After publication of the original article [1], the authors have notified us that there are changes to the primary outcome of the study, instrument, subject's inclusion criteria, the funding and acknowledgements. These changes were made during the recruitment of participants and after approved by the Medical Research and Ethics Committee (MREC), National Institutes of Health Malaysia, on 16th November 2018.
Introduction: Understanding the prevalence of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure and the associated factors is beneficial for the formulation of effective measures to reduce exposure to SHS. The purpose of this study was to determine SHS exposure at home and workplace, and its associated factors among non-smoker Malaysian adults. Methods: Data were extracted from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey-Malaysia (GATS-M) that involved a representative sample of 5112 Malaysian adults. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between SHS exposure, sociodemographic factors, knowledge on the danger of SHS, and smoking restrictions at home and at work among non-smokers. Results: Among non-smoker Malaysians, age ≥15 years, 27.9% (equivalent to approximately 4.21 million non-smokers) and 33.9% (equivalent to approximately 1.37 million non-smokers) reported that they were exposed to SHS at home and the workplace, at least once a month, respectively. Women (AOR=2.12, 95% CI: 1.61.2.78), young individuals (AOR=3.06, 95% CI: 1.48.6.33), Malays (AOR=2.39, 95% CI: 1.56.3.64) or other Bumiputra ethnic groups (AOR=2.40, 95% CI: 1.39.4.19) and those who worked as other than government employees were more likely to report SHS exposure at home (non-government employee: AOR=1.88, 95% CI: 1.06.3.36). Respondents with a total smoking restriction at home did not report any SHS exposure at home. Similarly, those whose workplace had smoking restrictions were less likely to report SHS exposure at the work compared to their counterparts whose workplace had partial (AOR=3.08, 95% CI: 1.84.5.15) or no smoking restrictions (AOR=15.33, 95% CI: 6.75.34.86). Conclusions: A substantial proportion of Malaysian adults were exposed to SHS at home and at work. The findings emphasize the need for policies on smoking restrictions at work and the need to promote the adoption of a completely smoke-free home, among the Malaysian population.
Study name: Global Adults Tobacco Survey (GATS-2011)
A speech test that emphasizes on fricatives and affricates with high-frequency components is recommended for testing individuals with high-frequency hearing loss. Validation of the frequency-lowering feature in modern hearing aids are also important. There has been no recorded speech material in Malaysia that focuses on Mandarin fricatives and affricates. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a nonsense word test that contains Mandarin sibilant fricatives and affricates. A total of 180 vowel-consonant-vowel (vcv) nonsense syllables were recorded from a female and a male talker. These vcv syllables included six targeted Mandarin fricatives and affricates in three vowel contexts. Perceptual and acoustic analysis were conducted and selected vcv syllables were validated by 24 native Mandarin talkers with normal hearing through identification testing. Hundred and three syllables were rated as having a good or excellent sound quality and free from at least one of the idiosyncrasy elements. The average percentage of correct identification of vcv tokens for the female and male talkers were 85.38% and 82. 73%, respectively. Syllables that received the highest correct identification scores above the group mean were taken as the best exemplars. In total, 29 best exemplars were selected from 180 vcv syllables for the development of the Mandarin fricative-affricate nonsense word test. Future studies should include the development of performance-intensity function for individuals with normal hearing and a test manual so that the test can be used by non-native Mandarin clinicians.
