Displaying publications 81 - 100 of 1139 in total

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  1. Tan Pei Pei, Hafizuddin Mohamed Fauzi, Ernest Mangantig, Rosnah Bahar, Nur Arzuar Abdul Rahim
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Unsafe blood products cause transfusion-transmissible infections. A good knowledge and perception about blood safety issues is crucial to ensure safe blood supply. The objective is to develop and validate a question- naire about the knowledge and perception among blood donors on blood safety issues. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 130 blood donors who attended the National Blood Centre, Kuala Lumpur in April and May 2018. The questionnaire was developed in the Malay language after extensive literature search. The self-admin- istrated questionnaire consisted 39 items which required around 20 minutes to complete. The validation involved content validity, construct validity using exploratory factor analysis and reliability using test-retest analysis in IBM SPSS statistics. The same group of respondents was retested after two weeks using the same questionnaire. Results: Content validity was established through multidisciplinary expert meeting and two content reviewers. The factors loadings of all questionnaires were more than 0.40. Knowledge questions were divided into three domains; percep- tion questions were divided into four domains. The intraclass correlation (ICC) values of the test-retest were more than 0.80 for the three knowledge domains and more than 0.60 for the four perception domains. The third domain of the perception section which consisted two questions had the lowest ICC value of 0.686 (95% CI 0.583-0.767). One of the questions was restructured to improve clarity. Conclusions: The questionnaire on knowledge and perception on blood safety issues has good validity and reliability, with appropriate items which warranted its utilization among blood donors.
  2. Salbiah Isa, Rohayu Hami, Hanita Hashim, Mohd Nizam S., Harani MS., Sairi S., et al.
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Laboratory turnaround time (LTAT) is considered a reliable indicator of the quality and efficiency of a laboratory’s service. LTAT achievement, particularly of urgent tests, remains unsatisfactory and challenging in many clinical laboratories especially in tertiary health care centres with high workload and restricted resources. The unresolved issue of unsatisfactory urgent renal profile (RP) LTAT below the standard performance goal prompted our interest to improve laboratory’s handling of urgent test request. We thus implemented the Lean principle in the management of urgent test requests using urgent RP as the test model. Methods: The implementation of laboratory Lean involved 4 steps process; (1) Development of burning platform for change (2) Identification of waste (3) Plan- ning and implementation of control measures (4) Measuring, monitoring, and sustaining the improvement. Urgent RP LTAT and the percentage of the request met the time requirement determined based on the data extracted from laboratory information system (LIS) before and after the implementation of Lean was compared to assess the effec- tiveness. Results: Urgent RP LTAT after the implementation of Lean was reduced i.e 35 min (before) vs 31 min (after), with the percentage of LTAT met the time requirement was significantly increased above the set target i.e 82.8% (before) to 93.5% (after) with P-value = 0.001. Conclusion: Implementation of innovation using Lean management has significantly improved urgent RP LTAT achievement, thus optimised urgent test management in our Chemical Pathology laboratory. Lean is a strongly recommended strategy to improve urgent test LTAT especially in laboratories with restricted resources.
  3. Syazana Jumaan, Jahangir Kamaldin, Rosliza Jajuli, Izfa Riza Hazmi
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: The study is introducing a laboratory technique to sustain the longevity of Heterotrigona itama sting- less bees collected from the farm in order to facilitate future health research on Kelulut honey. Methods: The worker bees were held in laboratory at 26 ± 2 oC, 57 ± 8 % relative humidity (RH) and 12:12 hours (light:dark period) in a cup covered with meshed cloth and installed with an inverted-wick system consists of a drinking straw with the bottom end loosely plugged with cotton wool. The artificial diet was pipetted into the straw to wet the cotton wool. The bees were divided into five diet groups, namely a) unfed - control, b) distilled water, c) purified tap water, d) non-carbonated isotonic drink or e) 5% honey solution. Feeding activity and survival of worker bees were observed daily. Results: The worker bees are seen to frequent and lick the cotton wool wetted with artificial diets. Comparison between the artificial diets, Kaplan-Meier statistical analysis showed that the 5% honey solution and non-carbonated isotonic drink have significantly (P < 0.05) extended the longevity of the worker bees with 50% survival probability at least 8 days. When the similar holding and feeding technique used for the bees from commercial farms, the 50% survival probability was extended to 14 days. Conclusion: The inverted-wick system with the use of 5% honey solu- tion or isotonic drink as the artificial diet is capable to hold the H. itama worker bees at least for a week with survival above 50% for laboratory experiments.

