Hypertension is a major public health problem in Malaysia. A survey was initiated to examine the association of modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for hypertension in Perak, Malaysia.
Noise is known to be one of the environmental and occupational hazards listed in the Factory and Machinery Act 1967. Quarries with loud deafening sounds from trucks and machineries pose the risk of noise-induced hearing loss to workers. This study was designed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice towards noise-induced hearing loss and to determine the prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss and its associated factors among quarry workers in a north-eastern state of Malaysia.
A study on the morphology and phylogeny of 18 strains of Pseudo-nitzschia established from the Strait of Malacca, Peninsular Malaysia, was undertaken. Morphological data combined with molecular evidence show that they constitute three new species, for which the names, P. batesiana sp. nov., P. lundholmiae sp. nov., and P. fukuyoi sp. nov., are proposed. The three new species closely resemble species in the P. pseudodelicatissima complex sensu lato. Morphologically, P. batesiana differs from other species in the complex by having a smaller part of cell overlapping in the chain, whereas P. lundholmiae differs by having fewer poroid sectors and P. fukuyoi by having a distinct type of poroid sectors. Nucleotide sequences of the LSU rDNA (D1-D3) of the three new species reveal significant nucleotide sequence divergence (0.1%-9.3%) from each other and from other species in the P. pseudodelicatissima complex s.l. The three species are phylogenetically closely related to species in the P. pseudodelicatissima complex, with P. batesiana appearing as a sister taxon to P. circumpora, P. caciantha, and P. subpacifica; whereas P. lundholmiae and P. fukuyoi are more closely related to P. pseudodelicatissima and P. cuspidata. The three species show 2-3 compensatory base changes (CBCs) in their ITS2 transcripts when compared to the closely related species. The ITS2 with its structural information has proven its robustness in constructing a better resolved phylogenetic framework for Pseudo-nitzschia.
Resistance to antifungal agents has increased in Candida spp., especially in non-albicans species. Recent findings reported a strikingly low susceptibility in Candida spp. towards itraconazole in Malaysia. In this study, a colorimetric broth dilution method was utilized to determine the susceptibility of Candida spp. isolated in Kuala Lumpur Hospital within a six month period. A total of 82 isolates from blood, peritoneal and other fluids were tested against 8 antifungal agents using the Sensititre Yeast One method. These comprised of 32 (39%) C. albicans, 17 (20.7%) C. glabrata, 15 (18.3%) C. tropicalis, 13 (15.9%) C. parapsilosis, two (2.4%) C. sake and 1 (1.2%) each of C. pelliculosa, C. rugosa and Pichia etchellsii/carsonii. Overall, susceptibility of all isolates to caspofungin was 98.8%, amphotericin B, 97.6%; 5-flucytosine, 97.6%; voriconazole, 97.6%; posaconazole, 87.8%; fluconazole, 82.9%; ketoconazole, 79.3%; and itraconazole, 56.1%. A total of 18 Candida spp. isolates (22 %) were resistant to at least one antifungal agent tested, and half of these were resistant to three or more antifungal agents. C. glabrata was the most frequently identified resistant species (10 isolates), followed by C. tropicalis (4 isolates), C. parapsilosis (3 isolates) and C. albicans (1 isolate). Resistance was highest against ketoconazole (20.9%), followed by itraconazole (13.4%). However, 30.5% of isolates were susceptible-dose dependent towards itraconazole. Long-term usage of itraconazole in Malaysia and a predominance of nonalbicans species may account for the results observed in this study. In conclusion, susceptibility to antifungal drugs is species-dependent among Candida spp.; reduced susceptibility to itraconazole is concomitant with the high number of non-albicans Candida species isolated in Malaysia.
BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is increasingly recognized as an important outcome and as a complement to traditional biological end points of diseases such as mortality. Unless there is a complete cure available for HIV/AIDS, development and implementation of a reliable and valid cross cultural quality of life measure is necessary to assess not only the physical and medical needs of HIV/AIDS people, but their psychological, social, environmental, and spiritual areas of life.
