Low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) are antithrombotic agents utilised in the treatment of acute coronary syndromes. They have been shown to be more effective than unfractionated heparins (UFHs) in reducing ischeamic events, which include death, myocardial infarction (MI) and urgent revascularisation. Enoxaparin is one of the products of LMWHs. Its safety and efficacy has been proven in the ESSENCE and TIMI IIB studies. This study was carried out to identify risk factors that may affect bleeding complications associated with the use of enoxaparin for non-ST-elevation MI (NSTEMI) or unstable angina (UA) in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital (HUKM). This observational, longitudinal study was conducted on patients who were admitted to the Coronary Care Unit (CCU), Coronary Rehabilitation Ward (CRW), Medical 1 and Medical 2 wards at HUKM and initiated on enoxaparin for NSTEMI/UA from 22nd of March until 22nd of April 2004. A total of 40 patients were included in the study with median age of 65 years, male to female ratio of 3:1, diagnosed with NSTEMI (55%) and UA (45%). 45% of patients developed an episode of bleeding and among them 83.3% (15 patients) characterised by haematuria. Higher percentages of women (80%) and those with creatinine clearance of < 30ml/min (100%) had incidence of bleeding as compared to men (50%) and those with creatinine clearance = 30 ml/min, respectively (p < 0.05 for both parameters). Age, enoxaparin dose and duration of therapy, smoking and concomitant aspirin/ticlopidine therapy did not significantly affect the incidence of bleeding. In conclusion, renal impairment and gender were associated with bleeding in relation with the use of enoxaparin that may require dose adjustments.
A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was conducted on 4 healthy male and female subjects to investigate brain activation during passive and active listening. Two different experimental conditions were separately used in this study. The first condition requires the subjects to listen to a simple arithmetic instruction (e.g. one-plus-two-plus-three-plus-four) - passive listening. In the second condition, the subjects were given the same series of arithmetic instruction and were required to listen and perform the calculation - active listening. The data were then analysed using the Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM5) and the MATLAB 7.4 (R2007a) programming softwares. The results obtained from the fixed (FFX) and random effects analyses (RFX) show that the active-state signal intensity was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the resting-state signal intensity for both conditions. The results also indicate significant differences (p < 0.001) in brain activation between passive and active listening. The activated cortical regions during passive listening, as obtained from the FFX of the first condition is symmetrical in the left and right temporal and frontal lobes covering the cortical auditory areas. However, for the second condition, which was active listening, more activation occurs in the left hemisphere with a reduction in the number of activated voxels and their signal intensity in the right hemisphere. Activation mainly occurs in the middle temporal gyrus, precentral gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus and several other areas in the frontal lobes. The point of maximum signal intensity has been shifted to a new coordinates during active listening. It is also observed that the magnetic resonance signal intensity and the number of activated voxel in the right and left superior temporal lobes for the second condition have been reduced as compared to that of the first condition. The results obtained strongly suggest the existence of functional specialisation. The results also indicate different networks for the two conditions. These networks clearly pertain to the existence of functional connectivity between activation areas during listening and listening while performing a simple arithmetic task.
The anatomical structures of the first, second and third instars of Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) were examined by light microscopy. Observations were documented on the three main characteristics; the cephalopharyngeal skeleton, anterior spiracle and posterior spiracle. The first instar larva bore cornuae of fairly pigmented delineation with slim hypostomal sclerite and distinct dental sclerite. First instar did not have obscured anterior spiracle but posterior spiracles were obscured with thin lining of opened peritreme. Intersegmental spines were evident. The second instar larva displayed a prominent anterodorsal process approaching closer to hypostomal sclerite while upper margin of the dorsal cornua was slightly pigmented. Each anterior spiracle consisted of nine to ten papillae, arranged in a single row. Peritreme of the posterior spiracle thick, opening at the end of peritreme was not wide and confined to two spiracular slits. The third instar larva showed a prominent arch of the ventral cornua with broad and bold appearance. It approached the dorsal cornua and became narrow at the incision median. The anterior spiracle consisted of a single row of nine to ten papillae while intersegmental spine could be identified with one to three dark pigmented tips. A dark pigmented and wide periterime was observed confining three short and thick spiracular slits while button was poorly pigmented. The most distinctive feature of this second and third instar larva was the slender, thorn-like tubercle with numerous spined tips on the middle line segment of the body. These findings provide identification features of C. rufifacies larvae instars.