  4. Khadijah Abdul Hamid, Sazilah Ahmad Sarji, Mohammad Nazri Md Shah, Ibrahim Lutfi Shuaib
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine the usefulness of SPECT-CT in differentiating metastatic and degenerative disease of the spine. Methods: Twenty-eight patients aged 50 years and above diagnosed with various cancers were referred for whole body (WB) planar bone scintigraphy. Those with a maximum three foci of tracer up- take in the spine were selected for the study. SPECT-CT of these areas of uptake was performed and the lesions were classified as degenerative, indeterminate or metastasis. A repeat study (WB planar bone scintigraphy and SPECT-CT) was performed between 3 to 12 months later. These areas of uptake were reassessed and compared with the first WB planar bone scintigraphy and SPECT-CT. The second SPECT-CT was used as the standard for the diagnosis. Results: Thirty-seven lesions in 28 patients were assessed. The sensitivity of the first WB planar bone scintigraphy, second WB planar bone scintigraphy and first SPECT-CT is 75%, 62.5% and 75% respectively. The specificity of the first WB planar bone scintigraphy, second WB planar bone scintigraphy and first SPECT-CT is 86%, 93%, 90% respectively. There was 2.7% of ‘indeterminate lesion’ in the first WB planar bone scintigraphy, 5.4% in the second WB planar bone scintigraphy, and 5.4% in the first SPECT-CT. The indeterminate lesions were resolved in the second SPECT-CT. Conclusion: SPECT- CT is useful in differentiating degenerative disease from metastatic lesions in the spine.
  5. Mohamed Abdelrasoul, Jahangir Bin Kamaldin, Jer Ping Ooi, Ahmed Abd El-Fattah, Gihan Kotry, Omneya Ramadan, et al.
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Melatonin (MEL) loaded alginate-chitosan/beta-tricalcium phosphate (Alg-CH/β-TCP) composite hy- drogel has been formulated as a scaffold for bone regeneration. MEL in the scaffold was anticipated to accelerate bone regeneration. The objective of this study is to observe signs of systemic toxicity and physical changes on surface defected bone for bone regenerative performance of the composite. Methods: The proximal-medial metaphyseal cortex of the left tibia of New Zealand white rabbit was the surgical site of the defect. A total of nine rabbits were randomly allocated to three groups; Group I; implanted with MEL loaded Alg-CH/β-TCP, Group II; Alg-CH/β-TCP and Group III defects were sham control. The rabbits were daily observed to determine systemic toxicity effects by composites. The physical changes to implanted site were observed using digital x-ray radiography and computerized tomography at weeks 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 of post-implantation. Results: There were no clinical signs of systemic toxicity for all groups of rabbits. Digital radiography did not show adverse effects to the bone. Computerized tomography showed reduction in the area size and depth volume of the implantation site, but accelerated regeneration within the 8 weeks was not significantly different (P
