Malaysian adolescents, like their Western counterparts, undergo rapid growth and development. It is hypothesized that self-concept improves as adolescents mature and become more adjusted to the changes. This study therefore sought to ascertain whether the self-concept changes with age, not only in the global sense but in the various components of the self-concept. The Tennessee Self-Concept Scale and the Brookover Scale of Academic Ability were administered to 375 adolescent boys, ranging in age from 14.7 to 17.0 years, and to 289 adolescent girls, ranging in age from 14.4 to 17.2 years. The findings show that the self-concept of adolescent boys changes with age in the direction predicted. The trend is less obvious and less consistent for girls.
Seven villages in Banggi Island, Sabah, Malaysia, were surveyed four times to evaluate the roles of local mosquitoes as vectors of malaria and Bancroftian filariasis. 11 species of Anopheles were found biting man. 53.9% of the anophelines caught were An. flavirostris, 27.1% An. balabacensis, 6% An. donaldi and 4.2% An. subpictus. Infective malaria sporozoites, probably of human origin, were found in two of 336 An. flavirostris and 12 of 308 An. balabacensis. Sporozoites, probably of a non-human Plasmodium, were found in An. umbrosus. Nine of 1001 An. flavirostris and four of 365 An. balabacensis harboured L2 or L3 filarial larvae identified as those of Wuchereria bancrofti. This is the first record of An. flavirostris as a natural vector of malaria and W. bancrofti in Sabah.
Six hundred and fifty standard one school children in 3 Petaling Jaya schools were examined. 7.1 percent were found to have significant refractive errors and fourteen cases of squints were detected giving a prevalence of 2.2 percent. The majority of squints were of the divergent type. The prevalence and different patterns among the Malaysian and Caucasian populations are discussed.
This is a study of 148 women seeking induced abortion by doctors. The typical woman in this study was married, with 2 or more children, Chinese, urban, 21-30 years and had completed primary education. She was motivated to defer pregnancy and to a lesser extent to limit family size by resorting to induced abortion.
The nutritional status of 158 soldiers drawn from four army camps in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang has been assessed by biochemical procedures, nutritional anthropometry and dietary (chemical) analysis. Biochemical assessment showed that with the exception of thiamin and riboflavin nutriture, the nutritional status of the soldiers appeared generally satisfactory and seemed to have improved slightly over those examined by the Inter-Departmental Committee on Nutrition and National Defence (ICNND), USA, in 1962 by similar methods. The anthropometric assessment indicated that the present day soldiers have the same mean height as those examined in 1962. Although they appeared slightly heavier, obesity did not seem to be a problem. Chemical analysis of their diet showed that there is room for improvement in the dietary supply of vitamin A and some of the water-soluble vitamins, particularly riboflavin, thiamin and vitamin C. There was also a significant discrepancy between the nutritional content of the chemically-analysed cooked meals and those calculated from the ration scales using Food Composition Tables, suggesting a need to review the current system of food supply,
preparation and food sertnce unthin army camps in
Malaysia.
A survey on mosquito breeding in septic tanks in several residential areas was carried out on 211 septic tanks in the Ipoh Municipality. The septic tanks inspected comprised two types; the contact filter-bed with pump sump and pump motor type (Type A) and the subsoil [ilter trench type (Type B). Mosquito breeding occurred in. both types of septic tanks, with Type A septic tanks showing heavier breeding, Seventy-two (55.4 percent) of the 130 Type A septic tanks inspected had Aedes albopictus breeding. Besides being a nuisance, mosquito breeding is a potential threat to public health, as Ae. albopictus is a vector of dengue fever. Prolific breeding by Ae. albopictus was encountered in areas where Type A septic tanks were used. Other mosquitoes encountered in the survey were Culex qusnquefasciatus, Armigeres subabaltus and Uranotaenia spp. Analysis of effluent samples from Type A and Type B septic tanks revealed that of the 4 parameters measured (PH, chloride, BOD5 and Free Ammonia}, only pH was not significantly different at the 95 percent level of confidence. Chloride, BOD5 and Free Ammonia levels in. the Type B septic tanks were significantly higher than that in Type A septic tanks. Turbidity of the effluent in Type B septic tanks probably deters Ae. albopictusfrom breeding. Several methods to prevent breeding of mosquitoes in septic tanks were discussed. The easiest method is to mosquito-proof the septic tanks but this has been tried not too successfully. A method using expanded polystyrene balls is suggested. Other methods include the use of parasitic nematodes and the use of insecticides but these are not favourable.
A total of 346 paediatric in-patients in the University Hospital in Kuala Lumpur was examined for infection with Enterobius vermicularis using two anal swabs taken on two consecutive days. 24% of these children. whose mean age was 6 years [range 2-14 years] were infected. The infection was more prevalent among children between the ages of 5-11 years. There is only a slight difference in the distribution of infection among Malay. Chinese and Indian children. There is no significant difference in the prevalance of infection between boys and girls.
A survey of lettuce sold in Penang markets showed them to be heavily contaminated with faecal coliforms and nearly half the samples were positive for Salmonella or Shigella. The use of night soil on these vegetables is a likely cause of gastroenteritis.
There was high mortality in late larval instars of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) from laboratory and field populations in the 24 h after application of three Bactimos formulations of Bacillus thuringiensis H-14. Mortalities were higher and residual effects longer in field populations than in laboratory ones. Briquets were the most effective formulation (mortality 96-100% after five weeks; 76-92% after eight weeks). Culex quinquefasciatus Say larvae were tested only against the briquet formulation. In the laboratory, 100% mortality of late instars persisted for six weeks and dropped to 48-88% after eight weeks. In the field, late instars were reduced by 62-87% after 24 h and 69-72% after one week compared to increases in an untreated population of 160% and 176% respectively.
