clinical characteristics in hypertensive patients according to the criteria of the new International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition. Hypertensive patients were recruited from the Medical Out-Patient Department, Kuantan Hospital. The five components of metabolic syndrome were examined which included blood pressure (≥130/85 mmHg), fasting glucose (≥5.6mmol/L), fasting triglycerides (≥1.7 mmol/L), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level (80cm). Out of 139 hypertensive patients, there were 113 met all the selection criteria consisted of 61 male and 52 female subjects. The participants’ age ranged from 21 to 91 years (51.9±16.8 years; mean±SD), and body mass index 13.5-42.3 kg/m2 (27.5±4.9 kg/m2). According to the IDF criteria, the prevalence of central obesity was 67.2% in men and 84.6% in women. Among the 113 hypertensive subjects over 21 years of age, 51 subjects or 45.1% had metabolic syndrome. The present data revealed that there was high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Malaysian hypertensive subjects. This finding was supported by the fact of high prevalence of central obesity among the study subjects.
    Study site: Medical clinic, Hospital Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia
    Matched MeSH terms: Female; Male
  2. A Hamid MS, Mohamed Ali MR, Yusof A, George J, Lee LP
    Am J Sports Med, 2014 Oct;42(10):2410-8.
    PMID: 25073598 DOI: 10.1177/0363546514541540
    BACKGROUND: A hamstring injury is one of the most common types of injury affecting athletes. Despite this, the optimal management of hamstring muscle injuries is not yet defined. The effect of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy on the recovery of hamstring injuries is unclear.
    PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of a single PRP injection in the treatment of grade 2 hamstring muscle injuries.
    STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 2.
    METHODS: Twenty-eight patients diagnosed with an acute hamstring injury were randomly allocated to autologous PRP therapy combined with a rehabilitation program or a rehabilitation program only. The primary outcome of this study was time to return to play. In addition, changes in pain severity and pain interference scores over time were examined.
    RESULTS: Patients in the PRP group achieved full recovery significantly earlier than controls (P = .02). The mean time to return to play was 26.7 ± 7.0 days and 42.5 ± 20.6 days for the PRP and control groups, respectively (t(22) = 2.50, P = .02). [corrected]. Significantly lower pain severity scores were observed in the PRP group throughout the study. However, no significant difference in the pain interference score was found between the 2 groups.
    CONCLUSION: A single autologous PRP injection combined with a rehabilitation program was significantly more effective in treating hamstring injuries than a rehabilitation program alone.
    KEYWORDS: management; muscle injury; platelet-rich plasma (PRP); return to play
    Matched MeSH terms: Female; Male
  3. A MH, C A R N, S M C, S R, P M, R H WS, et al.
    PLoS One, 2023;18(7):e0288325.
    PMID: 37459344 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288325
    INTRODUCTION: The current and simpler healthy eating concept 'Malaysian Healthy Plate', was introduced in 2016. This study aims to determine the prevalence of ever-never heard, understanding, and practice of this concept and also the associated factors to never-heard of Malaysian Health Plate after three years of the implementation.

    METHODOLOGY: This study utilized the data from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019, a cross-sectional survey that applied two-stage stratified cluster sampling. Questionnaires pertained to ever heard, knowledge, and practised of Malaysian Healthy Plate were asked along with another questionnaire. Complex sample analysis was applied to fit with the study design.

    RESULTS: Estimated 16.9 million (79.6%) adults in Malaysia were never heard of the Malaysian Healthy Plate Concept in 2019. Never heard of this concept was significantly associated with sex (men, aOR 0.265), ethnicity (other ethnicities, aOR 1.79), an education level (no education, aOR 9.59; primary, aOR 3.50; secondary, aOR 1.70), occupation (private, aOR 2.16; self-employed, aOR 2.31; retirees, aOR 1.69; student, aOR 2.31; unpaid workers, aOA 2.35; not working, aOR 2.86), non-diabetes aOR 1.43, and low fruit and vegetable intake person aOR 1.86. Meanwhile, another 20.4% or an estimated 4.3 million adults who were ever heard of Malaysian Healthy Plate. Among those who are ever heard, 80.8% (3.5 million) correctly interpreted or understood the concept and among those who ever heard and understood the concept, only 70.5% (2.5 million) have been practising it daily or occasionally.

