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A hybrid mathematical programming model for optimal project portfolio selection using fuzzy inference system and analytic hierarchy process

Tavana M, Khosrojerdi G, Mina H, Rahman A

Eval Program Plann, 2019 12;77:101703.
PMID: 31442587 DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2019.101703

The primary goal in project portfolio management is to select and manage the optimal set of projects that contribute the maximum in business value. However, selecting Information Technology (IT) projects is a difficult task due to the complexities and uncertainties inherent in the strategic-operational nature of the process, and the existence of both quantitative and qualitative criteria. We propose a two-stage process to select an optimal project portfolio with the aim of maximizing project benefits and minimizing project risks. We construct a two-stage hybrid mathematical programming model by integrating Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) with Fuzzy Inference System (FIS). This hybrid framework provides the ability to consider both the quantitative and qualitative criteria while considering budget constraints and project risks. We also present a real-world case study in the cybersecurity industry to exhibit the applicability and demonstrate the efficacy of our proposed method.

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment
Fulltext A medication-estimated health status measure for predicting primary care visits: the Long-Term Therapeutic Groups Index

Dhabali AA, Awang R

Health Policy Plan, 2010 Mar;25(2):162-9.
PMID: 19923207 DOI: 10.1093/heapol/czp051

BACKGROUND: Managed care is one of the means advocated for health care reforms. The Malaysian government has proposed managed care for its citizens. In the Malaysian private health care sector, managed care is practised on a small scale with crude risk adjustment. The main determinant of an individual's health service utilization is their health status (HS). HS is used as a risk adjuster for capitation payment. Prescribed medications represent a useful source for HS estimation. We aimed to develop and validate a medication-based HS estimate and to incorporate it in the Andersen model of health service utilization. This is a preparatory step in studying the feasibility of developing a model for risk assessment in the Malaysian context.
METHODS: Data were collected retrospectively from an academic year from computerized databases in University Sains Malaysia (USM) about users of USM primary care services. A user is a USM health scheme beneficiary who made at least one visit in the academic year to USM-assigned primary care providers. Socio-demographic variables, enrolment period, medications prescribed and number of visits were also collected. Chronic illness medications and some non-chronic illness medications were used to calculate the Long-Term Therapeutic Groups Index (LTTGI) which is an estimate of the HS of users. Using a random 50% of users, weighted least square methods were used to develop a model that predicts a user's number of visits. The other 50% were used for validation.
RESULTS: Socio-demographic variables explained 15% of variability in number of primary care visits among users. Adding the LTTGI improved the explanatory power of the model to 36% (P < 0.001). A similar contribution of the LTTGI was noted in the validation.
CONCLUSIONS: The Long-Term Therapeutic Groups Index was successfully developed. Variability in number of primary care visits can be predicted by LTTGI-based models.

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment
Fulltext A new radiological classification for the risk assessment of anterior skull base injury in endoscopic sinus surgery

Abdullah B, Chew SC, Aziz ME, Shukri NM, Husain S, Joshua SW, et al.

Sci Rep, 2020 03 12;10(1):4600.
PMID: 32165705 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61610-1

Keros and Gera classifications are widely used to assess the risk of skull base injury during endoscopic sinus surgery. Although, both classifications are useful preoperatively to stratify risk of patients going for surgery, it is not practical to measure the respective lengths during surgery. In this study, we aimed to propose a new radiological classification (Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore (TMS)) to assess the anatomical risk of anterior skull base injury using the orbital floor (OF) as a reference. A total of 150 computed tomography images of paranasal sinuses (300 sides) were reviewed. The TMS classification was categorized into 3 types by measuring OF to cribriform plate and OF to ethmoid roof. Most patients were classified as TMS type 1, Keros type 2 and Gera class II, followed by patients classified as TMS type 3, Keros type 1 and Gera class 1. TMS has significant correlation with Keros classification (p risk assessment of skull base injury among patients undergoing ESS. It serves as an additional assessment besides the Keros and Gera classifications.

