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Protective effect of Carica papaya L leaf extract against alcohol induced acute gastric damage and blood oxidative stress in rats

Indran M, Mahmood AA, Kuppusamy UR

West Indian Med J, 2008 Sep;57(4):323-6.
PMID: 19566009

The effects of Carica papaya leaf (CPL) aqueous extract on alcohol induced acute gastric damage and the immediate blood oxidative stress level were studied in rats. The results showed that gastric ulcer index was significantly reduced in rats pretreated with CPL extract as compared with alcohol treated controls. The in vitro studies using 2,2-Diphenyl-1-Picryl-Hydrazyl (DPPH) assay showed strong antioxidant nature of CPL extract. Biochemical analysis indicated that the acute alcohol induced damage is reflected in the alterations of blood oxidative indices and CPL extract offered some protection with reduction in plasma lipid peroxidation level and increased erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity. Carica papaya leaf may potentially serve as a good therapeutic agent for protection against gastric ulcer and oxidative stress.

Matched MeSH terms: Stomach Ulcer/prevention & control
Regret and rationalization among smokers in Thailand and Malaysia: findings from the International Tobacco Control Southeast Asia Survey

Lee WB, Fong GT, Zanna MP, Omar M, Sirirassamee B, Borland R

Health Psychol, 2009 Jul;28(4):457-64.
PMID: 19594270 DOI: 10.1037/a0014669

OBJECTIVE: To test whether differences of history and strength in tobacco control policies will influence social norms, which, in turn, will influence quit intentions, by influencing smokers' regret and rationalization.
DESIGN: The data were from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Policy Evaluation Southeast Asia Survey, a cohort survey of representative samples of adult smokers in Thailand (N = 2,000) and Malaysia (N = 2,006). The survey used a stratified multistage sampling design.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Measures included regret, rationalization, social norms, and quit intention.
RESULTS: Thai smokers were more likely to have quit intentions than Malaysian smokers. This difference in quit intentions was, in part, explained by the country differences in social norms, regret, and rationalization. Reflecting Thailand's history of stronger tobacco control policies, Thai smokers, compared with Malaysian smokers, perceived more negative social norms toward smoking, were more likely to regret, and less likely to rationalize smoking. Mediational analyses revealed that these differences in social norms, accounted, in part, for the country-quit intention relation and that regret and rationalization accounted, in part, for the social norm-quit intention relation.
CONCLUSION: The results suggest that social norms toward smoking, which are shaped by tobacco control policies, and smokers' regret and rationalization influence quit intentions

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/prevention & control*
An assessment of the knowledge, attitudes, and risk perceptions of pharmacy students regarding HIV/AIDS

Ahmed SI, Hassali MA, Aziz NA

Am J Pharm Educ, 2009 Feb 19;73(1):15.
PMID: 19513153

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the level of knowledge, attitudes, and risk perceptions of University Sains Malaysia final-year pharmacy students regarding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunity deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
METHOD: A cross-sectional study among pharmacy students. Data were analyzed with Chi-square to find difference at p value < 0.05.
RESULTS: The majority of students (83.07%) responded showing a difference in gender and race. Students showed low willingness (9.2%) to assist patients and low confidence (36.1%) in their education about HIV/AIDS patients. Students recommended HIV testing for health care professionals (69.4%) and patients (75.9%) before surgical procedures. Students knew little about Post Exposure Prophylaxis (18.5%) or about the time for HIV to develop into AIDS (57.4%). About 40% of students were unaware of the inability of antivirals to treat HIV/AIDS. Students had low awareness for opportunistic infections (18.5%), and low agreement on competency to treat and counsel HIV patients (12.9%).
CONCLUSION: The study highlighted students' misconceptions, negative attitudes, and risk perceptions towards HIV/AIDS.

Matched MeSH terms: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/prevention & control
Antibacterial and antifungal properties of human cerumen

Lum CL, Jeyanthi S, Prepageran N, Vadivelu J, Raman R

J Laryngol Otol, 2009 Apr;123(4):375-8.
PMID: 18694532 DOI: 10.1017/S0022215108003307

To assess the antibacterial and antifungal properties of human cerumen by studying its effect on the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Esherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans.