Kes relaps dalam kalangan penagih dadah heroin semakin meningkat bilangannya di Malaysia. Kajian ini cuba mengaitkan kes relaps ini dengan tempoh penyalahgunaan heroin terhadap daya ingatan dan bahagian otak dalam usaha meleraikan persoalan tingkah laku relaps. Seramai 45 orang subjek terlibat dalam kajian ini. Kesemua subjek dipilih secara rawak berdasarkan kepada tempoh penagihan. Subjek dibahagi berdasarkan tempoh penagihan singkat, penagihan lama dan subjek normal. Setiap kumpulan diwakili seramai 15 orang subjek. Kajian ini dijalankan secara eksperimen selari dengan menggunakan ujian tingkah laku melalui ujian ingatan N-Back dan juga ujian pengimejan melalui ujian (fMRI). Dapatan data daripada ujian tingkah laku dianalisis menggunakan Program SPSS. Manakala data daripada ujian kefungsian pengimejan resonans magnet (fMRI) dianalisis menggunakan perisian pemetaan statistik berparameter (SPM) dan MATLAB (r2008a). Pengujian hipotesis dilakukan dengan menggunakan ujian ANOVA rekabentuk campuran (repeated measure) dan juga Post Hoc serta analisis kesan rawak (RFX) untuk melihat tahap pengaktifan otak yang dilakukan dengan menggunakan SPM. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa daya ingatan berbeza secara signifikan mengikut tempoh pengambilan, wujud interaksi yang signifikan antara tempoh pengambilan dadah dengan ujian N-Back, dan perbezaan corak pengaktifan pada bahagian otak dalam kumpulan eksperimen dan kawalan mengikut kesukaran ujian N-Back yang diberikan. Kajian ini menunjukkan semakin tinggi tempoh penagihan semakin kurang pengaktifan bahagian otak dan semakin tinggilah kecenderungan penagih untuk merelaps.
ocial appearance is common among university students in Malaysia. In this study, we examine the reliability and validity of the SAAS in a sample of university students in Malaysia. This study aims to examine internal consistency and to validate the social appearance anxiety scale for Malaysian university students. Using a systematic random sampling, a set of questions was distributed to 400 academic college residents of a public university in Malaysia with a response rate of 86%. The student participants completed the social appearance anxiety scale, the social interaction anxiety scale, the brief fear of negative evaluation scale, and the general health questionnaire. The internal consistency of questions within the social appearance anxiety scale was 0.92. The social appearance anxiety scale had good convergent validity with the social interaction anxiety scale (r=0.55), the brief fear of negative evaluation (r=0.69, pMalaysia.
Expectations and satisfactions are two different yet interrelated area. Hence, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of working parent expectation on parenting satisfaction among working parents in Sabah. In addition, this study also examines the differences of the background of respondents in terms of socio-economic status and the level of education towards parenting satisfaction in Sabah. The study employed purposive sampling survey method with questionnaire. It has been distributed to 210 working parents in various sectors around Kota Kinabalu and Beaufort, Sabah. The set of questionnaire used in this study comprising the Parent Comparison Level Index (PCLI) to measure parental expectation and the Parent Satisfaction Scale (PSS) used to measure parenting satisfaction. The data obtained were analyzed using the IBM SPSS version 23 software through simple regression test and one-way ANOVA test according to the objectives of the study. The results of the analysis showed that parental expectations were significantly and positively influencing parenting satisfaction with a contribution of 34.6 percent variance. Whilst, the difference in education level and socio-economic status of parents shows that there is no difference in parenting satisfaction. In conclusion, higher parenting expectation will lead to higher parenting satisfaction. However, parenting satisfaction is not related to the differences in educational background and socioeconomic status of the parents. The implication of this study is toward parents and the aspect involving parenting satisfaction.
Sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB), implicated in microbiologically influenced corrosion were isolated from the deep subsurface at the vicinity of Pasir Gudang, Johor, Malaysia. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) study was carried out to determine the polarization resistance in various types of culturing solutions, with SRB1, SRB2, combination of SRB1 and SRB2 and without SRBs inoculated (control). EIS results showed that in the presence of SRB1, SRB2 and mixed culture SRB1 and SRB2, polarisation resistance values were 7170, 6370 and 7190 ohms respectively compared to that of control, 92400 ohm. X-ray analysis (EDS) of the specimens indicated high sulphur content in the medium containing SRBs. Localized corrosion was observed on the metal surface which was associated with the SRB activity.
Biomass burning is one of the main sources of air pollution in South East Asia, predominantly during the dry period between June and October each year. Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia, have been identified as the regions connected to biomass burning due to their involvement in agricultural activities. In Sumatra, the Province of Riau has always been found to have had the highest number of hotspots during haze episodes. This study aims to determine the concentration of five major pollutants (PM10, SO2, NO2, CO and O3) in Riau, Indonesia, for 2006 and 2007. It will also correlate the level of air pollutants to the number of hotspots recorded, using the hotspot information system introduced by the Malaysian Centre for Remote Sensing (MACRES). Overall, the concentration of air pollutants recorded was found to increase with the number of hotspots. Nevertheless, only the concentration of PM10 during a haze episode is significantly different when compared to its concentration in non-haze conditions. In fact, in August 2006, when the highest number of hotspots was recorded the concentration of PM10 was found to increase by more than 20% from its normal concentration. The dispersion pattern, as simulated by the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model (HYSPLIT), showed that the distribution of PM10 was greatly influenced by the wind direction. Furthermore, the particles had the capacity to reach the Peninsular Malaysia within 42 hours of emission from the point sources as a consequence of the South West monsoon.