METHODS: A qualitative exploration of HIV/AIDS patients' understanding, perceptions and expectations will be carried out with the help of semi structured interview guide by in depth interviews, while quantitative assessment of patient reported adverse drug reactions and their impact on health related quality of life will be carried out by using data collection tool comprising patient demographics, SF-12, Naranjo scale, and a clinical data sheet.
RESULTS/OUTCOMES: The findings may serve as baseline QOL data of people living with HIV/AIDS in Malaysia and also a source data to aid construction of management plan to improve HIV/AIDS patients' QOL. It will also provide basic information about HIV/AIDS patients' perceptions, expectations and believes towards HIV/AIDS and its treatment which may help in designing strategies to enhance patients' awareness which in turn can help in addressing issues related to compliance and adherence.
KEYWORDS: HIV/AIDS; adverse drug reactions; patients' perspective; quality of life
With the rapid advancements made in biotechnology, bioethical discourse has become increasingly important. Bioethics is a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary field that goes beyond the realm of natural sciences, and has involved fields in the domain of the social sciences. One of the important areas in bioethical discourse is religion. In a country like Malaysia, where Muslims make up the majority of the population, Islam plays a crucial role in providing the essential guidelines on the permissibility and acceptability of biotechnological applications in various fields such as medicine, agriculture, and food processing. This article looks at the framework of a complementary model of bioethics derived from the perspective of Islam. The framework is based on 'maqasid al-shariah' (purposes or objectives of Islamic law) which aims to protect and preserve mankind's faith, life, intellect, progeny, and property. It is proposed that 'maqasid al-shariah' be used as a pragmatic checklist that can be utilized in tackling bioethical issues and dilemmas.
Klebsiella pneumoniae PR04 was isolated from a patient hospitalized in Malaysia. The draft genome sequence of K. pneumoniae PR04 shows differences compared to the reference sequences of K. pneumoniae strains MGH 78578 and NTUH-K2044 in terms of their genomic structures.
Parotid abscess is uncommon in neonates. It is frequently related to prematurity, prolonged gavage feeding and dehydration. We report a case of a late preterm infant who developed the classical manifestation of unilateral acute Staphylococcus aureus suppurative parotitis progressing to formation of abscess which responded to surgical drainage and antibiotic therapy.
Fish is one of the major sources of protein among Malaysians. This has made incidents of fish bones lodged in the throat fairly common clinical problems. Plain radiograph, which is the first line of imaging in such cases, has been reported to have low sensitivity. Besides the location, the degree of radio-opacity of the bone is another important factor and is species dependent. This study was undertaken to determine the radio-opacity of bones from commonly consumed fish in Malaysia. A total of 15 types of fish were identified, six of them were opaque even when embedded and three were visualized in the simulated airway. In terms of radio-opacity, the commonly consumed fish in Malaysia possessed opaque bones and this fact can help doctors identify the location of the foreign body in the throat.
A review of the epidemiology of tuberculosis, its contributing risk factors (excluding HIV) and the role of screening latent tuberculosis infection in Malaysia was done. Despite the global and domestic decrease in prevalence rates of tuberculosis in the past decade, there is an alarming increase in the trend of non communicable diseases in the country. High prevalence rates of major risk factors leading to reactivation of tuberculosis were seen within the population, with diabetes mellitus being in the forefront. The rising numbers in the ageing population of Malaysia poses a further threat of re-emergence of tuberculosis in the years to come. Economically, screening of diabetic patients with comorbidities for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) using two major techniques, namely tuberculin sensitivity (TST) and Interferon gamma release assay tests (IGRA) could be a viable option. The role of future research in the detection of LTBI in the Malaysian setting might be necessary to gauge the disease reservoir before implementing prophylactic measures for high risk groups involved.