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment
A novel method of determining breast cancer risk using parenchymal textural analysis of mammography images on an Asian cohort

Tan M, Mariapun S, Yip CH, Ng KH, Teo SH

Phys Med Biol, 2019 01 31;64(3):035016.
PMID: 30577031 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/aafabd

Historically, breast cancer risk prediction models are based on mammographic density measures, which are dichotomous in nature and generally categorize each voxel or area of the breast parenchyma as 'dense' or 'not dense'. Using these conventional methods, the structural patterns or textural components of the breast tissue elements are not considered or ignored entirely. This study presents a novel method to predict breast cancer risk that combines new texture and mammographic density based image features. We performed a comprehensive study of the correlation of 944 new and conventional texture and mammographic density features with breast cancer risk on a cohort of Asian women. We studied 250 breast cancer cases and 250 controls matched at full-field digital mammography (FFDM) status for age, BMI and ethnicity. Stepwise regression analysis identified relevant features to be included in a linear discriminant analysis (LDA) classifier model, trained and tested using a leave-one-out based cross-validation method. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC) and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were used as the two performance assessment indices in our study. For the LDA trained classifier, the adjusted OR was 6.15 (95% confidence interval: 3.55-10.64) and for Volpara volumetric breast density, 1.10 (0.67-1.81). The AUC for the LDA trained classifier was 0.68 (0.64-0.73), compared to 0.52 (0.47-0.57) for Volpara volumetric breast density (p risk assessment based models. Parenchymal texture analysis has an important role for stratifying breast cancer risk in women, which can be implemented to routine breast cancer screening strategies.

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment/methods*
A population-based survey of mental disorders in Singapore

Chong SA, Abdin E, Vaingankar JA, Heng D, Sherbourne C, Yap M, et al.

Ann Acad Med Singap, 2012 Feb;41(2):49-66.
PMID: 22498852

INTRODUCTION: Mental illnesses are not only a growing public health concern but also a major social and economic issue affecting individuals and families throughout the world. The prevalence of mental disorders, the extent of disability caused by these disorders, and services utilisation of these patients has been well studied in developed countries. The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of select mental disorders and their associated sociodemographic correlates in the adult Singapore resident population.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, populationbased, epidemiological study of adult Singapore residents aged 18 years and above. The subjects were randomly selected using a disproportionate stratified sampling method. The diagnoses of selected mental disorders including major depressive disorder (MDD), dysthymia, bipolar (bipolar I & II) disorders, generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence were established using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, which is a fully structured diagnostic instrument that assesses lifetime and 12-month prevalence of mental disorders.
RESULTS: Among the 6616 respondents (response rate of 75.9%), 12.0% had at least one lifetime affective, anxiety, or alcohol use disorders. The lifetime prevalence of MDD was 5.8% and that of bipolar disorder was 1.2%. The combined lifetime prevalence of the 2 anxiety disorders, GAD and OCD was 3.6%, with the latter being more common than GAD (0.9% and 3.0% respectively). The lifetime prevalence of alcohol abuse and dependence were found to be 3.1% and 0.5% respectively. Age, gender, ethnicity, marital status and chronic physical illnesses were all significant correlates of mental disorders.
CONCLUSION: The identified associated factors would help guide resource allocation, policy formulation and programme development in Singapore.

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment
A prognostic index for natural killer cell lymphoma after non-anthracycline-based treatment: a multicentre, retrospective analysis

Kim SJ, Yoon DH, Jaccard A, Chng WJ, Lim ST, Hong H, et al.

Lancet Oncol, 2016 Mar;17(3):389-400.
PMID: 26873565 DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(15)00533-1