  6. A. N. Azahari, N. D.M Yusob, H.A. Saidun, N.K.Y Ali, R. Abdullah, R. Hashim, et al.
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Various phantom with varied materials has been proposed to replace the human body. Besides, there is always a demand to use the local material as a phantom material, which is readily available and inexpensive. Wood is usually preferred because it is multifunction, environmentally friendly, low in toxic, inexpensive, as well as easy to use and prepare. Previous studies have found that Rhizophora spp. is a suitable natural source material and has been suggested due to its comparable dosimetric properties to commercial phantom. Methods: In this study, fabricated Rhizophora spp. particleboards phantom was opted as a solid-equivalent phantom medium at low energy photon beams using Gafchromic film x-ray quality assurance 2 (XRQA2). Additionally, the characteristics of XRQA2 film in the diagnostic energy range were generated. Results: Interestingly, the density of the fabricated Rhizophora spp particleboards was observed to have the same density with the water equivalent material (ρ= 1.00 g.cm-3) and has shown to have loosened agreement with PDD of water phantom at approximately 25% of the dose error. Also, further analysis using XRQA 2 film showed that energy was independent at different ranges. Conclusion: The analysis of fabricated Rhizophora spp particleboards undertaken here has extended our knowledge of the possibility of man- ufacturing cost-effective water equivalent phantom by using binder-less particleboard from Rhizophora spp. There- fore, a definite need for smaller interspacing particles should be considered to elevate the potential of Rhizophora spp particle boards as water equivalent materials.
  7. Nur Ainina Abdollah, Nurulisa Zulkifle, Siti Razila Abdul Razak
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Cancer is one of the main causes of mortality globally and the incidence has been rising over the years. Studies have shown that miRNAs have the potential as cancer biomarkers. The miR-130a has been reported to be upregulated in several types of cancer, which indicate the important roles of miR-130a in cancer development and metastasis. The aim of this study is to identify potential target genes and to predict the regulatory function of miR- 130a-3p and 5p in cancer. Methods: Three bioinformatics platforms namely miRWalk, the Database for annotations, visualization and integrated discovery (DAVID) Gene Functional Classification Tool and miRanda-miRSVR analysis tools were used to identify possible interaction between miR-130a and its target. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network for the predicted target genes was then constructed. Results: The analyses have identified nine predicted target genes for miR-130a-3p (RAPGEF4, SOS2, NRP1, RPS6KB1, MET, IL15, ACVR1, RYR2 and ITPR1), and ten for miR-130a-5p (BCL11A, SPOPL, NLK, PPARGC1A, POU4F2, CPEB4, ST18, RSBN1L, ELF5 and ARID4B), that might
    play an important role in the development of cancer. Findings from this report suggest that miR-130a may involves in controlling cancer related genes; MET, ACVR1 and BCL11A. miR-130a-3p may regulates MET which involves in apoptosis and metastasis, and ACVR1 which involves in metastasis and angiogenesis. miR-130a-5p may regulates BCL11A which involves in apoptosis, proliferation and tumorigenesis. Conclusion: This study has highlighted the molecular interaction of miR-130a with associated genes and pathways, suggesting therapeutic potential of miR- 130a as personalised targeted therapy for cancer.
  8. Madhusudhan Krishnamoorthy, Zaleha Kamaludin, Hasnan Jaafar, Norhafiza Mat Lazim
    MyJurnal
    Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a commonly encountered malignancy in endemic regions of the world namely South
    East Asia, China and Hong Kong. In Malaysia, the ethnic Chinese population is particularly at risk due to genetic
    susceptibilities and environmental exposure to carcinogenic agents. We herein report a case of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in a middle-aged man of Malay ethnicity who presented with nasal blockage and neck nodes. The biopsy of
    the nasopharyngeal mass came back as papillary variant of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The commonly reported histopathological types are the keratinizing and non-keratinizing types, and rarely the basaloid type. In this case report,
    we aim to highlight one of the rare variants of the non-keratinizing nasopharyngeal carcinoma. When diagnosing the
    non-keratinizing type, appreciation of the different morphological variants is crucial not only to help aid in procuring
    an acurrate histopathologic diagnosis, but also to help in subsequent treatment plan.
