This paper studies the muscle discomfort among police officers when carrying out their work. The objective of this study is to give a basic introduction of ergonomic problems in among police officers and risk controls in relation to minimize the ergonomics risk factors. This paper gives quick review of muscle discomfort problems and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) among police officer. An ergonomic application has been purposed in the liter- ature to solve the problem related with design of mechanical.
The composition of ophthalmic preparation is administered topically to the eye in the form of a solution, suspension, ointment, gel or foam for the purpose of treating eye disease. Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) has been one of the desired ingredients of choice, as its benefits as functional food oil is known among the public. The uniqueness of coconut oil is its fats and oils that contain the highest percentage of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), which have antimicrobial properties, such as lauric acid and capric acid. This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of eye drop containing a different VCO concentration using the Kirby-Bauer test. The formulation of eye drop had 1.5%, 2% and 3% amount of virgin coconut oil, which was later added with all basic materials needed for eye drop. The samples were evaluated for its zone of inhibition (ZOI). The antimicrobial effects of eye drop formulation that contains 3% of VCO (F3) against Streptococcus pneumonia were similar with all control products (Eye Glo, Pred Forte, Cationorm), and antimicrobial effects of F3 against Staphylococcus aureus are better than Cationorm. It is noticeable that the higher the VCO content in the formulation, the better the antimicrobial effects of the eye drop. In conclusion, VCO possesses moisture, anti-inflammation, better anti-microbial properties, and it could be further formulated as a stable eye drop emulsion.
Introduction: Abdominal obesity and inflammation are two independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease. However, the inter-relationship between these two factors among Malay population is fragmented. The purpose of this study is to determine the association between waist circumference as a measure of abdominal obesity and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein as an indicator of inflammation status among Malay obese adults in Kuantan, Pahang. Materials and Methods: Ninety-three apparently healthy obese adults (BMI between 27.5 and 39.9 kg/m2 ) aged between 20 to 62 years old were recruited in this study (68% men and 32% women). Circumference tape was used to measure the waist circumference and fasting venous blood was obtained to determine the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level. Results: On average, the waist circumference of obese men and women was 103 cm (SD = 8.7) and 94 cm (SD = 7.0), respectively. The median (IQR) of the hs-CRP level of the study participant was 3.80 mg/L (1.5, 10.1). The Kendall’s Tau correlation reveals that there is a significant positive linear correlation between waist circumference and hs -CRP level in obese men (r (30) = 0.355, p = 0.006) and women (r (63) = 0.177, p = 0.043). Conclusion: There is a significant inter-relationship between waist circumference and hs-CRP level among apparently healthy obese adults in Kuantan, Pahang. This study suggests that assessment of hs-CRP level is beneficial to predict the risk for future cardiovascular disease event and facilitate the management of obesity in this population. A prospective clinical study is recommended to confirm the findings.
Introduction: Laboratory turnaround time (LTAT) is considered a reliable indicator of the quality and efficiency of a laboratory’s service. LTAT achievement, particularly of urgent tests, remains unsatisfactory and challenging in many clinical laboratories especially in tertiary health care centres with high workload and restricted resources. The unresolved issue of unsatisfactory urgent renal profile (RP) LTAT below the standard performance goal prompted our interest to improve laboratory’s handling of urgent test request. We thus implemented the Lean principle in the management of urgent test requests using urgent RP as the test model. Methods: The implementation of laboratory Lean involved 4 steps process; (1) Development of burning platform for change (2) Identification of waste (3) Plan- ning and implementation of control measures (4) Measuring, monitoring, and sustaining the improvement. Urgent RP LTAT and the percentage of the request met the time requirement determined based on the data extracted from laboratory information system (LIS) before and after the implementation of Lean was compared to assess the effec- tiveness. Results: Urgent RP LTAT after the implementation of Lean was reduced i.e 35 min (before) vs 31 min (after), with the percentage of LTAT met the time requirement was significantly increased above the set target i.e 82.8% (before) to 93.5% (after) with P-value = 0.001. Conclusion: Implementation of innovation using Lean management has significantly improved urgent RP LTAT achievement, thus optimised urgent test management in our Chemical Pathology laboratory. Lean is a strongly recommended strategy to improve urgent test LTAT especially in laboratories with restricted resources.