BACKGROUND: The clinical outcome of extranodal natural killer T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) has improved substantially as a result of new treatment strategies with non-anthracycline-based chemotherapies and upfront use of concurrent chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy. A new prognostic model based on the outcomes obtained with these contemporary treatments was warranted.
METHODS: We did a retrospective study of patients with newly diagnosed ENKTL without any previous treatment history for the disease who were given non-anthracycline-based chemotherapies with or without upfront concurrent chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy with curative intent. A prognostic model to predict overall survival and progression-free survival on the basis of pretreatment clinical and laboratory characteristics was developed by filling a multivariable model on the basis of the dataset with complete data for the selected risk factors for an unbiased prediction model. The final model was applied to the patients who had complete data for the selected risk factors. We did a validation analysis of the prognostic model in an independent cohort.
FINDINGS: We did multivariate analyses of 527 patients who were included from 38 hospitals in 11 countries in the training cohort. Analyses showed that age greater than 60 years, stage III or IV disease, distant lymph-node involvement, and non-nasal type disease were significantly associated with overall survival and progression-free survival. We used these data as the basis for the prognostic index of natural killer lymphoma (PINK), in which patients are stratified into low-risk (no risk factors), intermediate-risk (one risk factor), or high-risk (two or more risk factors) groups, which were associated with 3-year overall survival of 81% (95% CI 75-86), 62% (55-70), and 25% (20-34), respectively. In the 328 patients with data for Epstein-Barr virus DNA, a detectable viral DNA titre was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival. When these data were added to PINK as the basis for another prognostic index (PINK-E)-which had similar low-risk (zero or one risk factor), intermediate-risk (two risk factors), and high-risk (three or more risk factors) categories-significant associations with overall survival were noted (81% [95% CI 75-87%], 55% (44-66), and 28% (18-40%), respectively). These results were validated and confirmed in an independent cohort, although the PINK-E model was only significantly associated with the high-risk group compared with the low-risk group.
INTERPRETATION: PINK and PINK-E are new prognostic models that can be used to develop risk-adapted treatment approaches for patients with ENKTL being treated in the contemporary era of non-anthracycline-based therapy.
FUNDING: Samsung Biomedical Research Institute.

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment
Fulltext A retrospective review of diabetic nephropathy patients during referral to the sub-urban nephrology clinic

Menon R, Mohd Noor FS, Draman CR, Seman MR, Ghani AS

Saudi J Kidney Dis Transpl, 2012 Sep;23(5):1109-14.
PMID: 22982937 DOI: 10.4103/1319-2442.100972

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) has become the most common cause of end-stage renal failure. Early referral and specific nephrology treatment could delay the disease progression and should reduce the treatment cost, mortality and morbidity rate in these patients. This is a single-center, retrospective review of all DN patients referred to the nephrology clinic in Hospital Sultan Ahmad Shah, Temerloh, from 2000 to 2009, to study and define the clinical characteristics of DN patients at the time of the referral to the nephrology clinic. A total of 75 patient case records were reviewed. Forty-three (57.3%) of them were males, with a median age of 64.3 ± 8.5 years at the time of referral. Only 14.7% of them had blood pressure lower than 125/75 mmHg. Co-morbid and disease-related complications were also commonly diagnosed and 28.4% (n = 21) had ischemic heart disease, 23% (n = 17) had diabetic retinopathy and 20.3% (n = 15) had diabetic neuropathy. The mean serum creatinine at the time of referral was 339.8 ± 2.3 μmol/L, gylcated hemoglobin A 1c (HbA1C) was 8.1 ± 2.0 %, serum fasting glucose was 9.6 ± 4.7 mmol/L, serum cholesterol was 5.4 ± 1.2 mmol/L and hemoglobin level was 10.6 ± 2.9 g/dL. Although female patients were less frequently seen in the early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD), they comprised at least 72.7% of CKD stage 5 (male:female; 6:16, P <0.05). Twenty-nine percent (n=22) of them were referred at CKD stage 5, 48% (n=36) were at CKD stage 4, 17.3% (n=13) were at CKD stage 3, 4% (n=3) were at CKD stage 2 and 1.3% (n=1) was at CKD stage 1. Advanced CKD patients were frequently prescribed with more antihypertensives. CKD stage 5 patients were prescribed with two-and-half types of antihypertensive as compared to two types of anti-hypertensive in CKD stage 2 and stage 3. Furthermore, ACE-inhibitors (ACE-I) were less frequently prescribed to them. Only 22.7% (n=5) of CKD stage 5 patients received ACE-I and 30% (n=11) in CKD stage 4 patients as compared to 53.4% (n=7) in CKD patients stage 3. This review shows that DN patients were referred late to the nephrologists and the overall disease management was suboptimal. Antihypertensive requirement was also increased and ACEIs were less frequently prescribed in the advanced diabetic nephropathy patients.
Study site: Nephrology Clinic, Hospital Sultan Ahmad Shah, Temerloh, Pahang, Malaysia

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment
Fulltext A review of ethnobotany, phytochemistry, antimicrobial pharmacology and toxicology of Nigella sativa L

Hossain MS, Sharfaraz A, Dutta A, Ahsan A, Masud MA, Ahmed IA, et al.