    CONCLUSIONS: Four-fifth of adults never heard of the 'Malaysian Healthy Plate' and among those who ever heard, the understanding and practising of the concept were probably unsatisfactory. Multisectoral collaboration is an urge to fasten the promotion to spark awareness and educate the public to practice the concept to promote healthy eating and a healthier nation.

    Matched MeSH terms: Male
  4. A P, Bd A, Wm Z, S MN, S S, Tj TZ, et al.
    PMID: 30388737 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15112425
    BACKGROUND: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease with a worldwide distribution, especially in developing countries such as Malaysia. This study was designed to explore the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices (KABP) toward leptospirosis among the communities in northeastern Malaysia and to determine the sociodemographic factors associated with the KABP toward leptospirosis. A cross-sectional study using a stratified sampling method was conducted among 214 individuals in four locales in northeastern Malaysia.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 214 respondents in northeastern Malaysia using a multi-stage stratified random sampling method. The study population was divided into two groups based on geographical locations: urban and rural. All data were entered and analyzed using the IBM Statistics for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 software for Windows (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). The continuous variables were presented using mean and standard deviation (SD), whereas the categorical variables were described using frequency and percentage. Multiple logistic regression was performed to determine the associated factors for good KABP toward leptospirosis among the respondents.

    RESULTS: It was found that 52.8% of respondents had good knowledge, 84.6% had positive attitudes, 59.8% had positive beliefs, and 53.7% had satisfactory practices. There were no significant sociodemographic factors associated with knowledge and practice, except for educational status, which was significant in the attitude and belief domains. Those with higher education exhibited better attitudes (Odds Ratio (OR) 3.329; 95% Coefficient Interval (CI): 1.140, 9.723; p = 0.028) and beliefs (OR 3.748; 95% CI: 1.485, 9.459; p = 0.005). The communities in northeastern Malaysia generally have good knowledge and a high level of positive attitude; however, this attitude cannot be transformed into practice as the number of people with satisfactory practice habits is much lower compared to those with positive attitudes. As for the belief domain, the communities must have positive beliefs to perceive the threat of the disease.

    CONCLUSIONS: Our current health program on preventing leptospirosis is good in creating awareness and a positive attitude among the communities, but is not sufficient in promoting satisfactory practice habits. In conclusion, more attention needs to be paid to promoting satisfactory practice habits among the communities, as they already possess good knowledge and positive attitudes and beliefs.