  9. Raymond DK Yeak, Nasir M Nizlan
    MyJurnal
    A 29-year-old man, who was a medical intern presented with history of recurrent shoulder dislocation. Radiographs
    and computed tomography imaging revealed a bony bankart lesion with glenoid bone loss of 25% with moderate
    Hill- Sachs lesion. Latarjet surgery was performed. At post-operative 8 months, the patient experienced pain and
    clicking in the left shoulder while performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. At post-operative 1 year, magnetic resonance arthrography showed a united coracoid graft and intact posterior labrum. Left shoulder diagnostic arthroscopy and removal of Latarjet screws through a limited anterior deltopectoral approach were performed. The symptoms
    pain, clicking and instability sense was caused by either the prominent distal screw or the remnant suture material
    from the anchor which resulted in impingement of the infraspinatus muscle. We recommend the use of image intensifier to check on the position and length of the screw at the end of the surgery to avoid this complication
  10. Suresh Kumar
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the utmost serious infectious diseases worldwide. The emergence of multi- drug resistance demands the development of better or new putative drug targets for tuberculosis. Recent studies sug- gest Mycobacterium tuberculosis cytochrome P450 enzymes as promising drug targets and azole drugs as potential inhibitors. Methods: Various computational tools, like Expasy Protparam, Swiss model, RaptorX and Phyre2 were used to analyze 12 Mycobacterium tuberculosis P450 enzymes and determine their three-dimensional structure. The structural validation was done through a Ramachandran plot using RAMPAGE server. The docking of P450 enzymes with azole drugs was done with autodock ver 4.2.6. Results: Based on sub-cellular localization prediction using CEL- LO tool, P450 enzymes CYP123A1, CYP132A1, CYP135A1, CYP136A1, CYP140A1, and CYP143A1 were predicted to be in the cytoplasm. Through structure assessment by Ramachandran plot, the best homology modelled proteins were docked with azole drugs like clotrimazole, croconazole, econazole, fluconazole, itraconazole, itraconazole, ketaconazole and micronazole by using autodock. By docking method it is identified that ketaconazole drug has a high affinity towards most of the mycobacterium P450 enzymes followed by the itrconazole drug. CYP123A1 enzyme is preferable as a drug target due to high binding affinity towards ketoconazole followed by CYP135A1, CYP140A1 enzymes. Conclusion: This study would help in identifying putative novel drug targets in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which can lead to promising candidates for the optimization and development of novel anti-mycobac- terial agents.
  11. Nur Al - Izzah binti Nazri, Shamsul Bahri Mohd Tamrin, Dayana Hazwani Mohd Suadi Nata, Ng Yee Guan
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Safety helmets are one of the personal protective equipment (PPE) that to decrease the impact of any falling object to the skull and to avoid head and brain injury by many industries, including palm oil plantation. Nev- ertheless, the level on the usage of the current safety helmet is very low due to a few factors that lead to the discom- fort. Among the common issues for the non-compliance of safety helmets are their discomfort, ventilation, weight and safety. This study aims to determine subjective preference of the new prototypes’ safety helmets device among palm oil plantation harvesters. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted among 124 harvesters in three palm oil plantations located in Sabah, Malaysia. A set of questionnaires used to collect data on their socio-demographic background, perceptions toward existing safety helmets and their subjective preference of new safety helmets pro- totypes. Apart from that, six harvesters were randomly choosing to attend an interview session for qualitative study. Results: The descriptive analysis indicate that among the emphasized issues regarding non-compliance of existing safety helmet were due to discomfort (66.1%), poor ventilation (97.6%), load of safety helmet (83.3%) and safety issues (68.5%). In terms of new safety helmets prototypes, 72.6% of the harvesters preferred Design C to be worn for work in the plantation. Conclusion: It can be suggested that the existing safety helmet is uncomfortable and was not design ergonomically namely loose size and discomfort. Design C was the most preferred to be worn for work in the palm oil plantation.
