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Granite quarrying and silicosis--being a report of a survey of silicosis in a granite quarry in Singapore

KHOO OT, D'SOUZA EJ

Med J Malaya, 1961 Sep;16:46-80.
PMID: 14455691
Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection*
A survey of coffee shop prostitutes in Kuala Trengganu

HOLMES W

Med J Malaya, 1955 Dec;10(2):178-80.
PMID: 13308619
Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection*
Implementation of an event reporting system in a transfusion medicine unit: a local experience

Usin MF, Ramesh P, Lopez CG

Malays J Pathol, 2004 Jun;26(1):43-8.
PMID: 16190106

Event reporting can provide data to study the failure points of an organization's work process. As part of the ongoing efforts to improve transfusion safety, a Medical Event Reporting System Transfusion Medicine, (MERS - TM) as designed by Kaplan et al was implemented in the Transfusion Medicine Unit of the University Malaya Medical Centre to provide a standardized means of organized data collection and analysis of transfusion errors, adverse events and near misses. An event reporting form was designed to detect, identify, classify and study the frequency and pattern of events occurring in the unit. Events detected were classified according to Eihdhoven Classification model (ECM) adopted for MERS - TM. Since our system reported all events, we called it Event Reporting System - Transfusion Medicine (ERS-TM). Data was collected and analyzed from the reporting forms for a period of five months from January 15th to June 15th 2002. The initial half of the period was a process of evaluation during which 118 events were reported, coded, analyzed and corrective measures adopted to prevent the recurrence of the same event. The latter half saw the reporting of 122 events following the adoption of corrective measures. There was a reduction in the occurrence of some events and an increase in others, which were mainly beyond the organization's control. A longer period of evaluation is necessary to identify the underlying contributory causes that can be useful to develop plans for corrective and preventive action and thereby reduce the rate of recurrence of errors through proper training and adoption of just culture.

Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
Fulltext The magnitude of foveal suppression during fixation disparity in presbyopic patients

Abd-Manan F, Jenkins T, Kaye N

Malays J Med Sci, 2003 Jul;10(2):50-9.
PMID: 23386797

The characteristics of foveal suppression (FS) in fixation disparity (FD) due to visual stress were investigated and their relationship's between, age, symptoms, and the effect of temporary elimination of FD using prisms on the degree of the FS were analysed. Forty-five presbyopic subjects (15 without FD and 30 with stress related FD) participated in the study. The subjects underwent comprehensive optometric examination prior to the study. Their FS and FD were measured. The FD was later corrected with ophthalmic prisms, the power of which was equally divided between the eyes, and the FS was later verified. Age and FS had no significant correlation for subjects without FD (Spearman's rs = 0.17, p = 0.55, NS) and in subjects with FD (rs = 2.49, p = 0.19, NS), respectively. Correlation between the degree of FS and FD was weak (rs=0.38, p=0.07), however the magnitude of FD significantly increased with age (r=0.27, p=0.04). Subjects with FD had significantly larger degree of FS compared with subjects without FD (Wilcoxon's Z =-0.25, p=0.01). There was no significant difference in the magnitudes of FD (t = -0.38, p=0.07) and in their degrees of FS (Mann-Whitney U = 1.5, p=0.71) between subjects with and without symptoms. Correcting the FD with prisms generally reduced the degree of FS (Wilcoxon's Z =1.96, p=0.04), however, significant change in FS only occured in subjects with symptoms (Z=-1.97, p=0.03), but was not significant in subjects without symptoms (Z=-0.70, p=0.48).

Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
Fulltext Sample Size Calculation in Animal Studies Using Resource Equation Approach

Arifin WN, Zahiruddin WM

Malays J Med Sci, 2017 Oct;24(5):101-105.
PMID: 29386977 MyJurnal DOI: 10.21315/mjms2017.24.5.11

Animal research plays an important role in the pre-clinical phase of clinical trials. In animal studies, the power analysis approach to sample size calculation is recommended. Whenever it is not possible to assume the standard deviation and the effect size, an alternative to the power analysis approach is the 'resource equation' approach, which sets the acceptable range of the error degrees of freedom (DF) in an analysis of variance (ANOVA). The aim of this article is to guide researchers in calculating the minimum and maximum numbers of animals required in animal research by reformulating the error DF formulas.

Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
Fulltext The pyramid of patient advocacy: a practical model among muslim nurses

Mortell, Manfred, Khatijah L. Abdullah, Chean Ahmad, Al Mutair, Adel F.M.

The Malaysian Journal of Nursing, 2018;9(3):26-32.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Patient advocacy is a central concept for the profession of nursing as it assures patient rights and safety. This article presents the findings from a study which explored the perceptions of patient advocacy from Muslim ICU nurses. Methods and participants: Our study utilized a constructivist grounded theory approach. Thirteen registered intensive care nurses from an adult critical care setting in a tertiary academic teaching hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, participated in the study. The researcher employed semi-structured interviews that were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim, with an additional data collection strategy of reflective journaling. A reflective journal was provided to all study participants following each interview. Results: The study generated codes which connected to vulnerable patients, and subsequently identified a core category of “Caring critically” which was exemplified by six additional inter-related advocacy categories of “Essential caring”; “Vulnerable-acy”; “Familial-acy”; “Cultural-acy”; “Religion-acy”; and “Human-acy”. These categories generated the model for patient advocacy. Conclusion: The pyramid of patient advocacy can be applied in clinical practice to guide Muslim nurses, in addition to being utilized in the educational setting as a standard to teach registered nurses about the role and responsibilities of a patient advocate.

Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
Asthma control in the Asia-Pacific region: the Asthma Insights and Reality in Asia-Pacific Study

Lai CK, De Guia TS, Kim YY, Kuo SH, Mukhopadhyay A, Soriano JB, et al.

J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2003 Feb;111(2):263-8.
PMID: 12589343

Few data on asthma management are available for the Asia-Pacific region.

Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
Malaysia and harm reduction: the challenges and responses

Reid G, Kamarulzaman A, Sran SK

Int J Drug Policy, 2007 Mar;18(2):136-40.
PMID: 17689356

In Malaysia the response to illicit drug use has been largely punitive with the current goal of the Malaysian government being to achieve a drug-free society by 2015. This paper outlines the results of a desk-based situation assessment conducted over a 3-week period in 2004. Additional events, examined in 2005, were also included to describe more recent policy developments and examine how these came about. Despite punitive drug policy there has been a substantial rise in the number of drug users in the country. Over two-thirds of HIV/AIDS cases are among injecting drug users (IDUs) and there has been an exponential rise in the number of cases reported. Further, data suggest high risk drug use practices are widespread. Harm reduction initiatives have only recently been introduced in Malaysia. The successful piloting of substitution therapies, in particular methadone and buprenorphine, is cause for genuine hope for the rapid development of such interventions. In 2005 the government announced it will allow methadone maintenance programmes to operate beyond the pilot phase and needle and syringe exchange programmes will be established to serve the needs of IDUs.

Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
Fulltext Safe havens and rough waters: networks, place, and the navigation of risk among injection drug-using Malaysian fishermen

West BS, Choo M, El-Bassel N, Gilbert L, Wu E, Kamarulzaman A

Int J Drug Policy, 2014 May;25(3):575-82.
PMID: 24332971 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2013.11.007

BACKGROUND: HIV prevalence among Malaysian fishermen is ten times that of the general population. Fishing boats are a key place where drug use occurs, but we know little about how these environments shape HIV risk behaviour. Utilizing Rhodes' 'risk environment' framework, we assessed drug use contexts and how characteristics of place associated with fishing and fishermen's social networks served as key axes along which drug use and HIV risk behaviour occurred.
METHODS: Data were collected during 2009-2011 in Kuantan, a fishing port on the eastern coast of Malaysia, and include 28 in-depth interviews and 398 surveys collected using RDS. Logistic regression was used to determine the effect of occupational, network and risk environment characteristics on unsafe injection behaviour and access to clean needles/syringes; qualitative data were coded and analyzed thematically.
RESULTS: Drug injecting was common and occurred on boats, often with other crewmembers. Captains and crewmembers were aware of drug use. Unsafe injection practices were significantly associated with having a larger proportion of drug injectors in network (OR=3.510, 95% CI=1.053-11.700) and having a captain provide drugs for work (OR=2.777, 95% CI=1.018-7.576). Size of fishermen network (OR=0.987, 95% CI=0.977-0.996), crewmembers' knowledge of drug use (OR=7.234, 95% CI=1.430-36.604), and having a captain provide drugs for work (OR=0.134, 95% CI=0.025-0.720) predicted access to clean needles/syringes. Qualitative analyses revealed that occupational culture and social relationships on boats drove drug use and HIV risk.
CONCLUSIONS: While marginalized in broader society, the acceptance of drug use within the fishing community created occupational networks of risk. Fishing boats were spaces of both risk and safety; where drug users participated in the formal economy, but also where HIV risk behaviour occurred. Understanding the interplay between social networks and place is essential for developing HIV prevention and harm reduction policies appropriate for the unique needs of this fishing population.

Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
Research philosophy in pharmacy practice: necessity and relevance

Winit-Watjana W

Int J Pharm Pract, 2016 Dec;24(6):428-436.
PMID: 27339891 DOI: 10.1111/ijpp.12281

OBJECTIVE: Pharmacy practice has gradually evolved with the paradigm shifted towards patient-focused practice or medicines optimisation. The advancement of pharmacy-related research has contributed to this progression, but the philosophy of research remained unexplored. This review was thus aimed to outline the succinct concept of research philosophy and its application in pharmacy practice research.
KEY FINDINGS: Research philosophy has been introduced to offer an alternative way to think about problem-driven research that is normally conducted. To clarify the research philosophy, four research paradigms, i.e. positivism (or empiricism), postpositivism (or realism), interpretivism (or constructivism) and pragmatism, are investigated according to philosophical realms, i.e. ontology, epistemology, axiology and logic of inquiry. With the application of research philosophy, some examples of quantitative and qualitative research were elaborated along with the conventional research approach. Understanding research philosophy is crucial for pharmacy researchers and pharmacists, as it underpins the choice of methodology and data collection.
CONCLUSIONS: The review provides the overview of research philosophy and its application in pharmacy practice research. Further discussion on this vital issue is warranted to help generate quality evidence for pharmacy practice.

Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection/methods
Design of the South East Asian Nutrition Survey (SEANUTS): a four-country multistage cluster design study

Schaafsma A, Deurenberg P, Calame W, van den Heuvel EG, van Beusekom C, Hautvast J, et al.

Br J Nutr, 2013 Sep;110 Suppl 3:S2-10.
PMID: 24016763 DOI: 10.1017/S0007114513002067

Nutrition is a well-known factor in the growth, health and development of children. It is also acknowledged that worldwide many people have dietary imbalances resulting in over- or undernutrition. In 2009, the multinational food company FrieslandCampina initiated the South East Asian Nutrition Survey (SEANUTS), a combination of surveys carried out in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, to get a better insight into these imbalances. The present study describes the general study design and methodology, as well as some problems and pitfalls encountered. In each of these countries, participants in the age range of 0·5-12 years were recruited according to a multistage cluster randomised or stratified random sampling methodology. Field teams took care of recruitment and data collection. For the health status of children, growth and body composition, physical activity, bone density, and development and cognition were measured. For nutrition, food intake and food habits were assessed by questionnaires, whereas in subpopulations blood and urine samples were collected to measure the biochemical status parameters of Fe, vitamins A and D, and DHA. In Thailand, the researchers additionally studied the lipid profile in blood, whereas in Indonesia iodine excretion in urine was analysed. Biochemical data were analysed in certified laboratories. Study protocols and methodology were aligned where practically possible. In December 2011, data collection was finalised. In total, 16,744 children participated in the present study. Information that will be very relevant for formulating nutritional health policies, as well as for designing innovative food and nutrition research and development programmes, has become available.

Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
Fulltext Assessment of eating habits and lifestyle during the coronavirus 2019 pandemic in the Middle East and North Africa region: a cross-sectional study

Cheikh Ismail L, Osaili TM, Mohamad MN, Al Marzouqi A, Jarrar AH, Zampelas A, et al.

