METHODS: Eutopic endometrium and serum from patients with endometriosis (n = 8 for tissue and n = 4 for serum) are, respectively, compared to endometrium and serum from females without endometriosis (n = 8 for tissue and n = 4 for serum) using a shotgun quantitative proteomics method. All study participants are at the proliferative phase of their menstrual cycle.
RESULTS: At the tissue and serum level, 1214 and 404 proteins are differentially expressed (DEPs) in eutopic endometrium and serum, respectively, of women with endometriosis versus controls. Gene ontology analysis shows that terms related to immune response/inflammation, cell adhesion/migration, and blood coagulation are significantly enriched in the DEPs of eutopic endometrium, as well as serum. Twenty-one DEPs have the same trend of differential expression in both matrices and can be further examined as potential disease- and tissue-specific serological markers of endometriosis.
CONCLUSIONS: The present integrated proteomic profiling of eutopic endometrium and serum from women with endometriosis identify promising serological markers that can be further validated in larger cohorts for the minimally invasive diagnosis of endometriosis.
RESULTS: The overall prevalence of Schistosoma haematobium was 12.9%, whereas that of Schistosoma mansoni was 2.95%. Additionally, the males had higher prevalence (60%) of S. mansoni than females (40%). However, both gender were equally infected with S. haematobium (50%). With regard to risk factors, distance of residence from water source and source of drinking water are relatively associated with the infection.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of a teacher-led Healthy Lifestyle Program on eating behaviors among adolescents in Malaysia.
METHODS: This was a cluster randomized controlled trial (conducted in 2012 to 2014), with 100 schools randomly selected from 721 schools, then assigned to 50 intervention schools and 50 control schools. A Healthy Eating and Be Active among Teens (HEBAT) module was developed for pretrained teachers to deliver a Healthy Lifestyle Program on eating behaviors among adolescents. Eating behaviors of the respondents was determined using Eating Behaviors Questionnaire. Linear Mixed Model analysis and χ2 test were used to determine within- and between-group effects of studied variables.
RESULTS: A total of 4277 respondents participated in this study, with 2635 samples involved in the final analysis, comprised of 921 intervention and 1714 control respondents. There were 32.4% (36.4%) males and 67.6% (63.6%) females in the intervention (control) group. Mean age was comparable between the groups (intervention = 12.98 years; control = 12.97 years). Majority of the respondents skipped meals at baseline (intervention = 74.7%; control = 79.5%). After the program, intervention respondents had higher consumption frequency of lunch, dinner, and mid-morning snack but a lower consumption frequency of late-evening snack and meal skipping behaviors than their control counterparts.
CONCLUSION: The teacher-led Healthy Lifestyle Program was effective in reducing meal-skipping behaviors among Malaysian adolescents.
METHODS: We conducted a randomised, double blinded, two-armed parallel study comparing 20 g/day of Tualang Honey versus 20 g/day Honey Cocktail among postmenopausal women aged 45-65 years. The cardiovascular parameters and anthropometrics measurements were assessed at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months of the intervention.
RESULTS: 100 subjects were successfully randomised into the groups. There was a significant decrease in the diastolic blood pressure from 77.92 mmHg at baseline to 73.45 mmHg at 12 months (F-statistic = 2.55, p-value = 0.047) in the Tualang Honey group compared to Honey Cocktail. There was also a significant decrease in the fasting blood sugar from 6.11 mmol/L at baseline to 5.71 mmol/L at 12 months (F-statistic = 4.03, p-value = 0.021) in the Tualang Honey group compared to the Honey Cocktail group. The body mass index remained unchanged at 27 kg/m2 (F-statistic = 1.60, p-value = 0.010) throughout 12 months of the intervention in the Honey Cocktail group.
CONCLUSION: Subjects who received Honey Cocktail showed remarkable effects on body mass index. However, Tualang Honey supplementation showed superior effect in lowering diastolic blood pressure and fasting blood sugar compared to Honey Cocktail. Further studies are required to ascertain the underlying mechanism(s) of Tualang Honey and Honey Cocktail on each observed parameter.
METHOD: A survey was carried out between April 20 and May 30, 2018 by a working group under the Medical Physics Division of the Malaysian Institute of Physics (IFM). The survey form was designed using Google Form and sent to various public and private institutions nationwide that employed MPs registered with IFM.
RESULTS: A total of 106 responses (28% men and 72% women) were analysed. This represented 30% of the medical physics workforce. Majority of them had postgraduate degrees, but their clinical training is mostly obtained on the job with no certification. The number of low-ranking female MPs was disproportionately high. MPs worked long hours and achieving work-life balance (WLB) was a challenge. Factors that improved their WLB included working close to home, having a supportive manager and flexible working hours. Most MPs aspired to become professional and mentor younger compatriots, besides contributing to patient care and research. Gender discrimination was reportedly low.
CONCLUSION: Medical physics in Malaysia is growing and has a strong representation of women. In future, they would probably take over the top management from their male counterparts, whose number had stagnated. A united effort was essential to set up a proper clinical training system to train clinically qualified MPs.
METHODOLOGY: Data were collected form 5310 patients in 249 private clinics. The patients evaluated their satisfaction on the quality of service on the basis of nine criteria that comprised 31 subcriteria. We used multicriteria satisfaction analysis (MUSA) to analyze the data.
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION: The data analysis results showed low level of satisfaction on the health care quality services offered by the private clinics in Yemen. The majority of the criteria and subcriteria showed low level of satisfaction, high demand, and high mandate for improvement.