Matched MeSH terms: Otitis Externa/prevention & control
Fulltext Malaria endemicity in an Orang Asli community in Pahang, Malaysia

Gurpreet K

Trop Biomed, 2009 Apr;26(1):57-66.
PMID: 19696728 MyJurnal

An epidemiological cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the endemicity of malaria among the Orang Asli population of Raub, Pahang. Malaria endemicity was measured in terms of the prevalence of parasitaemia and splenomegaly. A total of 520 Orang Asli were examined. The point prevalence of malaria was 24.2% (95% CI 20.7-25.1), with Plasmodium falciparum (67.5%) being the predominant species. Children < 12 years were at least 3.7 times more likely to be parasitaemic compared to those older. The prevalence of malaria among children 2-<10 years was 38.1% (95% CI 31.6-50.0). Spleen rate among children 2-<10 years old was 22.3% (95% CI 17.1-28.3). The average enlarged spleen size was 1.2. These findings classify the study area as being mesoendemic. Malaria control activities among the Orang Asli should focus on protecting vulnerable subgroups like young children. Measuring the level of malaria endemicity at regular intervals is fundamental in evaluating the effectiveness of malaria control programs.

Matched MeSH terms: Endemic Diseases/prevention & control*
Preventing cervical cancer through human papillomavirus vaccination: perspective from focus groups

Wong LP

J Low Genit Tract Dis, 2009 Apr;13(2):85-93.
PMID: 19387128 DOI: 10.1097/LGT.0b013e3181865f44

OBJECTIVE: It has been a little more than a year ago since the prophylactic vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) was released in Malaysia. Little is known about parental knowledge and acceptability of the vaccine. The objective of this study is to assess the mother's knowledge and attitudes toward HPV vaccination. The results are aimed to provide insights into the provision of appropriate educational and promotional program for effective immunization uptake.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Purposive sampling method was adopted for recruitment of participants. A total of 47 mothers participated across 8 focus group discussions carried out between October and November 2007. The transcribed group discussions were analyzed using open-, axial-, and selective-coding procedures.
RESULTS: Respondents have low awareness about the newly released vaccine and the link between HPV and cervical cancer. When provided with information about HPV and cervical cancer, most mothers were in favor of protecting their daughters from cervical cancer using the vaccine. As with any new vaccine, efficacy and safety were the major concern, particularly when the vaccine is recommended to preadolescent. Many expressed concern about the high cost of the vaccine and hope that the inoculation could be at least partially subsidized by the government. A minority were concerned that the sexually transmitted disease-related vaccine would promote sexual activities, and some opposed making vaccination mandatory. For Muslim respondents, the kosher issue of HPV vaccine was an important factor for acceptance.
CONCLUSIONS: Developing public health messages that focus on the susceptibility of HPV infection and its link to cervical cancer to educate parents may have the greatest impact on improving the uptake of the vaccine. Apart from the major concern about safety and efficacy, affordability, and acceptability of vaccinating young children, religious and ethnic backgrounds were important considerations when recommending the HPV vaccine. To foster broad acceptance, these issues need to be addressed before mass vaccination is pushed forward to the Malaysian public.insights into the provision of appropriate educational and promotional program for effective immunization uptake.

Matched MeSH terms: Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/prevention & control*
Fulltext Use of antenatal corticosteroids prior to preterm birth in four South East Asian countries within the SEA-ORCHID project

Pattanittum P, Ewens MR, Laopaiboon M, Lumbiganon P, McDonald SJ, Crowther CA, et al.

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, 2008 Oct 16;8:47.
PMID: 18925968 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2393-8-47

BACKGROUND: There is strong evidence supporting the use of antenatal corticosteroids in women at risk of preterm birth to promote fetal lung maturation and reduce neonatal mortality and morbidity. This audit aimed to assess the use of antenatal corticosteroids prior to preterm birth in the nine hospitals in four South East Asian countries participating in the South East Asia Optimising Reproductive Health in Developing Countries (SEA-ORCHID) Project.
METHOD: We reviewed the medical records of 9550 women (9665 infants including 111 twins and two triplets) admitted to the labour wards of nine hospitals in four South East Asian countries during 2005. For women who gave birth before 34 weeks gestation we collected information on women's demographic and pregnancy background, the type, dose and use of corticosteroids, and key birth and infant outcomes.
RESULTS: Administration of antenatal corticosteroids to women who gave birth before 34 weeks gestation varied widely between countries (9% to 73%) and also between hospitals within countries (0% to 86%). Antenatal corticosteroids were most commonly given when women were between 28 and 34 weeks gestation (80%). Overall 6% of women received repeat doses of corticosteroids. Dexamethasone was the only type of antenatal corticosteroid used. Women receiving antenatal corticosteroids compared with those not given antenatal corticosteroids were less likely to have had a previous pregnancy and to be booked for birth at the hospital and almost three times as likely to have a current multiple pregnancy. Exposed women were less likely to be induced and almost twice as likely to have a caesarean section, a primary postpartum haemorrhage and postpartum pyrexia. Infants exposed to antenatal corticosteroids compared with infants not exposed were less likely to die. Live born exposed infants were less likely to have Apgar scores of < 7 at five minutes and less likely to have any lung disease.
CONCLUSION: In this survey the use of antenatal corticosteroids prior to preterm birth varied between countries and hospitals. Evaluation of the enablers and barriers to the uptake of this effective antenatal intervention at individual hospitals is needed.

