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To compare ESR and CRP as predictors of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis patients in Hospital Seremban. [Abstract]

Gun SC, Loh YL, Das Gupta E

APLAR Journal of Rheumatology, 2006;9 Suppl 1:A185.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease. Predictors of disease activity include presence of joint inflammation, blood investigations such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and c-reactive protein (CRP). ESR is said to be imprecise as it is affected by aging, female sex, obesity, pregnancy, anaemia and polycythaemia. But it is inexpensive and easy to perform. CRP is produced as an acute phase reactant by the liver in response to interleukin 6 and other cytokines. CRP is more specific but costs more than ESR. Both tests are done in the rheumatology clinic of Hospital Seremban. Objective: To compare the usefulness of ESR and CRP as a predictor of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Method: This was a retrospective study. The medical records of 248 RA patients who attended the rheumatology clinic, Hospital Seremban between 1 January 2004 and 31 Dec 2004 were reviewed. The following data were obtained: joint swelling and tenderness, other clinical features which indicate inflammation secondary to infection or trauma and inflammation of soft tissue, ESR, CRP, FBC and UFEME. Results: Data was analysed and the results showed that a total number of 248 patients were seen. There were 13 defaulters. Of the 248 patients there were 929 patients' visits. Of the total number of patients' visits where patients clinically had active disease, 80.2% had raised ESR while 88.8% had raised CRP. As for visits where patients had quiescent disease clinically, 57.3% had normal ESR and 36.5% had normal CRP. Conclusion: CRP is more sensitive but less specific than ESR. This suggests that we still should use both tests as they complement each other. ESR can serve as a countercheck for CRP and vice versa.

Matched MeSH terms: Female
Health-related quality of life after 6 months post-injury on severe traumatic brain injury: A cohort study in two Malaysian hospitals

Ludin SM, Rashid NA

Enferm Clin, 2019 09;29 Suppl 2:674-680.
PMID: 31311746 DOI: 10.1016/j.enfcli.2019.04.103

OBJECTIVE: Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors show physical and functional improvement but remain with the cognitive and psycho-social problem through our recovery. This study aims to measure the health-related quality of life of TBI survivors within 6 months post-injury.
METHOD: A cohort study was conducted where 33 severe TBI survivors recruited at two tertiary hospitals. The health-related quality of life was measured using the Quality of Life after Brain Injury (QOLIBRI) tool.
RESULTS: Participants mean age was 31.79 years old. The impaired range of health-related quality of life on 6 months post-injury seen, but an improvement occurs within 3-6 months post-injury.
CONCLUSIONS: Age and ventilation duration showed a moderate negative correlation in all domains and length of hospital stay showed a moderate negative correlation to social, daily life and self-domains. Nevertheless, small sample size and time constraint were the limitations of this study.

Matched MeSH terms: Female
Bone Densitometry in Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) Individuals: 2019 ISCD Official Position

Rosen HN, Hamnvik OR, Jaisamrarn U, Malabanan AO, Safer JD, Tangpricha V, et al.

J Clin Densitom, 2019 07 10;22(4):544-553.
PMID: 31327665 DOI: 10.1016/j.jocd.2019.07.004

The indications for initial and follow-up bone mineral density (BMD) in transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals are poorly defined, and the choice of which gender database to use to calculate Z-scores is unclear. Herein, the findings of the Task Force are presented after a detailed review of the literature. As long as a TGNC individual is on standard gender-affirming hormone treatment, BMD should remain stable to increasing, so there is no indication to monitor for bone loss or osteoporosis strictly on the basis of TGNC status. TGNC individuals who experience substantial periods of hypogonadism (>1 yr) might experience bone loss or failure of bone accrual during that time, and should be considered for baseline measurement of BMD. To the extent that this hypogonadism continues over time, follow-up measurements can be appropriate. TGNC individuals who have adequate levels of endogenous or exogenous sex steroids can, of course, suffer from other illnesses that can cause osteoporosis and bone loss, such as hyperparathyroidism and steroid use; they should have measurement of BMD as would be done in the cisgender population. There are no data that TGNC individuals have a fracture risk different from that of cisgender individuals, nor any data to suggest that BMD predicts their fracture risk less well than in the cisgender population. The Z-score in transgender individuals should be calculated using the reference data (mean and standard deviation) of the gender conforming with the individual's gender identity. In gender nonconforming individuals, the reference data for the sex recorded at birth should be used. If the referring provider or the individual requests, a set of "male" and "female" Z-scores can be provided, calculating the Z-score against male and female reference data, respectively.

