The human brain generates different oscillations at different frequencies during various consciousness levels. When these brain waves synchronize with exogenous rhythmic stimulation, the brain experiences strong, yet relaxing emotion that could be involved in the formation of memory. We investigated the character of rhythmic oscillatory dynamics by electroencephalography (EEG) of subjects listening to a short verse of the Holy Quran compared to resting and Arabic news listening. The mean power amplitudes of each frequency band for wavelet-based time-frequency analysis were obtained from 5000 ms of segmented EEG recordings during rest, news and Quran listening conditions. The time series analysis of power from each of three conditions in each frequency band from the grand averaged data was then subjected to autocorrelation study. The results showed significant cyclic overall trends of increasing and decreasing patterns of power in the low frequency brain wave oscillation of different head regions especially global, frontal and temporal sites. These results provided a basis for prediction of the periodicity of the power of the oscillatory brain dynamics of delta and robustly in theta regions which occurred during Quran listening. Despite several limitations, our data offered a plausible scientific basis to the emotional induction during Quran listening that mimics recognized as data from music listening studies. This offered a promising perspective for future studies in translational neurophysiological, cognitive and biofeedback on Quran listening to modify brain behaviour in health and disease.
This study was carried out to determine recognition threshold and taste preference for three basic tastes (sweetness, saltiness and sourness) based on location (interior and coastal) among the Kadazandusun ethnic in Sabah, Malaysia. One hundred and ninety four (194) volunteers aged 20 to 55 years were selected randomly (stratified) as subject. Three Alternative Forced- Choice (3AFC) and hedonic test were used to determine the taste threshold and preference. The interior group had lower taste threshold for all tastes; sweet (10.97 g/L ± 3.69), salty (1.14 g/L ± 0.38), sour (0.0095 g/L ± 0.011) compared to the coastal group; sweet (11.56 g/L ± 3.71), salty (1.23 g/L ± 0.39), sour (0.0012 g/L ± 0.0034). For intensity and hedonic rating, the patterns of response varied based on location for sweet and sour taste. No significant different (p>0.05) was observed for salty taste. However, both groups preferred the base stimulus which concentration similar to the commercially available products tested. There is a correlation between taste threshold and optimum concentration. Individuals with preferred high taste intensity tend to have higher taste threshold. Location and culture can influenced individual taste preference. However, exposure and experience to taste sensation was the major factor on individual’s taste preference.
This study aimed to analyze consumers’ perceptions and acceptance toward ‘belacan’. Results
showed internal reliability of above 0.7 for sections analyzed. Factor analysis found two underlying factors in the section designed to examine consumers’ perceptions. The overall consumers’ perception had a positive and moderate correlation with their acceptance and was significant at .01. Results also showed that ‘belacan’ consumption level was relatively frequent and well accepted by all races in Malaysia. The findings of the study would be noteworthy to the fishery industry and the small and medium industry (SME) in Malaysia in meeting consumers’ needs.
Use of synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA) in biomedical applications is well warranted. It has shown to have an excellent biocompatibility in human tooth and bones. Additionally it has been documented to possess antibacterial potentials. The present study was conducted to assess the presence of any such potential in locally produced (HA) using Streptococcus mutans, a common pathogen in the oral cavity. The study was carried out using 50, 100, 150, 200, 300, 400 and 800 mg/ml concentration of HA. The antibacterial property of HA was assessed using Miles and Misra method. Our studies showed that bacterial growth inhibitions of S. mutans occurred from 50 mg/ml, and complete inhibition was perceived at concentrations at 200mg/ml of HA. The antibacterial property HA should be used to good advantage as a bioactive biomaterial in dental and maxillofacial applications.