    Matched MeSH terms: Female; Male
  5. A Rahim NN, Chin YS, Sulaiman N
    Nutrients, 2019 Jan 11;11(1).
    PMID: 30641864 DOI: 10.3390/nu11010142
    Considering the double burden of malnutrition in Malaysia, data on malnourished children living in welfare homes are limited. This study aimed to determine the body weight status of children living in welfare homes and its associated factors. A total of 307 children aged 7⁻17 years old living in 15 selected welfare homes completed a standardized questionnaire, and their body weight and height were measured by trained researchers. There were 54.4% orphans, 23.8% abandoned children, and 21.8% children from problematic families. There were 51.5% boys and 48.5% girls; 52.4% were Malays, followed by 31.3% Indians, 12.7% Chinese, and 3.6% from other ethnic groups. The prevalence of overweight and obesity (23.1%) was higher than the prevalence of thinness (8.5%). In bivariate analyses, socio-demographic factors of age (p = 0.003), sex (p = 0.0001), ethnicity (p = 0.001), and welfare home enrollment status (p = 0.003), and psychological factors of self-esteem (p = 0.003), body shape dissatisfaction (p = 0.0001), and underestimation of body weight status (p = 0.002), were significantly associated with body mass index (BMI)-for-age. In the multiple linear regression analysis, children who were either Malays (β = 0.492) or Chinese (β = 0.678), with a status of being abandoned (β = 0.409), with body shape dissatisfaction (β = 0.457), and underestimated body weight status (β = 0.628) significantly explained 39.7% of the variances in higher BMI-for-age (F = 39.550; p < 0.05). Besides socio-demographic background, the current findings emphasized the importance of incorporating body image perception in an obesity prevention intervention program in welfare homes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Female; Male
  6. A Rashid, K., Narayan, K.A., Azizah, A.M.
    MyJurnal
    The population of the world is ageing and Malaysia is no exception. The proportion of those above 60 will be 9.5% by the year 2020. Cognitive impairment and depression are two common problems in this age group. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of cognitive impairment and depression and their associated factors in the elderly population in a rural community in Kedah. The study design was descriptive cross sectional study. A standardized questionnaire was used in two villages in Mukim Kota Kuala Muda. Barthels index, geriatric depression scale and elderly cognitive assessment questionnaire were also used. The prevalence rate of cognitive impairment was 18.5%. Cognitive impairment was higher among females (22.6%) than males (12.8%). 34.8% of the widowed were cognitively impaired and it increases with age 15.1% within age groups 60 to 69 years, 42.9% in age groups 80 to 89 years and the one and only participant above 90 years was cognitively impaired. Among those with disability, the only one with very severe disability had cognitive impairment, 40% among the severely disabled and 33. 3% among the moderately disabled (p<0.05). Those with cognitive impairment were living with some functional disabilities involving feeding (p<0.05), bathing (p<0.05), grooming (p<0.05), dressing (p<0.05), bladder control (p<0.05), toilet use (p<0.05), transfer from bed to chair (p<0.05), mobility on level surfaces (p<0.05) and climbing stairs (p<0.05). The prevalence of depression was found to be 46.4%. Higher among males (48.4%) as compared to females (44.7%). Depression was 50.0% among the age groups 80 to 89 and 52.4% among the age groups 70 to 79. 63.6% of those living alone were depressed as were 54.8% of the unemployed. 43.8% of those depressed had functional disability. The only one with severe disability was depressed and 66. 7% of those with severe disability were depressed. 47.5% of those with hypertension were depressed. It is a matter of concern that even in a small population the rate of cognitive impairment and mental depression is very high. Health screening is an important aspect of health promotion and disease prevention in people over 60 years. Although screening for many conditions cannot conclusively prove benefit, special attention to these factors can decrease morbidity and improve quality of life in aging population.
    Key words: elderly, cognitive impairment, depression, rural community, Malaysia
    Study site: Two villages in Mukim Kota Kuala Muda, Kuala Muda District, Kedah, Malaysia
    Device, Questionnaire & Scale: Barthels index; Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-30); Elderly Cognitive Assessment Questionnaire
    Matched MeSH terms: Female; Male
