METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Makkah and Malaysia during the 2013 hajj season. A self-administered proforma on social demographics, previous experience of hajj or umrah, smoking habits, co-morbid illness and practices of preventive measures against respiratory illness were obtained.
RESULTS: A total of 468 proforma were analysed. The prevalence of the respiratory illness was 93.4% with a subset of 78.2% fulfilled the criteria for influenza-like illness (ILI). Most of them (77.8%) had a respiratory illness of <2 weeks duration. Approximately 61.8% were administered antibiotics but only 2.1% of them had been hospitalized. Most of them acquired the infection after a brief stay at Arafat (81.2%). Vaccination coverages for influenza virus and pneumococcal disease were quite high, 65.2% and 59.4%, respectively. For other preventive measures practices, only 31.8% of them practiced good hand hygiene, ∼82.9% of pilgrims used surgical face masks, N95 face masks, dry towels, wet towels or veils as their face masks. Nearly one-half of the respondents (44.4%) took vitamins as their food supplement. Malaysian hajj pilgrims with previous experience of hajj (OR 0.24; 95% CI 0.10-0.56) or umrah (OR 0.19; 95% CI 0.07-0.52) and those who have practiced good hand hygiene (OR 0.35; 95% CI 0.16-0.79) were found to be significantly associated with lower risk of having respiratory illness. Otherwise, pilgrims who had contact with those with respiratory illness (OR 2.61; 95% CI 1.12-6.09) was associated with higher risk.
CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of respiratory illness remains high among Malaysian hajj pilgrims despite having some practices of preventive measures. All preventive measures which include hand hygiene, wearing face masks and influenza vaccination must be practiced together as bundle of care to reduce respiratory illness effectively.
Aims: This cross-sectional study was performed to investigate the carriage rate, genotypic characteristics, and to determine the antibiogram of S. aureus isolated from pets and pet owners in Malaysia.
Methods: Nasal and oral swab samples from 40 cats, 30 dogs, and 70 pet owners were collected through convenient sampling. Presumptive colonies on mannitol salt agar were subjected to biochemical identification. S. aureus and MRSA were confirmed by PCR detection of nuc and mecA genes, respectively. Molecular profiles for antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes in S. aureus were also determined. The antibiogram was carried out via Kirby-Bauer test using 18 antibiotics.
Results: 17.5% of cats, 20% of dogs, and 27% of pet owners were S. aureus positive. MRSA was also detected in dogs, and pet owners. S. aureus isolates displayed high resistance against penicillin (72.7%), and amoxicillin/clavulanate (66.7%). 39.4% of S. aureus isolates showed multidrug-resistance traits, phenotypically. Molecular characterization of S. aureus revealed the presence of mecA, tetk, tetL, ermA, ermB, ermC, msrA, scn, chp, sak, sep, and sea genes.
Conclusion: This study showed the emergence of MRSA and MDRSA in pets and pet owners in Malaysia. The antibiogram findings showed resistance of S. aureus to multiple antibiotics. Furthermore, molecular analysis of immune evasion cluster (IEC) strongly suggests the spread of animal-adapted S. aureus lineages among pets and pet owners.
KEY FINDINGS: This review explores the potential of liposomal-based medications, with a particular focus on topical administration as a superior alternative to enhance therapeutic efficacy and improve patient compliance compared to existing treatments. This writing delves into the therapeutic prospects of liposomal formulations across different administration routes, as evidenced by ongoing clinical trials. Additionally, critical aspects of liposomal production and market strategies are discussed herein.
SUMMARY: By overcoming ocular barriers and optimizing drug delivery, liposomal topical administration holds the key to significantly improving glaucoma treatment outcomes.
METHOD: Participants of school-age and adolescent students from Klang Valley School completed the 21-item Malay OCI-CV using Google Form. OCI-CV English version was translated backward and forward to the Malay language. Face validity was conducted first before distributing the questionnaire to the participants. Exploratory Factor analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of OCI-CV.
RESULTS: A total of 102 school-age children and adolescents with a mean age of 15.96 years (male: 41.2%, female: 58.8%) participated in the study. The Malay OCI-CV showed high internal consistency, with Cronbach Alpha values of 0.90 for the whole scale. EFA showed multifactorial components. Five factors were labelled as "Washing / Ordering, Doubting, Obsessions, Checking, and Hoarding,". In the CFA, the five-factor model indicates adequate fit indices of (χ2/df = 1.51, RMSEA = .071, GFI = .824, AGFI = .769, NFI = .724, CFI = .880).
CONCLUSION: The Malay OCI-CV has good psychometric properties and is suitable for use in the Malaysian context. Further validation studies should be conducted among a clinical population to enhance the generalization of this finding.
METHODS: This study uses the literature review method by reviewing 50 articles from journals and databases.
RESULTS: A review of several articles, namely ginger has bioactive components such as gingerol. Ginger is used as a treatment in complementary therapies using plants. Ginger is a strategy with many benefits and functions as a nutritional complement to the body. This benefit has shown the effect of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer against nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy in breast cancer.
CONCLUSION: Anticancer in ginger is shown by polyphenols associated with anti-metastatic, anti-proliferative, antiangiogenic, anti-inflammatory, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and autophagy. Therefore, consuming ginger regularly affects natural herbal therapy with the prevention and treatment of breast cancer and serves as a prevention against the effects of chemotherapy.