This paper reports the nutrition knowledge of Malaysian elderly, as part of a nationwide study to evaluate the status of nutrition knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of food and nutrition among various communities in Malaysia. A total of 906 elderly, age ranging between 60 to 96 years old, with mean age 67.4 ± 6.7 years representing all states in Malaysia participated in the study. An interview administered questionnaire was used to assess the nutrition knowledge and to collect demographic data of the elderly. Subjects were in the 60-65 years (51%) and more than 65 years (49%) age category. There were 46% Malays, 32% Chinese, 6% Indians while the remaining 16% comprised of other minority groups in Malaysia such as Iban, Kadazan, Melanau, Orang Asli and others. More than half of the elderly (54%) had no formal education, 36% completed primary schooling and only 9% finished secondary education. Overall 73% elderly were categorized as having poor nutrition knowledge, 18% moderate and only 9% good. The minority groups had the highest percentage of poor nutrition knowledge (91%) while the Chinese had the highest percentage of good nutrition knowledge (11%). More female (78%) than male (67%) had poor nutrition knowledge, in contrast to more male (10%) than female (8%) with good nutrition knowledge. Chi square test showed that there was a significant correlation between educational status and nutrition knowledge. This was reflected in the results which showed that 81% elderly with no formal education were categorized in the poor nutrition knowledge group. Majority of the elderly did not know about foods to be consumed most (88%), or to be eaten least (87%). Only a quarter to a third of the elderly responded correctly to questions on nutrient function and content. The question on foods with high salt was well responded by the elderly (65%). It is quite discouraging to show that a majority of Malaysian elderly had poor nutrition knowledge. This study indicated that appropriate nutrition education interventions need to be implemented to improve the shortcomings of nutrition knowledge among the Malaysian elderly.
Food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) is a practical tool for the measurement of usual food intake in large surveys because it gives a quick approximation to 'true' dietary intake. This study was carried out to compare the semiquantitative FFQ with three day 24-hour diet recalls (24-hr DR) in assessing intake of energy, total fat, fatty acids and vitamin A, C and E among Malaysian women. This semi-quantitative FFQ which was developed specifically for the Malay and Indian ethnicities has 200 food items and categorized according to three mealtimes namely breakfast, lunch or dinner and morning or afternoon snacks. A total of 51 Malay and 28 Indian women aged between 30 to 60 years were selected as study subjects. The result of the study shows that majority of study subjects were within the normal EI/BMR ratio when their energy intake was assessed by semi-quantitative FFQ (70%) and 24-hr DR (74%). However, 10% of study subjects became over-reporters when their intakes were assessed using the semi-quantitative FFQ. Analysis of t-test shows there is no significant difference (p > 0.05) on the mean intake of energy, total fats, saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin A, C and E between semi-quantitative FFQ and 24-hr DR. Percent mean differences were also less than 10% for all nutrients included in this study. This indicates that the semi-quantitative FFQ can produce comparable results with 24-hr DR. Energy adjusted correlation coefficient values for all studied nutrients were total fat (r = 0.64, p = 0.02), saturated fatty acids (r = 0.59, p = 0.01), monounsaturated fatty acids (r = 0.52, p = 0.03), polyunsaturated fatty acids (r = 0.57, p = 0.02), vitamin A (r = 0.69, p = 0.01), retinol (r = 0.55, p = 0.01), beta carotene (r = 0.74, p = 0.01), vitamin C (r = 0.64, p = 0.02) and vitamin E (r = 0.69, p = 0.01). Cross-classification for both methods into quartiles of intake resulted in correct classification into the same or adjacent quartile from 82% to 96% of the study subjects. Only 3% of the subjects were grossly misclassified. As a conclusion, this semi-quantitative FFQ gives estimation as good as 24-hr DR for intakes of energy, total fat, fatty acids and vitamin A, C and E among Malaysian women specifically for the Malay and Indian ethnicities. This semi-quantitative FFQ is a useful tool in dietary intake assessment for research use especially for epidemiological study on diet and disease relationship such as cardiovascular, cancer and diabetes.
