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Provision of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) information among Malaysian parents of children with epilepsy

Fong CY, Lim WK, Kong AN, Lua PL, Ong LC

Epilepsy Behav, 2017 10;75:6-12.
PMID: 28806633 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2017.06.037

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is an important cause of mortality in epilepsy. To date, there is only one published UK study evaluating information provision of SUDEP among parents of children with epilepsy (CWE), and there are no studies published from Asia. Although SUDEP information provision is recommended among parents of CWE, it is uncertain if these recommendations are applicable to Asian countries due to the different cultural attitude towards epilepsy. Our prospective cohort study consisted of multiethnic parents of children with epilepsy (CWE) seen in a tertiary hospital in Malaysia. Information on SUDEP was delivered to parents using an epilepsy educational software program. Participants completed a set of standardized questionnaire and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-Short Form (DASS-21) immediately after and retested 3-6months after the SUDEP information provision. A total of 127 parents (84 mothers) participated in the study. The CWE consisted of 3 ethnic groups (38% Malay, 30% Chinese, 32% Indian) with a mean age of 9.6years. Majority (70.9%) felt positive after SUDEP information provision, 90.6% wanted SUDEP discussion for themselves with 70.1% wanted SUDEP discussion with their child, and a lower proportion (58.3%) would discuss SUDEP with their child. None of the participants reported increased symptoms of depression, stress or anxiety attributed to SUDEP information provision. Most parents took steps to reduce SUDEP risk, and most parents did not report an impact on their own functioning. However, there was an increase in parental report over time of impact on their child's functioning following SUDEP information (P<0.05). In conclusion, most Malaysian parents of CWE wanted SUDEP information. Following SUDEP information disclosure, majority did not report negative emotions; however, an increase in parents over time reported an impact on their child. Our findings reiterate that provision of SUDEP information should form part of care of CWE and parents should receive ongoing support as they undergo a period of parenting adjustment when dealing with the information provided.
Fulltext Knowledge of Medical Students Towards the Re-emergence of Human Monkeypox Virus

Raman H, Jamil A, Rasheed A, Abdulrahman Jairoun A, Lua PL, Ibrahim UI, et al.

Cureus, 2023 Oct;15(10):e46761.
PMID: 37954738 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.46761

INTRODUCTION: Declaration of human monkeypox(HMPX) virus as Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised concerns among the public andlack of knowledge is a prominent challenge in curbing this outbreak. Therefore, assessment ofknowledge level on this outbreak among the medical students is also necessary due to the fact that they are the future healthcare practitioners who will be directly involved in the disease management as well as a major source of knowledge dissemination to the public.
AIM: The main objective of this study is to assess the knowledge level of medical students at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) regarding the emergence of HMPX. Additionally, the study aims to investigate potential associations between socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge levels, while also identifying factors that predict a high level of knowledge in this context..
METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among UniSZA undergraduatemedical students from Year 1 to Year 5. A validated questionnaire comprising six socio-demographic variables and 27 knowledge items was shared online. Descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests and multivariate logistic regression were performed using SPSS software.
RESULTS: A total of 138 medical students out of 300 participated in this study. Overall, the average knowledge score was 73.95% ±4.43, which indicates that the medical students have moderate knowledge level. Nearly half of them had good knowledge level (n= 68; 49.3%), 43 of them had moderate knowledge level (31.2%), and 27 of them had poor knowledge level (19.6%). There was a significant association between knowledge level and two factors: receiving information on HMPX during their education and seniority (P-value < 0.01 and P-value < 0.05, respectively). Besides, received information on HMPX during their education was a significant predicting factor of good knowledge level (P-value = 0.002).
CONCLUSION: The knowledge level among the medical students was relatively inadequate.
A Qualitative Exploration of Weight Loss Experiences through Hypnotherapy

Roslim NA, Ahmad A, Mansor M, Aung MMT, Hamzah F, Lua PL

Int J Clin Exp Hypn, 2023;71(3):235-249.
PMID: 37378644 DOI: 10.1080/00207144.2023.2227237

Hypnotherapy has been gaining recognition as an alternative treatment for excess weight problems. This qualitative study aims to explore individuals' experiences of losing weight through hypnotherapy and their perceived barriers and facilitators for healthy lifestyle changes. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 participants (11 women and 4 men; mean age of 23 years) who recorded having lost ≥5% weight after undergoing 3 hypnotherapy sessions previously at a public university in Terengganu, Malaysia. Each interview was audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The themes that emerged were the usefulness of hypnotherapy, barriers, and facilitators of healthy lifestyle changes. All participants contended that hypnotherapy played a role in their weight-loss journey through increased mindful eating and enhanced motivation to make lifestyle modifications. Barriers to healthy lifestyle changes included high costs of healthy foods and lack of support for healthy food sources in social and family settings. Hypnotherapy is essential as an adjunct tool in assisting weight loss. However, additional efforts are needed to improve support in the weight management journey.
Fulltext 'Energy-Dense, High-SFA and Low-Fiber' Dietary Pattern Lowered Adiponectin but Not Leptin Concentration of Breast Cancer Survivors

Shahril MR, Zakarai NS, Appannah G, Nurnazahiah A, Mohamed HJJ, Ahmad A, et al.

