Introduction: Hypertension treatment aims to reduce morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular and renal com- plications. In Malaysia, there is a high prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension among patients on treatment. This study aimed to identify the predictors of uncontrolled hypertension among patients receiving treatment from public primary care clinics in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Methods: An unmatched case-control study with 1:1 ratio was con- ducted among 334 hypertensive patients receiving treatment from selected public primary care clinics. Mean blood pressure measurements from the last two clinical visits were used to determine the hypertension status, and uncon- trolled hypertension was defined as 140/90 mm Hg or higher. The cases were those with uncontrolled hypertension, while the controls were those with controlled hypertension. Participants were recruited by simple random sampling. Independent variables were sociodemographic factors, clinical and psychosocial factors, medication adherence, lifestyle modification, and clinical inertia. Data were collected using validated questionnaires and review of medi- cal records. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed by using IBM SPSS Statistics 25. Results: The mean age of respondents was 59 years (SD=11). Patients with medication non-adherence had 11.36 times higher odds of uncontrolled hypertension (aOR=11.36, 95% CI=6.59, 19.56, p
Introduction: Biodegradable materials, such as Mg-based, Fe-based, and Zn-based, bring as much attention as bone-implant materials due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability characteristics. Among them, the Mg is the most abundant elements in human body and primarily found in the bones. However, the Mg has a lower mechanical properties and resistances to fracture compared to the other biodegradable and non-biodegradable metals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a possible biodegradable material made of Mg-Zn alloys reinforced with carbon nano fiber (CNF) and later tested with several testing procedures. Methods: The powder metallurgy method (PM) was utilized to fabricate a total of 24 samples of Mg-Zn alloys reinforced with 1.0%wt, 1.2%wt, 1.4%wt, 1.6%wt, 1.8%wt and 2.0%wt of CNF. The PM method was involved with the process of grinding using ball milling, compaction under 400MPa pressure and sintered under 400 °C. Compression testing was done to measure the mechanical strength meanwhile scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was used to identify the microstructural of samples. Results: From this study, it was found that Mg-Zn alloys with 1.6 wt% of CNF produce the highest Young's modulus (2687.91MPa) with acceptable yield strength (84.91MPa). For microstructural analysis, the results showed a compact surface for 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 wt% of CNF and non-homogeneous structure of all the samples. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study has successfully shown the promising use of Mg-Zn-CNF composite as new materials for implant in terms of suitable strength and structure.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG), US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommend that all pregnancies with medical clearance should engage in moderate-intensity physical activity (PA) at least 150 minutes per week. However, most of them are physically inactive. Thus, this article aims to identify predictors of physical inactivity among antenatal women. Four databases were used to search relevant articles using PICO strategy systematically. The screening began with examining titles, abstracts, and keywords, followed by scrutinizing and assessing full articles. Finally, a total of five studies were included for the data extraction, and the predictors are sociodemographic (trimesters, parity, marital status, and pre-pregnancy PA status), socioeconomic (household income), lifestyle (smoking and eating unhealthy diet) and health-related factors (multiple pregnancies, received fertility treatment, being unwell, musculoskeletal pain, symptom of early pregnancy and uterine contraction). All these predictors provide crucial information for the success of future physical activity intervention.
A majority of hypertensive patients will end up suffering uncontrolled hypertension, which is partly due to poor medication adherence. This paper aimed to review a range of interventions that could improve anti-hypertensive medication adherence. Literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Medline, and Science Direct da- tabases, with publication dates confined to between October 2009 and October 2019. Eventually, only 11 studies were used for this study. It was found that interventions that are based on or include patient education, patient in- terviews, patient reminders, self-management and behavioural modifications have the potential to improve patients’ adherence to anti-hypertensive therapy. Most successful interventions involve patient reminder, self-management and behavioural intervention.
Natural fiber reinforced composites are recognized as better materials for structural components due to their inherent properties. However, milling these materials presents a number of problems, such as surface delamination, which appeared during the machining process, associated with the characteristics of the material and the cutting parameters. Therefore, in this study, machining parameters and the influence of the banana fibers under delamination were investigated. Result showed that machining parameters has a significance effect on the delamination of banana fiber reinforced polyester composites.