This study was carried out in Agricultural Park, Teluk Cempedak and Bukit Pelindung at Kuantan, Pahang in October 2007. These three areas were different in ecological characteristic, Agricultural Park is a lowland region in Kuantan rural area, Teluk Cempedak is Kuantan’s most famous beach, and Bukit Pelindung is a reserved rainforest which is 200 meters from the sea level. Fly specimens were collected using four different kinds of baits: dry prawn, salted fish, pork and mango. Each of these baits was placed in a plastic container and exposed for one hour to attract flies. Within 5 minutes, flies started swarming around the baits. The flies were more attracted to the pork and salted fish compared to the other two baits. Fifty one flies, one moth (Lepidoptera) and one wasp (Hymenoptera) were collected. In Agricultural Park, two Lucilia cuprina, one Chrysomya megacephala and one Sarcophaga sp. were collected. For Teluk Cempedak beach, there were two Sarcophagids, 31 Chrysomya megacephala, five Musca domestica, one Lucilia cuprina and one moth were caught. Flies collected from Bukit Pelindung included five C.megacephala, two Sarcophagids, one Musca domestica and one wasp. Most C.megacephala were attracted to the pork and salted fish.
White and whole meal breads have been classified as high glycemic index (GI) foods which in turn produce the greatest rise in blood glucose. One of the commercial bread products in Malaysia known as Brown breads (BB) has been recently marketed as a healthy choice for diabetics due to its low GI value. This study was conducted to examine the effect of BB when eaten with different fillings on blood glucose response among healthy individuals and to describe the influences of these fillings in reducing blood glucose response. Five test meals using BB (BB eaten with baked beans, BB eaten with vegetable, BB eaten with apple, BB eaten with roast chicken and BB eaten with seaweeds) had been prepared for this study. Postprandial blood glucose response was determined for each test meal and reference food (glucose) that contained 50 g carbohydrate respectively. A total of 21 healthy subjects were recruited by advertisement to participate. Only 20 subjects (15 males, 5 females, Mean + SD Age : 24.4 + 3.7 years; BMI 23.4 + 3.0 kgm-2) completed this study. After an overnight fast, subjects consumed BB eaten with fillings according to the assigned group given and three repeated tests of reference food (glucose). Fasting capillary blood glucose samples were taken at time 0 and at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min respectively after the meal began. The blood glucose response was obtained by calculating the incremental area under the curve (AUC). Blood glucose response after consuming reference food (251.8 + 12.1 mmol.min/L) was significantly higher than all the test meals (p < 0.05). Among the test meals, BB eaten with baked beans produced the highest rise in blood glucose (97.0 + 16.9 mmol.min/L) whereas BB eaten with seaweeds demonstrated the lowest response in blood glucose (33.3 + 6.5 mmol.min/L) and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The postprandial blood glucose response after ingestion of BB when eaten with vegetable was 73.3 + 19.1 mmol.min/L followed by BB eaten with apple (58.9 + 12.2 mmol.min/L) and BB eaten with roast chicken (56.5 + 10.1 mmol.min/L). Generally, BB when eaten with fillings produced a slow rise in blood glucose response than the reference food. Combining this BB with fillings had the effect of reducing the postprandial blood glucose further.