A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was conducted on 4 healthy male and female subjects to investigate brain activation during passive and active listening. Two different experimental conditions were separately used in this study. The first condition requires the subjects to listen to a simple arithmetic instruction (e.g. one-plus-two-plus-three-plus-four) - passive listening. In the second condition, the subjects were given the same series of arithmetic instruction and were required to listen and perform the calculation - active listening. The data were then analysed using the Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM5) and the MATLAB 7.4 (R2007a) programming softwares. The results obtained from the fixed (FFX) and random effects analyses (RFX) show that the active-state signal intensity was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the resting-state signal intensity for both conditions. The results also indicate significant differences (p < 0.001) in brain activation between passive and active listening. The activated cortical regions during passive listening, as obtained from the FFX of the first condition is symmetrical in the left and right temporal and frontal lobes covering the cortical auditory areas. However, for the second condition, which was active listening, more activation occurs in the left hemisphere with a reduction in the number of activated voxels and their signal intensity in the right hemisphere. Activation mainly occurs in the middle temporal gyrus, precentral gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus and several other areas in the frontal lobes. The point of maximum signal intensity has been shifted to a new coordinates during active listening. It is also observed that the magnetic resonance signal intensity and the number of activated voxel in the right and left superior temporal lobes for the second condition have been reduced as compared to that of the first condition. The results obtained strongly suggest the existence of functional specialisation. The results also indicate different networks for the two conditions. These networks clearly pertain to the existence of functional connectivity between activation areas during listening and listening while performing a simple arithmetic task.
Diversified leisure involvement pose various health benefits to the elderly population. However, some elderly are too focus on doing a particular type of activity during their leisure time such as religious activity. This study aims to explore factors that could possibly contribute to the higher involvement in religious activity among the Malay ethnic elderly in Malaysia. In depth interviews were conducted, involving a total of 20 elderly aged 60 years and above with stratification by background characteristics. Each interview was conducted for an average of 15 to 30 minutes. They were purposively selected from two health clinics located in two different districts in the state of Selangor, representing an urban and a rural area. Majority of the elderly interviewed perceived that by engaging in religious activities such as prayer and reciting the Holy Quran or old Islamic scripture gives them serenity or calmness. Additionally, they also felt that involvement in such activities is very synonymous with being old and therefore one should be actively involved in religious activities with increasing age. In view of the lack of diversity of leisure involvement among the elderly and the passive and solitary nature of some of the religious activities, the elderly should be made aware of the importance of participating in other types of leisure activities especially physical activities. Although, they gain spiritual and social benefits from involving in religious activities, they also need to perform other form of activities that can improve the physical health status.
Patient understanding and perception of diabetes control is important if clinicians were to allow diabetes patients to play a central role in management of their illness. We conducted a survey to see what diabetic patients generally thought of their understanding of disease and glycemic control; if these perceptions were accurate and related to complications.
One hundred and eight consecutive patients (mean age 52.7± 13 years, BMI 27±5.2 kg/m2, HbA1c 9.2±2.2 %) attending diabetes clinic participated including 63% women, 60% primary or no education, and 47% duration of diabetes >10 years. 54% claimed to have a good understanding although nearly half answered questions on diabetes management and targets wrongly. 32% perceived their glycemic control to be good and were found to have lower baseline HbA1c (p
Introduction: Peer mentoring is one of the mentoring essential components in any higher institution of learning. In the Medical Faculty of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), this mentoring system has existed long but has not undergone any formal evaluation. Objective: The main objective of this study is to determine the perception of peer mentoring among medical students of Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), UNIMAS. Method: It was a cross-sectional study using self-administered questionnaire. All medical undergraduate students of FMHS were recruited. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 22. Result: A total of 234 respondents participated in this study. Peer mentoring system was preferred against other mentoring system. Majority of the respondents reported that academic gain was the main benefits they gained from peer mentoring system. Negative attitude of the mentee and poor time management for the meeting were the top two worst experience encountered by both mentors and mentees respectively. More than half of the mentor and mentee perceived that peer mentoring system was beneficial to them compared to other systems, with reason that the interaction between student themselves were more easier and comfortable. Nevertheless, there should be more interaction between the mentors and mentees. Conclusion: The findings indicated there is a positive contribution of peer mentoring towards the mentoring system of the faculty. There is a need to relook at the current mentoring system and consider peer mentoring to improve the student support.