Nutrients, 2021 Sep 24;13(10).
PMID: 34684340 DOI: 10.3390/nu13103339

Dietary pattern (DP) and its relationship with disease biomarkers have received recognition in nutritional epidemiology investigations. However, DP relationships with adipokines (i.e., adiponectin and leptin) among breast cancer survivors remain unclear. Therefore, we assessed relationships between DP and high-molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin and leptin concentration among breast cancer survivors. This cross-sectional study involved 128 breast cancer survivors who attended the oncology outpatient clinic at two main government hospitals in the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The serum concentration of HMW adiponectin and leptin were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. A reduced rank regression method was used to analyze DP. Relationships between DP with HMW adiponectin and leptin were examined using regression models. The findings show that with every 1-unit increase in the 'energy-dense, high-SFA, low-fiber' DP z-score, there was a reduction by 0.41 μg/mL in HMW adiponectin which was independent of age, BMI, education level, occupation status, cancer stage, and duration since diagnosis. A similar relationship with leptin concentration was not observed. In conclusion, the 'energy-dense, high-saturated fat and low-fiber' DP, which is characterized by high intake levels of sugar-sweetened drinks and fat-based spreads but low intake of fruits and vegetables, is an unhealthy dietary pattern and unfavorable for HMW adiponectin concentration, but not for leptin. These findings could serve as a basis in developing specific preventive strategies that are tailored to the growing population of breast cancer survivors.
Health-related quality of life of dialysis patients during early COVID-19 lockdowns: a snapshot from a public hospital in Malaysia

Paneerselvam GS, Goh KW, Kassab YW, Farrukh MJ, Goh BH, Lua PL, et al.

Front Med (Lausanne), 2023;10:992870.
PMID: 37305144 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.992870

BACKGROUND: End-stage renal disease is the last stage of chronic kidney disease and can affect the quality of life (QOL) of dialysis patients. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life and examine its determinants.
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey involving patients on dialysis in a tertiary hospital was conducted from July 2020 to September 2020. Demographic data were collected using a predesigned questionnaire. QOL was measured using the 36-item KDQOL questionnaire, and statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS version 25.
RESULTS: Of the 108 patients, 59 were men and 49 were women, and the mean age was 48.15 ± 15.4 years. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the mean score of all components of health-related quality of life in different types of dialysis. The demographic data, which included age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education level, occupation, and monthly income, did not significantly affect the QOL of dialysis patients. Patients with a dialysis duration of more than 5 years had a better QOL compared to other groups. Laboratory parameters such as low albumin and low hemoglobin showed a significant correlation with the health-related quality of life of dialysis patients.
CONCLUSION: The quality of life among patients on dialysis was impaired, especially in terms of burden of the kidney disease. Hypoalbuminemia and anemia were the two factors that influenced QOL.
Fulltext Knowledge and Perception of Facial Candling for Allergic Rhinitis among University Staff and Students

Hamdan NKA, Lean QY, Neoh CF, Abdullah AH, Lim SM, Ramasamy K, et al.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2020;2020:5713134.
PMID: 32831870 DOI: 10.1155/2020/5713134

Introduction: Facial candling is a traditional method used for relieving symptoms of allergic rhinitis (AR). This study aims to investigate the knowledge and perception of facial candling in a sample of staff and students in a public university in Malaysia.
Methods: An online questionnaire survey method was used. Based on sample size calculation, a total of 1,508 UiTM staff and students from ten selected campuses of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) were invited to participate in this survey. An up-to-date e-mail list of staff in the selected campuses was used as the sampling frame for the study, whereas the students were recruited from the official university student Facebook portal.
Results: A total of 788 respondents participated in this survey, 72.2% of them knew about facial candling, though only 35.4% had tried the treatment. Approximately one-fifth of respondents agreed that facial candling might treat AR. It was found that a higher number of users than nonusers agreed that facial candling was a traditional medicine (78.9% vs 55.0%); could be used on the face and ears (83.5% vs 45.4%); and could be self-administered at home (83.5 vs 45.4%). Interestingly, more than half of them were uncertain about its long-term effects and adverse reactions.
Conclusion: This study confirms the facial candling use among patients with AR although the percentage is low. The patients and general public need to be better informed about the use of facial candling in AR and its associated risks.