Matched MeSH terms: Female
Lapatinib nano-delivery systems: a promising future for breast cancer treatment

Bonde GV, Yadav SK, Chauhan S, Mittal P, Ajmal G, Thokala S, et al.

Expert Opin Drug Deliv, 2018 05;15(5):495-507.
PMID: 29521126 DOI: 10.1080/17425247.2018.1449832

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer stands the second prominent cause of death among women. For its efficient treatment, Lapatinib (LAPA) was developed as a selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor of receptors, overexpressed by breast cancer cells. Various explored delivery strategies for LAPA indicated its controlled release with enhanced aqueous solubility, improved bioavailability, decreased plasma protein binding, reduced dose and toxicity to the other organs with maximized clinical efficacy, compared to its marketed tablet formulation.
AREAS COVERED: This comprehensive review deals with the survey, performed through different electronic databases, regarding various challenges and their solutions attained by fabricating delivery systems like nanoparticles, micelle, nanocapsules, nanochannels, and liposomes. It also covers the synthesis of novel LAPA-conjugates for diagnostic purpose.
EXPERT OPINION: Unfortunately, clinical use of LAPA is restricted because of its extensive albumin binding capacity, poor oral bioavailability, and poor aqueous solubility. LAPA is marketed as the oral tablet only. Therefore, it becomes imperative to formulate alternate efficient multiparticulate or nano-delivery systems for administration through non-oral routes, for active/passive targeting, and to scale-up by pharmaceutical scientists followed by their clinical trials by clinical experts. LAPA combinations with capecitabine and letrozole should also be tried for breast cancer treatment.

Matched MeSH terms: Female
Fulltext Breakfast intake and its association with body mass index among pre-schoolers in Taska Permata Keluarga Kuala Nerus, Terengganu

Ong, Ying Qian, Hasmiza Halib, Bee, Suan Wee

Malaysian Journal of Applied Sciences, 2018;3(2):57-70.
MyJurnal

In Malaysia, breakfast is the most frequently skipped meal. Skipping breakfast has been
associated with an increased risk of childhood obesity. However, this relationship has not been
investigated widely among preschoolers in Malaysia. Hence, this cross-sectional study aimed to
determine the association between breakfast intake and Body Mass Index (BMI) among
preschoolers in Taska Permata Keluarga (TPK), Kuala Nerus. A total of 131 Malays preschoolers
aged four to six years old were recruited from nine TPK using convenience sampling method.
Information on sociodemographic, breakfast intake pattern and anthropometric measurements
(weight and height) were obtained. Respondents consisted of 74 (56.5%) boys and 57 (43.5%)
girls. Anthropometric results showed that 8.4% preschoolers were overweight and obese. Among
the preschoolers, 22.1% of them were breakfast skippers. In terms of gender breakdown, 20.3%
boys and 24.6% girls skipped breakfast. There was a significant association between breakfast
intake and BMI status among preschoolers (p = 0.003). This indicated that preschoolers that
skipped breakfast were associated with overweight or obese compared to those who consumed
breakfast daily. Breakfast consumption is a marker of a healthy lifestyle which can reduce the risk
of childhood obesity. This habit should be inculcated during this critical period of life in which
parents play a vital role in promoting breakfast consumption among preschoolers.

Matched MeSH terms: Female
Fulltext Ophthalmia Neonatorum

Tan AK

N Engl J Med, 2019 Jan 10;380(2):e2.
PMID: 30625059 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMicm1808613
Matched MeSH terms: Female
Fulltext Subungual Glomus Tumours: Is Magnetic Resonance Imaging or Ultrasound Necessary for Diagnosis?