The accumulation of tear film proteins as well as microbes colonization onto worn contact lenses can be eliminated conventionally by mechanical rubbing during the cleaning process. Lens2® functions in rotation manner to loosen the deposits on the contact lens and has antimicrobial coating to keep lenses away from contamination. The objective of this study was to determine the efficiency of Lens2® to remove deposited protein and reduce microbial contamination compared to conventional method. Twenty-eight subjects each wore a pair of contact lens FDA Group 1 (Polymacon, SoftLens® 38, Bausch & Lomb) for one month and cleaned them using multipurpose solution (COMPLETE® MoisturePLUSTM, Advanced Medical Optics) separately using two different methods. The right lens was cleaned conventionally while the left lens were cleaned using the Lens2®. The control group of thirteen subjects each wore a pair of contact lens for the same period and cleaned both conventionally. These lenses and its cases were then analyzed for protein deposition using Bichinchoninic Acid Assay (BCA) Kit (Sigma, USA) in 96-well plate. Microbial contamination was determined by culturing the samples on nutrient agar for bacteria and fungi and non-nutrient agar for amoeba isolation. The mean of total protein on control lenses (17.014 ± 13.246 µg/mL) was not significantly different from those on the Lens2® (21.623 ± 19.127 µg/mL). There were also low growth numbers of amoeba in each group of samples. Interestingly, there were no growths of amoeba from all Lens2® samples collected. There was also low growth numbers of bacteria in each sample group whereby Lens2® had the lowest growth of bacteria. No growth of fungi was obtained from all samples. The automatic lens cleaner, Lens2® was found to be as efficient as the conventional cleaning method. However, the Lens2® has additional advantage because of its antimicrobial material and need shorter time in the cleaning process as well as easy and effective.
When medical and surgical intervention cannot alleviate all of the impairments resulting from diseases of the eye, visual rehabilitation can help reduce the disability and increase the quality of life. Data from 169 patients seen at the UKM Low Vision Clinic (UKM LVC) over the past 2 years were examined and analysed. The age ranged from 6 to 87 years of age. The main cause of ocular pathological categories was conduction (63.9%), media (24.9%) and congenital (11.2%) related problems. The main causes of low vision at UKM LVC were congenital cataract, retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma, cataract and diabetic retinopathy. 84% of these patients received low vision devices to improve their near or/and distance vision. The most common optical devices dispensed at UKM LVC were near high addition spectacle, hand magnifiers and stand magnifiers. Medical, vision care and rehabilitation professionals working together can offer a comprehensive treatment plan for the visually impaired, offering these patients the very best services to increase their quality of life.
The abdominal pelvic cavity has always been regarded as one of the most vulnerable regions of the body. Injuries to this part have been known to be very serious. Based on this a retrospective study was performed on postmortem cases with abdominal and pelvic trauma from 1 October 2002 to 31 January 2003 at the Forensic Institute, Hospital Kuala Lumpur to determine the common pattern of abdomino-pelvic injuries, the injury’s relationship to epidemiological and socio-economic factors, risk organ within the abdominopelvic region and relationship between injuries and survival period. A total of 122 cases abdomino-pelvic were obtained stemming from medico legal postmortems procedures. Results indicated that those aged between 21 to 30 years (38.5%) had the highest incidence of this type of injury. Categorization based on gender showed that males (90.2%) dominated most of the cases. Prevalence based on socio-economic status showed that lower socioeconomy class (52.5%) had the highest incident. This was followed by the middle income (39.3%) and finally the higher income group. The most numerous type of trauma was non-penetrating trauma (94.3%). It was also found that victims with low injury severity score (ISS) had a longer survival period as compared to those with high ISS. It was also noted that victims with two or more region injuries either were spot dead or brought dead. The most common combination of injuries was abdomen, pelvic, chest and limb. In most blunt trauma cases majority of victims had one or two organ involvement while penetrating injuries were difficult to asses. The most common organ involved in this type of trauma was liver (72.1%), pelvic bone (47.5%) and spleen (43.4%). In conclusion, abdomino-pelvic injury is a serious condition and should not be overlooked. Proper attention towards their diagnosis and management is important and so any patient of head injury with coma must be considered as having intra-abdominal injury until proven otherwise.
