METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2022 and August 2023 using an online REDCap electronic data capture tool questionnaire. PACS was defined as new or persistent symptoms lasting more than 28 days after a positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction or rapid test kit antigen test. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine predictors associated with PACS.
RESULTS: Among 609 infected healthcare workers, they were predominantly female (71.8%), Malays (84.6%), and aged 18-39 years (70.1%). 50.7% of infected healthcare workers experienced PACS. The most common PACS symptoms experienced were fatigue (27.9%), cough (25.1%), decreased physical strength (20.5%), and musculoskeletal pain (19.2%). Those who are more likely to develop PACS were females, underlying asthma, and COVID-19 severity category 3. On the other hand, those who received booster vaccinations were less likely to develop PACS.
CONCLUSION: PACS is prevalent among healthcare workers with COVID-19 at the University Malaya Medical Centre. These findings emphasise the critical need for those with higher risk to receive regular health monitoring and checkups to detect any early signs of PACS. It underscores the need for continuous support and healthcare interventions to mitigate the impacts of PACS and ensure the physical and mental well-being of healthcare workers.
OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of dental caries and their association with exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) among 5- to 10-year-old students attending private and government schools.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among schoolchildren. Data was collected from the primary caregivers using a pre-tested form to assess the ETS exposure under 5 domains based on history: antenatal exposure; exposure during the index period; exposure in the school neighborhood; exposure in restaurants/roadside stalls; and exposure in bus stops/railway stations. Dental caries was assessed based on the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines from 1997. The association was reported using prevalence ratios (PRs) (95% confidence interval (CI)).
RESULTS: Data was obtained from 211 schoolchildren attending government (39.8%) and private schools (60.2%). The overall prevalence (95% CI) of dental caries was 49.3% (42.5-56.1%). Among all the risk factors evaluated in the study, exposure to ETS was associated with a significantly increased risk of dental caries. The adjusted prevalence ratio (APR) of ETS exposure varied with the mother's educational status and high sugar exposure, although this was statistically insignificant.
CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of dental caries among schoolchildren aged 5 to 10 years in the city was moderate and similar to the national average. Among the risk factors assessed in the study, antenatal exposure to ETS was found to significantly increase the prevalence of dental caries by 41% after adjusting for other factors. Therefore, it is important to educate parents on the causal role of ETS exposure in dental caries.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: OSF; https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/HEFCP.
METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of available literature regarding NTM infection in children and adults receiving allogeneic HSCT.
RESULTS: We identified 56 articles eligible for the analysis. Among 15 studies, describing 15,798 allogeneic HSCT, we estimated a prevalence of 1.26% (95% CI 0.72, 1.93) of NTM after transplant. Analysis of 175 patients with NTM infection showed a median time of diagnosis of 318 days after HSCT, an increased prevalence in adults (82.9%), and a most frequent pulmonary involvement (44%). Comparison between children and adults revealed an earlier post-transplant disease onset (median 130 days vs 287 days) and most frequent non-pulmonary presentation in children. A vast heterogeneity of therapeutic approach reflected the lack of universal recommendations regarding drug combination and duration of therapy. Overall, NTM-related mortality accounted for 33% in this systematic review.
CONCLUSION: Although rare, NTM infections can complicate post-transplant course with a high mortality rate in children and adults. The lack of prospective studies and guidelines prevents identification of risk factors and therapeutic recommendations.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 380 babies from Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM), Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) were recruited in this retrospective study. All babies with birthweight less than 1500grams nursed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) between January 2014 till December 2019 was included in the study. Data was analysed on demography, interval taken for hearing intervention and defaulter rate. The data of patient parameters between both hospitals were analysed and association between various factors were evaluated.