  7. A.M.S. Al-Qaraghuli, E.M.N. Abdel Wahab, I.M. Al-Ani
    MyJurnal
    Xiang Sha Yang Wei Wan (XSYWW) is a Chinese traditional medicine that is used for gastrointestinal disorders, specifically gastric ulcer in many countries of South-East Asia. The aim of the study was to evaluate the potential effects of XSYWW on ethanol-induced gastric ulcer in rats by means of histological Study. On a similar basis of treatment, ranitidine, a conventional medication was used as gold standard. Methods: Fifty five male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-300 gm) were divided into four groups. Group I (ethanol treated group) was the control group and gastric ulcers were induced by administering 100% ethanol (1 ml/200 g). Group II (Pre-treatment group) was divided into two subgroups; they were orally fed with 1.0 gm/kg and 2.0 gm/kg respectively of XSYWW solution. Thirty minutes later they were administered with absolute ethanol as in group I. Group III, was given an oral dose of 2gm/kg of XSYWW solution after one hour of ethanol administration. Group IV was given an oral dose of 200mg/kg ranitidine solution after one hour of ethanol administration. Five rats from groups I, III and IV were sacrificed on day 1, 2 and 3 while the animals of group II were sacrificed one hour after ethanol administration. Results: Histological study of the stomachs from ethanol treated rats showed multiple ulcers of various depths that reached the muscularis and the serosa. Conclusion: Pre or post-treated rats with XSYWW showed that XSYWW has protective effect against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal lesion. However, there was a faster and more complete healing process in the ranitidine treated group when compared to the XSYWW treated subjects.
    Matched MeSH terms: Male
  8. ACES Investigators
    Int J Stroke, 2009 Oct;4(5):398-405.
    PMID: 19765130 DOI: 10.1111/j.1747-4949.2009.00339.x
    Better methods of identifying which patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis will develop stroke, are required to improve the risk-benefit ratio of carotid endarterectomy. A promising method is the detection of asymptomatic embolic signals using transcranial Doppler. Embolic signals predict stroke risk in symptomatic carotid stenosis, but their predictive role in asymptomatic carotid stenosis is uncertain.
    Matched MeSH terms: Female; Male
  9. ACHEON Working Group, Kim YC, Ahn JS, Calimag MM, Chao TC, Ho KY, et al.
    Cancer Med, 2015 Aug;4(8):1196-204.
    PMID: 25914253 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.471
    In order to implement more effective policies for cancer pain management, a better understanding of current practices is needed. Physicians managing cancer pain and patients experiencing cancer pain were randomly surveyed across 10 Asian countries to assess attitudes and perceptions toward cancer pain management. A total of 463 physicians (77.3% oncologists) with a median experience of 13 years were included. Medical school training on opioid use was considered inadequate by 30.5% of physicians and 55.9% indicated ≤ 10 h of continuing medical education (CME). Of the 1190 patients included, 1026 reported moderate-to-severe pain (median duration, 12 months). Discordance was observed between physician and patient outcomes on pain assessment with 88.3% of physicians reporting pain quantification, while 49.5% of patients claimed that no scale was used. Inadequate assessment of pain was recognized as a barrier to therapy optimization by 49.7% of physicians. Additional barriers identified were patients' reluctance owing to fear of addiction (67.2%) and adverse events (65.0%), patients' reluctance to report pain (52.5%), excessive regulations (48.0%) and reluctance to prescribe opioids (42.8%). Opioid use was confirmed only in 53.2% (286/538) of patients remembering their medication. Pain affected the activities of daily living for 81.3% of patients. These findings highlight the need for better training and CME opportunities for cancer pain management in Asia. Collaborative efforts between physicians, patients, policy makers, and related parties may assist in overcoming the barriers identified. Addressing the opioid stigma and enhancing awareness is vital to improving current standards of patient care.
    Matched MeSH terms: Female; Male
  10. ACTION Study Group
    Eur J Cancer, 2017 03;74:26-37.
    PMID: 28335885 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2016.12.014
    BACKGROUND: Evidence to guide policymakers in developing affordable and equitable cancer control plans are scarce in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).