Pandey CR, Singh N, Tamang B

Malays Orthop J, 2017 Mar;11(1):47-51.
PMID: 28435574 DOI: 10.5704/MOJ.1703.020

INTRODUCTION: Diagnosis of subungual glomus tumour is mostly based on detailed history and clinical examination. Recently, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Ultrasound have been proposed as the imaging modality to confirm the clinical diagnosis and in planning the surgical management of these tumours. However, these imaging modalities are not routinely available in rural setting and also are expensive. Due to these limitations, we set out to establish that diagnosis and management of these rare tumours can be based solely on a battery of clinical tests and history taking.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospectively, we reviewed nine cases of glomus tumour. A clinical evaluation proforma was developed on the basis of clinical history and specific clinical test for diagnosis of these tumours. All the cases were evaluated and treated surgically by a single surgeon with a specific technique. Post-operatively, diagnosis was confirmed by histopathological examination.
RESULTS: Females (77.78%) were predominantly affected in this series and the tumours commonly occurred in the right hand (66.66%). Spontaneous pain, cold sensitivity test and Love's Pin test was positive in all cases (100%). Hildreth's test was positive in 88.89%. In none of the cases the tumours recurred during minimum follow-up of one year. In all cases, histopathological examination confirmed the preoperative diagnosis of glomus tumours.
CONCLUSION: Diagnosis of glomus tumours can be made clinically based on history taking and clinical examination. Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Ultrasound are not necessary for diagnosis and management of typical subungual tumours.

Matched MeSH terms: Female
Fulltext Demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with access to public clinics

Makmor T., Khaled, T., Ahmad Farid O., Nurul Huda M.S.

JUMMEC, 2018;21(1):28-33.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Providing adequate and equal access to healthcare is a key goal towards achieving universal health coverage. However, social and demographic inequalities in accessing health care services exist in both developed and developing countries. This study examined the demographic and socio-economic factors associated with the lack of access to public clinics in the Greater Kuala Lumpur area.
Materials and Methods: The study employed a survey involving 1032 participants. Data were collected using self- administered questionnaires distributed between October and December 2015 in the Greater Kuala Lumpur area.
Results: Of the 1032 participants, 535 were public clinic users. A quarter (25.8%) of the users stated that they did not have access to public clinics in their residential area. A multiple logistic analysis showed that the elderly, the women, those from ethnic minority groups, those of lower family income, and the private sector workers were more likely not to have access to public clinics than their counterparts.
Conclusions: The existing level of accessibility to public clinics could be improved by increasing the number of clinics. Clinics should be established to focus more on reaching the elderly, the women, the ethnic minority groups, the poorer families, and the private sector employees.

Matched MeSH terms: Female
Fulltext Prevalence and determinants of perceived stress among undergraduate students in a Malaysian university

Jia, Y.F., Loo, Yee Teo

JUMMEC, 2018;21(1):1-5.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Studying in a university can be stressful for any undergraduate student, and the excessive
stress is associated with physical and mental health problems. The purpose of the study was to examine the prevalence and determinants of perceived stress among undergraduate students in a Malaysian university.
Methods: 456 undergraduate students participated in this study. The Perceived Stress Scale and the Student Stress Survey (SSS) were implemented as indicators; PSS as a global measure of perceived stress, and the SSS for the identification of the sources of stress.
Results: The prevalence rate of perceived stress among the undergraduate students was 37.7%. The overall PSS mean score was 27.5 ( SD 4.763), with a cut-off value of perceived stress at 28. Multivariate logistic regression model identified that the female student (OR 1.995, 95% CI 1.313-3.031) and the first year student (OR = 2.383, 95% CI 1.047-5.422) perceived more stress than the others.
Conclusion: The present study demonstrated a high prevalence rate of perceived stress among undergraduate students in general, and the female and the first year undergraduate students in particular. There is a need for further studies on the borderline stress of the undergraduate students and the sources of stress.