Matched MeSH terms: Premature Birth/prevention & control*
Treatment with bindarit, an inhibitor of MCP-1 synthesis, protects mice against trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced colitis

Bhatia M, Landolfi C, Basta F, Bovi G, Ramnath RD, de Joannon AC, et al.

Inflamm Res, 2008 Oct;57(10):464-71.
PMID: 18827968 DOI: 10.1007/s00011-008-7210-y

Chemokines play a fundamental role in trafficking and activation of leukocytes in colonic inflammation. We investigated the ability of bindarit, an inhibitor of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1/CCL2) synthesis, to inhibit chemokine production by human intestinal epithelial cells (HT-29) and its effect in trinitro-benzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis in mice.

Matched MeSH terms: Colitis/prevention & control*
Integrating ethics, health policy and health systems in low- and middle-income countries: case studies from Malaysia and Pakistan

Hyder AA, Merritt M, Ali J, Tran NT, Subramaniam K, Akhtar T

Bull World Health Organ, 2008 Aug;86(8):606-11.
PMID: 18797618

Scientific progress is a significant basis for change in public-health policy and practice, but the field also invests in value-laden concepts and responds daily to sociopolitical, cultural and evaluative concerns. The concepts that drive much of public-health practice are shaped by the collective and individual mores that define social systems. This paper seeks to describe the ethics processes in play when public-health mechanisms are established in low- and middle-income countries, by focusing on two cases where ethics played a crucial role in producing positive institutional change in public-health policy. First, we introduce an overview of the relationship between ethics and public health; second, we provide a conceptual framework for the ethical analysis of health system events, noting how this approach might enhance the power of existing frameworks; and third, we demonstrate the interplay of these frameworks through the analysis of a programme to enhance road safety in Malaysia and an initiative to establish a national ethics committee in Pakistan. We conclude that, while ethics are gradually being integrated into public-health policy decisions in many developing health systems, ethical analysis is often implicit and undervalued. This paper highlights the need to analyse public-health decision-making from an ethical perspective.

Matched MeSH terms: Accidents, Traffic/prevention & control
The development and comprehensibility of a pictorial asthma action plan

Roberts NJ, Mohamed Z, Wong PS, Johnson M, Loh LC, Partridge MR

Patient Educ Couns, 2009 Jan;74(1):12-8.
PMID: 18789626 DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2008.07.049

OBJECTIVE: Written action plans are regarded as an important part of asthma self-management education and yet they may not be understood by those with limited literacy skills. This study was designed to produce an understandable pictorial asthma action plan.
METHODS: With advice from a group of doctors and nurses a "standard" written action plan was translated by a medical artist into a series of pictorial images. These were assessed using the techniques of guessability and translucency by a series of adults attending a specialist asthma clinic in London and the same process was subsequently used to assess comprehensibility of the images and plans amongst a group of Somalis living in Manchester, UK and Malaysians in Seremban, Malaysia.
RESULTS: Guessability testing showed that the majority of pictograms were well understood by each of the study groups. Translucency testing revealed close agreement with intended meaning for the majority of the images. One image, depicting extra use of reliever medication scored less well in all populations; two other images scored less well in the Somali and Malaysian groups and reflect less use of certain inhaler devices in other countries. The overall plan was well understood by all patients who were able to adequately recount the appropriate actions to take in different clinical scenarios.
CONCLUSION: We have developed a pictorial asthma action plan understandable by 3 different populations of patients with asthma.
PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Pictorial representations have been shown by other studies in other situations to be an effective method of reinforcing the spoken word. The pictorial asthma action plan developed for this study has been shown to be comprehensible, personalised to the individual in the usual fashion. It is now suitable for further evaluation in clinical practice.
Study site in Malaysia: Asthma clinic, Hospital Tuanku Jaafar, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/prevention & control
Fulltext Audit on cardiovascular disease preventive care in general practice

Chan SC, Lee TW, Teoh LC, Abdullah ZC, Xavier G, Sim CK, et al.