This paper reports on a new record of the itch moth from the family Lymantriidae, Toxoproctis hemibathes (Swinhoe), for Peninsular Malaysia. The islands of Sumatera and Borneo are known to be within the geographical range of Lymantriidae, their habitat preference being the wetland and coastal forests. Our study showed that this species can also erupt in large numbers in specific locations in the southern parts of Peninsular Malaysia and thus, our finding is considered a new record for T. hemibathes (Swinhoe). This specimens were collected using portable ultra violet (UV) light trap during a population outbreak of this species in the Labis District of Johore.
In Malaysia, the incidence of Dengue Fever (DF) and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) have risen dramatically in the last twenty years. With the use of Geographical Information System an explanation for the spread and control of these diseases can be obtained. This study aims to develop a spatial modeling that can predict the risks for DF and DHF based on environmental factors such as physical surroundings, land use, rainfall, temperature and GIS application using logistic regression. A total of 16 variables were used in the process of spatial modeling development. At the significant level of 0.05, the results of logistic regression showed that only 10 out of 16 significant variables in the modeling process. The accuracy of the resulting model is 70.3%. A crucial feature of this study is a risk area map for incidence of DF and DHF in the study area. This study also highlights the application of spatial analysis in planning and implementing the process for the prevention and control activities of DF and DHF in Malaysia.
The abundance of marine benthic organisms often exhibits distinct distributional patterns, which is generally governed by many physical and biological factors specific to the habitat. In this study, the spatial and temporal variations in abundance of the dog conch, Strombus canarium Linnaeus 1758, a commercially important marine gastropod, was investigated. Assessment of conch abundance at Merambong seagrass bed, Malaysia, was conducted using a transect belt method. Sampling stations were randomly selected and environmental parameters associated with the habitat were recorded. The species showed distinct spatial distributional pattern. Conch densities were significantly higher in sheltered areas, mainly in mixed seagrass bed dominated by Halophila spp. and with high sediment organic content. The densities were relatively very low in areas dominated by the tape seagrass, Enhalus acoroides. The species studied also showed distinct temporal variation in abundance. The abundance value was seasonally varied with highest density recorded during the wet monsoon season (p<0.05). The densities were otherwise very low during the dry season, except for a slight peak in July. Since the conch is a very important fishery species within the Johor Straits and regulations on their harvesting is still lacking, this information would be very important for their sustainable management.
Freshwater fish has been studied and reported numerously. However, little attention has been made and limited studies available on local marine fish in Malaysia. Thus, in this study, concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Pb and Cu) were studied in four major local marine fish Megalaspis cordyla (hardtail scad), Rastrelliger kanagurta (Indian mackerel), Selaroides leptolepis (yellowstripe scad) and Sardinella fimbriata (fringescale sardinella). The study was also intended to estimate potential health risk assessment from these heavy metals to the consumption of fish and assess maximum allowable fish consumption rate. The range of heavy metal concentrations were 0.053-0.096 mg/kg for Cd, 1.16-2.34 mg/kg for Cr, 8.34-12.44 mg/kg for Pb and 1.40-3.21 mg/kg for Cu in four major self-caught saltwater fish. Heavy metal levels of Cd and Cu in the local marine fish from Port Dickson are below the limit enforced by Food Regulations (1985) while the levels of Cr and Pb have exceeded the limit. Potential health risks associated with Cd, Cr, Cu and Pb were assessed based on target hazard quotients. HQ values calculated for Cd, Cr and Cu were less than 1, thus indicate that no adverse effects while HQ values for Pb exceeded 1 for all the fish species assessed with the exception of Megalaspis spp and Sardinella sppa. Cr was the highest while Pb concentrations were the lowest in all the studied fish samples for maximum allowable fish consumption rate. A long term monitoring program is crucial to be done in coastal areas with high consumption of local marine fish along Port Dickson to obtain real consumption rates and other cofounders factors in local population.