RESULTS: A total 187 Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) Kuala Lumpur babies and 193 VLBW Sarawak babies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria, among which 10.1% and 10.9% had SNHL in Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak respectively. CHL was reported among 8.6% Kuala Lumpur and 14% of Sarawak babies. When studied on the different types and degrees of hearing loss, 2.6% of Kuala Lumpur babies born less than 28 Weeks Gestation Age (WGA) had moderate SNHL and 2.0% of Sarawak babies had profound SNHL. In this study only gestational age (week) (p=0.003) and dysmorphism (p<0.001) were statistically significant to be associated with hearing loss.
CONCLUSION: The prevalence of hearing loss among VLBW babies in Kuala Lumpur was 20.3% and 24.8% in Sarawak. Gestational age (p=0.044) and presence of dysmorphism (p<0.001) were found to have statistically significant association with prevalence of hearing loss. The defaulter rate at Kuala Lumpur was 52.6% and 42.3% in Sarawak.
METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional survey followed by unmatched case-control comparisons was conducted among 612 participants in Utmah district, western Yemen. A total of 223 participants were included in the case-control analysis to identify the significant risk factors. Skin scrapping samples were examined by microscopy and internal transcribed spacer 1 nested polymerase chain reaction.
RESULTS: Overall, 33% (202/612) of the participants had active skin lesions and/or scars that met the clinical criteria for CL. A total of 90 (14.7%) participants had suspected active CL lesions; however, a prevalence of 8.7% (53/612) was obtained based on molecular and parasitological examination, with Leishmania tropica being the only causative agent identified. Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that being ≤10 y old, being female, living in houses with cracked walls, living in the presence of other family members with typical ulcerating skin diseases and sleeping outside were factors significantly associated with an increased likelihood of having CL. Moreover, keeping livestock on the ground floor of the house was significantly associated with a decreased likelihood of having CL.
CONCLUSION: The study reveals an alarmingly high prevalence of CL among the studied population. Therefore there is an urgent need for effective control measures and improved treatment efforts against this devastating disease.
METHODS: In this study, Researchers systematically searched electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar search engines for studies until September 2023. To analyze data, the random effects model was used, and the heterogeneity of the studies was checked with the I2 index. Data analysis was performed by software (Version 2 Comprehensive Meta-Analysis).
RESULTS: In the review of 28 studies with a sample size of 12,908 people, the I2 heterogeneity test showed high heterogeneity (I2: 98.4). Based on this, the random effects method was used to analyze the results. Therefore, the meta-analysis reported the global prevalence of back pain at 40.5 (95% CI: 33-48.4) during pregnancy. Also, according to the meta-analysis, the global prevalence of back pain in the first trimester of pregnancy is 28.3 (95%CI: 10.5-57.1), in the second trimester is 36.8 (95%CI: 30.4-43.7) and in the third trimester of pregnancy was reported as 47.8 (95% CI: 37.2-58.6).
CONCLUSION: In this meta-analysis, the overall prevalence of back pain in pregnant women was reported to be significant, so it is necessary for health policymakers to pay more attention to complications during pregnancy, in addition to increasing society's awareness of pregnant mothers, with timely diagnosis and treatment of such disorders, it can lead to improvement; and reduction in Complications caused by pregnancy and becoming more pleasant during pregnancy.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study on 284 epilepsy patients was performed in a local tertiary centre. The demographic and clinical epilepsy data were collected. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) questionnaires were utilised to determine the quality of life and daytime hypersomnolence of epilepsy patients, respectively.
RESULTS: Poor sleep quality was reported in 78 (27.5%) patients while daytime hypersomnolence was present in 17 (6%) patients. The predictors of poor sleep quality include structural causes (OR = 2.749; 95% CI: 1.436, 5.264, p = 0.002), generalised seizures (OR = 1.959, 95% CI: 1.04, 3.689, p = 0.037), and antiseizure medications such as Carbamazepine (OR = 2.34; 95% CI: 1.095, 5.001, p = 0.028) and Topiramate (OR 2.487; 95% CI: 1.028, 6.014, p = 0.043). Females are 3.797 times more likely score higher in ESS assessment (OR 3.797; 95% CI: 1.064, 13.555 p = 0.04).