Singapore Med J, 2008 Apr;49(4):311-5.
PMID: 18418523

INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Primary care doctors as general practitioners (GPs) play a central role in prevention, as they are in contact with a large number of patients in the community through provision of first contact, comprehensive and continuing care. This study aims to assess the adequacy of cardiovascular disease preventive care in general practice through a medical audit.
METHODS: Nine GPs in Malaysia did a retrospective audit on the records of patients, aged 45 years and above, who attended the clinics in June 2005. The adequacy of cardiovascular disease preventive care was assessed using agreed criteria and standards.
RESULTS: Standards achieved included blood pressure recording (92.4 percent), blood sugar screening (72.7 percent) and attaining the latest blood pressure of equal or less than 140/90 mmHg in hypertensive patients (71.3 percent). Achieved standards ranged from 11.1 percent to 66.7 percent in the maintenance of hypertension and diabetic registries, recording of smoking status, height and weight, screening of lipid profile and attaining target blood sugar levels in diabetics.
CONCLUSIONS: In the nine general practice clinics audited, targets were achieved in three out of ten indicators of cardiovascular preventive care. There were vast differences among individual clinics.

Matched MeSH terms: Cardiovascular Diseases/prevention & control*
Adolescent pregnancy outcomes and risk factors in Malaysia

Omar K, Hasim S, Muhammad NA, Jaffar A, Hashim SM, Siraj HH

Int J Gynaecol Obstet, 2010 Dec;111(3):220-3.
PMID: 20800837 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijgo.2010.06.023

OBJECTIVE: To assess the outcomes and risk factors of adolescent pregnancies in 2 major hospitals in Malaysia.
METHODS: We conducted a case-control study of pregnant girls aged 10 through 19 years. The controls were women aged 20 through 35 years who did not become pregnant in their adolescence. Cases and controls were matched for parity and place of delivery. Data were collected from questionnaires and the hospitals' medical records.
RESULTS: The study included 102 cases and 102 controls. There were significant associations between adolescent pregnancy and low education level, low socioeconomic status, being raised by a single parent, not engaging in extracurricular school activities, engaging in unsupervised activities with peers after school, and substance abuse (P<0.05 for all); being anemic, being unsure of the expected delivery date, and having few antenatal visits and a late delivery booking; and low Apgar scores and perinatal complications.
CONCLUSION: Adolescent pregnancies are high-risk pregnancies. Better sexual health strategies are required to address the associated complications.

Matched MeSH terms: Pregnancy in Adolescence/prevention & control
Fulltext Wound contraction effects and antibacterial properties of Tualang honey on full-thickness burn wounds in rats in comparison to hydrofibre

Khoo YT, Halim AS, Singh KK, Mohamad NA

BMC Complement Altern Med, 2010;10:48.
PMID: 20815896 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-10-48

Full-thickness burn wounds require excision and skin grafting. Multiple surgical procedures are inevitable in managing moderate to severe full-thickness burns. Wound bed preparations prior to surgery are necessary in order to prevent wound infection and promote wound healing. Honey can be used to treat burn wounds. However, not all the honey is the same. This study aims to evaluate the wound contraction and antibacterial properties of locally-produced Tualang honey on managing full-thickness burn wounds in vivo.

Matched MeSH terms: Wound Infection/prevention & control*
Issues surrounding HPV vaccine delivery in a multi-ethnic country in Asia: the physician's perspective

Wong LP

J Community Health, 2011 Feb;36(1):14-22.
PMID: 20431926 DOI: 10.1007/s10900-010-9275-0

The study was conducted to investigate issues surrounding human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine delivery in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural society. A qualitative in-depth interview study was conducted with a sample of 20 physicians. Physicians described the success of HPV vaccines recommendation as very poor. Many expressed reluctance to offer the vaccine to preadolescents. The most notable barrier to vaccination was the vaccine's high cost. Parents of eligible vaccinees were concerned about the efficacy and side effects of the new vaccine, while adult women have low risk perception for HPV infection. Promoters and inhibitors of HPV vaccination in our multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural community were identified. This study suggests the need to strengthen the infrastructure necessary for HPV vaccine delivery and to specifically target poor underserved women.