Hydrological models are reliable tools that have been extensively used for hydrological studies. However, the complexity of some of these models has been a major setback, which affects their performance. This study compared Hydrologic Engineering Corps Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) with most widely applied Soil Water Assessment Tool (ArcSWAT) model and used to assess impacts of climate change on streamflow at Bernam Basin, Malaysia for 2010-2039, 2040-2069 and 2070-2099 to the baseline period (1976- 2005) using an ensemble of ten GCMs under three RCP scenarios (RCPs 4.5, 6.0 and 8.5). The models performed satisfactorily. However, HEC-HMS performed better compared to ArcSWAT with 0.74, 0.71, 4.21 and 0.37; and 0.71, 0.69, 5.32 and 0.31 for R2 , NSE, PBIAS and RSR, respectively, during the calibration and validation periods. Future periods suggest a decreasing pattern in streamflow, with a higher percentage (−5.94%) expected for the RCP 8.5 scenario in the late century (2080s) during dry season period. In the wet season, streamflow decreases in all future periods except for RCP4.5 where it is expected to increase (0.36%). Therefore, the Basin may likely experience tremendous pressure in the late century due to low streamflow, particularly in dry season months.
Introduction: This paper discussed the effectiveness of “Healthy Kids Programme (HKP)”, specifically in improving the body weight status as well as knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of the children. Methods: In this longi- tudinal intervention study, a total of 12 primary schools in Klang Valley were randomly selected and divided into intervention and control groups. There were 386 standard three children participated at baseline. All children in the intervention group participated in the HKP that was conducted by nutritionists. The evaluations included the pre- and post-Immediate Impact survey (IIS) (every topic), and changes in nutrition KAP survey and anthropometric assess- ment of the children at the beginning and end of every year for three years. Results: School children in intervention group reported with an increased in the IIS score for each topic and achieved a significantly higher mean nutrition knowledge score than those in the control group over time. There were no significant differences in mean attitude and practice scores between two groups after the intervention. Children in the intervention group had lower rates of overweight and obesity (pre-test: 27.3%; post-test: 32.5%) than their counterpart (pre-test: 26.6%; post-test: 44.0%). Conclusions: The HKP is effective in improving nutrition knowledge of the children. A lower rate of overweight and obesity was observed in intervention group than control group. This approach will contribute towards inculcating healthy eating and active lifestyle habits among Malaysian children that bring about long-term health benefits.
Insiden penyakit paru-paru obstruktif kronik (COPD) di Malaysia semakin meningkat. Tiada kajian yang dilaporkan tentang obstruksi aliran udara spirometrik, termasuk corak restriktif dan obstruksif pada populasi di Malaysia. Kajian ini dilakukan untuk mengira prevalens dan meramal obstruksi aliran udara dan menjalankan pemeriksaan gejala COPD menggunakan peralatan baru AirSmart® Spirometry dan COPD Population Screener (COPD-PS). Kajian keratan rentas dilakukan di dua hospital tertiari menggunakan COPD-PS dan AirSmart® Spirometry. Terdapat 265 subjek yang direkrut dengan 11% dan 16% populasi yang masing-masing disaring mempunyai corak yang restriktif dan obstruksif. Dua puluh peratus subjek mempunyai skor COPD-PS lebih daripada lima. Tujuh puluh empat peratus subjek dengan corak obstruktif aktif atau bekas perokok (p=0,03, p
Penilaian status visual kanak-kanak prasekolah adalah penting kerana ia adalah salah satu faktor yang menentukan ketersediaan mereka untuk bersekolah. Walau bagaimanapun, tidak semua kanak-kanak prasekolah mendapat peluang untuk mengikuti program saringan penglihatan. Dalam kajian ini, akuiti visual jauh dan dekat serta tahap stereoakuiti diukur di kalangan kanak-kanak berumur enam tahun (n=385). Parameter tersebut kemudiannya dibandingkan di antara kanak-kanak prasekolah swasta bandar dan prasekolah KEMAS daripada keluarga berpendapatan rendah di luar bandar. Tujuh peratus kanak-kanak prasekolah KEMAS adalah gagal dalam ujian saringan penglihatan jauh berbanding dengan 6% kanak-kanak prasekolah swasta. Untuk ujian penglihatan dekat, kadar kegagalan adalah masing-masing 8.7% dan 4.9% bagi kanak-kanak prasekolah swasta dan KEMAS masing-masing. Untuk ujian stereoakuiti, seramai 3.3% kanak-kanak prasekolah swasta dan 2.5% kanak-kanak prasekolah KEMAS dikategorikan sebagai lemah stereopsis. Semua perbezaan tersebut adalah tidak signifikan secara statistik (semua p>0.05). Peratusan kanak-kanak yang gagal ujian saringan penglihatan adalah serupa untuk kedua-dua jenis prasekolah. Oleh itu, program saringan penglihatan perlu dijalankan di semua jenis prasekolah untuk memastikan sebarang masalah penglihatan dapat dikesan, didiagnos, dirawat dan dicegah.