Introduction: Clinical educators around the globe agreed that an optimal educational climate is a vital aspect for effective learning to take place. This study was conducted to evaluate the perceptions of graduates toward the quality of clinical education climate in USM medical school. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a cohort of USM medical graduates. Questionnaires were administered to the graduates to measure their perception on four aspects of clinical education climate that include structure of clinical rotation, clinical teaching and learning activities, quality of lecturers and end clinical rotation assessment across 13 clinical rotations. The graduates were requested to respond to seven-Likert scale ranging from 1(poor) to 7(excellent). Scores of equal to or more than 5 was considered as positive areas, scores of between 4 and 5 were considered as areas for improvement, and scores less than 4 were considered as areas of concern. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 20. Results: A total of 105 (96.3%) graduates responded to the questionnaire. Results showed only the paediatric rotation obtained positive ratings on all areas of the clinical rotation structure. With regards to teaching and learning activities, the graduates scored most of the clinical rotations between 4 and 5. With regards to the quality of lecturers, most of the clinical rotations obtained score more than 5. Most of the areas related to the end-of-assessment of clinical rotation obtained score more than 5 except for the feedback adequacy, indicating inadequacy of feedback they received. Conclusion: USM medical graduates positively perceived the quality of lecturers during clinical training, however several areas of clinical education related to clinical rotation structure, clinical teaching and learning activities, and feedback practice were perceived by them as areas for improvement. Medical schools should introduce strategic measures to address the concerns raised by the graduates to ensure the best clinical learning experience are provided to the current and future medical students.
Objective: The idea of humanitarianism is evolving with progressing life. Awareness about this global issue has to be emphasized particularly among the younger generation and thus be encouraged to be exposed and involved in humanitarian projects in need. Being responsible citizens of the country one should develop concern about the humanitarian issues, and this attitude needs to be developed from student life. Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted on 200 participants of the Malaysian and Indian (100 each) health science students using faculty validated close ended questionnaire. Results of the data were analyzed statistically by testing with chi square analysis from SPSS software. Results: From the present study, it has been observed that, despite the cultural and economical diversity between the two nations, there was no observable difference in student’s point of view on humanitarian issues in most of the areas concerned. Overall evaluation also reflected effect of the socio-economic status of the countries on the perception of the issue amongst the students. Conclusion: Despite of different geography, diverse culture and dissimilar socio-economic status, the need of concern towards humanitarian issues is observable. Students of both nations have positive attitude towards the humanitarian issues as well.
Introduction: Mentoring medical students is one of the essential responsibilities or missions of a medical school faculty. Objective: This study aimed to determine the perceptions of mentorship and mentoring practices among mentors using a convergent parallel method. Method: Quantitative data was collected by using an adopted validated self- administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Qualitative data was done using one-to-one interview based on semi structured interview guide and analyzed using thematic analysis. Result: A total of 61 respondents participated in the quantitative survey. Approximately 75% of the respondents had 5 to 10 mentees, with majority rated themselves as satisfactory mentor. More than 60% of them met their mentees at least once every six months. Most respondents were friendly (86.9%) and frank to their mentees (68.9%) and were interested in their mentees’ professional development (95.1%). Phone calling (93.4%) and E-mail (95.1%) were preferred as modes of contact. Mentees were allowed to call their mentors anytime of the day (74.1%). Respondents preferred to counsel their mentees (80.3%) and would refer them for professional help whenever necessary (70.5%). For qualitative data, a total of 5 participants participated with themes emerged: concepts of mentoring, factors contributing to ineffective mentoring and ways to improve mentoring practices. Conclusion: The respondents had positive perceptions regarding their mentorship and practices. A more structured approach with clear mentoring guideline and proper training should be in place.