Biomed Pharmacother, 2021 Nov;143:112182.
PMID: 34649338 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.112182

Nigella sativa L. is one of the most extensively used traditional medicinal plants. This widely studied plant is known to display diverse pharmacological actions, including antimicrobial activities. Current literature has documented its multi-target mode of antimicrobial actions. N. sativa or its bioactive compounds, such as thymoquinone, can induce oxidative stress, cell apoptosis (by producing reactive oxygen species), increase membrane permeability, inhibit efflux pumps, and impose strong biocidal actions. Despite its well-documented antimicrobial efficacy in the experimental model, to the best of our knowledge its antimicrobial mechanisms highlighting the multi-targeting properties have yet to be well discussed. Is N. sativa or thymoquinone a valuable lead compound for therapeutic development for infectious diseases? Are N. sativa's bioactive compounds potential antimicrobial agents or able to overcome antimicrobial resistance? This review aims to discuss the antimicrobial pharmacology of N. sativa-based treatments. Additionally, it provides a holistic overview of the ethnobotany, ethnopharmacology, and phytochemistry of N. sativa.

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment
Fulltext A review on the guidelines related to risk assessment for confined space

Roslina Mohammad, Zamree Amin, Norazli Othman

Journal of Occupational Safety and Health, 2016;13(2):71-84.
MyJurnal

The aim of this paper is to identify, review and carry out comparison to seven guidelines where the main focus is on its risk
assessment elements related to confined space activities. This is due to lack of the specific approach of the Legislation for confined
space such as entry procedure requirements, risk assessment method, existing practice of risk assessment is too general and additional
references are required for conducting risk assessment which would lead to poor response from industries. The selected guidelines will
be summarized on its requirements, followed by a review of each guideline and finally the comparison of Legislations will be carried
out. The results from the study would be used as a contribution factor to promote an ideal method in developing an effective risk
assessment tools for working safely in confined space. Furthermore, several literatures which have been referred could give additional
input for developing the risk assessment tools.

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment
A review on the performance of osteoporosis self-assessment tool for Asians in determining osteoporosis and fracture risk

Chin KY

Postgrad Med, 2017 Sep;129(7):734-746.
PMID: 28695762 DOI: 10.1080/00325481.2017.1353394

The prevalence of osteoporosis in Asian countries is growing. An effective screening method will enable patients at risk for osteoporosis to receive early diagnosis and treatment, and avoid overcrowding the limited dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) machines available in Asian countries. Many simple osteoporosis screening algorithms have been developed but they are not validated for use in Asian populations. osteoporosis self-assessment tools for Asians (OSTA), established using a multinational Asian cohort, is the first screening algorithm that caters for the Asian populations. It considers only body weight and age in the algorithm. It shows consistently high performance and sensitivity in identifying postmenopausal women at risk for osteoporosis in many Asian countries. Its usage has been expanded for identifying osteoporosis in men, as well as determining fracture risk for both sexes. However, the performance of OSTA is influenced by age, sex, ethnicity and site of BMD measurement to define osteoporosis. Its usage is also limited in individuals without apparent risk factors. These limitations should be noted by physicians considering the use of OSTA in clinical setting. As a conclusion, OSTA is a cost-effective measure for osteoporosis screening in primary healthcare setting.

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment
A risk score for predicting respiratory complications after thoracic surgery

Pipanmekaporn T, Bunchungmongkol N, Punjasawadwong Y, Lapisatepun W, Tantraworasin A, Saokaew S

Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann, 2019 May;27(4):278-287.
PMID: 30857395 DOI: 10.1177/0218492319835994

BACKGROUND: Respiratory complications are some of the most common complications following thoracic surgery and can lead to higher perioperative morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to develop a simple clinical score for prediction of respiratory complications after thoracic surgery, and determine the internal validity.
METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, all consecutive patients were aged 18 years and over and undergoing non-cardiac thoracic surgery at a tertiary-care university hospital. Respiratory complications included bronchospasm, atelectasis, pneumonia, respiratory failure, and adult respiratory distress syndrome within 30 days of surgery or before discharge.
RESULTS: A total of 1488 patients were included over a 7-year period, and 15.8% (235 of 1488 patients) developed respiratory complications. The significant predictors of respiratory complications were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, American Society of Anesthesiologist physical status ≥ 3, right-sided surgery, duration of surgery longer than 180 min, preoperative arterial oxygen saturation on room air risk score for prediction of respiratory complications following thoracic surgery. This score can be used to stratify high-risk patients, address modifiable risk factors for respiratory complications, and provide preventive strategies for improving postoperative outcomes.