Listeria spp. and Salmonella spp. are capable of causing food-borne outbreaks and diseases in humans. This study aimed to quantify and detect the occurrence of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella Typhimurium in fruit juices by utilizing Most Probable Number (MPN) in combination with Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). In this study, a total of 50 fruit juice samples, consisting of orange, papaya, watermelon, honeydew and apple were collected from Kota Samarahan and Kuching. Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay targeting the virulence gene, hlyA gene in L. monocytogenes and fliC gene in S. Typhimurium was performed, with the expected size of 730 bp and 559 bp, respectively. MPN analysis showed that the estimated microbial loads of Listeria spp. and Salmonella spp. in all samples were more than 1100 MPN/g. However, based on the PCR analysis, none of the samples (0%) were positive for L. monocytogenes or S. Typhimurium. This study presented as a preliminary food safety screening for the occurrence of Listeria spp. and Salmonella spp. from retailed fruit juices. Hygienic practices and food safety measures should be adhered by all food vendors and restaurants in order to avoid foodborne disease outbreaks in the future.
Herein, we report the facile synthesis, characterization and visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of perforated curly Zn0.1Ni0.9O nanosheets synthesized by hydrothermal process. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies confirmed the cubic phase crystalline structure and growth of high density perforated curly Zn0.1Ni0.9O nanosheets, respectively. As a photocatalyst, using methylene blue (MB) as model pollutant, the synthesized nanosheets demonstrated a high degradation efficiency of ~76% in 60 min under visible light irradiation. The observed results suggest that the synthesized Zn0.1Ni0.9O nanosheets are attractive photocatalysts for the degradation of toxic organic waste in the water under visible light.
Surface tension is a surface characteristic that is related to the forces of molecules residing at the interface. The presence of surface active substance in biological or body fluids which adsorb at interface influences the norm surface tension value. Such the changes indicate valuable signs in the medical field, particularly in pathological states. The conventional surface tension measurements suffered several flaws including lack of dynamic control and required a direct contact with the samples. The optical method seems to be attractive and useful in the surface phenomena owing to non-contact capabilities, non-destructive procedures and required a finite sample volume. In this paper, various optical techniques for surface tension measurement are reviewed and the potential applications regarding the surface tension through the meniscus formation are well discussed. This paper finds the simplicity and credibility of the optical method offers a good opportunity in fields such as medical and diagnostic analysis for monitoring applications.