    METHODS: The 2012-2014 ASEAN Costs in Oncology Study prospectively followed-up 9513 newly diagnosed cancer patients from eight LMIC in Southeast Asia for 12 months. Overall and country-specific incidence of financial catastrophe (out-of-pocket health costs ≥ 30% of annual household income), economic hardship (inability to make necessary household payments), poverty (living below national poverty line), and all-cause mortality were determined. Stepwise multinomial regression was used to estimate the extent to which health insurance, cancer stage and treatment explained these outcomes.

    RESULTS: The one-year incidence of mortality (12% in Malaysia to 45% in Myanmar) and financial catastrophe (24% in Thailand to 68% in Vietnam) were high. Economic hardship was reported by a third of families, including inability to pay for medicines (45%), mortgages (18%) and utilities (12%), with 28% taking personal loans, and 20% selling assets (not mutually exclusive). Out of households that initially reported incomes above the national poverty levels, 4·9% were pushed into poverty at one year. The adverse economic outcomes in this study were mainly attributed to medical costs for inpatient/outpatient care, and purchase of drugs and medical supplies. In all the countries, cancer stage largely explained the risk of adverse outcomes. Stage-stratified analysis however showed that low-income patients remained vulnerable to adverse outcomes even when diagnosed with earlier cancer stages.

    CONCLUSION: The LMIC need to realign their focus on early detection of cancer and provision of affordable cancer care, while ensuring adequate financial risk protection, particularly for the poor.
    Matched MeSH terms: Female; Male
  11. AL-Kubaisy W, AL-Talib H, Al-khateeb A, Shanshal MM
    Trop Biomed, 2014 Sep;31(3):499-506.
    PMID: 25382477
    Parasitic diarrhea among children is a significant health problem worldwide. This cross sectional study described the burden of parasitic diarrhea among children. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of risk factors on the parasitic diarrhea, and to determine the parasitic profile among children in Baghdad-Iraq, during the period extending from September 2003 to June 2004. A total number of 2033 cases were included in the study. The estimated prevalence rate of parasitic diarrhea was 22%. We identified the following major diarrhea determinants were large households size, residential location, water source, low socioeconomic status, and low parent education. Giardia lamblia was found to be the most prevalent parasite with an infection rate of 45.54% followed by Entamoeba histolytica 23.44%, Enterobius vermicularis 12.7%, Hymenolepis nana 9.82%, Trichuris trichiura 5.4%, and Ascaris lumbricoides 2.2%. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that poor sanitation, inadequate environmental conditions, and low socioeconomic status are the main determining factors that predispose children to parasitic diarrhea. Mass deworming programs are recommended for school children, as this population is easily accessible.
    Matched MeSH terms: Female; Male
  12. Aamir K, Khan HU, Hossain CF, Afrin MR, Jusuf PR, Waheed I, et al.
    Life Sci, 2022 Jan 15;289:120232.
    PMID: 34919901 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2021.120232
    BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a worldwide health issue primarily due to failure of pancreatic β-cells to release sufficient insulin.

    PURPOSE: The present work aimed to assess the antidiabetic potential of arjunolic acid (AA) isolated from Terminalia arjuna in type 2 diabetic rats.

    STUDY DESIGN: After extraction, isolation and purification, AA was orally administered to type 2 diabetic Sprague Dawley rats to investigate antidiabetic effect of AA.

    METHOD: T2DM was induced via single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin-nicotinamide (STZ-NIC) in adult male rats. After 10 days, fasting and random blood glucose (FBG and RBG), body weight (BW), food and water intake, serum C-peptide, insulin and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was measured to confirm T2DM development. Dose dependent effects of orally administered AA (25 and 50 mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks was investigated by measuring BW variation, fasting and postprandial hyperglycemia, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and levels of serum HbA1c, serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), serum and pancreatic C-peptide, insulin, growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15), serum and pancreatic inflammatory cytokines.

    RESULTS: The oral administration of AA in preclinical model of T2DM significantly normalized FBG and RBG, restored BW, controlled polyphagia, polydipsia and glucose tolerance. In addition, AA notably reduced serum HbA1c, TC, TG, LDL with non-significant increase in HDL. On the other hand, significant increase in serum and pancreatic C-peptide and insulin was observed with AA treatment, while serum and pancreatic GDF-15 were non-significantly altered in AA treated diabetic rats. Moreover, AA showed dose dependent reduction in serum and pancreatic proinflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6.