  12. Revathi Rajan, Yusmazura Zakaria, Shaharum Shamsuddin, Nik Fakhuruddin Nik Hassan
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Application of nano-engineered fingerprint dusting powders has been a recent trend to achieve latent fingermark development with superior ridge clarity. As such, efforts have been made to utilise natural resources to increase the sustainability of these emerging nano-engineered powders. Lithium-doped zinc oxide, primarily used as white pigments, have been previously applied to latent fingermarks with success. In the current study, nanostruc- tured zinc oxide, synthesised using neem extract as the reducing agent, was evaluated for fingermark development on non-porous surfaces. Methods: The reduction of zinc nitrate hexahydrate was facilitated by neem extract, pre- pared by boiling neem leaves in distilled water. The thick yellow paste recovered was calcined in the furnace to produce a light yellow powder. Physicochemical composition of the powder was determined using microscopic and spectroscopic instruments. The effectiveness of the powder was tested on natural fingermark deposited on several non-porous surfaces. Results: Nanostructured zinc oxide with particle size ranging in between 1 to 3 µm consisting of highly aggregated spherical particle with less than 100 nm dimensions were synthesised. Developed fingermarks revealed excellent ridge details and contrast on dark coloured surfaces. Studying the fingermark closely under scan- ning electron microscope displayed selective distribution of particle on the ridges of the fingermark residue and very minimal deposition on the fingermark valleys. Conclusion: Nanostructured zinc oxide fabricated using green chem- istry approach can be applied for the development of fingermark. Nevertheless, future works can be undertaken to enhance particle dispersity and to confer strong photoluminescence to the zinc oxide nanoparticles.
  13. Neni Widiasmoro Selamat, Kenneth Paul Martinez, Mohammad Sarimie Nurul Nizam, Gaiyathre Subrain, Eva Tan Lee Yin, Titinun Auamnoy
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: A cross-sectional study was conducted to provide preliminary insight of Awareness, Knowledge and Attitude (AKA) assessment on urinary tract infection (UTI) among adolescents which includes the general level of AKA and correlation between the domains as well as the relationship between Total AKA and the sociodemographic factors. Methods: A modified and adapted questionnaire was developed, consisting of socio-demographic questions and AKA domains employing descriptive statistics, linear regression and multiple regression analysis via SPSS Ver- sion 23.0. Results: In general, AKA level was reported as moderate (0.5 ± 0.11). Among the three domains, Knowl- edge (0.70 ± 0.12) risen with the most astounding mean, took after Awareness (0.36 ± 0.22) and Attitude (0.65 ± 0.11). A positive but weak correlation was found between the domains; Awareness and Knowledge is significant at p = 0.034, r = 0.157; R2 = 0.02 and similarly, a weak correlation was also found between Knowledge and Attitude which is significant at p = 0.000, r = 0.411; R2 = 0.17. After covariates adjustment, female gender was found to have the strongest relationship with Total AKA. Conclusion: The general level of Total AKA on UTI is moderate. The AKA domains in this study was found to be positively correlated and female was found to be the best predictor for a better Total AKA on UTI. Thus, these findings provide important information to formulate an effective education interven- tion to improve the AKA on UTI among adolescents.
  14. Maryam Jamielah Yusoff, Zahirunisa Abd Rahim, Nurul Amiera Ghazi, Shi-Kee Chin, Mohd Jokha Yahya, Noor Lita Adam, et al.
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Association studies between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have been abundant. However, there are limited reports on copy number variations (CNVs) of beta-defen- sins (DEFB) gene in relation to T2DM. In this study, DEFB copy numbers were quantified in T2DM with nephropathy, T2DM without nephropathy and non-diabetic control groups to investigate its influence in chronic inflammation in Malaysian individuals. Methods: DEFB copy number in Malaysian individuals were quantified by using paralogue ratio tests (PRT) which allow direct quantification of gene copy number by using PRT107A and HSPD21 PRT primers. The copy number generated was then validated from insertion/deletion ratio measurement 5DEL (rs5889219) and two microsatellite analyses (EPEV-1 and EPEV-3). Results: DEFB copy number was found extending from 2 to 8 cop- ies in the non-diabetic group (n=146), while in T2DM group (n=392), copy numbers were more extensive, ranging between 1 and 12 copies; with 1, 10 and 12 copies detected in T2DM with nephropathy group (n=202). Statistically, there is no significant difference in DEFB copy number between T2DM and the non-diabetic group (p=0.209) as well as between diabetic nephropathy and without nephropathy of the T2DM group (p=0.522). However, significant white blood cell (WBC) count was found between T2DM groups with and without diabetic nephropathy (p=0.000). Conclusion: Extreme DEFB copy numbers in T2DM with nephropathy group suggest future studies with bigger sam- ple size are necessary to elucidate the true impact of CNVs of DEFB gene in promoting early onset of nephropathy in T2DM.

