Displaying publications 221 - 240 of 1434 in total

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  1. Wong Y
    J Lesbian Stud, 2012;16(4):435-48.
    PMID: 22978284 DOI: 10.1080/10894160.2012.681267
    Drawing on the lived experiences of the Pengkids and their girlfriends in the deprived district of the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, this article examines transgender practices and women's same-sex desires within the local contexts of urbanization and political Islam. This article questions the assumed marginal positions of transgender practices and same-sex desires in society, and provides a nuanced understanding of the politics of identity, gender, sexuality and religion involved in a Muslim country. While the Muslim-Malay sexual minorities are increasingly subjected to the threats of moral policing in Malaysia, Pengkid has become a new identity marker for the marginalized sexual subject framed by the Islamic discourse of this country.
    Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Sex*
  2. Yasin SM, Ismail N, Noor NM, Mohd Azman MS, Taib H, Jusop JM, et al.
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2013;14(1):303-8.
    PMID: 23534742
    BACKGROUND: Medical students' views may provide some direction for future policy considerations.

    AIM: The aim of this study was to assess gender differences in future doctors' receptiveness to currently implemented anti-smoking messages and the effectiveness of those messages.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: We administered a questionnaire to all students at a medical university in Malaysia, asking how frequently they noted anti- smoking policies, anti-smoking campaigns, and anti-smoking messages in schools. In addition, the questionnaire investigated most effective methods to convey these messages.

    RESULTS: A total of 522 (59.7%) students responded. Students were least likely to approve of total bans on cigarettes and increasing the price of cigarettes, and most likely to approve of bans on use of cigarettes in public places and sales to individuals less than 16 years old. Approval of total bans on cigarettes was more common in female students than in males OR=0.39 (95%CI: 0.18- 0.86). Furthermore, compared to the female students, the male students thought that printed media; OR=2.32 (95%CI: 1.31-4.10), radio; OR=1.93 (95%CI: 1.15-3.22) and the internet; OR=1.96 (95%CI: 1.15-3.33) were very effective at delivering anti-smoking messages.

    CONCLUSIONS: Gender differences existed in the future doctors' perception of the effectiveness of anti-smoking initiatives. Taking this gender difference into account may increase the receipt of anti-smoking messages in adolescents.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sex Factors*
  3. Chan LF, Tan SM, Ang JK, Kamal Nor N, Sharip S
    J Child Sex Abus, 2012;21(6):613-20.
    PMID: 23194137 DOI: 10.1080/10538712.2012.719597
    Adolescent sexual abuse is not an uncommon phenomenon in Malaysia. It is a traumatic experience that complicates the psychosocial development of young people on the threshold of adulthood. This case report highlights the psychosocial sequelae of adolescent sexual abuse by a traditional healer and discusses management issues in the context of unique cultural and belief systems.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sex Offenses/prevention & control*
  4. Ishak MS, Haneef SS
    J Relig Health, 2014 Apr;53(2):520-37.
    PMID: 23187616 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-012-9656-z
    The birth of people with confused or ambiguous sex makeup as a biological fact since the annals of history has posed the challenge of accommodating them within the binary gender of sociocultural systems. In this process, the role of religion as a defining factor in social engineering has been paramount. Major religions, such as Islam and Christianity, have addressed this issue within the frame of their God-ordained laws by devising a set of moral and legal imperatives specific to the "third gender." Modern developments in medicine and biology, however, have made sex reassignment possible for this category of people, today called transsexuals. The question is: How do Islam and Christianity respond to it. After presenting an analytical view of both Muslim scholars and Christian religious authorities on the legitimacy of sex reassignment for transsexuals, this paper attempts to explore if such a dilemma can be resolved.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sex Reassignment Procedures*
  5. Colombini M, Mayhew S, Ali SH, Shuib R, Watts C
    BMC Health Serv Res, 2013;13:65.
    PMID: 23419141 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6963-13-65
    This study explores the views and attitudes of health providers in Malaysia towards intimate partner violence (IPV) and abused women and considers whether and how their views affect the provision or quality of services. The impact of provider attitudes on the provision of services for women experiencing violence is particularly important to understand since there is a need to ensure that these women are not re-victimised by the health sector, but are treated sensitively.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sex Offenses*
  6. Yee EY, Zainuddin ZZ, Ismail A, Yap CK, Tan SG
    J Genet, 2013 Apr;92(1):e15-8.
    PMID: 23628715
    Matched MeSH terms: Sex Determination Analysis*
  7. Kruger MC, Todd JM, Schollum LM, Kuhn-Sherlock B, McLean DW, Wylie K
    BMC Musculoskelet Disord, 2013 Mar 05;14:81.
    PMID: 23497143 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2474-14-81
    BACKGROUND: Bone density measurements by DXA are not feasible for large population studies, whereas portable ultrasound heel scanners can provide a practical way of assessing bone health status. The purpose of this study was to assess bone health in seven Asian countries using heel ultrasound.