Macaranga tanarius distribution has been identified in a study conducted by almost all states in Peninsular Malaysia. Assessment on the distribution of M. tanarius was based on the records available and type specimens housed in three different herbarium namely the Kepong Herbarium (KEP) in Forest Research Institute Malaysia, the herbarium in the Faculty of Forestry in Universiti Putra Malaysia and the Herbarium Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. While field surveys were carried out from July 2012 until October 2013. There are 128 specimens were assessed from the three herbaria which made in the year of 1925 to 2005. Field surveys showed that M. tanarius can be found from the state of Perlis in the north, to the state of Johor in the south. From the observation, M. tanarius is a commonly found species along the highways and the road sides, whether as single individuals or as mono-stands. It can be seen growing together with other pioneer species of shrubs or trees. The study also shows the growing pioneer species in disturbed habitats and the creation of new space to meet before the displacement process other quality species grows in the forest opening. This study is first surveys involving M.tanarius species including the entire state in peninsular Malaysia. It is intended for the collection and distribution -related service information management for the study of phenology of collecting seeds to be planting material.
Repair and maintenance in power distribution is an important factor that
affects the continuous productivity services and power efficiency in electrical
supply systems. Thermographic inspection has been often used as a
maintenance tool, as it allows detection of early-stage failure from the system
in electrical distribution. Failure in the system can lead to catastrophic
failure like a high-voltage arc fault. The presence of fault is caused by the
higher temperature of the instrument that leads to the formation of hotspots.
The use of infrared inspection is useful in detecting the hotspot that is hardly
noticeable. It helps to overcome the problems that arise during operation
and maintenance in the distribution systems. In this research, a fault
detection system is proposed with the application of Artificial Neural
Network (ANN) in identifying faults on electrical equipment. This method
was trained by using the temperature parameter on the IR images taken from
TNB Distribution. As a result, it will lead to faults detection. Thus, the
purpose of this project is to ensure the correct recommendation of corrective
actions in the maintenance procedure of the electrical system. The actions to
the detection of faults taken are based on the results of the temperature
measured. The neural network training performance for the temperature of
hotspot detection was developed with a minimum error of 0.00084165 MSE
at epoch 39. The study shows the best-fitting allows detection of early-stage
failure. It can be concluded that the current method in conducting the
prediction process by using Thermographic inspection is suitable for
electrical equipment based on the training result.
Partial discharge (PD) is a phenomenon that may lead to dielectric breakdown and can provide important information for condition monitoring on electrical power equipment, in particular transformer. One of the methods is the detection of the electromagnetic (EM) wave signal emitted by PD. Although the frequency spectrum in EM is very wide, this paper discusses the detection of EM only at ultra-high frequency (UHF). One of the detectors that can be used to detect EM is the antenna. There are a lot of antenna designs that have been proposed to detect the signal. The designs can be generally divided into two: PCB-based design and physical antenna design. An example of the latter is monopole. Some of the proposed antennas were left at the design stage while others went to be applied in actual PD experimentation. Discussion on the capabilities of these antennas can lead to the selection of a suitable antenna.
Imaging techniques involving optical coherence tomography, computed tomography (CT) and high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are used as tools to identify atherosclerotic plaques. However, the effects of water-based contrast media used in Post Mortem Computed Tomography Angiography (PMCTA) on the histopathology of atherosclerotic plaques have not been widely explored. The objective of this study is to determine the effects of water-based contrast media used in PMCTA on the histopathology of atherosclerotic plaques and biomarkers of atherosclerosis in experimentally induced established atherosclerotic rabbits. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty male New Zealand white rabbits were divided into 2 groups. One group was given a high cholesterol diet (HCD) for 12 weeks to establish atherosclerosis and the control group normal diet (ND). Five rabbits from each group were then given intravenous water-based contrast media before being sacrificed. The entire length of aorta was dissected and submitted for histopathological examination and determination of tissue biomarkers α-SMA and MMP-9. RESULTS:Histopathological examination of the aorta including percentage of area covered by plaque and foam cell formation showed no significant difference in atheromatous plaque formation in both groups of HCD rabbits with or without intravenous contrast media injection (plaque: 55±41 vs. 63±15, p=0.731; foam cells: 124±83 vs. 171±55, p=0.325). Similarly, α-SMA and MMP-9 protein expression also showed no significant difference in both groups (α-SMA: 70±20 vs. 67±26, p=0.807; MMP-9: 60±12 vs. 57±17, p=0.785). CONCLUSION:Water-based contrast media used in PMCTA does not affect the morphology or the immunohistochemistry staining of SMA and MMP-9 in atherosclerotic plaques.