As age advances most of body system will follow a process of deterioration too and the same goes for reproductive health. There is a gap between the prevalence of reproductive health disorders and rates of treatment. This gap among middle aged and older men is still wide compared to other chronic disease. In Islam, seeking medical treatment for the cure of diseases is part of the Prophet’s tradition and the Prophet (PBUH.) said in the Hadith the following: “For every disease there is a medicine, and if that medicine is applied to the disease, he will recover by Allah’s Leave.” Therefore the aim of this study is to identify a health seeking behaviour among men in for men’s health (MH) disorders in Kuantan. A cross sectional study was conducted among 157 respondents from four governments agencies and the data was collected using self-administered questionnaire modified from a valid and reliable measure. The results showed that 68.2% of the respondents (n=107) have high attitude in seeking for health regarding men’s health while for the rest of the respondents (n=50, 31.8%) have low attitude in seeking for MH. Men from the Service factor are perceived the highest compared the other two factors which are cultural and economic factors. This study showed that MH that includes reproductive disorders has always been taken lightly by the community itself. A Lack of awareness regarding ME issue causes men to ignore the importance of health screening. This should be improved in order to produce a healthy community for better Ummahsince good heredity begins with good ME.
Expression of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (bHCG) mRNA in early cleavage cell stages is important in predicting embryo viability at blastocyst stage of development. Embryo viability is crucial for in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment to be successful in terms of increment of implantation and pregnancy rate. In order to establish fertilization outside the human body, optimum condition mimicking the natural body environment like hormones and growth factors as well as impeccable timing must be established. ImamMuslim narrated from Hudhayfa ibn Asad that the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: “After the sperm-and-ovum drop (nut.fa) has been [in the uterus] forty-two days, Allah sends it an angel that gives it form and fashions its hearing, sight, skin, flesh, and skeleton”. Therefore the aim of this study is to find the significant association of bHCG expression with early cell stage cleavages and its relationship as predictive marker for potential embryo implantation. Our study focuses on leftover frozen embryos from eight patients consists of six pregnant patients and two non-pregnant patients. We assessed the human bHCG mRNA expression at different cell cleavage stages in these frozen embryos using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Our results have shown three out of eight patients with five to ten cells of blastomeres were expressed with bHCG. This study indicated that bHCG was expressed on froze-thawed late cleavage stage of embryos in IVF patients.
Assessment of instructors by students is needed for assessing the teaching quality of a lecturer towards achieving the objectives of a course. This paper aims to examine the techniques used in sentiment analysis for assessing the effectiveness of a lecturer’s or a teacher’s teaching style in the learning process at a university or school. In addition, the effectiveness of sentiment analysis techniques in assisting the teaching evaluation process is also discussed. The challenges for assessing the quality of teaching of National Defence University of Malaysia (UPNM) lecturers are also discussed in this paper. The sentiment analysis technology is capable of analysing views or opinions on a matter, regardless of whether they are positive or negative. Data from the sentiment analysis can be used by specific parties or anyone else to rectify any weakness or to improve any aspect that the user commented on. The purpose of this study is not to find the weakness of the lecturer, but rather the results of this assessment process can be useful to the management for rectifying weaknesses and for improving the teaching process.
Statistically, Android is the most targeted mobile platform when it comes to malicious application. As a result, Android malware detection has become one of the sizing topics in the domain of mobile security. As the researchers focusing on developing a new approach to detect and fight Android malware, there are always a recent report exhibiting cases of Android malware. Multiple motivations cause mobile malware writers to continuously develop an application with malware. Their intentions are to gain access to the private network and to collect sensitive data. This paper categories type of mobile malware. Furthermore, the types of mobile malware that often attacks android’s users are discussed. Then, fundamental techniques usually implement to detect mobile malware are deliberated. Basic techniques such as Static, Dynamic and Hybrid analysis are explained in the section. Finally, open issues on detecting and evaluating Android designed malware presented as a guideline for future research directions.
