METHODS: The demographic profiles for each participant were obtained through a questionnaire survey prior to blood collection. A total of 389 participants were recruited and blood samples screened for the presence of anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibody using an ELISA commercial kit, SERION ELISA classic Toxoplasma gondii IgG and IgM.
RESULTS: The overall T. gondii seroprevalence was 69.6% with 56.8% seropositive for anti-Toxoplasma IgG, 7.7% seropositive for anti-Toxoplasma IgM and 5.1% seropositive for both IgG and IgM antibodies. The presence of both antibody classes in blood samples indicated high avidity, suggesting latent infection. Univariate analysis revealed significant associations that included; age, ethnicity, location and employment status while, significant lifestyle factors included source of drinking water and eating style. A multifactorial statistical model that incorporated all the significant effects from the first-stage univariate analyses listed above revealed that age and ethnicity were the two dominant and independent effects on IgG seroprevalence. For seroprevalence of IgM, the multifactorial model revealed a significant interaction between work and accommodation. IgM seroprevalence was higher among the unemployed inhabitants of PPR (Program Perumahan Rakyat) than those living in non-PPR accommodation, and higher than among the employed irrespective of their accommodation.
CONCLUSION: High seroprevalence of Toxoplasmosis in the community calls for increased awareness of disease transmission and improvements in hygiene and sanitation.
METHODS: We obtained the validity and reliability evidence for the SAS-M-SF using a group of 307 pre-university students in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia with a mean age of 18.4±0.2 years (70.4% female and 29.6% male). A questionnaire containing the Malay version of Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS-M), the Malay version of the short form Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS-M-SF), and the Malay version of the Internet Addiction Test (IAT-M) was administered on the adolescents.
RESULTS: The SAS-M-SF displayed good internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.80). Using principle component analysis, we identified a 4-factor SAS-M-SF model. A significant correlation between the SAS-M-SF and the IAT-M was found, lending support for concurrent validity. The prevalence of smartphone addiction was 54.5% based on cut-off score of ≥36 with a sensitivity of 70.2% and a specificity of 72.5%.
CONCLUSIONS: The 10-item SAS-M-SF is a valid and reliable screening tool for smartphone addiction among adolescents. The scale can help clinicians or educators design appropriate intervention and prevention programs targeting smartphone addiction in adolescents at clinical or school settings.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The PUTRA-Adol is a prospective follow-up study that builds up from 933 Malaysian adolescents who were initially recruited from three southern states in Peninsular Malaysia in 2016 (aged 13 years then). Two sessions are planned; the first session will involve the collection of socio-economy, physical activity, dietary intakes, mental well-being, body image, risk taking behaviour, sun exposure, family functioning and menstrual (in women) information. The second session of data collection will be focused on direct assessments such as venesection for blood biochemistry, anthropometry and ultrasonography imaging of liver and bilateral carotid arteries. Z-scores for an empirical DP will be identified at 16 years using reduced rank regression. Multilevel modelling will be conducted to assess the tracking of DP and prospective analysis between the DP, cardiometabolic health, NAFLD, CIMT and mental well-being.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval for the conduct of this follow-up study was obtained from the Universiti Putra Malaysia's Ethics Committee for Research Involving Human Subjects (JKEUPM) (Reference number: JKEUPM-2019-267). The findings from this study will be disseminated in conferences and peer-reviewed journals.
DISCUSSION: The findings gathered from this study will provide evidence on prospective relationships between DPs, cardiometabolic risk factors, NAFLD, early atherosclerosis and mental well-being and that it may be mediated particularly DED and added sugar during adolescence.
Methods: Respondents were recruited from the year 2013 to 2015 from households in Klang Valley (urban area) and several settlements of the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) in Selangor (rural area). Data were collected using two questionnaires, a sociodemographic questionnaire and a food frequency questionnaire.
RESULTS: A total of 3,453 adults participated in this study. The mean age of the respondents was 50.9 (±10.23) years. The prevalence of hypertension was 23.3%. Mean dietary sodium consumption was 3.6 (±6.63) grams/day, 1.6 grams higher than the current WHO recommendation. The prevalence of hypertension was higher among males aged 60 years and older; among rural population with low education level; among housewives and those with high dietary sodium intake. After adjusting for age, gender and marital status in a multiple logistic regression analysis, rural location (OR = 5.81) and high sodium intake (OR = 2.33) have been shown to affect the incidence of hypertension.
CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of Malay population in Selangor was hypertensive with a higher sodium intake than the WHO recommendation. Hypertension was associated with rural location and high sodium intake. Sustainable and cost-effective population-based health promotion and prevention interventions using a multi-sectoral approach are needed to ensure sufficient community sodium intake.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 95 breast cancer survivors (age 53.7 ± 7.6 years) who have completed main cancer treatments for ≥6 months. Cancer survivors were recruited from two main government hospitals in Kelantan and Terengganu using a purposive sampling method.
RESULTS: According to the Harmonized criteria, the metabolic syndrome prevalence was 50.5%. Among those with metabolic syndrome, the most prevalent abnormal metabolic components were triglycerides (91.2%), fasting blood glucose (79.6%) and HDL-c level (78.4%). Except for total cholesterol and LDL-c, all other metabolic syndrome components were significantly different (p
METHODS: A total of 2598 serum samples (1417 urban samples, 1181 rural samples) were randomly collected from adults ages 35-74 y. The presence of the dengue IgG antibody and neutralising antibodies to dengue virus (DENV) 1-4 was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the plaque reduction neutralisation test assay, respectively.
RESULTS: The prevalence of dengue IgG seropositivity was 85.39% in urban areas and 83.48% in rural areas. The seropositivity increased with every 10-y increase in age. Ethnicity was associated with dengue seropositivity in urban areas but not in rural areas. The factors associated with dengue seropositivity were sex and working outdoors. In dengue IgG-positive serum samples, 98.39% of the samples had neutralising antibodies against DENV3, but only 70.97% of them had neutralising antibodies against DENV4.
CONCLUSION: The high seroprevalence of dengue found in urban and rural areas suggests that both urban and rural communities are vital for establishing and sustaining DENV transmission in Malaysia.
Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of third molar impaction and related pathologic conditions in a cohort of patients living in North-eastern Peninsular Malaysia.
Methods: In this retrospective study, 490 orthopantomograms (OPGs) of patients who were referred to the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery department between January 2010 and December 2019 were assessed. Data including age, gender, ethnicity, frequency of third molar impactions, their angulations and levels of eruption, retromolar space, and associated pathologic conditions were collected. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0. The significance level was set to P < 0.05.
Results: A total of 490 patients with a mean age of 28.87 years (range: 20-64) demonstrated 1957 impacted third molars (1022 mandibular + 935 maxillary). Impacted third molars were more likely present in females than males (1:2.20) (p < 0.05); and in Malay-ethnic (44.49%) patients followed by Chinese (34.45%) and Indians (21.02%). Mesioangular was the most common angulation of impaction both in the maxilla (24.68%) and mandible (18.34%). The most common pattern of third molar impaction was IIA (61.67%), and the retromolar space was significantly larger in males (13.6 mm; P < 0.05) than females (11.6 mm). The most frequently occurring pathological condition associated with third molars impaction is dental caries in the second or third molar (15.38%).
Conclusions: This study highlights mesioangular impaction with their occlusal plane at the same level as the occlusal plane of the adjacent tooth being the most prevalent pattern of third molar impaction in North-eastern Peninsular Malaysia.