Br J Nutr, 2021 Sep 14;126(5):757-766.
PMID: 33198840 DOI: 10.1017/S0007114520004547

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread globally, forcing countries to apply lockdowns and strict social distancing measures. The aim of this study was to assess eating habits and lifestyle behaviours among residents of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region during the lockdown. A cross-sectional study among adult residents of the MENA region was conducted using an online questionnaire designed on Google Forms during April 2020. A total of 2970 participants from eighteen countries participated in the present study. During the pandemic, over 30 % reported weight gain, 6·2 % consumed five or more meals per d compared with 2·2 % before the pandemic (P < 0·001) and 48·8 % did not consume fruits on a daily basis. Moreover, 39·1 % did not engage in physical activity, and over 35 % spent more than 5 h/d on screens. A significant association between the frequency of training during the pandemic and the reported change in weight was found (P < 0·001). A significantly higher percentage of participants reported physical and emotional exhaustion, irritability and tension either all the time or a large part of the time during the pandemic (P < 0·001). Although a high percentage of participants reported sleeping more hours per night during the pandemic, 63 % had sleep disturbances. The study highlights that the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused a variety of lifestyle changes, physical inactivity and psychological problems among adults in the MENA region.

Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
Fulltext Individual-Level Heterogeneity in Mask Wearing during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia

Zhang SX, Looi KH, Li N, Wan X, Li J

Am J Trop Med Hyg, 2021 Aug 09;105(6):1516-1518.
PMID: 34370702 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.21-0566

Wearing a face mask has been a key approach to contain or slow down the spread of COVID-19 in the ongoing pandemic. However, there is huge heterogeneity among individuals in their willingness to wear face masks during an epidemic. This research aims to investigate the individual heterogeneity to wear face masks and its associated predictors during the COVID-19 pandemic when mask-wearing was not mandatory. Based on a survey of 708 Malaysian adults and a multivariate least-squares fitting analysis, the results reveal a significant variance among individuals in wearing masks, as 34% of the individual adults did not always wear masks in public places. Female individuals, individuals who wash their hands more frequently, and those who reported more availability of personal protective equipment were more likely to practice mask-wearing. The identification of less-compliant groups of mask wearing has critical implications by enabling more specific health communication campaigns.

Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
Case vignette in a community-based study

Razali SM, Hamzah AM

Am J Psychiatry, 1999 Jan;156(1):158.
PMID: 9892319
Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection/methods
A flow cell optosensor for lead based on immobilized gallocynin in chitosan membrane

Yusof NA, Ahmad M

Talanta, 2002 Sep 12;58(3):459-66.
PMID: 18968772

Gallocynin immobilized in chitosan membrane has been studied as a sensor element of an optical sensor for lead using a flowing system. By using this set up, lead in solution has been determined in the concentration range from 1.0x10(-1) to 1.0x10(3) ppm with a detection limit of 0.075 ppm. The standard deviation of the method for the repeatability of lead detection at a concentration of 100 ppm was found to be 2.10%. The response of the sensor was reproducible and can be regenerated by using acidified saturated KNO(3) solution. Interference from foreign ions was also studied at 1:1 mole ratio of Pb(II):foreign ions.

Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
Advancements in the preparation and application of monolithic silica columns for efficient separation in liquid chromatography

Khoo HT, Leow CH

Talanta, 2021 Mar 01;224:121777.
PMID: 33379011 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2020.121777

Fast and efficient separation remains a big challenge in high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The need for higher efficiency and resolution in separation is constantly in demand. To achieve that, columns developed are rapidly moving towards having smaller particle sizes and internal diameters (i.d.). However, these parameters will lead to high back-pressure in the system and will burden the pumps of the HPLC instrument. To address this limitation, monolithic columns, especially silica-based monolithic columns have been introduced. These columns are being widely investigated for fast and efficient separation of a wide range of molecules. The present article describes the current methods developed to enhance the column efficiency of particle packed columns and how silica monolithic columns can act as an alternative in overcoming the low permeability of particle packed columns. The fundamental processes behind the fabrication of the monolith including the starting materials and the silica sol-gel process will be discussed. Different monolith derivatization and end-capping processes will be further elaborated and followed by highlights of the performance such monolithic columns in key applications in different fields with various types of matrices.

Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
Sex preference and fertility in Peninsular Malaysia

Pong SL

Stud Fam Plann, 1994 May-Jun;25(3):137-48.
PMID: 7940619 DOI: 10.2307/2137940

This study uses data from the Second Malaysian Family Life Survey, conducted in 1988, to examine parents' preferences for the sex of their children within each of Malaysia's three ethnic groups. While Malay and Indian parents do not show a consistent sex preference, Chinese parents prefer to have all sons, or a combination of sons and daughters, with more sons than daughters, or at least an equal number of them. Son preference among the Chinese does not seem to be a constraint to fertility decline among that population. Since 1970, Chinese fertility has dropped rapidly; at the same time, Chinese son preference has become more pronounced. Evidence indicates that further reductions in Chinese fertility, through the reduction in sex preference, would be small.

Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
Inclusion of dosimetric data as covariates in toxicity-related radiogenomic studies : A systematic review

Yahya N, Chua XJ, Manan HA, Ismail F

Strahlenther Onkol, 2018 08;194(8):780-786.
PMID: 29774397 DOI: 10.1007/s00066-018-1303-5

PURPOSE: This systematic review evaluates the completeness of dosimetric features and their inclusion as covariates in genetic-toxicity association studies.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Original research studies associating genetic features and normal tissue complications following radiotherapy were identified from PubMed. The use of dosimetric data was determined by mining the statement of prescription dose, dose fractionation, target volume selection or arrangement and dose distribution. The consideration of the dosimetric data as covariates was based on the statement mentioned in the statistical analysis section. The significance of these covariates was extracted from the results section. Descriptive analyses were performed to determine their completeness and inclusion as covariates.
RESULTS: A total of 174 studies were found to satisfy the inclusion criteria. Studies published ≥2010 showed increased use of dose distribution information (p = 0.07). 33% of studies did not include any dose features in the analysis of gene-toxicity associations. Only 29% included dose distribution features as covariates and reported the results. 59% of studies which included dose distribution features found significant associations to toxicity.
CONCLUSION: A large proportion of studies on the correlation of genetic markers with radiotherapy-related side effects considered no dosimetric parameters. Significance of dose distribution features was found in more than half of the studies including these features, emphasizing their importance. Completeness of radiation-specific clinical data may have increased in recent years which may improve gene-toxicity association studies.

Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection/methods*
Reversal of the decline in breastfeeding in Peninsular Malaysia? Ethnic and educational differentials and data quality issues

DaVanzo J, Sine J, Peterson C, Haaga J

Soc Biol, 1994 1 1;41(1-2):61-77.
PMID: 7973841

Data from the First and Second Malaysian Family Life Surveys in 1976 and 1988, respectively, are analyzed to examine long-term trends in breastfeeding in Peninsular Malaysia, educational and ethnic differences therein, and the quality of retrospective data on infant feeding. The steady decrease between the mid-1950's and mid-1970's in breastfeeding was reversed to become a nearly monotonic increase since 1975. Part of the change is attributable to the changing composition of the Malaysian population. Over time, the percentages of births to subgroups with higher rates of breastfeeding--particularly Malays and more highly educated women--have increased. However, there is also evidence of changes in rates of breastfeeding within these subgroups. Many Malaysian infants have a total duration of breastfeeding (including with supplementation) considerably shorter than WHO's recommended four months of exclusive (unsupplemented) breastfeeding. Moreover, nearly all breastfed infants are first given supplementary food or beverage shortly after birth. Breastfeeding promotion efforts in Malaysia need to emphasize the appropriate timing of and types of supplementary feeding.

Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection
Cross-cultural differences in the sleep of preschool children

Mindell JA, Sadeh A, Kwon R, Goh DY

Sleep Med, 2013 Dec;14(12):1283-9.
PMID: 24269649 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2013.09.002

The aim of our study was to characterize cross-cultural sleep patterns and sleep problems in a large sample of preschool children ages 3-6years in multiple predominantly Asian (P-A) and predominantly Caucasian (P-C) countries/regions.

Matched MeSH terms: Data Collection

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