    METHODS: Stiffness index (SI) was measured and T-scores generated against an Asian database were recorded for 598,757 women and 173,326 men aged over 21 years old using Lunar Achilles (GE Healthcare) heel scanners. The scanners were made available in public centres in Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.

    RESULTS: The mean SI was higher for men than women. In women SI as well as T-scores declined slowly until approximately 45 years of age, then declined rapidly to reach a mean T-score of 80 years.

    CONCLUSIONS: The heel scan data shows a high degree of poor bone health in both men and women in Asian countries, raising concern about the possible increase in fractures with ageing and the expected burden on the public health system.

    Matched MeSH terms: Sex Factors; Sex Distribution
  8. Jahanfar S, Lim AW, Loh MA, Yeoh AG, Charles A
    Med J Malaysia, 2008 Oct;63(4):288-92.
    PMID: 19385486 MyJurnal
    Malaysia is confronted with an increasing incidence of HIV and AIDS among adolescents and young adults. The effectiveness of various programs offered to school going teenagers is unknown. The objective of this study is to measure the effectiveness of two hours talk on sex education offered by a non governmental organization (NGO) in improving youngsters' knowledge and perception towards HIV and AIDS. A cross sectional study was conducted among the adolescent students from a secondary school in Ipoh, Perak, a province of Malaysia. A total of 182 students participated in the study. A standard questionnaire consisting of demographic data, knowledge and perception towards HIV/ADIS were distributed before (pre-test) and after the intervention (post-test). Performance of participants was compared to establish the effectiveness of the intervention. Our findings suggests that there was a significant increase in participants' knowledge and perception after the intervention (p = 0.000). Knowledge improvement was found in both genders however, improvement in perception was higher among female students. Interestingly, 80% of participants disagree that sexual education will encourage sex among youngsters. NGOs are playing a supplementary role in providing sex education programs in schools. This program although of short duration but it is effective in enhancing adolescence awareness about HIV/AIDS.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sex Education*
  9. Wong NL, Achike FI
    Regul. Pept., 2010 Aug 9;163(1-3):113-9.
    PMID: 20434492 DOI: 10.1016/j.regpep.2010.04.003
    Hyperglycaemia initiates endothelial dysfunction causing diabetic macro- and micro-vasculopathy, the main causes of morbidity and mortality in diabetes mellitus. The vasculopathy exhibits gender peculiarities. We therefore explored gender differences in comparing the effects of hyperglycaemia (50 mM) per se with its hyperosmolar (50 mM) effects on vascular tissue responses to insulin. Endothelium-intact or denuded thoracic aortic rings from age-matched male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were incubated for 10 min or 6 h (acute versus chronic exposure) in normal, hyperglycaemic or hyperosmolar Krebs solution. Relaxant responses to insulin (6.9x10(-7)-6.9x10(-5) M) of the phenylephrine-contracted tissues were recorded. Endothelium denudation in both genders inhibited relaxation to insulin in all conditions, more significantly in female than in male tissues, suggesting the female response to insulin is more endothelium-dependent than the male. Acutely and chronically exposed normoglycemic endothelium-intact or -denuded tissues responded similarly to insulin. Chronic hyperglycemic or hyperosmolar exposure did not alter the endothelium-denuded tissue responses to insulin, whereas the responses of the endothelium-intact male and female hyperosmolar, and male hyperglycemic tissues were enhanced. The results show that insulin exerts an endothelium-dependent and independent relaxation with the female tissue responses more endothelium-dependent than the male. The data also suggest that hyperosmolarity per se enhances aortic tissue relaxant responses to insulin whereas hyperglycemia per se inhibits the same and more so in female than male tissues. These effects are endothelium-dependent.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sex Characteristics*
  10. Hornett EA, Charlat S, Wedell N, Jiggins CD, Hurst GD
    Curr Biol, 2009 Oct 13;19(19):1628-31.
    PMID: 19747825 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2009.07.071
    Sex ratios are subject to distortion by a range of inherited parasites. Although it has been predicted that the presence of these elements will result in spatial and temporal variation in host sex ratio, testing of this hypothesis has been constrained by availability of historical data. We here determine spatial and temporal variation in sex ratio in a interaction between a butterfly and male-killing Wolbachia bacteria by assaying infection presence in museum specimens, and from this inferring infection prevalence and phenotype in historical populations. Comparison of contemporary and museum samples revealed profound change in four of five populations examined. Two populations become extremely female biased, associated with spread of the male-killer bacterium. One evolved from extremely female biased to a sex ratio near parity, resulting from the infection losing male-killing activity. The final population fluctuated widely in sex ratio, associated with varying frequency of the male killer. We conclude that asynchronous invasion and decline of sex-ratio distorters combines with the evolution of host suppressors to produce a rapidly changing mosaic of sex ratio. As a consequence, the reproductive ecology of the host species is likely to be fundamentally altered over short time scales. Further, the study demonstrates the utility of museum specimens as "silent witnesses" of evolutionary change.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sex Ratio*