One of the most important and debilitating complication of diabetes mellitus is foot problem such as ulcers, infections and amputations. However, these complications are preventable by simple intervention such as regular foot care practice. This study aims to assess the foot care practice and its associated factors among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients attending primary health clinics in Kuantan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at four primary health clinics in Kuantan involving 450 study participants who were selected by using universal sampling method. Level of awareness and practice toward diabetic foot care was assessed using validated self-administered questionnaire. Multiple logistic regressions were performed to identify factors associated with poor foot care practice among the respondents. RESULTS:About 59.6% of respondents had poor foot care practice and 50.9% had poor awareness level. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that, increasing age (OR0.97, 95% CI: 0.955-0.993) and good awareness towards foot problem (OR0.43, 95%CI: 0.289-0.643) were less likely to have poor foot care practice. However, Malay ethnicity (OR 1.81, 95% CI: 1.002-3.271) and obesity (OR1.9, 95% CI: 1.225-2.976) were associated with poor foot care practice after controlling other variables. CONCLUSION:Majority of the respondents had poor foot care practice and poor awareness. Respondents who are older and have better awareness are less likely to have poor foot care practice. Diabetic patients who are Malays and/or obese are predicted to have poor diabetic foot practice and hence must be prioritized for a sustainable patient education and compliance towards foot care practice at primary care level.
A neonate with cyanosis at birth was found to have a rare type of tetralogy of Fallot. Echocardiography showed dextrocardia, left aortic arch with constricting and tortuous patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Computed tomography angiography thorax revealed visceroatrial situs inversus, mirror image dextrocardia, tetralogy anatomy and tortuous right PDA arising from bovine brachiocephalic artery. In view of severe cyanosis, emergency division of PDA and modified right Blalock-Taussig shunt through median sternotomy were performed under cardiopulmonary bypass. Post-operatively, the sternum was left open and he developed pulmonary overcirculation requiring prolonged ICU stay. He was discharged well at Day 26 post surgery. This case highlights a rare association tetralogy of Fallot, dextrocardia and situs inversus, with concomitant unilateral right PDA and bovine aortic arch.
The diabetic foot at risk is the diabetic foot which is at risk of ulceration, hence the importance of identifying the foot at this stage. This study aims to assess the prevalence of diabetic foot at risk and its associated factors among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients’ attending primary health clinics in Kuantan.Methods and methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at four primary health clinics in Kuantan involving 450 study participants who were selected by using universal sampling method. Foot examination was carried out and foot at risk was classified based on the Kings’ Classification. Multiple logistic regressions were performed to identify the predictors for diabetic foot at risk. Results: The prevalence of diabetic foot at risk was 31.3%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified age (OR 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01-1.06), smoker (OR 4.11, 95% CI: 1.96-8.63) and duration of diabetes more than 10 years (OR1.77, 95% CI: 1.05-2.98) as risk factors for diabetic foot at risk. Respondents with higher diabetic foot practice score (OR 0.87, 95% CI: 0.77-0.98) have lesser risk of developing diabetic foot at risk. Conclusion: Patients who are older, smoker and/or have chronic diabetes are predicted to be at higher risk to develop the diabetic foot at risk. This study also showed that patients with better foot care practice has lesser risk. Therefore, these are the groups of patients that need to be targeted for early detection and intervention to prevent serious complications.
Background: Population-based physical activity (PA) data are lacking in multicultural South East Asia. Malaysian elderly Malays, for example, are occupied daily with religious and community activities. Those living in rural areas also have a distinctively different lifestyle in terms of walking habits and leisure-time activities, compared to people from urban areas.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 146 community-dwelling Malay adults aged 60 to 85 years (mean (SD) = 67.6 (6.4) years) living in semi-rural areas in Seberang Perai Utara, Penang, Malaysia. Each participant was interviewed using a questionnaire for their socio-economic background and self-reported PA levels. Then, the participants were invited to wear an accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3X or GT3X+) during their waking hours for seven consecutive days.
Results: Daily activity patterns of the participants were dominated by sedentary time (7.9 (SD 2.1) hours/day; 52% of wear time) and light intensity activity (7.0 (1.9) hours/day; 46% of wear time). The participants spent 24 (SD 30) minutes daily in ‘health enhancing’ (i.e. moderatevigorous intensity) activities. Men spent significantly more time in higher intensity acti-vities than women. Average daily step count was more than 10,000 (mean = 12,542 [4,857]) steps/day.
Conclusion: Based on the accelerometer counts, these elderly Malay participants were assessed to be sedentary for most of the time during the day, though their daily step count exceeded 10,000 on average. Community-living older adults, especially women,should be encouraged to increase their physical activity levels.