Matched MeSH terms: Female
Surgical challenges of duplicated gallbladder during cholecystectomy

Muhd Yusairi K, Vasu Pillai L, Voon ML, Manisekar KS

Med J Malaysia, 2018 12;73(6):418-419.
PMID: 30647219

No abstract provided.

Matched MeSH terms: Female
Impact of gender on sexual problems and perceptions among urban Malay elderly in Malaysia

Minhat HS, Mat Din H, Vasudevan R, Raja Adnan RNE, Ibrahim R

Arch Gerontol Geriatr, 2019 01 08;81:240-244.
PMID: 30669017 DOI: 10.1016/j.archger.2019.01.001

BACKGROUND: Physical and pathological changes associated with advancing age affect sexual behaviours of the elderly. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of gender on sexual problems and perceptions among the urban Malay elderly.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 160 Malaysian elderly participants aged 60 years and older who live in Kuala Lumpur. Twelve neighbourhood associations were randomly selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. Data was collected using standardized and validated questionnaire by face-to-face interview technique with which was conducted by trained interviewers.
RESULTS: Mean age of the participants was 65.33 (5.87) year old with majority were still married. Female (55.7%) reported more sexual problems as evidenced by the higher proportion of those with lacked interest in having sex (72.5%), find sex is unpleasant (34.8%) and unable to come to orgasm (55.1%). Gender was found to have significant impact on every model obtained in the analysis for both sexual problems and perceptions. Female elderly were 10.6 times more likely to have sexual problem compared to male elderly (OR = 10.64, P

Matched MeSH terms: Female
Development and evaluation of a hearing aid manual in the Malay language

Mohd Yusoff WNH, Quar TK, Chong FY, Mazlan R

Int J Audiol, 2019 05;58(5):278-286.
PMID: 30672346 DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2018.1562244

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to (a) translate a hearing aid (HA) manual into Malay language and revise the translated manual based on best practice guidelines; (b) compare the effectiveness of the translated and the revised Malay HA manuals in helping individuals to perform HA management tasks.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional, randomised, single-blinded study.
STUDY SAMPLE: An Oticon-Dynamo HA manual was translated and revised based on best practice guidelines. Ninety participants aged 55 years and above participated in this study. They were randomly assigned into the control group (received translated manual) and the experimental group (received the revised translated manual). The Hearing Aid Management (HAM) test, which was developed in a previous study, was conducted to evaluate participant's ability to perform HA management tasks using the translated and the revised version of Malay HA manual.
RESULTS: The revised Malay HA manual had a lower reading grade level relative to the initial translated Malay HA manual. The ability to perform HA management tasks was better in the experimental group (mean = 12.2, SD = 1.15) versus the control group (mean = 8.7, SD = 2.11).
CONCLUSION: Further revision of existing HA manuals based on best practice guidelines is recommended to help individuals better manage their HAs.

Matched MeSH terms: Female
Fulltext Gender differences and obesity influence on pulmonary function parameters

Zakaria R, Harif N, Al-Rahbi B, Aziz CBA, Ahmad AH

Oman Med J, 2019 Jan;34(1):44-48.
PMID: 30671183 DOI: 10.5001/omj.2019.07

Objectives: Overweight and obesity are known to cause various patterns of alteration to the pulmonary function test (PFT) parameters. We sought to investigate gender differences in PFT parameters and examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and PFT parameters.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 126 patients referred for a PFT by various medical specialties between January and December 2015. PFT was measured using spirometry, and BMI was calculated using Quetelet's index.
Results: Female patients exhibited lower mean values for all PFT parameters compared to male patients. The forced vital capacity (FVC)% predicted was less than 80% for all patients while the ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/FVC was higher with increased BMI. BMI was positively correlated with peak expiratory flow in all patients, and with FEV1/FVC ratio in males but not in females.
Conclusions: In our studied population, males exhibited higher mean values of PFT parameters than females. Increased BMI may be associated with a restrictive pattern on spirometry.