DISCUSSION: Sleep disturbances frequently coexist with epilepsy. Patients should be actively evaluated using the PSQI and ESS questionnaires. It is imperative to identify the key factors that lead to reduced sleep quality and heightened daytime sleepiness in patients with epilepsy, as this is essential to properly manage their condition.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a comparative crosssectional study using secondary data from the eNotifikasi system and hepatitis B case investigation forms between 2018 and 2022 from four district health offices in Pahang, Malaysia. Demographic data, hepatitis B vaccination status and risk factors were assessed. Data analysis employed were independent chi-squared tests, t-tests and binary logistic regression.
RESULTS: The study included 285 cases (141 indigenous and 145 non-indigenous). Among the indigenous cases, 72.3% were unvaccinated and 59.6% reported a history of infected mother, followed by percutaneous exposure, multiple sexual partners, and sharing syringe. The odds for those with a history of an infected mother being indigenous group is 2.5 times (95% CI: 1.4-4.4) compared to those with a history of an infected mother being non-indigenous group.
CONCLUSION: Significant difference exists in hepatitis B risk factors between indigenous and non-indigenous populations. The main risk factor for indigenous community is history of infected mother. Thus, the necessity of incorporating hepatitis B screening into the current practice of antenatal HIV screening, specifically targeting the indigenous community, should be given consideration.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used to gather information from hill tribe people aged 18 years and over living in ten hill tribe villages in Mae Fah Luang, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. Participants who met the inclusion criteria were invited to participate in the study. A validated questionnaire was used as the research instrument, and 5 mL blood samples were taken. Orientia tsutsugamushi IgM and IgG antibodies were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and then confirmed by immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Logistic regression was used to detect associations between variables at a significance level of α = 0.05.
RESULTS: A total of 485 hill tribe people participated in the study; 57.1% were female, 29.9% were over 60 years of age, 46.4% were from the Akha tribe, and 74.2% had never attended school. The overall prevalence of scrub typhus exposure was 48.0%. In the multivariate model, five variables were found to be associated with scrub typhus exposure. Participants aged over 60 years had a 4.31-fold increased risk (95% CI = 1.73-10.72) of scrub typhus exposure compared to those who were younger than 30 years. Those who were illiterate had a 3.46-fold increased risk (95% CI = 1.93-6.21) of scrub typhus exposure than those who had at least a primary education level. Participants from the Akha tribe had a 2.20-fold increased risk (95% CI = 1.31-3.72) of scrub typhus exposure than those from the Lahu tribe. Subjects who had a history of cutting grass had a 1.85-fold increased risk (95% CI = 1.20-2.84) of scrub typhus exposure. Those who never wore gloves for farming had a 2.12-fold increased risk (95% CI = 1.28-3.49) of scrub typhus exposure than those who wore gloves daily.
CONCLUSIONS: There is a high prevalence of scrub typhus exposure among the hill tribe in Thailand. Effective public health interventions to promote scrub typhus awareness and prevention are urgently needed in these populations.
METHOD: Based on a pre-registered protocol (PROSPERO: CRD42022328485), we searched PubMed, Web of Knowledge/Science, Ovid Medline, Embase and APA PsycINFO up to 5th February 2022, with no language/type of document restrictions. We included observational studies 1) reporting at least one measure of vision in people of any age with a diagnosis of ASD based on DSM or ICD criteria, or ADOS; or 2) reporting the prevalence of ASD in people with and without vision disorders. Study quality was assessed with the Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS). Random-effects meta-analyses were used for data synthesis.