The primary goals of resuscitation are to preserve life, restore health, relieve suffering and limit disability. As nurses, executing the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to a patient experiencing cardio-pulmonary arrest is essential in preserving life. However nurses face a dilemma in the decision making to either preserve the patient’s life or let the patient die naturally, if the patient’s autonomy as well as his family’s wish for a “do not resuscitate (DNR)” order. In this dilemma, the sanctity of life and the right to die is the main concern of this discussion. Islamic moral judgment, as the major concern here, should be studied as an alternative to analyse and provide a guideline that is in accordance with the Islamic teaching. Thus, this research is to provide the Islamic moral judgment on the resuscitation issue and its implication in nursing practices. The western ethics that represent the current practices on resuscitation is not included. The comparison was then made with the ultimate origin of Islamic teaching iethe Qur’an and Sunnah, as well as the notions of Muslim scholars on the subject. As the physician opines that CPR is to be beneficial to rescue a life, therefore refusing it may be considered as immoral. However, the DNR order is entirely acceptable if the doctor believes that CPR is futile and gives no benefit to the patient. The doctor has the authority to issue a DNR order if he is certain that the patient would not benefit from CPR without getting consent from the patient or his relative. Nursing implications: As nurses facilitate patients and family members in forming a decision about end of life hence engaging a comprehensive view of DNR based on Islamic teaching would provide an informed choice when advising a Muslim patient and family. The area to investigate would be on the degree of knowledge among nurses regarding the Islamic moral judgement on this matter is highly recommended for future management.
Literature data on association between physical activity (PA) and health related quality of life (HRQoL) in non-clinical
adults population are still limited. Thereby, the objective of this study was to evaluate the association between PA and
HRQoL among the non-academic staff serving the Faculty of Health Sciences (FSK), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM),
Kuala Lumpur (KL). In this cross sectional study, 105 non-academic staffs aged between 18 to 60 years were recruited.
Self-administered questionnaires (Malay version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and World Health
Organisation Quality of Life-Brief Version) were administered among the participants. Mann Whitney test and Spearman’s
rho correlation were employed for the statistical analysis using SPSS version 22.0 Majority of participants (72.4%)
demonstrated high PA scores of ≥ 3000 MET-minutes/week. PA scores between genders was not statistically significant
(p = 0.137). However, total PA score of support staffs (median = 9039.0, IQR = 15811.00) was significantly higher compared
to staffs in management and professional group (median = 4329.0, IQR = 4189.00). The mean(SD) self-perceived HRQoL
score was 3.4 (0.76). There were no significant correlation between PA and all domains of HRQoL such as physical health,
psychological, social relationship and environmental domains (Correlation coefficient, ρ = -0.108, 0.003, -0.023, 0.026
respectively) with p = 0.273, 0.978, 0.818, 0.794 respectively. Majority of non-academic staffs of FSK, UKM engaged in
high physical activity. The PA levels of support staffs were significantly higher than management and professional staffs.
However, there was no statistically significant correlation observed between PA and domains of HRQoL.
The incidences of breast cancer have been rising at an alarming rate. Mass breast screening programmes involving mammography and ultrasound in certain parts of the world have also proven their benefits in early detection. However, radiologists may be confronted with increased workload. An attempt has been made in this paper to rectify part of the problems faced in this area. Expert systems based on the interpretation of mammographic and ultrasound images for classifying patient cases could be utilized by doctors (expert and non-expert) in screening. These softwares consist of MAMMEX (for mammogram) and SOUNDEX (for breast ultrasound) could be used to deduce cases according to Breast Imaging Recording and Data System (BI-RADS), based on patients’ history, physical and clinical assessment, mammograms and breast ultrasound images. A total of 179 retrospective cases from the Radiology Department, hospital of the University of Science Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan were used in this study. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was implemented, based on the usage of a two-class forced choice of classifying suspicious and malignant findings as positive with normal, benign and probably benign classified as negative. Results yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.997 with the least standard error value of 0.003 for MAMMEX while an AUC of 0.996 with the least standard error of 0.004 was accomplished for SOUNDEX. A system which very closely simulated radiologists was also successfully developed in this study. The ROC curve analysis indicated that the expert systems developed were of high performance and reliability.