Digital mammography has been progressively introduced in screening centers and the concern is to achieve an image of diagnostic value which would be able to detect early changes in the breast tissue. The aim of this study was to evaluate the image quality of mammograms using quantitative and qualitative methods of two FFDM systems with variations in breast thickness and anode/filter combination. This study was done from January to April 2008 with two FFDM systems; Siemens Mammomat NovationDR at Diagnostic Imaging Department, Hospital Kuala Lumpur and Hologic Lorad Selenia at Breast Clinic, National Cancer Society. A CIRS012A tissue equivalent breast phantom (4, 5 and 6 cm) thickness was used to obtain images in the craniocaudal plane with 26-32 kVp and a combination of molybdenum/molybdenum (Mo/Mo) and molybdenum/rhodium (Mo/Rh) anode/filter. For the qualitative evaluation, two independent radiologist with a minimum of five years experience was used to score the images. Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test showed that there are no significant differences (p > 0.05) in image quality between both the FFDM systems. Kappa analysis had a poor agreement between the scores given by the two radiologists. The quantitative analysis using Mann-Whitney test showed that there are significant differences (p < 0.05) between the SNR values of both FFDM systems. Although the qualitative evaluation was similar, the study showed that Lorad Selenia had a significantly superior SNR value, hence would be a better tool to detect early changes in the breast tissue. This study also demonstrated that a lower kVp is more suitable with molybdenum filter and as the breast thickness is increased rhodium filter with higher kVp displayed better quality images.
This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a floor gully come with grating to prevent the oviposition of Aedes aegypti in the floor trap. In order to conduct the test, two containers were placed into a mosquito cage (30 cm × 30 cm × 30 cm). Both containers were filled with declorinated seasoned tap water and covered with floor gully c/w grating and normal floor gully, respectively. A total of 50 gravid Ae. aegypti females were then released into the cage and left for a week. All the eggs obtained from the test were allowed to remain inside the containers for the eggs to hatch. The number of hatched larvae was counted and recorded. Five replicates were conducted concurrently. There was a significant difference of Ae. aegypti larvae obtained between container with floor gully c/w grating and normal floor gully (p < 0.05). A total of 96.41% reduction of Ae. aegypti larvae was obtained in the container with floor gully c/w grating compared with the normal floor gully, indicating that the floor gully c/w grating used in this study was able to prevent oviposition of Ae. aegypti in holding water.
The purpose of this study is to determine the standard value of corneal thickness (CCT) and its relationship with the degree of myopia amongst one sample of myopic students in Malaysia. Eighty-four myopic subjects (168 eyes) were examined in this study. Ocular examination included subjective refraction, keratometry (Shin-Nippon, Japan) and optical pachometry (Sonogage INC). Corneal thickness was measured at five different locations i.e. central, superior, inferior, nasal and temporal of the cornea. However, only association of CCT with myopia is reported in this article. Mean age of subjects was 21.42 ± 1.47 years old (20.34 ± 1.15; 22.46 ± 0.88). Mean refractive error in spherical equivalent for the whole sample was –3.50 ± 2.10 DS. Mean corneal curvature for the all subjects was 7.74 ± 0.52 mm and mean value of CCT was 594.62 ± 66.51 mm. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found between mean CCT of low myopes (-4.00DS and below) and higher ones (-4.25DS and above), but not with mean of keratometer readings. Poor correlations were obtained between refractive error and CCT (r = 0.125, p > 0.05) and between refractive error and corneal curvature (r = 0.24, p > 0.05). It was concluded from this study that high myopic subjects has significantly thinner CCT than lower ones. Measurement of CCT should be considered when undertaking procedures such as LASIK and orthokeratology.
Infeksi Entamoeba histolytica adalah tersebar di seluruh dunia dengan prevalens infeksi yang lebih tinggi di kalangan masyarakat terpinggir termasuk Orang Asli yang tinggal di kawasan tropika dan subtropika. Seramai 71 orang kanak-kanak Orang Asli dari Pos Lenjang, Pahang telah terlibat di dalam kajian ini. Bagi kajian yang lebih terperinci, kumpulan kanak-kanak ini telah dibahagikan menurut jantina dan umur. Sampel feses dikumpul dan setiap sampel diperiksa bagi pengenalpastian Entamoeba histolytica dengan menggunakan 3 jenis teknik diagnostik yang berbeza iaitu teknik apusan langsung, konsentrasi formalin-eter dan perwarnaan trikrom. Prevalens infeksi protozoa usus Entamoeba histolytica di kalangan kanak-kanak Orang Asli di Pos Lenjang, Pahang adalah tinggi iaitu 22.5%. Dari segi jantina, prevalens infeksi lebih tinggi di kalangan kanak-kanak perempuan (32.5%) berbanding kanak-kanak lelaki (9.7%). Infeksi juga didapati lebih kerap berlaku di kalangan kanak-kanak yang bersekolah (32.4%) berbanding kanak-kanak prasekolah (11.8%). Prevalens infeksi Entamoeba histolytica yang tinggi di kalangan kanak-kanak Orang Asli di Pos Lenjang, Pahang adalah berhubung kait dengan pelbagai faktor termasuk status sosioekonomi yang rendah, budaya, kekurangan kemudahan asas dan tahap pengetahuan mengenai penjagaan kesihatan serta kebersihan diri yang rendah.