    CONCLUSION: For the first time our findings highlighted AA as a potential candidate in type 2 diabetic conditions.

    Matched MeSH terms: Male
  13. Ab Aziz MZ, Tengku Ismail TA, Ibrahim MI, Yaacob NM, Mohd Said Z
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022 Sep 29;19(19).
    PMID: 36231727 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912428
    Inadequate men's engagement with health services may be influenced by unmet needs and demands of the local men's community. This study aimed to explore men's experiences with primary health services and their expectations of the characteristics of friendly primary health services, from the perspective of men in Kelantan, Malaysia. A qualitative study using in-depth interviews was conducted with 15 men from six primary health facilities in Kelantan, Malaysia, who were selected based on maximum variation sampling. The data were transcribed and analyzed using the thematic analysis method. The study found that experiences with the existing primary health services were categorized into four subthemes: provision of health services, health promotion delivery, attributes of healthcare providers, and the physical environment of the health facilities. Meanwhile, the expectations of the characteristics of friendly primary health services were categorized into four subthemes: meeting the needs of men in primary health services, approaching men through effective health promotion strategies, standards of a healthcare provider from the viewpoint of men, and a comfortable physical environment for men. Prior experiences hugely influenced men's expectations of friendly primary health services. Men want these health service characteristics customized to meet their needs, allowing them to use health services with confidence and comfort. Thus, to strengthen primary health services for men, it is essential to comprehend their prior experiences with and expectations of the services.
    Matched MeSH terms: Male
  14. Ab Ghaffar SF, Mohd Sidik S, Ibrahim N, Awang H, Gyanchand Rampal LR
    PMID: 31817328 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16244913
    Anxiety is one of the most common mental health disorders in childhood, and children with anxiety have an increased risk of psychiatric disorders during adulthood. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based anxiety prevention program for reducing anxiety among primary school students relative to a school-as-usual control group. Secondary to this, the current study aimed to examine the effect of a school-based prevention program on worry coping skills and self-esteem. A two-group parallel cluster randomized controlled trial of a single-blinded study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the program, with schools as the unit of allocation and individual participants as the unit of analysis. The intervention program was conducted between May 2016 and December 2017. The primary outcome was anxiety, whereas the secondary outcomes were worry coping skills and self-esteem measured at three months post-intervention. Data were analyzed by using a generalized linear mixed model, accounting for the clustering effect. Subgroup analyses were performed for children with anxiety. A total of 461 students participated in this study. At baseline, there was no significant difference between groups for anxiety score, worry coping skills score, and self-esteem score (p > 0.05). The intervention was effective in reducing anxiety for the whole sample (p = 0.001) and the anxiety subgroup (p = 0.001). However, it was not effective in improving worry coping skills and self-esteem. These findings suggest that the program could be effective for reducing symptoms of anxiety when delivered in schools and provide some support for delivering this type of program in primary school settings.
    Matched MeSH terms: Female; Male
  15. Ab Ghani N
    MyJurnal
    Accidental poisoning in children is a preventable condition. It is a problem mainly in children aged 1 to 4 years. This is a descriptive study of accidental poisoning in children below 12 years old admitted to Hospital Seremban from October 15, 1994 to October 14, 1995. A major cause of household accidental poisoning was kerosene ingestion (25%) followed by ingestion of medications (22%), liniment methyl salicylate (12 %), mothballs (12%) and hypochlorinate solution (9%). There was a higher incidence of poisoning in males (50.8%), among Indians (41.2%) and in children from lower social classes (67%). A greater proportion of the accident occurred when the child was taken care by the parents (53 %) and in the house (80%). Most of the poison was ingested from its original package (81%). The immediate action taken was sending the child to the hospital (75%) without carrying out other actions such as washing the child’s mouth. The delay of sending the child to hospital was due to husband not at home (57%). Most of the cases (72.1 %) were discharged well within 1-2 days following admission.
    Matched MeSH terms: Male
  16. Ab Ghani SM, Mohd Khairuddin PNA, Lim TW, Md Sabri BA, Abdul Hamid NF, Baharuddin IH, et al.
    Eur J Dent Educ, 2024 Feb;28(1):106-113.
    PMID: 37253116 DOI: 10.1111/eje.12925
    INTRODUCTION: The communication skills of clinicians are very crucial in providing better health outcomes for patients. Therefore, this study aimed to assess undergraduate dental students' communication skills in relation to their demographics and clinical setting using a three-perspective approach; the student, the patient and the clinical instructor perspective.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using validated modified-communication tools; Patient Communication Assessment Instruments (PCAI), Student Communication Assessment Instruments (SCAI) and Clinical Communication Assessment Instruments (CCAI) which included four communication domains. One hundred and seventy-six undergraduate clinical year students were recruited in this study whereby each of them was assessed by a clinical instructor and a randomly selected patient in two settings: Dental Health Education (DHE) and Comprehensive Care (CC) clinic.