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment
Fulltext A risk scoring system for predicting Streptococcus suis hearing loss: A 13-year retrospective cohort study

Rayanakorn A, Katip W, Goh BH, Oberdorfer P, Lee LH

PLoS One, 2020;15(2):e0228488.
PMID: 32017787 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228488

BACKGROUND: Streptococcus suis (S.suis) is an emerging zoonosis disease with a high prevalence in Southeast Asia. There are over 1,500 cases reported globally in which majority of cases are from Thailand followed by Vietnam. The disease leads to meningitis in human with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) as the most common complication suffered by the patients. Early diagnosis and treatment is important to prevent severe neurological complication. In this study, we aim to develop an easy-to-use risk score to promote early diagnosis and detection of S.suis in patients who potentially develop hearing loss.
METHODS: Data from a retrospective review of 13-year S.suis patient records in a tertiary hospital in Chiang Mai, Northern, Thailand was obtained. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were employed to develop a predictive model. The clinical risk score was constructed from the coefficients of significant predictors. Area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AuROC) was identified to verify the model discriminative performance. Bootstrap technique with 1000-fold bootstrapping was used for internal validation.
KEY RESULTS: Among 133 patients, the incidence of hearing loss was 31.6% (n = 42). Significant predictors for S. suis hearing loss were meningitis, raw pork consumption, and vertigo. The predictive score ranged from 0-4 and correctly classified 81.95% patients as being at risk of S.suis hearing loss. The model showed good power of prediction (AuROC: 0.859; 95%CI 0.785-0.933) and calibration (AuROC: 0.860; 95%CI 0.716-0.953).
CONCLUSIONS: To our best knowledge, this is the first risk scoring system development for S.suis hearing loss. We identified meningitis, raw pork consumption and vertigo as the main risk factors of S.suis hearing loss. Future studies are needed to optimize the developed scoring system and investigate its external validity before recommendation for use in clinical practice.

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment
A single centre experience of metabolic syndrome and endometrial carcinoma: 5 years review

Shafiee MN, Razak N, Ahmad MF, Abd Aziz N, Adeeb N

J Obstet Gynaecol, 2021 Feb;41(2):285-289.
PMID: 33258710 DOI: 10.1080/01443615.2020.1819210

Endometrial cancer (EC) has been found to have a strong association with overweight and obesity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the link between metabolic syndrome and EC among patients. A total of 119 patients with histologically confirmed EC were recruited. About 102 cases of endometrioid carcinoma (Type I) and serous (n = 7), clear cell (n = 3) and carcinosarcoma (n = 7) were the Type II. Metabolic syndrome was significantly associated with increased risk of Type I EC (OR = 3.43, 95% CI = 1.12-10.46, p risk revealed as the main factor in Type I EC (OR = 3.88, 95% CI = 1.27-11.85, p .05). Metabolic syndrome was positively associated with an increased risk of Type I EC with obesity being the most influential risk factor.Impact statementWhat already known on this subject? Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide and have a strong association with overweight and obesity of at least 40%, but there is conflicting evidence of an association of EC with metabolic syndrome (MS).What result of this study add? This study evaluated the link between EC and MS, such as high blood pressure, BMI, fasting blood sugar, triglyceride, Hyper Density Lipoprotein (HDL).What implications are of these findings for clinical practice & further research? Type I EC had and association with MS with obesity is the most potent risk factor. As the prevalence of metabolic syndrome is alarmingly high among adult Malaysians, the incidence of EC is projected to increase in the coming years. Proactive preventative measures and intervention essential for reducing the incidence of endometrial cancers. Future research to clarify the association between metabolic syndrome and endometrial cancer survival and to investigate other lifestyle factors that may affect the prognosis is needed.