The evolution in lifestyle and dietary habits of the Malaysian people that have taken place over the last few decades can be largely attributed to both family and social environment. These factors are known to affect the nutritional status of the community, in both children and adults. Reduced physical activity and changes in their diet have been one of the contributing factors to the rising prevalence of overweight and obesity. However, in Malaysia, in which nutrition transition has been a norm, it is worrying when the trends of overweight and obesity have been rising steadily over the years especially among children. Although numerous strategies to control obesity in Malaysia have been taking place, many had shown little effect. Analysing strategies implemented at national level is thus crucial in order to ascertain reasons for the shortfalls of these strategies especially among children. Obesity most commonly begins as early as the ages of 5 and 6 years, or during adolescence. Obesity is indeed a major public health concern due to its huge negative impact on the society at large which is well supported by evidence-based literatures. Managing this issue is complex and holistic approach is thus crucial in reducing its incidence and prevalence.
Demodex sp. merupakan ektoparasit kulit dan dikenali sebagai tungau folikel yang selalu didapati pada manusia pada semua peringkat umur, kaum dan kumpulan geografi. Objektif kajian ini adalah untuk menentukan prevalens infestasi Demodex sp. di kalangan orang dewasa berumur antara 20 hingga 29 tahun di kawasan Lembah Klang dan menentukan kaitan infestasi ektoparasit ini dengan jantina dan masalah jerawat. Kajian ini merupakan kajian pertama penentuan prevalens infestasi Demodex sp. di Malaysia. Seramai 350 orang subjek telah dikaji yang mana pemilihan sampel dilakukan secara pensampelan rawak berstrata. Pengambilan spesimen dilakukan secara kikisan kulit pada kawasan muka iaitu dahi, hidung, pipi dan dagu. Spesimen dititiskan dengan medium Hoyer dan pemerhatian dijalankan di bawah mikroskop cahaya. Borang soal selidik diedarkan untuk mengetahui kehadiran jerawat pada kulit muka. Hasil kajian mendapati prevalens keseluruhan infestasi Demodex sp. adalah 18.9% dan lelaki menunjukkan infestasi lebih tinggi (25.7%) berbanding perempuan (12.0%) manakala tiada perbezaan bermakna antara masalah jerawat dan infestasi Demodex sp. Kesimpulannya, infestasi Demodex sp. hadir di kalangan satu perlima dari subjek dengan lelaki didapati lebih bermasalah.
The main purpose of this study was to establish the comfort zone for bus drivers in a seated position. In addition, this study is to investigate the seated pressure distribution among Malaysian bus drivers. The study consists of 10 bus drivers randomly selected to be a part of this study. The FSA pressure mat was utilized in order to investigate the force distribution of buttock to the seat pan of the drivers’ seat. This device is placed on the driver seat and backrest. Later, the subject would sit on for several minute. The finding reveals that most of the bus drivers feel discomfort by having low back pain and musculoskeletal disorder. The seat pressure distribution of Malaysian busses indicated that the seat not able to absorb high pressure generated from buttock that later may cause the discomfort and restricted the performance of drivers.
Great importance has been attributed to birth weight all over the world because it is considered as one of the best predictors of prenatal survival and a good indicator of quality life. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of low birth weight babies (LBW) and factors related to it in Baghdad city. A cross sectional study was carried out in four general hospitals in Baghdad city, Iraq. A total of 225 newborn babies, alive, singleton and without congenital malformation were selected randomly from these four general hospitals.The result of the study showed the prevalence rate of low birth weights was 21.3%. Mothers’ educational level, monthly family income, mothers with chronic hypertension, mothers with history of previous low birth weight infants and anemic mothers were significantly associated with low birth weight babies (P= 0.03, 0.01, 0.02,
Morbidly adherent placenta with spontaneous rupture of membrane at extreme prematurity poses poor pregnancy outcome. Various issues on different management modalities still remain perplexed and individual consideration is vital. Two cases of morbidly adherent placenta with symptomatic per vaginal bleeding and spontaneous rupture of membrane at severe prematurity were reviewed and discussed. We found that, active intervention by termination of pregnancy and methotrexate therapy at early gestation can prevent the need of hysterectomy following major obstetrics haemorrhage.