Feedback and students’ perception towards it has gained increasing attention in the educational literature recently, yet it is an underresearched area. The importance of feedback has not been perceived in a positive manner among medical students. This may be due to students’ lack of knowledge on the concept of feedback and their awareness of the benefits of feedback. This study focused on students’ knowledge on the concept of feedback and their perception towards the feedback system practiced in School of Medical Sciences, University Sains Malaysia. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 433 numbers of students from year 1, 3 and 5 medical students. The variables that were included in this were the gender and their year of study. A validated questionnaire was used to perform this study. School and ethical committee clearance were obtained prior to the start of the study. Data obtained was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Results: Findings revealed that students have an average level of knowledge on the concept of feedback and have a neutral perception towards the feedback system that is practiced in School of Medical Sciences, USM. There was no association between students’ knowledge level on feedback and their perception with their year of study and gender differences. However, although there was not much difference in students’ perception level about feedback with their year of study but it was found those students’ perception level decreases as their year of study progresses. It was also found that there was a poor correlation between medical students’ knowledge level on feedback with their perception towards the feedback system in School of Medical Sciences, USM. Conclusions: The area in which it raised concern in students’ perception about feedback was the factors that are involved in feedback practice, which are the givers of feedback, timing of feedback and the mode of feedback. Further study addressing students’ poor engagement and involvement in feedback can be done and issues identified from this study can be included in together for further improvements of the feedback system.
Decision making in nursing is one of the most important skills nurses must apply and utilize in their nursing practice. The aim of this study was to determine the perception of clinical decision making ability among nursing students. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary hospital. A total of 54 nursing students were recruited using a modified version of Clinical Decision Making in Nursing Scale (CDMNS) adapted from Jenkins (1985). The findings showed good CDMNS score with mean and standard deviation of (124.24±12.713). The four sub-scales of CDMNS were: searching for alternative (33.24±4.821), canvassing (28.74±3.514), evaluation and re-evaluation (31.43±3.922), searching for information (30.83±4.765). Nineteen (35%) of the participants chose nursing as their first choice, whereas 35 participants (65%) did not. Thirthy seven (69%) participants were satisfied with their nursing competency, 17 (31%) were unsatisfied. There were significant differences between searching for alternatives, evaluation and re-evaluation, and nursing as their first choice (p=
Study site: Nursing students, Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (PPUKM)
The study aimed to develop Mandarin speech perception tests for Malaysian Chinese children. Two tests were developed which were the Syllabic Pattern Perception Test (SPPT) and the Tone Perception Test (TPT). Both tests were designed for children aged between three to six years-old. A total of 80 normal hearing children aged 3 years to 6 years and 11 months from several kindergartens around Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh participated in this study. Results showed that the mean scores for the SPPT did not differ significantly across age (p > 0.05), possibly due to a ceiling effect. Although the SPPT showed relatively low test-retest and inter-rater Spearman correlation coefficients (r = 0.68 for correct syllable pattern response and r = 0.38 for correct item response), the scores were highly repeatable in both test-retest and interrater conditions. For the TPT, the mean scores of five and six year old children were significantly higher than three year old subjects while the mean score of four year old subjects was significantly poorer than the six years old. The test-retest and inter-rater reliability were high and the coefficients approximated 0.80 (p < 0.05). For both tests, gender and dialects or languages used as the second language did not have significant effect on the test scores. Content validity evidence was also collected from a group of panelists. In conclusion, SPPT and TPT are reliable and valid Mandarin speech tests to be used on Malaysian Chinese children who speak Mandarin.
Dengue and dengue hemorrhagic jiever are still a serious public health problem among people in developing countries. The study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice among students in University Technology of MARA in Shah Alam Selangor, Malaysia, and to determine its association withprevious infection. A total of 218 students were selected randomly fom several residential colleges within the university main campus. They were interviewed for their perception of risk to dengue and their blood were taken for serological examination (Dengue IgG). It was found that 49.1% of students have had previous infection, however onlv 0.9% had history of symptomatic dengue infection. Males students originating fom urban areas were more at risk of being infected. The perception of risk to dengue was good among students but this factor is
unable to explain the magnitude of infection among them. Further study should look at the interaction between behaviour and environment among students who are sero negative.
The study aimed to explore the perceptions towards health promotion activities among population of Penang Island,
Malaysia. The study was designed as a questionnaire based cross sectional analysis. General public from the district of
Jelutong, located in the state of Penang, Malaysia was conveniently approached for the study. Descriptive statistics
were used to ascertain demographic characteristics where as inferential statistics were employed to measure the
extent of association among study variables. Out of 480 respondents, a response rate of 82.7% was achieved. The study
cohort was dominated by females (63.0%) and majority of the participants belonged to Malay ethnicity (88.1%). One
hundred and seventy two (43.3%) never attended a health promotional campaign and mentioned lack of time and
transport as potential barriers. Among those who attended such activities, one third was satisfied with the benefits of
health campaigns. Approximately 90% of the participants demanded accessible locations, common language as mode of
communication and complete medical checkups with professional advice at health promotional campaigns. General
public can encouraged to participate in the health promotion activities by considering their priorities before designing
a health promotion program. This will help in targeting and achieving the goal “health for all”.