In Malaysia, the greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions reduction via composting of source-separated organic waste (SOW) in municipal solid waste (MSW) has not been assessed. Assessment of GHG emissions reduction via composting of SOW is important as environmental impacts from waste management are waste-specific and local-specific. The study presents the case study for potential carbon reduction via composting of SOW in University of Malaya (UM). In this study, a series of calculations were used to evaluate the GHG emission of different SOW management scenarios. The calculations based on IPCC calculation methods (AM0025) include GHGs emissions from landfilling, fuel consumption in transportation and SOW composting activity. The methods were applied to assess the GHG emissions from five alternative SOW management scenarios in UM. From the baseline scenario (S0), a total of 1,636.18 tCO2e was generated. In conjunction with target of 22% recycling rate, as shown in S1, 14% reduction in potential GHG emission can be achieved. The carbon reduction can be further enhanced by increasing the SOW composting capacity. The net GHG emission for S1, S2, S3 and S4 were 1,399.52, 1,161.29, 857.70 and 1,060.48 tCO2e, respectively. In general, waste diversion for composting proved a significant net GHG emission reduction as shown in S3 (47%), S4 (35%) and S2 (29%). Despite the emission due to direct on-site activity, the significant reduction in methane generation at landfill has reduced the net GHG emission. The emission source of each scenario was studied and analysed.
Pennisetum purpureum Schumach. is a weed that is currently spreading rapidly to many parts of the world particularly tropical countries. The abundance of P. purpureum in Malaysia is presently a serious problem. A study was conducted to investigate and evaluate the potential allelopathic effects of P. purpureum on Eleusine indica L. Gaertn. using the aqueous leaf extract and plant debris incorporated into the soil. Low concentrations of the P. purpureum aqueous extract (2%) and debris incorporated into the soil (25/500 g) inhibited germination and seedling growth of the bioassay species (E. indica) by >80%. The responses of the bioassay species to the aqueous extract and debris-incorporated soil were concentration dependent. The aqueous extract had higher total phenolic content compared to that from the debris incorporated soil, indicating the presence of certain phytotoxic compounds in the leaf debris and leaf extracts.
The issue of age difference in hospital admission should be given special attention since it affects the structure of hospital care and treatments. Patients of different age groups should be given different priority in service provision. Due to crucial time and limited resources, healthcare managers need to make wise decisions in identifying priorities in age of admission. This paper aimed to propose a construction of a daily composite hospital admission index (CHAI) as an indicator that captures relevant information about the overall performance of hospital admission over time. It involves five different age groups of total patients admitted to seven major public hospitals in the Klang Valley, Malaysia for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases for a period of three years, 2008 - 2010. The criteria weights were predetermined by aggregating the subjective weight based on rank ordered centroid (ROC) method and objective weight based on entropy - kernel method. The highest and lowest scores of CHAI were marked, while the groups of patients were prioritized according to the criteria weight ranking orders.
The Malaysian Department of Environment-Water Quality Index (DOE-WQI) was determined for the Terengganu River basin which is located at the coastal water of the southern South China Sea between July and October 2008. Monthly samplings were carried out at ten sampling stations within the basin. Six parameters listed in DOE-WQI were measured based on standard methods: pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS) and ammonical nitrogen (AN). The results indicated the impact of various anthropogenic activities which contribute to high values of BOD, COD, TSS and AN at middle and downstream stations, as compared with the upstream of the basin. The reverses were true for the pH and DO values. The DOE-WQI ranged from 71.5-94.6% (mean 86.9%), which corresponded to a classification status range from slightly polluted to clean. With respect to the Malaysia National Water Quality Standards (NWQS), the level of most of the parameters measured remained at Class I which is suitable for the sustainable conservation of the natural environment, for water supply without treatment and as well as for very sensitive aquatic species. It is suggested that monitoring should be carried out continuously for proper management of this river basin.