Matched MeSH terms: Female
Fulltext Indigenous maternity care-giving practice: implications for maternal, foetal and neonatal health in Northern Ghana

Bassoumah, B., Adam, M.A.

JUMMEC, 2018;21(1):32-38.
MyJurnal

The study aimed at government efforts in making maternal and child healthcare services more available to
rural women, many of whom who still seek care from traditional practitioners during the postpartum period
after childbirth. In this research, we explored the role of traditional practitioners, such as Traditional Birth
Attendants (TBAs), herbalists and spiritualists, in traditional maternity care and the implications for the health
of the expectant mother, foetus or baby. This qualitative inquiry used purposive sampling and snowballing to
select the respondents in their various localities. It was observed that the traditional practitioners performed
both spiritual and medical roles during pregnancy and childbirth.
In the study, we discovered that both mothers and babies were exposed to health risks, as administration
of the herbal medicines and assistance at deliveries were carried out under unhygienic conditions. The
techniques used in labour management were not in compliance with the recommendations of the World
Health Organisation. The stages of maternity were characterised with the application of herbal concoctions
with spirituality attached.
The study recommends re-examination of mediating socio-cultural factors to professional health care. There
is a need for the Ghana Health Service to ensure the efficacy and safety of herbal drugs as well as to monitor
the production and application of such medicines.

Matched MeSH terms: Female
Cascaded LSTM recurrent neural network for automated sleep stage classification using single-channel EEG signals

Michielli N, Acharya UR, Molinari F

Comput Biol Med, 2019 03;106:71-81.
PMID: 30685634 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2019.01.013

Automated evaluation of a subject's neurocognitive performance (NCP) is a relevant topic in neurological and clinical studies. NCP represents the mental/cognitive human capacity in performing a specific task. It is difficult to develop the study protocols as the subject's NCP changes in a known predictable way. Sleep is time-varying NCP and can be used to develop novel NCP techniques. Accurate analysis and interpretation of human sleep electroencephalographic (EEG) signals is needed for proper NCP assessment. In addition, sleep deprivation may cause prominent cognitive risks in performing many common activities such as driving or controlling a generic device; therefore, sleep scoring is a crucial part of the process. In the sleep cycle, the first stage of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep or stage N1 is the transition between wakefulness and drowsiness and becomes relevant for the study of NCP. In this study, a novel cascaded recurrent neural network (RNN) architecture based on long short-term memory (LSTM) blocks, is proposed for the automated scoring of sleep stages using EEG signals derived from a single-channel. Fifty-five time and frequency-domain features were extracted from the EEG signals and fed to feature reduction algorithms to select the most relevant ones. The selected features constituted as the inputs to the LSTM networks. The cascaded architecture is composed of two LSTM RNNs: the first network performed 4-class classification (i.e. the five sleep stages with the merging of stages N1 and REM into a single stage) with a classification rate of 90.8%, and the second one obtained a recognition performance of 83.6% for 2-class classification (i.e. N1 vs REM). The overall percentage of correct classification for five sleep stages is found to be 86.7%. The objective of this work is to improve classification performance in sleep stage N1, as a first step of NCP assessment, and at the same time obtain satisfactory classification results in the other sleep stages.

Matched MeSH terms: Female
Fulltext Impact of Temporomandibular Joint Complaints on Tinnitus-Related Distress

Edvall NK, Gunan E, Genitsaridi E, Lazar A, Mehraei G, Billing M, et al.

Front Neurosci, 2019;13:879.
PMID: 31548840 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00879