An entomological study was conducted in Tanjung Sepat, Selangor, Malaysia in May until September 2007 revealing five species of butterflies (all from family Nymphalidae) were attracted to pig carcasses placed in an oil palm plantation. Euploea mulciber (Cramer 1777), Hypolimnas bolina (Linnaeus 1758), Elymnias hypermnestra (Linnaeus 1763), Mycalesis mineus (Linnaeus 1758) and Ypthima baldus (Fabricius 1775) came to the carcasses at different stages of decomposition. From this study, we know that nymphalid butterflies are attracted to carcasses but their roles are most probably unimportant in post-mortem estimation.
This is a follow-up study to assess the socio demographic profile of a sample of 28,605 women seeking pregnancy terminations at a private clinic in Penang over a seven year period as compared to an earlier study in 1995 of a sample of 23,986 women over a six and a half year period at the same clinic. This study was conducted using computerized patient medical records and paper reports generated from the computer data. The earlier 1995 study showed that the profile of a typical abortion client was a Chinese (60%), housewife (45%) in her late twenties (47%) with a monthly household income of less than RM1,200 (58%), having her first abortion (51%) and who had used contraception before (78%). For the seven year period from 1998-2005, the follow-up profile of a woman seeking an abortion in the same clinic in urban Malaysia was one with a monthly household income of less than RM2,000 (100%) in her late twenties (54%) who had used contraception in the past (85%). It is noted that the percentage of Malay respondents has increased (34%). The percentage of women who had a prior abortion at this clinic or elsewhere has also increased (68%), as compared to the preliminary study. Non-use of contraception remained an issue and traditional methods still outweighed the use of more effective contraceptive methods. In conclusion, fewer housewives and more Malay and Indonesian factory workers contributed to the clinic client profile over these seven years compared to that of the earlier study in 1995.
Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mendapatkan data normatif timpanometri di kalangan kanak-kanak Melayu prasekolah dan membandingkannya menurut jantina. Ini kerana faktor bukan patologi seperti umur, jantina dan bangsa mempengaruhi data normatif timpanometri. Sehubungan itu, garis panduan saringan telinga tengah oleh American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) yang menggunakan data normatif timpanometri kanak-kanak Kaukasian mungkin tidak sesuai untuk populasi kanak-kanak Melayu. Parameter timpanometri yang diukur ialah puncak statik admitan akustik dikompensasi (puncak Ytm), isipadu salur telinga luar (Vea) dan kelebaran timpanogram (TW). Seramai 161 orang kanak-kanak Melayu (80 orang kanak-kanak lelaki dan 81 orang kanak-kanak perempuan) berumur antara 4 hingga 6 tahun terlibat di dalam kajian ini. Bagaimanapun, hanya seramai 45 orang kanak-kanak lelaki dan 46 orang kanak-kanak perempuan (163 dari keseluruhan 182 telinga) memenuhi kriteria inklusi iaitu lulus pemeriksaan otoskopi dan saringan pendengaran serta menunjukkan refleks akustik ipsilateral pada 1000 Hz. Ujian ANOVA Campuran dua-hala untuk membandingkan min parameter timpanometri kanak-kanak lelaki dan perempuan menunjukkan tiada perbezaan yang signifikan; min puncak Ytm (p > 0.05), min Vea (p > 0.05), dan min TW (p > 0.05). Oleh itu, data kedua-dua kumpulan ini digabungkan. Secara keseluruhan, nilai min puncak Ytm ialah 0.55 ± 0.28mmhos, min Vea ialah 0.90 ± 0.39 cm3, dan min TW ialah 104.68 ± 32.08 daPa. Julat normal persentil ke-90 bagi puncak Ytm ialah antara 0.27 hingga 1.18 mmhos, Vea antara 0.45 hingga 1.65 cm3 dan TW antara 59.60 hingga 149.80 daPa. Hasil kajian mencadangkan data normatif timpanometri ini sesuai digunakan ke atas kanak-kanak Melayu prasekolah namun ianya tidak perlu dibezakan mengikut jantina. Sekiranya setiap satu nilai TW > 200 daPa dan Vea > 1.0 cm3 oleh ASHA diaplikasi ke atas kanak-kanak Melayu prasekolah, maka masing-masing akan menyebabkan kadar rujukan yang rendah dan kadar rujukan yang berlebihan.