The need for conservation scientists to produce research of greater relevance to practitioners is now increasingly recognized. This study provides an example of scientists working alongside practitioners and policy makers to address a question of immediate relevance to elephant conservation in Malaysia and using the results to inform wildlife management policy and practice including the National Elephant Conservation Action Plan for Peninsular Malaysia. Since ensuring effective conservation of elephants in the Endau Rompin Landscape (ERL) in Peninsular Malaysia is difficult without data on population parameters we (1) conducted a survey to assess the size of the elephant population, (2) used that information to assess the viability of the population under different management scenarios including translocation of elephants out of the ERL (a technique long used in Malaysia to mitigate human-elephant conflict (HEC)), and (3) assessed a number of options for managing the elephant population and HEC in the future. Our dung-count based survey in the ERL produced an estimate of 135 (95% CI [80-225]) elephants in the 2,500 km2 area. The population is thus of national significance, containing possibly the second largest elephant population in Peninsular Malaysia, and with effective management elephant numbers could probably double. We used the data from our survey plus other sources to conduct a population viability analysis to assess relative extinction risk under different management scenarios. Our results demonstrate that the population cannot sustain even very low levels of removal for translocation or anything other than occasional poaching. We describe, therefore, an alternative approach, informed by this analysis, which focuses on in situ management and non-translocation-based methods for preventing or mitigating HEC. The recommended approach includes an increase in law enforcement to protect the elephants and their habitat, maintenance of habitat connectivity between the ERL and other elephant habitat, and a new focus on adaptive management.
Purpose: The elusive goal of asthma management guidelines is to achieve and maintain good asthma control in asthmatic patients. Against a background of long-term respiratory limitations when living with asthma, stigma and low self-esteem have also been identified as the social phenomenon among adult asthmatics. This study aimed to assess the levels of self-stigma, self-esteem, and asthma control, and to investigate the impact of self-stigma and self-esteem as psychosocial factors on asthma control in Malaysian adults living with asthma.
Materials and Methods: In this multicenter cross-sectional study, post-ethics approval and patients' consents, 152 stable asthmatic patients (aged > 18 years old; nil cognitive disability; not diagnosed with other respiratory diseases) were recruited from four respiratory clinics in Selangor, Malaysia. The patients' socio-demographic, medical, and psychosocial (self-stigma and self-esteem) data were recorded in a pre-validated, self-designed questionnaire. All data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially (independent t-test/one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression) using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS®).
Results: The enrolled patients showed moderate levels of self-stigma (62.12 ± 6.44) and self-esteem (29.31 ± 3.29), and not well-controlled asthma (17.58 ± 3.99). The number of patients' visits to emergency rooms because of asthma [CI (-1.199, 0.317), p < 0.001] was the significant predictor to asthma control among all selected study variables from socio-demographic and medical data. Moreover, from psychosocial factors both self-stigma [CI (-0.367, 0.190), p < 0.001], and self-esteem [CI (-0.007, 0.033), p = 0.041] found to be the significant predictors of asthma control.
Conclusion: The preliminary evidences presented in this study found that frequent emergency room visits, high self-stigma and low self-esteem in asthma patients becomes more apparent with poor asthma control. Educational interventions to reduce patients' self-stigma and improve self-esteem are needed to achieve optimal control of asthma.
Study site: Four respiratory clinics in Selangor, Malaysia (UiTM Respiratory specialist Clinic, Hospital Selayang and Hospital Sungai Buloh)
Vector-borne viral diseases pose an urgent public health challenge, particularly in the tropics. Field releases of mosquitoes carrying bacterial symbionts that reduce vector competence are ongoing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Early results show that wAlbB Wolbachia can persist in mosquitoes in urban settings and decrease dengue incidence in humans.
This paper provides detail on sequence analysis of hazy days based on eight monitoring stations from three states (Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang) in the eastern region of Peninsular Malaysia. The dataset comprises of 1502 daily mean hazy days that had been measured for a decade. The meteorology data namely wind speed, wind direction, air temperature, relative humidity and particulate matter (PM10) were used to comprehend the variability, and the relationship existed amongst variables. The final dataset consists of a summary descriptive analysis and a boxplot, where all five variables were involved, including the minimum, maximum, mean, 1st quartile, median, 3rd quartile and standard deviation are presented. Apart from descriptive analysis, the normality test and histogram were performed as well.