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment/methods; Risk Assessment/statistics & numerical data
A study of job strain and dissatisfaction among lecturers in the School of Medical Sciences Universiti Sains Malaysia

Huda BZ, Rusli BN, Naing L, Tengku MA, Winn T, Rampal KG

Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 2004 Mar;35(1):210-8.
PMID: 15272771

Job stress has now become one of the most significant health and safety issues in the workplace and one of the least understood areas of organizational cost. A cross-sectional study to assess job strain and dissatisfaction in lecturers of the School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) was undertaken between August 2001 and May 2002. The original English version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) version 1.7 (revised 1997) by Robert Karasek was self-administered to 73 (response rate 58.4%) lecturers in School of Medical Sciences USM. The prevalence of job strain (defined by low decision latitude and high psychological demands) in USM was 23.3%. The risk factors of job strain in the lecturers were psychological stressors (adjusted OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0, 1.4), created skill (adjusted OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2, 0.8) and working in clinical-based departments (adjusted OR 18.7, 95% CI 1.6, 22.7). The prevalence of job dissatisfaction was 42.6%. Associated factors of job dissatisfaction in USM lecturers were decision authority (p < 0.001) and psychological job demand (p < 0.001). We conclude that psychological stressors and created skill were non-protective and protective, respectively, against job strain in USM lecturers. Clinical-based lecturers experienced higher job strain compared to non-clinical-based lecturers. Psychological job demand was strongly associated with job dissatisfaction, and decision authority was protective against job dissatisfaction.

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment
A study on compliance to hearing conservation programme among industries in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Nor Saleha IT, Noor Hassim I

Ind Health, 2006 Oct;44(4):584-91.
PMID: 17085919

Noise is one of the hazards faced by workers. A cross-sectional study was conducted among industries in Negeri Sembilan with the objective to assess their compliance to Hearing Conservation Programme (HCP). The other objectives of this study were to determine the factors influencing it and to show the industries' compliance to each element of the programme. It was also to identify the association between compliance to HCP and the prevalence of hearing impairment and standard threshold shift. Data for this study were collected using questionnaires sent by mail and also the results of the latest audiometric tests. A total of 167 industries were analysed for this study. It was found that 41.3% of these industries fully complied to the programme. It was also found that the industries preferred to provide hearing protection device (92.8%) and least complied to noise control (61.1%). There were significant associations (p<0.05) between compliance and number of employees, status of ownership and the presence of officer in charge of hearing conservation programme. Having at least 150 employees actually raised the compliance to HCP in two folds (beta = 0.717, OR = 2.048, C.I 95% = 1.063 to 3.944). The prevalences of hearing impairment and standard threshold shift were 23.9% and 5.2% respectively. There was no significant association between the prevalence for hearing impairment and compliance to HCP. The prevalence for standard threshold shift was inversely related to compliance. This study showed that compliance percentage need to be improved as an effort to prevent the hearing problems among workers exposed to noise.

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment
A survey of contemporary opinions and practices of surgical and intensive care specialists towards peri-operative venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in Asia

Lee L, Liew NC, Gee T

Int Angiol, 2012 Dec;31(6):526-33.
PMID: 23222930

This survey was conducted to determine the opinions and practices of peri-operative venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis among surgical and intensive care specialists in Asia.

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment
Fulltext A time-series prediction model of acute myocardial infarction in northern of Iran: the risk of climate change and religious mourning

Sharif Nia H, Gorgulu O, Naghavi N, Froelicher ES, Fomani FK, Goudarzian AH, et al.

BMC Cardiovasc Disord, 2021 11 23;21(1):563.
PMID: 34814834 DOI: 10.1186/s12872-021-02372-0