A report of a patient with Lazarus phenomenon (the return of spontaneous circulation after cardiopulmonary resuscitation) following cardiac arrest (myocardium ischemia) is presented. A 65 year patient was found unconscious at home. He taken to the emergency department On arrival he was unconscious, his pupils fixed and dilated bilaterally. Resuscitation proceeded for 55 minutes. He was then pronounced dead. Forty minutes later spontaneous breathing was noted and his blood pressure was 110/48 and heart rate 90bpm. He survived a further 13 days in the coronary care unit. The implications for management of cardiac arrest in the emergency and medical department are discussed.
Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) was first reported by J. Erdheim and W. Chester, in 1930. There are less than 250 reported cases till date. We report a case of ECD in a 16- year-old Malay male, who initially presented with elusive anemic symptoms with more specific symptoms of bony pain, cardiorespiratory and hepatic involvement evolving as the disease progressed.
There are an almost infinite number of states of health, all with differing qualities that can be affected by many factors. Each aspect of health has many components which contribute to multidimensionality. Cancer and its' related issues surrounding the treatment plan contribute to the variety of changes of quality of life of cancer patients throughout their life. The objective of this article was to provide an overview of some of the issues that can affect their quality of life and initiatives towards successful care in Malaysia by reviewing relevant reports and articles. The current strategies can be further strengthened by prevention of cancer while improving quality of service to cancer patients.
Field sampling was undertaken to investigate the occurrence of Pseudo-nitzschia Peragallo species in eight locations along the coast of Malaysian Borneo. A total of 108 strains of Pseudo-nitzschia species were isolated, and their morphology examined with SEM and TEM. Additionally, molecular data from nuclear-encoded partial LSU rDNA, and ITS regions, were characterized. A total of five species were confidently identified based on a combination of distinct morphological characteristics and supporting molecular evidence: P. brasiliana Lundholm, Hasle & Fryxell, P. cuspidata (Hasle) Hasle, P. dolorosa Lundholm & Moestrup, P. micropora Priisholm, Moestrup & Lundholm, and P. pungens (Grunow) Hasle var. pungens. However, one morphotype from Sarawak, while somewhat similar to P. caciantha, showed significant morphological distinction from this and any other of the currently described species. Most notably this morphotype possessed a characteristic pore arrangement in the poroids, with the fine pores in each perforation sector arranged in circles. Pair-wise sequence comparison of the LSU rDNA between this unidentified morphotype and P. caciantha Lundholm, Moestrup & Hasle, revealed 2.7% genetic divergence. Phylogenetic analyses strongly supported the monophyly of the morphotype. Based upon these supporting data it is here described as a new species, Pseudo-nitzschia circumpora sp. nov. A key to the six species of Pseudo-nitzschia from Malaysian Borneo is presented. Molecular signatures for all species were established based on structural comparisons of ITS2 rRNA transcripts.
BACKGROUND:
Research is an essential activity required for the advancement of science and improvement of human existence. To carry out a research, a proposal is mandatory. However, in spite of the widespread demand for research proposals, experience has shown that a number of them are so poorly written that they rejected by assessors. This article aims at assisting researchers develop acceptable research proposals by reviewing the different components of a research proposal.
METHOD:
A review of relevant literature on research proposal writing sourced from manual library and internet search was used for this review
RESULT:
A research proposal is a formal and detailed statement of intent to carry out a research. It presents and justifies a plan of action and shows how the investigator thinks. A research protocol on the other hand is a plan written to seek approval for research from a supervisor or an organization. It is developed as a guide for a study and helps to keep the researcher focused on the topic and scope of the research. A research proposal has the following components: The Title page; The Abstract/Executive Summary; The Introduction/Statement of the Problem; Literature Review; Information on the applicant's centre; The Objectives/Research Questions/Hypotheses; The Study Design; Methods; Plans for Analysis; Data Analysis; Plans for Data Interpretation; Plans to report. Thus, although proposals and protocols are sometimes used interchangeably, a proposal precedes a protocol.
CONCLUSION:
To reduce the time wastage and frustration faced by intending researchers and their assessors it is essential that good proposals be written at all times.