Background: The transition from high school to a university is a significant milestone in every student’s life. Stress experienced by students can have a detrimental effect on their academic performance. Social support has generally been found to promote psychological well-being, as well as to buffer the effects of stress. Method: The study was conducted in one of the Universities in Malaysia. The study questionnaire was designed to include questions regarding socio-demographic aspects and stress of the students; in addition, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support scale (MSPSS) that was developed by Zimet was administered. The main aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between Perceived Social Support, Stress and Gender differences among University Students. Results: In this study only a small group of the students scored very low on the Perceived social support scale. A low significant inverse correlation was found between MSPSS and stress. Male students’ experienced greater stress than female students’. Female students had a better perception of social support from their families compared to male students. Conclusion: The fact that, as the level of social support increase the level of stress decrease clearly shows that social support acts as a buffer to stress.
This study explores the quality of life, social integration and the effects of perceived stigma of people with mental illness living in the community. Adopting a complimentary mixed method, this study was represented by 165 people with mental illness in Kuching, Sibu and Miri. Findings indicated that the quality of life scale was poor, 49.67% and 78.43% often experienced stigma. Anticipated stigma 43.79%; 16.99% all the time and 4.58% never experienced stigma. Findings also noted that people with mental illness living in the community are still largely depending on and needed continuous support from their family members/carers for financial aid and their living arrangement for a “better” quality of life. Where treatment is concerned, follow up care at home by health care providers continue to play a significant role. In order to “erase” the perceived or stigma experienced, establishing therapeutic relationship, communication and creating awareness on “stigma discrimination paradigm” poses a phenomenal challenge in the current misrepresentations of mental health messages.
Objective: To determine the perception of medical students towards mentor-mentee system in Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of UNIMAS. Method: It was a cross-sectional study involving all 104 second year and 80 fifth year medical students. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic details, general perceptions on mentor-mentee system, academic support, personal development, and emotional and psychological support was distributed. The data was analysed using the SPSS version 19. Result: Majority of the subjects had a positive outlook towards the mentor-mentee system with a range of 45.6% to 57%. Three of the top rated perceptions were ‘mentor analyses mentee’s examination results and provides constructive feedback’, ‘mentor advises how to improve academic performance’, and ‘mentor gives encouragement and support for the challenges faced’ (66.8%, 68.0% and 62.9% respectively). Pre-cinical medical students had significantly better perception on mentor-mentee system than clinical students (p≤0.002) while those with non-clinician mentors significantly had better perceptions than those with clinician mentors (p≤0.003) on the system. No significant difference was found between the perceptions of males and females for all components (p=0.234 to 0.722). Conclusion: The mentor-mentee system was found to be successful as more than half of the respondents had posititve perception on the system and its aspects. However, pre-clinical students benefited more compared to clinical students, which reflects the need to look at the support given to clinical students. It was recommended that future studies should incorporate the perceptions of mentors.
Quality nursing care has a great impact on patient satisfaction. Quality nursing care is perceived by the post cardiac surgery patient, as the degree of physical, emotional and spiritual needs that have to be fulfilled while hospitalisation. The objective of this study was to identify factors in quality nursing care that determine post cardiac patient satisfaction. This single cross-sectional descriptive study using ‘NURSQUAL’ instrument consisted of four elements; technical competence, information giving, assurance and empathy to measure patient satisfaction with quality nursing care. It consisted of four research questions with 33 items to measure the four elements. Between January to March 2005, 52 post cardiac surgery patients from Institute Jantung Negara (IJN), who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were recruited for this study. There was a significant difference between technical competence, information giving, assurance and empathy with patient satisfaction with p value < 0.05. The element of assurance made the strongest statistically significant unique contribution to the prediction of patient satisfaction with a p value < 0.05.