  11. Kah-Wei Hee A, Tan KH
    PMID: 16750428 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2006.04.009
    Males of Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) are attracted strongly to and feed compulsively on methyl eugenol (1,2-dimethoxy- 4 -(2-propenyl)benzene), a highly potent male attractant. Pharmacophagy of methyl eugenol results in the production of phenylpropanoids 2-allyl-4,5-dimethoxyphenol and (E)-coniferyl alcohol that are sequestered and stored in the rectal gland prior to release as sex pheromonal components during mating at dusk. While these pheromonal components have also been detected in the hemolymph and crop of methyl eugenol-fed males, there is currently little information on the transport of these compounds from the crop to rectal gland in male B. dorsalis. Therefore, using physiological techniques such as parabiosis, rectal gland transplantation and hemolymph transfusion coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses, we were able to ascertain and confirm the role of the hemolymph in the transport of these sex pheromonal components from the crop to the rectal gland. Further, the temporal profile of these methyl eugenol-derived bioactive compounds in the hemolymph also shows an increase with time post-methyl eugenol-feeding, i.e., 2-allyl-4,5-dimethoxyphenol attaining maximum amounts 15 min after ME consumption and decreasing thereafter, while for (E)-coniferyl alcohol-the increase and decrease are more gradual. These results further demonstrate the ability of insect hemolymph to transport many diverse forms of bioactive molecules including attractant-derived sex pheromonal components.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sex Attractants/metabolism*
  12. Tan PC, Jacob R, Quek KF, Omar SZ
    BJOG, 2006 Jun;113(6):733-7.
    PMID: 16709219
    The association between female fetal sex and hyperemesis gravidarum is well established in European and North American populations. The association between female fetuses and severity of hyperemesis remains uncertain. A retrospective study based on case notes review of 166 Asian women hospitalised for hyperemesis was performed. Female fetuses were significantly associated with hyperemesis in our population (P= 0.004, OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.2) as well as associated with severe ketonuria and high urea. When both severe ketonuria and high urea were present at initial hospital admission for hyperemesis, 83% (95% CI 66-93) of the fetuses were female.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sex Factors; Sex Ratio
  13. Tan KH, Tan LT, Nishida R
    J Chem Ecol, 2006 Nov;32(11):2429-41.
    PMID: 17082990 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-006-9154-4
    It is widely believed that most orchid flowers attract insects by using deception or chemical rewards in the form of nectar. Flowers of Bulbophyllum vinaceum produce a large array of phenylpropanoids that lure tephritid fruit fly males and also act as floral reward, which the flies subsequently convert to pheromone components. The major floral volatile components identified are methyl eugenol (ME), trans-coniferyl alcohol (CF), 2-allyl-4,5-dimethoxphenol (DMP), and trans-3,4-dimethoxycinnamyl acetate, whereas the minor components are eugenol, euasarone, trans-3,4-dimethoxy cinnamyl alcohol, and cis-coniferyl alcohol. Among the various floral parts, the lip (which is held in a closed position up against the sexual organs) has the highest concentration of the major compounds. An attracted male fly normally lands on one of the petals before climbing up onto and forcing the "spring loaded" floral lip into the open position, hence exposing the floral sexual organs. The architecture and location of chemical attractants of the lip compel the fly to align itself along the lip's longitudinal axis in a precise manner. As the fly laps up the compounds and moves towards the base of the lip, it passes the point of imbalance causing the lip to spring back to its normal closed position. The fly is catapulted headfirst into the column cavity, and its dorsum strikes the protruding sticky base of the hamulus and adheres to it. The momentum of the fly and the structural morphology of the long stiff hamulus act to pry out the pollinia from its anther cover. Hence, the pollinarium (pollinia + hamulus) is detached from the flower and adhered to the fly's dorsum. In this unique mutualistic association, both species receive direct reproductive benefits--the flower's pollinarium is transported for cross pollination, and the fly is offered a bouquet of phenylpropanoids (synomone) that it consumes, converts, and/or sequesters as sex pheromonal components, thus enhancing sexual attraction and mating success.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sex Attractants/metabolism
  14. Poh BK, Jannah AN, Chong LK, Ruzita AT, Ismail MN, McCarthy D
    Int J Pediatr Obes, 2011 Aug;6(3-4):229-35.
    PMID: 21668385 DOI: 10.3109/17477166.2011.583658
    BACKGROUND: The prevalence of obesity is increasing rapidly and abdominal obesity especially is known to be a risk factor for metabolic syndrome and other non-communicable diseases. Waist circumference percentile curves are useful tools which can help to identify abdominal obesity among the childhood and adolescent populations.