  15. Wan Adnan Wan Omar, Nur Liana Abu Bakar
    MyJurnal
    Trigeminal neuralgia is a debilitating disease that can lead to depression and even suicide. Trigeminal neuralgia is usually treated using carbamazepine; however, many patients are refractory to such medical treatment. Thus, other treatment modalities are required, such as physical treatment and dry needling. The objective of this case report is to describe the management of trigeminal neuralgia in a 35 years old Malay housewife, who had left side atypical trigeminal neuralgia involving V2 region in the last four years, which was refractory to medical treatment. The appli- cation of Malay massage, combined with dry needling executed along the distribution of trigeminal nerve showed an improvement of pain on the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) from 7–8/10 to 0-1/10 after 11 sessions. Therefore, Malay massage combined with dry needling can be used as a non-pharmaceutical approach to managing trigeminal neu- ralgia.
  16. Revathi Rajan, Yusmazura Zakaria, Shaharum Shamsuddin, Nik Fakhuruddin Nik Hassan
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Rice husk has portrayed great potential in becoming a sustainable biomass source in producing silica, cellulose and carbon materials, which garnered widespread interest among researchers. The objective of the current study is to determine the morphological and compositional changes in rice husk due to the synergistic effects of ther- mochemical treatment. Methods: Washed and dried rice husk was blended into a fine powder and then subjected to step-wise heat treatment and acid digestion to produce white ash. The intermittent products, as well as the original rice husk and the final ash product, were characterised using analytical instruments to document the morphologi- cal and chemical composition changes. Results: This report highlights the production of pure rice husk ash using a step-wise treatment using a combination of thermochemical treatment and carbonisation. The results showed that a partial breakdown of the lignocellulose components was achieved using directed thermal treatment at low tem- perature. The ionic impurities were leached out in subsequent heated acid treatment. Thereafter, the carbonaceous organic matter was completely converted to carbon during the carbonisation of the sample and the remaining carbon residue was removed during calcination. High purity ash contained agglomerated and nanostructured silica in the dimensions of 20 to 50 nm in the amorphous form. Conclusion: The step-wise treatment allowed systematic removal of each compound while maintaining the amorphous mineral phase of silica and avoiding carbon fixation. Under- standing the effect of each treatment offers insight to produce purer silica from rice husk.
  17. Sohayla M Attalla, Abby Amira Bt Rome
    MyJurnal

    Introduction: Domestic violence is a serious issue that has often been overlooked by the society. It includes any physical, emotional or sexual violence that occurs between family members. Year after year, many cases of domestic violence have been reported in news and the numbers keep increasing from time to time. Experiencing this violence may give negative impacts on the victim. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of domestic violence among university students in Selangor, Malaysia and to discover its effects on their academic achievement. Methods: A cross-sectional study was implemented in a form of questionnaire that was distributed to 368 university students at Selangor, Malaysia in the period from June 2018 to December 2018. Results: Results showed that 69 respondents (18.7%) had experienced DV throughout their life; all of them suffered physical violence, 95.7% had suffered emo- tional violence while 14.5% had suffered sexual violence. Age, gender, residence, family income, institution’s type and speciality of study has no significant association with DV while, race, religion and parents’ status were signifi- cantly associated with DV. Also it was noticed that out of these 69 respondents that had experience of domestic violence, 36 of them were studying in private universities and 33 of them were studying in public universities. Most of those experienced domestic violence showed low CGPA. Conclusion: It is concluded that there is low prevalence of DV among university students in Selangor. Experiencing DV during childhood has an impact on the academic achievement of the victim in the future university life.