There is increasing evidence of associations between the presence of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders and tinnitus. It has been recently proposed that tinnitus patients with TMJ complaints could constitute a subtype, meaning a subgroup of tinnitus patients responsive to specific treatments. Tinnitus patients with TMJ complaints are often young women with somatosensory features of their tinnitus. Here, we investigate the socio-economic factors, phenotypic characteristics and psychological variables of tinnitus subjects from the Swedish Tinnitus Outreach Project, with (n = 486) or without (n = 1,996) TMJ complaints. The prevalence of TMJ complaints was greater in tinnitus subjects with severe tinnitus (36%) when compared to those with any tinnitus (19%), strongly indicating the contribution of TMJ problems to the severity of tinnitus. Comparing subgroups with or without TMJ complaints in the whole sample, differences were found regarding a large number of socioeconomic, phenotypic, and psychological characteristics. Subjects with TMJ complaints were more often women, more often reported stress as the cause of tinnitus, were more severely affected by tinnitus, scored worse in measures of psychological well-being and life quality, and were more often affected by problems tolerating sounds, headache, vertigo/dizziness, and neck pain. In addition, they more often reported pulsating and tonal tinnitus, somatic modulation of tinnitus, and aggravation of tinnitus by loud sounds and stress. When focusing the analysis in subjects with tinnitus as a big problem using the Tinnitus Functional Index cut-off ≥ 48, or with severe tinnitus according to the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory cut-off ≥ 58, the impact of somatosensory modulations and stress on tinnitus were greater in subjects with TMJ complaints in comparison to those without. In light of these results, we hypothesize that stress could contribute to the co-occurrence of TMJ problems and tinnitus and also to the development of severe tinnitus. Our study supports the need of involving dental care and stress management in the holistic treatment of patients with severe tinnitus.

Matched MeSH terms: Female
Measurement of urine pH and net acid excretion and their association with urine calcium excretion in periparturient dairy cows

Constable PD, Megahed AA, Hiew MWH

J Dairy Sci, 2019 Dec;102(12):11370-11383.
PMID: 31548071 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2019-16805

Urine pH (UpH) and net acid excretion (NAE) are used to monitor the degree of systemic acidification and predict the magnitude of resultant hypercalciuria when feeding an acidogenic ration to control periparturient hypocalcemia in dairy cattle. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the diagnostic performance of urine dipstick and pH paper for measuring UpH, and to characterize the UpH-NAE relationship and the association of urine Ca concentration ([Ca]) with UpH and NAE. Urine samples (n = 1,116) were collected daily from 106 periparturient Holstein-Friesian cows fed an acidogenic ration during late gestation. Net acid excretion was measured by titration, and UpH was measured by a glass-electrode pH meter (reference method), Multistix-SG urine dipsticks (Siemens Medical Solutions Inc., Ann Arbor, MI), and Hydrion pH paper (Micro Essential Laboratory Inc., Brooklyn, NY). Diagnostic performance was evaluated using Spearman correlation coefficient (rs), Bland-Altman plots, and logistic regression. Urine pH measured by urine dipstick (rs = 0.94) and pH paper (rs = 0.96) were strongly associated with UpH. Method-comparison studies indicated that the urine dipstick measured an average of 0.28 pH units higher, and pH paper 0.10 pH units lower, than UpH. Urine [Ca] was more strongly associated with UpH (rs = -0.65) than NAE (rs = 0.52). Goals for controlling periparturient hypocalcemia under the study conditions were UpH <6.22 and <6.11, based on achieving urine [Ca] ≥5 mmol/L and estimated urinary Ca excretion ≥4 g/d, respectively. Urine pH was as accurate at predicting urine [Ca] as NAE when UpH >6.11. We conclude that pH paper is an accurate, practical, and low-cost cow-side test for measuring UpH and provides a clinically useful estimate of urine [Ca].

Matched MeSH terms: Female
"Our Country Needs a Strong Leader Right Now": Economic Inequality Enhances the Wish for a Strong Leader

Sprong S, Jetten J, Wang Z, Peters K, Mols F, Verkuyten M, et al.

Psychol Sci, 2019 11;30(11):1625-1637.
PMID: 31566081 DOI: 10.1177/0956797619875472

Societal inequality has been found to harm the mental and physical health of its members and undermine overall social cohesion. Here, we tested the hypothesis that economic inequality is associated with a wish for a strong leader in a study involving 28 countries from five continents (Study 1, N = 6,112), a study involving an Australian community sample (Study 2, N = 515), and two experiments (Study 3a, N = 96; Study 3b, N = 296). We found correlational (Studies 1 and 2) and experimental (Studies 3a and 3b) evidence for our prediction that higher inequality enhances the wish for a strong leader. We also found that this relationship is mediated by perceptions of anomie, except in the case of objective inequality in Study 1. This suggests that societal inequality enhances the perception that society is breaking down (anomie) and that a strong leader is needed to restore order (even when that leader is willing to challenge democratic values).