    OBJECTIVE: To develop age- and sex-specific waist circumference (WC) percentile curves for multi-ethnic Malaysian children and adolescents aged 6.0-16.9 years. Subjects and methods. A total of 16,203 participants comprising 8,093 boys and 8,110 girls recruited from all regions of Malaysia were involved in this study. Height, weight, WC were measured and BMI calculated. Smoothed WC percentile curves and values for the 3rd, 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, 95th and 97th percentiles were constructed using the LMS Method.
    RESULTS: WC was found to increase with age in both sexes, but boys had higher WC values at every age and percentile. Z-scores generated using the UK reference data shows that Chinese children had the highest WC compared to Malays, Indians and other ethnicities. Comparisons with other studies indicate that at the 50th percentile, Malaysian curves did not differ from the UK, Hong Kong and Turkish curves, but at the 90th percentile, Malaysian curves were higher compared with other countries, starting at 10 years of age. The 90th percentile was adopted as the cut-off point to indicate abdominal obesity in Malaysian children and adolescents.
    CONCLUSION: These curves represent the first WC percentiles reported for Malaysian children, and they can serve as a reference for future studies.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sex Factors; Sex Distribution
  15. Schilthuizen M, Craze PG, Cabanban AS, Davison A, Stone J, Gittenberger E, et al.
    J Evol Biol, 2007 Sep;20(5):1941-9.
    PMID: 17714311
    Although the vast majority of higher animals are fixed for one chiral morph or another, the cause for this directionality is known in only a few cases. In snails, for example, rare individuals of the opposite coil are unable to mate with individuals of normal coil, so directionality is maintained by frequency-dependent selection. The snail subgenus Amphidromus presents an unexplained exception, because dextral (D) and sinistral (S) individuals occur sympatrically in roughly equal proportions (so-called 'antisymmetry') in most species. Here we show that in Amphidromus there is sexual selection for dimorphism, rather than selection for monomorphism. We found that matings between D and S individuals occur more frequently than expected by chance. Anatomical investigations showed that the chirality of the spermatophore and the female reproductive tract probably allow a greater fecundity in such inter-chiral matings. Computer simulation confirms that under these circumstances, sustained dimorphism is the expected outcome.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sex Characteristics*
  16. Wee SL, Tan KH, Nishida R
    J Chem Ecol, 2007 Jun;33(6):1272-82.
    PMID: 17443401 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-007-9295-0
    After pharmacophagy of methyl eugenol (ME), males of Bactrocera carambolae (Diptera: Tephritidae) produced (E)-coniferyl alcohol (CF) along with its endogenously synthesized pheromonal compounds. CF was shown to be released into the air by the ME-fed males only during the courtship period at dusk and attracted significantly more males and females than the ME-deprived males in wind tunnel assays. However, earlier onset of sexual attraction and a higher mating success were observed only in the wind tunnel and field cage assays on the third day posttreatment of ME. Field cage observations on the male-to-male interaction indicated that the ME-deprived males did not exhibit aggregation behavior, but that ME feeding promoted aggregation behavior in B. carambolae. Field cage observations revealed that the ME-deprived males were not only attracted to the ME-fed males, but also appeared to feed on their anal secretions. The secretions were subsequently confirmed to contain CF along with endogenously produced pheromonal compounds. Results obtained for B. carambolae were compared to those previously obtained from its sibling species, Bactrocera dorsalis, and are discussed in light of species advancement in fruit fly-plant relationships.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sex Attractants/metabolism
  17. Mohamat-Yusuff F, Zulkifli SZ, Otake T, Harino H, Ismail A
    J Environ Biol, 2014 Sep;35(5):995-1003.
    PMID: 25204078
    The morphological expressions and histopathological analysis of the gonads of a tropical marine neogastropod species (Thais sp.) from East Malaysia revealed new evidence of mechanical sterility in the imposex affected females. The gradual development of imposex was classified into five stages (Stage 0 to Stage 4) with three types of sterility conditions; Type A caused prohibition of copulation and capsule formation; Type B prohibits the releasing process of eggs; and gonads in Type C are infertile. Further analysis is needed to confirm, if the gonad malformation in imposex affected snails is generated specifically by tributyltin (TBT) or by other possible factors. The levels of imposex incidence (stages and percentages) were greater in a marina and decreased with increasing distance from the marina. Organotin tissue burden across the sexes showed that dibutyltin (DBT) as well as TBT might be the elements inducing imposex in Thais sp. from Miri in East Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Disorders of Sex Development/chemically induced*
  18. Chin KY, Ima-Nirwana S, Wan Ngah WZ
    Aging Male, 2015;18(3):175-9.
    PMID: 26004987 DOI: 10.3109/13685538.2015.1034686
    OBJECTIVE: Cross-sectional studies in the Caucasian population have shown a significant relationship between vitamin D and testosterone levels, but data in the Asian population are limited. This study aimed to determine the association between vitamin D and testosterone levels in Malaysian men.