  18. Eva Tan Lee Yin, Kuck Peng Sim, Mohd Yusmiaidil Putera Mohd Yusof
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Identification of remains recovered at advanced stages of decomposition can be problematic due to the lack of physical evidence. Nonetheless, human dentition is least susceptible to decomposition and as such carry a significant value in personal identification of decomposed remains. Demirjian’s method of age estimation was developed specifically for children with developing dentition. In this article, a method on adapting the Demirjian’s method for Malay ethnic-specific age estimation using the third molar development is presented. Methods: Orthop- antomograms of Malay subjects aged 18 to 25 were obtained from UiTM Sungai Buloh. Total of 318 samples were taken, comprising of 123 and 195 images from male and female subjects. Development of right and left mandibular third molar was classified according to the eight stages of development as illustrated in Demirjian’s method. Data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis such as descriptive statistics and analysis of variance. The intra- and inter-gender variation between left and right mandibular third molar was evaluated using independent student t-test and analysis of variance, respectively. Results: Intra-gender comparison analysis revealed a significant difference in the female and male with a p-value of 0.000 and 0.003, respectively. Regression equation to estimate age based on third molar development were formulated according to dental age and maturity score. Conclusion: The Demirjian’s method was successfully adapted for age estimation of individuals of Malay ethnicity. These findings can help with victim identification in cases of poor skeletal framework recovery and highly decomposed remains.
  19. Angela Shalini Muneeswaran, Sohayla M. Attalla, Eva Tan Lee Yin
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Drug abuse is a prevalent issue in Malaysia, and a constant struggle to eradicate even among substance abusers who have received prior rehabilitation. Drug abuse has also been known to affect the quality of life of an individual, due to the stigma it carries. This research emphasized on studying the life quality of relapsed and first-time substance abusers in rehabilitation centres including their tendency towards aggression. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the current inpatients in Cure & Care Rehabilitation Centres (CCRC) in Peninsular Malaysia. Primary data was acquired using a self-administered questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic (Part A), quality of life (Part B) and aggression related questions (Part C). 417 individuals were selected through purposive sampling from five different centres. A statistical analysis was conducted using independent t-test, single linear re- gression and Kruskal-Wallis using SPSS version 25.0. Results: An analysis of the data presented no significant asso- ciation between quality of life and tendency of aggression among relapsed and first time substance abusers (p>0.05). Based on the analysis and the outcome, age influences the level of aggression (p=0.018) while quality of life is af- fected by education level (p=0.017). Marital status is a factor that affects both the level of aggression (p=0.015) and quality of life (p=0.043). Conclusion: The findings may contribute to law enforcements in reducing violent crimes committed by drug abusers and rehabilitation efforts by rehabilitation centres, by establishing demographic profiles in relation to quality of life and aggression.
  20. Rab’ie Rusdi, Mohd Zaki Awg Isa
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Myopia is an emerging vision problem that causes public health and economic burden worldwide and associated with increased risk to many ocular conditions leading to blindness. This study aimed to evaluate patterns of visual field defects in Malay population with myopia. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted between January 2018 until June 2018 at MSU Eye Centre and data was obtained from patient records of Malay subjects with myopia and free from any ocular and systemic diseases. The spherical equivalent (SE) of the refractive errors and the global indices (mean deviation, MD and pattern of standard deviation, PSD) of OCULUS Twinfield® 2 with SPARK strategy were recorded for this study. Results: A total of 90 eyes with the mean age of 29.16 (SD: 10.27) years old and SE (M= -2.92 D, SD:2.94 D) were selected. The mean of MD was -1.71 dB (SD 3.95 dB) and PSD was 1.81 dB (SD:1.82 dB) respectively. Significant differences was found in MD (p=0.012) and PSD (p=0.01) between the three groups. The localised field defect was observed in the moderate to high myopic eyes in all quadrants (p=0.01) for PP2, and also more prevalent pattern found in all quadrants for PP1 except at superior quadrant (p=0.08). Conclu- sions: There is a localised visual field defect found in a higher degree of myopia particularly at temporal, nasal and inferior quadrants. Thus, the visual field test is recommended as a routine procedure in moderate to high myopic eyes and need to be interpreted with caution.
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