    RESULTS: Comparing the three perspectives, PCAI yielded the highest scores across all domains, followed by SCAI and CCAI (p male students perceived they performed better than females in all domains (p 

    Matched MeSH terms: Female; Male
  17. Ab Halim MAH, Rampal S, Devaraj NK, Badr IT
    Med J Malaysia, 2020 09;75(5):594-596.
    PMID: 32918435
    Morel-Lavallee lesions (MLL) are post-traumatic, closed internal degloving injuries that can result in severe complications if not diagnosed early. It is conventionally seen in cases of the high energy injuries of the pelvis and lower limb. The accumulation of extravasated blood, secondary to fracture and soft tissue damage may cause internal degloving injury, skin necrosis, soft tissue damage and acute osteomyelitis. We report here the clinical and radiological features in a 32-year-old male referred from the emergency department of a tertiary hospital who had sustained high energy motor vehicle accident. On examination, there was a fluctuant, mobile, non-tender subcutaneous mass over the distal arm with suspicion of internal degloving injury. Plain radiographs showed no fractures. Ultrasound showed a fluid collection with the presence of septations and echogenic debris within the collection. Extravasation was noted between subcutaneous tissue layer and fascia at the posterolateral aspect of the arm. Wound debridement under general anaesthesia was carried out. Intraoperative findings reported a significant amount of thick serous fluid with necrotic debris. Unhealthy skin and fat layers were debrided. Underlying muscles were found to be healthy. The results of the intraoperative fluid culture and sensitivity showed no growth. Negative pressure vacuum dressing was carried out. After five cycles of vacuum dressing, the wound showed signs of healing with an improved range of motion of the elbow. Orthopaedic surgeons need to be vigilant of the possibility of MLL in the upper limb as a differential diagnosis in the management of high energy trauma.
    Matched MeSH terms: Male
  18. Ab Halim N, Esa R, Chew HP
    BMC Oral Health, 2018 01 12;18(1):11.
    PMID: 29329566 DOI: 10.1186/s12903-017-0451-9
    BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and severity of general tooth wear (GTW), i.e. tooth wear irrespective of etiology and erosive tooth wear (ETW), i.e. tooth wear predominantly due to erosion; and also to investigate the relationship between ETW and dental caries experience in 16-year-old adolescents in Kuantan, Malaysia.

    METHODS: A multi-staged cluster sampling method was employed. A total of 598 16-year-old adolescents participated in this study. Participants' demographic profile was assessed through a self-administered questionnaire. Clinical examinations were carried out under standardized conditions by a single examiner. The level of GTW was recorded using the modified Smith and Knight's Tooth Wear Index (TWI) whilst ETW were recorded using the Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE) index. This index was developed to record clinical findings and assist in the decision-making process for the management of erosive tooth wear. Dental caries was recorded using the D3MFT index whereby D3 denotes obvious dental decay into dentine detected visually.