A cross-sectional national survey was conducted amongst a random sample of medical practitioners registered in 1988 with the Malaysian Medical Council with the purpose of determining their educational needs with regards to continuing medical education (CME). A 91.0% response rate was obtained. It was found that more than 70% wanted a programme that would provide them with new practical skills and new knowledge or advances in specific fields. About 2/3 also wanted their intellectual skills in problem-solving to be further developed. Reinforcement of communication skills appears to be of secondary importance. They would also like a programme of CME to help them monitor and improve their diagnostic accuracy, investigative habits, prescribing pattern, skills in interpreting diagnostic tests and management of common illnesses. As for content areas it was found that the problems they have least confidence in managing come mainly from the disciplines of psychiatry, obstetrics and gynaecology, and emergency and critical care. More than 90% preferred self-learning methods with some group-type activities. Based on these needs it was recommended that a programme of CME be developed with orientation towards a practice-based setting, self-directed learning, utilizing problem-solving approaches and focusing on the major content areas identified. In addition, activities such as small-group discussions, clinical rounds and journal clubs should be encouraged to develop into local network group activities to supplement the self-learning and present lectures and talks.
The emphasis on cow records in Malaysian dairy extension programmes reflects the importance of herd fertility in the economics of dairying. Manual record keeping has not been able to make an impact on management due to difficulties experienced in quality control of the data and in analysing the data to produce useful information for farm managers. Computerised recording systems have been in use in Malaysia since 1985, both on government farms and in the small-holder dairy sector. The aim of both systems is firstly to improve farm efficiency by the provision of information to managers and extension workers and secondly to provide information for departmental planning purposes. The systems used in Malaysia are outlined, and the results over the first three years of operation are summarised.
The mosquito, Aedes albopictus, has recently become established in a number of cities throughout the United States. An initial survey of allozyme and genotypic frequencies in U.S. populations (Black et al., 1988) revealed an extensive amount of local differentiation of populations and suggested that much genetic drift may have accompanied colonization. A study of gene flow was initiated in native habitats of Ae. albopictus in Malaysia to determine if the result observed in the U.S. was a consequence of colonization or simply followed the natural breeding structure of the species. Allelic and genotypic frequencies were monitored at ten enzymatic loci in 11 populations from peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. Multiple populations were sampled within the districts of Kuala Lumpur and Kuala Trengganu. Peninsular Malaysian and Borneo populations were strongly genetically differentiated. Allele frequencies were significantly different among and within districts in both regions. Variance in allele frequencies among all collections was partitioned into the variance among regions, districts within regions and collections within districts. Almost all of the variance within regions was attributable to local differentiation suggesting that genetic drift is an important component of the natural breeding structure of this species. This indicates that the large amounts of local differentiation found in U.S. populations was not a consequence of recent colonization.
A study on the oral health status of 198 factory workers (in Antara Steel, Pasir Gudang, Johor) was carried out in November 1986. The subjects were predominantly male (94%) and Malay (91%) with an average age of 27.4 years. The prevalence of caries was 87.4% with a mean DMFT of 7.1 + 5.4. There were 3 subjects with full upper, lower dentures and 16 subjects with partial dentures. Two subjects examined needed dentures but were not wearing them. Thirty five (17.7%) of those examined needed urgent extractions, and 8 needed emergency treatment for fillings. Enamel opacities were found in 141 subjects (75.6%) but only 9 were aware of these defects. Dental health was very poor with 72% examined needing scaling. Seventeen (9%) had gross supra and subgingival calculus. There was a total of 107 (54%) smokers and heavy nicotine stains were found in 41 (20.7%), of the population examined. Examination of soft tissues showed 111 (56%) subjects with recurrent aphthous ulcers whilst 15 (7.6%) suffered from herpes labialis. Five subjects (2.5%) suffered from denture stomatitis whilst the prevalence of other soft tissue lesions was very low.
A prospective study of acute renal failure (ARF) over a three month period showed that 60 out of 22,033 inpatients developed AR"F (Serum creatinine exceeding 0.200 mmol/L). The ARF was oliguric in 22% and nonoliguric in 78%. Poor cardiac output or diminished intravascular volume, nephrotoxins and infections were the main aetiological factors associated with ARF in 85% of cases. Mean peak serum creatinine and blood urea values were higher in the oliguric than the non oliguric group. The oliguric group required dialysis more frequently (53.8% vs 4.3%) and had a higher mortality (53.8% vs 8.5%) than the non oliguric group. Nonoliguric ARF occurs more commonly and has a better prognosis than oliguric ARF. Acute renal failure is a serious condition with significant mortality and remains a frequent occurrence in the setting of large general hospitals. A Previous reports on acute renal failure in Kuala Lumpur comprised patients treated at the Department of Nephrology at the General Hospital Kuala Lumpur, but did not include patients with acute renal failure treated at other departments in the hospital. This report is based on a prospective study of acute renal failure occurring in the General Hospital Kuala Lumpur over a three-month period to evaluate the clinical spectrum of this disease, and its outcome.
The records of the Division of Stomatology were reviewed for the incidence of adenomatoid odontogenic tumour diagnosed between 1968 and 1986. Forty-five cases were found. The prevalence of this tumour according to their age, sex, site and its distribution in the various states in Malaysia are reported. Many features were similar to previous reports of this entity. However the incidence of AOT appears to be higher among the Indians and lower in the Chinese population. It is suggested that this feature may be peculiar to Malaysians.