This paper investigate the effect of parents’ education background and family monthly income on the Intelligence Quotient
(IQ) of students with special needs in Kelantan, Malaysia. This cross-sectional method study was employed multistage
random sampling to obtain information drawn from 130 participants from 10 selected school in Kelantan, Malaysia.
Questionnaire was used to obtain parents’ education background, family monthly income and demographic variables.
Students IQ were assessed using Comprehensive Test for Non-Verbal Intelligence (CTONI 2nd Edition). Data analysis involve
independent sample t-test, one-way between group ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation and multiple linear regression. From
analysis of IQ score, 63.8% of the special needs students scored very poor IQ, 12.3% scored below average and only
1.5% score average IQ. Significant mean difference were revealed between age group (p = 0.002), parents’ education (p
= 0.018) and family monthly income (p < 0.05) on special needs students IQ. Post-hoc tukey shows significance between
parents who never went to school, went to secondary school (p = 0.037) and university/college (p = 0.021). In term of
family monthly income, significance difference were found between family with low and high monthly income (p < 0.05).
Family monthly income (r = 0.393, p < 0.01) showed positive moderate correlation on special needs students IQ. After
being forwarded by multiple linear regression, it was found that family monthly income (B = 3.605, p < 0.05) and age
group of special needs students (B = 0.879, p = 0.002) were significant predictor for IQ score and explained 22.5% of
the variance (R2
= 0.225, F (5,124) = 83.94, p < 0.05. Overally, majority of special needs students in current study have
very poor IQ score. Further explanation are discussed on the paper.
Antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines for infective endocarditis have been regularly
revised and modified based on current scientific evidence. These guidelines commonly regarded as
standard of care and determine the medicolegal standards. The aim of this study was to elicit the
current practice of prophylaxis antibiotic for Infective endocarditis among general dental
practitioner in Klang Valley. (Copied from article).
Solitary fibrous tumours of the head and neck region are
extremely rare. The clinical diagnosis is often difficult to
establish, and this lesion may be indistinguishable from other
soft tissue neoplasms. An 18-year old Chinese gentleman
presented with a painless right submandibular swelling which
was increasing in size for eight months. A computed
tomography scan showed a well-defined solid mass measuring
about 2.0 x 2.96 cm in the submandibular region. The tumour
was resected and was confined within its capsule.
Immunohistochemical staining was strongly positive for CD34,
CD 99, and vimentin and negative for desmin, smooth muscle
actin (SMA), cytokeratin, S100 and CD68. The microscopic and
immunohistochemical profile were compatible with solitary
fibrous tumour. Distinguishing solitary fibrous tumours from
various spindle neoplasms can be difficult. In view of the
resemblance, immunohistochemical staining can help
differentiate solitary fibrous tumour from spindle neoplasm.
Parents or caregivers of children with learning disabilities have been shown to experience increases in stress and greater negative caregiving consequences than those with typically developing children. The current study sought to assess the perceived stress among Malay caregivers of children with learning disabilities in Kelantan. The Malay version of Perceived Stress Scale 10 items was administered to a sample of 40 caregivers of children with learning disabilities who were registered to five Pusat Pemulihan Dalam Komuniti (PDK) in Kelantan. Higher scores indicate higher levels of stress. The caregivers had mean age of 47.68 (SD = 9.18) years old, of whom 90% were fathers or mothers. Ninety percent of them were married, majority were unemployed or housewives and had secondary school education. The majority of children with learning disabilities were males and half of them were Down Syndrome children. The mean total Perceived Stress Scale score of the caregivers was 16.77 (SD = 5.74). There were no significant associations between total perceived stress score and any of the independent variables. The mean total perceived stress score showed that the perceived stress level was in the category of slightly higher than average and health concern level was high, while the average stress level was between score of 12 to 15. In conclusion, this result indicated that the caregivers had slightly higher levels of stress than the average score, and might increase susceptibility to stress-induced illness.