Matched MeSH terms: Papillomavirus Infections/prevention & control
Antioxidant protection of Malaysian tualang honey in pancreas of normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Erejuwa OO, Sulaiman SA, Wahab MS, Sirajudeen KN, Salleh MS, Gurtu S

Ann Endocrinol (Paris), 2010 Sep;71(4):291-6.
PMID: 20398890 DOI: 10.1016/j.ando.2010.03.003

Glucotoxicity contributes to beta-cell dysfunction through oxidative stress. Our previous study demonstrated that tualang honey ameliorated renal oxidative stress and produced hypoglycemic effect in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. This present study investigated the hypothesis that hypoglycemic effect of tualang honey might partly be due to protection of pancreas against oxidative stress. Diabetes was induced by a single dose of STZ (60 mg/kg; ip). Diabetic rats were randomly divided into two groups and administered distilled water (0.5 ml/d) and tualang honey (1.0 g/kg/d). Similarly, two groups of non-diabetic rats received distilled water (0.5 ml/d) and tualang honey (1.0 g/kg/d). The animals were treated orally for 28 days. At the end of the treatment period, the honey-treated diabetic rats had significantly (p<0.05) reduced blood glucose levels [8.8 (5.8)mmol/L; median (interquartile range)] compared with the diabetic control rats [17.9 (2.6)mmol/L]. The pancreas of diabetic control rats showed significantly increased levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and up-regulation of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities. Catalase (CAT) activity was significantly reduced while glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities remained unchanged in the pancreas of diabetic rats. Tualang honey significantly (p<0.05) reduced elevated MDA levels. Honey treatment also restored SOD and CAT activities. These results suggest that hypoglycemic effect of tualang honey might be attributed to its antioxidative effect on the pancreas.

Matched MeSH terms: Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/prevention & control*
Fulltext Impact of routine PCV7 (Prevenar) vaccination of infants on the clinical and economic burden of pneumococcal disease in Malaysia

Aljunid S, Abuduxike G, Ahmed Z, Sulong S, Nur AM, Goh A

BMC Infect Dis, 2011;11:248.
PMID: 21936928 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-11-248

BACKGROUND: Pneumococcal disease is the leading cause of vaccine-preventable death in children younger than 5 years of age worldwide. The World Health Organization recommends pneumococcal conjugate vaccine as a priority for inclusion into national childhood immunization programmes. Pneumococcal vaccine has yet to be included as part of the national vaccination programme in Malaysia although it has been available in the country since 2005. This study sought to estimate the disease burden of pneumococcal disease in Malaysia and to assess the cost effectiveness of routine infant vaccination with PCV7.
METHODS: A decision model was adapted taking into consideration prevalence, disease burden, treatment costs and outcomes for pneumococcal disease severe enough to result in a hospital admission. Disease burden were estimated from the medical records of 6 hospitals. Where local data was unavailable, model inputs were obtained from international and regional studies and from focus group discussions. The model incorporated the effects of herd protection on the unvaccinated adult population.
RESULTS: At current vaccine prices, PCV7 vaccination of 90% of a hypothetical 550,000 birth cohort would incur costs of RM 439.6 million (US$128 million). Over a 10 year time horizon, vaccination would reduce episodes of pneumococcal hospitalisation by 9,585 cases to 73,845 hospitalisations with cost savings of RM 37.5 million (US$10.9 million) to the health system with 11,422.5 life years saved at a cost effectiveness ratio of RM 35,196 (US$10,261) per life year gained.
CONCLUSIONS: PCV7 vaccination of infants is expected to be cost-effective for Malaysia with an incremental cost per life year gained of RM 35,196 (US$10,261). This is well below the WHO's threshold for cost effectiveness of public health interventions in Malaysia of RM 71,761 (US$20,922).

Matched MeSH terms: Pneumococcal Infections/prevention & control
Fulltext Oral nifedipine versus intravenous labetalol for acute blood pressure control in hypertensive emergencies of pregnancy: a randomised trial

Raheem IA, Saaid R, Omar SZ, Tan PC

BJOG, 2012 Jan;119(1):78-85.
PMID: 21985500 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2011.03151.x

To compare oral nifedipine with intravenous labetalol in their rapidity to control hypertensive emergencies of pregnancy.