BACKGROUND: Although various studies have been conducted on the effects of seasonal climate changes or emotional variables on the risk of AMI, many of them have limitations to determine the predictable model. The currents study is conducted to assess the effects of meteorological and emotional variables on the incidence and epidemiological occurrence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Sari (capital of Mazandaran, Iran) during 2011-2018.
METHODS: In this study, a time series analysis was used to determine the variation of variables over time. All series were seasonally adjusted and Poisson regression analysis was performed. In the analysis of meteorological data and emotional distress due to religious mourning events, the best results were obtained by autoregressive moving average (ARMA) (5,5) model.
RESULTS: It was determined that average temperature, sunshine, and rain variables had a significant effect on death. A total of 2375 AMI's were enrolled. Average temperate (°C) and sunshine hours a day (h/day) had a statistically significant relationship with the number of AMI's (β = 0.011, P = 0.014). For every extra degree of temperature increase, the risk of AMI rose [OR = 1.011 (95%CI 1.00, 1.02)]. For every extra hour of sunshine, a day a statistically significant increase [OR = 1.02 (95% CI 1.01, 1.04)] in AMI risk occurred (β = 0.025, P = 0.001). Religious mourning events increase the risk of AMI 1.05 times more. The other independent variables have no significant effects on AMI's (P > 0.05).
CONCLUSION: Results demonstrate that sunshine hours and the average temperature had a significant effect on the risk of AMI. Moreover, emotional distress due to religious morning events increases AMI. More specific research on this topic is recommended.

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment
Fulltext ABCB1 C3435T polymorphism and the risk of resistance to antiepileptic drugs in epilepsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Haerian BS, Roslan H, Raymond AA, Tan CT, Lim KS, Zulkifli SZ, et al.

Seizure, 2010 Jul;19(6):339-46.
PMID: 20605481 DOI: 10.1016/j.seizure.2010.05.004

The C3435T, a major allelic variant of the ABCB1 gene, is proposed to play a crucial role in drug-resistance in epilepsy. The C/C genotype carriers reportedly are at higher risk of pharmacoresistance to AEDs, but only in some studies. The hypothesis of the C-variant associated risk and resistance to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) has been hampered by conflicting results from inadequate power in case-control studies. To assess the role of C3435T polymorphism in drug-resistance in epilepsy, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted.

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment
Accidents in Malaysian construction industry: statistical data and court cases

Chong HY, Low TS

Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2014;20(3):503-13.
PMID: 25189753

Safety and health issues remain critical to the construction industry due to its working environment and the complexity of working practises. This research attempts to adopt 2 research approaches using statistical data and court cases to address and identify the causes and behavior underlying construction safety and health issues in Malaysia. Factual data on the period of 2000-2009 were retrieved to identify the causes and agents that contributed to health issues. Moreover, court cases were tabulated and analyzed to identify legal patterns of parties involved in construction site accidents. Approaches of this research produced consistent results and highlighted a significant reduction in the rate of accidents per construction project in Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment
Fulltext Accumulation and risk assessment of heavy metals employing species sensitivity distributions in Linggi River, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Razak MR, Aris AZ, Zakaria NAC, Wee SY, Ismail NAH

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf, 2021 Mar 15;211:111905.
PMID: 33453636 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.111905

The constant increase of heavy metals into the aqueous environment has become a contemporary global issue of concern to government authorities and the public. The study assesses the concentration, distribution, and risk assessment of heavy metals in freshwater from the Linggi River, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Species sensitivity distribution (SSD) was utilised to calculate the cumulative probability distribution of toxicity from heavy metals. The aquatic organism's toxicity data obtained from the ECOTOXicology knowledgebase (ECOTOX) was used to estimate the predictive non-effects concentration (PNEC). The decreasing sequence of hazardous concentration (HC5) was manganese > aluminium > copper > lead > arsenic > cadmium > nickel > zinc > selenium, respectively. The highest heavy metal concentration was iron with a mean value of 45.77 μg L-1, followed by manganese (14.41 μg L-1) and aluminium (11.72 μg L-1). The mean heavy metal pollution index (HPI) value in this study is 11.52, implying low-level heavy metal pollutions in Linggi River. The risk quotient (RQ) approaches were applied to assess the potential risk of heavy metals. The RQ shows a medium risk of aluminium (RQm = 0.1125) and zinc (RQm = 0.1262); a low risk of arsenic (RQm = 0.0122) and manganese (RQm = 0.0687); and a negligible risk of cadmium (RQm = 0.0085), copper (RQm = 0.0054), nickel (RQm = 0.0054), lead (RQm = 0.0016) and selenium (RQm = 0.0012). The output of this study produces comprehensive pollution risk, thus provides insights for the legislators regarding exposure management and mitigation.

Matched MeSH terms: Risk Assessment

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