    METHODS: Chinese and Malay men (n = 382) aged 20 years or above residing in the Klang Valley, Malaysia were recruited. Their fasting blood was collected for serum testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) assays. Relationship between 25(OH)D and testosterone levels was analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Testosterone and SHBG levels among subjects with different vitamin D status were compared using univariate analysis. Confounders such as age, ethnicity and body mass index (BMI) were adjusted.

    RESULTS: 25(OH)D was significantly and positively associated with total testosterone and SHBG levels before and after adjustment for age and ethnicity (p  0.05).

    CONCLUSION: 25(OH)D is significantly associated with total testosterone and SHBG in Malaysian men but this association is BMI-dependent.

    Matched MeSH terms: Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin/analysis*
  19. Kooshair H, Yahaya N, Hamid TA, Abu Samah A
    J Women Aging, 2014;26(1):22-38.
    PMID: 24483281 DOI: 10.1080/08952841.2014.858550
    The aim of this study was to examine the moderating role of gender on relations among social support functions and life satisfaction in older Malaysians. The study sample was 1,800 older residents in a community; all were at least 60 years old. This study was a cross-sectional and corelational survey, and the data were collected by multistage stratified sampling. This study revealed that fewer social support functions, and therefore less life satisfaction, were available for females than for males. The results of moderated regression analyses demonstrated that gender interacted only on the relationship between positive social interaction support and tangible support with life satisfaction. Specifically, at a high tangible support level, females had lower life satisfaction when compared to a low tangible support level. There may be a need for new programs and services to provide other aspects of social support to older female adults to improve and maintain life satisfaction in later life.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sex Factors*
  20. Khalaf ZF, Low WY, Merghati-Khoei E, Ghorbani B
    Asia Pac J Public Health, 2014 Jul;26(4):358-66.
    PMID: 24489084 DOI: 10.1177/1010539513517258
    This research explored the perspectives of Malaysian professionals on the issues and barriers affecting the implementation of sexuality education in Malaysia. This qualitative study involved in-depth interviews with 15 key professionals working in the field of sexuality and reproductive health in Malaysia. Thematic analysis was selected to analyze data. Barriers to sexuality education were perceived from 5 aspects: feasibility, acceptability, accountability, strategies, and community unawareness. Respondents believed that implementing national sexuality education is a time-consuming project. They regarded Malaysian multicultural society as a barrier to national sexuality education, and they believed that school-based sexuality education is not easily accomplished in Malaysia; also abstinence-only policy restricts the access of young people to accurate information. Lack of community involvement was perceived as a key concern to sexuality education. Campaigning to promote awareness of families, teachers, community leaders, and policy makers are recommended to help establishing national sexuality education in Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sex Education/organization & administration*
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