Matched MeSH terms: Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced/prevention & control*
Detection of microsporidia in local HIV-positive population in Malaysia

Lono A, Kumar S, Chye TT

Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg, 2011 Jul;105(7):409-13.
PMID: 21596411 DOI: 10.1016/j.trstmh.2011.03.006

The HIV-positive population, due to their immuno-compromised nature, is considered more susceptible to parasitic infections than other populations. However despite the reports of other opportunistic pathogens such as Cryptosporidium and tuberculosis reported in vulnerable communities, microsporidia have not been highlighted in the local HIV-positive population in Malaysia. This study aimed to provide preliminary information on the prevalence of microsporidia in the local HIV-population. Microsporidia were detected in 21/247 (8.5%) stool samples from the HIV-infected individuals, a significantly higher (P-value <0.05) prevalence than in the control group, in which 5/173 (2.9%) were positive. HIV patients were 3x more at risk for acquiring microspordium (OR: 3.12; 95% CI 1.15-8.44). Spores were ellipsoid in shape with outlines that stained dark pink with the interior a lighter shade. Approximately 21% of the positive specimens were from individuals in the 40-49 years age group. Ten individuals who were positive for microsporidia were also positive for other enteric parasites such as Blastocystis hominis and Giardia lamblia. We detected Encephalitozoon intestinalis DNA following nested PCR from three of 10 samples analysed, as demonstrated by an amplicon of 370bp. From the findings reported, it appears that microsporidial infection in humans may actually be more common than reported. We strongly advocate greater emphasis on personal hygiene through public education on personal hygiene and the consumption of boiled or filtered water.

Matched MeSH terms: Microsporidiosis/prevention & control
The influenced of PAC, zeolite, and Moringa oleifera as biofouling reducer (BFR) on hybrid membrane bioreactor of palm oil mill effluent (POME)

Damayanti A, Ujang Z, Salim MR

Bioresour Technol, 2011 Mar;102(6):4341-6.
PMID: 21251818 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2010.12.061

The main objective of this work was to determine the effectiveness of various biofouling reducers (BFRs) to operational condition in hybrid membrane bioreactor (MBR) of palm oil mill effluent (POME). A series of tests involving three bench scale (100 L) hybrid MBR were operated at sludge retention times (SRTs) of 30 days with biofouling reducer (BFR). Three different biofouling reducers (BFRs) were powdered actived carbon (PAC), zeolite (Ze), and Moringa oleifera (Mo) with doses of 4, 8 and 12 g L(-1) respectively were used. Short-term filtration trials and critical flux tests were conducted. Results showed that, all BFRs successfully removed soluble microbial products (SMP), for PAC, Ze, and Mo at 58%, 42%, and 48%, respectively. At their optimum dosages, PAC provided above 70% reductions and 85% in fouling rates during the short-term filtration and critical flux tests.

Matched MeSH terms: Biofouling/prevention & control*
Fulltext Challenges to cervical screening in a developing country: The case of Malaysia

Othman NH, Rebolj M

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2009;10(5):747-52.
PMID: 20104963

OBJECTIVES: Many developing countries, including Malaysia, will need to continue relying on cervical screening because they will not be able to cover their entire female adolescent populations with HPV vaccination. The aim of this paper was to establish the extent of the health care, informational, financial and psychosocial barriers to cervical screening in Malaysia.

METHODS: A literature search was made for reports on implementation, perceptions and reception of cervical screening in Malaysia published between January 2000 and September 2008.

RESULTS: Despite offering Pap smears for free since 1995, only 47.3% of Malaysian women have been screened. Several factors may have contributed to this. No national call-recall system has been established. Women are informed about cervical screening primarily through mass media rather than being individually invited. Smears are free of charge if taken in public hospitals and clinics, but the waiting times are often long. The health care system is unequally dense, with rural states being underserved compared to their urban counterparts. If the screening coverage was to increase, a shortage of smear-readers would become increasingly apparent.

CONCLUSIONS: Improving screening coverage will remain an important strategy for combating cervical cancer in Malaysia. The focus should be on the policy-making context, improving awareness and the screening infrastructure, and making the service better accessible to women.

Matched MeSH terms: Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/prevention & control*

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