    RESULTS: The prevalence of GTW, ETW and dental caries, i.e. percentage of individuals found to have at least one lesion, was 99.8%, 45.0% and 27.8% respectively. Two thirds of affected teeth with GTW were observed to have a TWI score of 1 whereas almost all of the affected teeth with ETW had a BEWE score of 2. The mean D3MFT was 0.62 (95% CI 0.50, 0.73) with Decayed (D) teeth being the largest component, mean D3T was 0.36 (95% CI 0.30, 0.43). There was no significant association between socio-demographic factors and prevalence of ETW. Logistic regression analysis also showed no significant relationship between the prevalence of ETW and D3MFT (p > 0.05).

    CONCLUSIONS: Almost all adolescents examined had GTW but they were mainly early lesions. However, nearly half were found to have ETW of moderate severity (BEWE score 2). No significant relationship between the occurrence of erosive tooth wear and caries was observed in this population.

    Matched MeSH terms: Female; Male
  19. Ab Halim SA, Lee SK, Mustangin M, Mohd Saleh MF, Shah SA, Md Isa N
    Malays J Pathol, 2020 Dec;42(3):415-422.
    PMID: 33361723
    INTRODUCTION: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the ninth most common malignancy among women. Although the disease prognosis is good, less favourable outcomes are predicted in those with higher disease stages and nodal metastasis. Oestrogen- α (ER-α) expression has been associated with aggressive presentation and greater disease progression and has been proposed as a predictor for lymph node metastases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between ER expression and clinicopathological features i.e. lymph node metastasis, tumour size, extrathyroidal extension, histological variants of PTC , age groups , ethnic and gender.

    METHODS: We studied ER-α expression in 84 cases of PTC obtained within an eight-year period (2011-2018) by immunohistochemical technique (IHC). Associations between ER-α expression and clinicopathological features were evaluated using Fisher's exact test. The statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

    RESULTS: ER-α was expressed in 13.1% of all the PTC cases examined (n=11/84). There were no associations observed between ER-α expression and lymph node metastasis (p=1.000), tumour size (p=0.970), extrathyroidal extension (p=0.677), variants of PTC (p=1.000), age groups (p=0.188), gender (p=0.725) or race (p=0.920).

    CONCLUSION: There was no evidence in this study to support the application of ER-α as prediction marker for lymph node metastasis or disease aggressiveness in PTC. Given that the scope of this study was limited to the protein expression of ER- α, we also propose the inclusion of molecular analysis of ESR1 gene expression, as well as inclusion of detailed clinical and radiological findings in future research investigating the role of ER-α in prognostication of PTC.

    Matched MeSH terms: Female; Male
  20. Ab Hamid F, Che Azemin MZ, Salam A, Aminuddin A, Mohd Daud N, Zahari I
    Curr Eye Res, 2016 Jun;41(6):823-31.
    PMID: 26268475 DOI: 10.3109/02713683.2015.1056375
    PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to provide the empirical evidence of fractal dimension as an indirect measure of retinal vasculature density.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred retinal samples of right eye [57.0% females (n = 114) and 43.0% males (n = 86)] were selected from baseline visit. A custom-written software was used for vessel segmentation. Vessel segmentation is the process of transforming two-dimensional color images into binary images (i.e. black and white pixels). The circular area of approximately 2.6 optic disc radii surrounding the center of optic disc was cropped. The non-vessels fragments were removed. FracLac was used to measure the fractal dimension and vessel density of retinal vessels.

    RESULTS: This study suggested that 14.1% of the region of interest (i.e. approximately 2.6 optic disk radii) comprised retinal vessel structure. Using correlation analysis, vessel density measurement and fractal dimension estimation are linearly and strongly correlated (R = 0.942, R(2) = 0.89, p 

    Matched MeSH terms: Female; Male
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