RESULTS: We included 49 studies in the narrative synthesis and 46 studies in the meta-analyses (15,629,159 individuals distributed across multiple different measures). We found meta-analytic evidence of increased prevalence of strabismus (OR = 4.72 [95% CI: 4.60, 4.85]) in people with versus those without ASD (non-significant heterogeneity: Q = 1.0545, p = 0.7881). We also found evidence of increased accommodation deficits (Hedge's g = 0.68 [CI: 0.28, 1.08]) (non-significant heterogeneity: Q = 6.9331, p = 0.0741), reduced peripheral vision (-0.82 [CI: -1.32, -0.33]) (non-significant heterogeneity: Q = 4.8075, p = 0.4398), reduced stereoacuity (0.73 [CI: -1.14, -0.31]) (non-significant heterogeneity: Q = 0.8974, p = 0.3435), increased color discrimination difficulties (0.69 [CI: 0.27,1.10]) (non-significant heterogeneity: Q = 9.9928, p = 0.1890), reduced contrast sensitivity (0.45 [CI: -0.60, -0.30]) (non-significant heterogeneity: Q = 9.9928, p = 0.1890) and increased retinal thickness (=0.29 [CI: 0.07, 0.51]) (non-significant heterogeneity: Q = 0.8113, p = 0.9918) in ASD.
DISCUSSION: ASD is associated with some self-reported and objectively measured functional vision problems, and structural alterations of the eye, even though we observed several methodological limitations in the individual studies included in our meta-analyses. Further research should clarify the causal relationship, if any, between ASD and problems of vision during early life.
PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42022328485.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a locality within Selangor, sampling a total of 1449 young adults. The Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey was used to measure cyberbullying victimisation. The Family APGAR scale, General Health Questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and single-item measures were used to assess family dysfunction, psychological distress and health behaviour, respectively.
RESULTS: The 1-month prevalence of cyberbullying victimisation among young adults was 2.4%. The most common cyberbullying act experienced was mean or hurtful comments about participants online (51.7%), whereas the most common online environment for cyberbullying to occur was social media (45.8%). Male participants (adjusted OR (AOR)=3.60, 95% CI=1.58 to 8.23) had at least three times the odds of being cyberbullied compared with female participants. Meanwhile, participants with higher levels of psychological distress had increased probability of being cyberbullied compared with their peers (AOR=1.13, 95% CI=1.05 to 1.21).
CONCLUSIONS: As evident from this study, cyberbullying victimisation prevails among young adults and is significantly related to gender and psychological distress. Given its devastating effects on targeted victims, a multipronged and collaborative approach is warranted to reduce incidences of cyberbullying and safeguard the health and well-being of young adults.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and sociodemographic factors predicting high-risk HPV infection in Malaysia based on a public, community-based cervical cancer screening registry targeting women at risk of getting HPV infection.
METHODS: The study used data from the Malaysian cervical cancer screening registry established by the Family Health Development Division from 2019 to 2021. The registry recorded sociodemographic data, HPV test details and results of eligible women who underwent HPV screening at public primary healthcare facilities. A vaginal sample (via self-sampling or assisted by a healthcare provider) was used for DNA extraction for HPV detection and genotyping. Registry data were extracted and analysed to determine prevalence estimates of high-risk HPV infection. Multifactorial logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine predictors of high-risk HPV infection. All analyses were performed using Stata version 14.
RESULTS: The programme screened a total of 36,738 women during the study period. Women who attended the screening programme were mainly from urban areas, aged 30-39 years, and of Malay ethnicity. The prevalence of high-risk HPV infection was 4.53% among women screened, with the yearly prevalence ranging from 4.27 to 4.80%. A higher prevalence was observed among urban settling women, those aged 30-49 years, those of Indian ethnicity, and those without children. The results from logistic regression showed that women from urban areas, lower age groups, of Indian or Chinese ethnicity, and who are self-employed were more likely to be infected with high-risk HPV.
CONCLUSION: Targeted and robust strategies to reach identified high-risk groups are needed in Malaysia. In addition, the registry has the potential to be expanded for an improved cervical cancer elimination plan.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: Trial registration number: NMRR ID-22-00187-DJU.