Matched MeSH terms: Female
Fulltext A Web-Based Intervention for Social Media Addiction Disorder Management in Higher Education: Quantitative Survey Study

Dogan H, Norman H, Alrobai A, Jiang N, Nordin N, Adnan A

J Med Internet Res, 2019 10 02;21(10):e14834.
PMID: 31579018 DOI: 10.2196/14834

BACKGROUND: Social media addiction disorder has recently become a major concern and has been reported to have negative impacts on postgraduate studies, particularly addiction to Facebook. Although previous studies have investigated the effects of Facebook addiction disorder in learning settings, there still has been a lack of studies investigating the relationship between online intervention features for Facebook addiction focusing on postgraduate studies.
OBJECTIVE: In an attempt to understand this relationship, this study aimed to carry out an investigation on online intervention features for effective management of Facebook addiction in higher education.
METHODS: This study was conducted quantitatively using surveys and partial least square-structural equational modeling. The study involved 200 postgraduates in a Facebook support group for postgraduates. The Bergen Facebook Addiction test was used to assess postgraduates' Facebook addiction level, whereas online intervention features were used to assess postgraduates' perceptions of online intervention features for Facebook addiction, which are as follows: (1) self-monitoring features, (2) manual control features, (3) notification features, (4) automatic control features, and (5) reward features.
RESULTS: The study discovered six Facebook addiction factors (relapse, conflict, salience, tolerance, withdrawal, and mood modification) and five intervention features (notification, auto-control, reward, manual control, and self-monitoring) that could be used in the management of Facebook addiction in postgraduate education. The study also revealed that relapse is the most important factor and mood modification is the least important factor. Furthermore, findings indicated that notification was the most important intervention feature, whereas self-monitoring was the least important feature.
CONCLUSIONS: The study's findings (addiction factors and intervention features) could assist future developers and educators in the development of online intervention tools for Facebook addiction management in postgraduate education.

Matched MeSH terms: Female
Fulltext Pre-Pregnancy BMI Influences the Association of Dietary Quality and Gestational Weight Gain: The SECOST Study

Yong HY, Mohd Shariff Z, Mohd Yusof BN, Rejali Z, Tee YYS, Bindels J, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2019 10 04;16(19).
PMID: 31590213 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16193735

Poor diet quality in pregnancy could impact gestational weight gain (GWG) and consequently fetal growth and development. But today there is limited data available on gestational diet quality. This study investigated the association between diet quality in each pregnancy trimester and GWG in Malaysian women. Diet quality was assessed using the modified Healthy Eating Index for Malaysians (HEI). Total GWG was defined as the difference between measured weight at last prenatal visit and pre-pregnancy weight. About one-fourth of women (23.3%) had excessive total GWG. There were significant differences in the HEI component score across trimesters, except for fruits. Overall, overweight/obese women had lower total HEI score (51.49-55.40) during pregnancy compared to non-overweight/obese women (53.38-56.50). For non-overweight/obese women, higher total HEI scores in the second and third trimesters were significantly associated with lower risk of inadequate GWG (aOR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.95-0.99, p = 0.01) and higher risk of excessive GWG (aOR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.01-1.07, p = 0.03), respectively. Overweight/obese women with higher total HEI scores in the second (aOR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.01-1.07, p = 0.02) and third trimester (aOR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.01-1.08, p = 0.02) were significantly at higher risk for excessive GWG. Pregnant women had relatively low diet quality throughout pregnancy. Diet quality and GWG association differed according to pre-pregnancy BMI with excessive GWG more likely to be associated with higher total HEI scores in the third trimester.

Matched MeSH terms: Female

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