A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the level of dental knowledge among senior medical, pharmacy and nursing students of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and to determine self-reported practices of oral care. Students were invited to complete a set of questionnaires on knowledge related to causes, prevention, signs and treatment of dental caries and periodontal disease; and practices related to oral hygiene and dental visits. A total of 206 questionnaire forms were distributed. 204 forms were returned complete (response rate = 99%). Dental knowledge scores ranged from 0 (no correct answer given) to 16 (gave all correct answers). The mean knowledge scores between the groups were statistically different (p < 0.05): pharmacy students scored highest (mean = 12.29, 95% CI 11.44, 13.14) followed by the medical students (mean = 12.02, 95% CI 11.33, 12.71) and nursing students (mean = 10.83, 95% CI 10.40, 11.26). Areas that had lowest knowledge scores were signs and treatment of gum disease. With regard to oral care practices, majority cited that they brushed teeth at least twice a day (94.6%) and used toothbrush and toothpaste (97.5%). Not many (21.8%) used dental floss and about half (54.2%) reported visiting the dentist more than twelve months ago. Reasons for dental visits included getting check-ups (64.6%), restorations (45.6%) and emergency care such as extractions (24.0%). In general students had at least a moderate level of dental knowledge but demonstrated poor knowledge in some areas. While most reported good oral hygiene habits, behaviour related to dental visits need to be improved. Findings suggest a need for inclusion of oral health education in the medical, pharmacy and nursing curriculum.
Gangguan visual di kalangan kanak-kanak boleh menjadi serius tanpa intervensi awal. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti prevalens penyebab kepada impairmen visual di kalangan kanak-kanak prasekolah. Sebanyak 21 buah tadika telah dipilih secara rawak untuk menjalani saringan penglihatan. Modul saringan penglihatan meliputi ujian akuiti visual, ujian katup, ujian Hirschberg, pemeriksaan mata luaran dan oftalmoskopi. Kanak-kanak yang gagal saringan penglihatan telah dirujuk untuk pemeriksaan lanjutan. Seramai 479 orang kanak-kanak dengan purata umur 5.30 ± 0.69 tahun telah mengambil bahagian dalam saringan penglihatan. Daripada 43 orang kanak-kanak yang gagal saringan penglihatan, 32 orang (6.7%) disahkan mempunyai gangguan visual. Manakala 8 orang didapati tidak mempunyai gangguan visual dan tiga orang digugurkan daripada kajian kerana tidak bekerjasama untuk pemeriksaan lanjutan. Ralat refraksi (5.8%) adalah penyebab utama kepada gangguan visual di kalangan kanak-kanak prasekolah. Penyebab-penyebab lain ialah ambliopia (1.3%), strabisms (1.0%) dan keabnormalan okular (0.8%). Pengesanan gangguan visual di peringkat awal melalui saringan penglihatan dan intervensi awal optometri adalah penting untuk dilaksanakan di kalangan kanak-kanak prasekolah supaya prevalens gangguan visual dapat dikurangkan.
Satu kajian awal bagi menyaring kecelaruan psikogeriatrik di kalangan warga tua telah dijalankan. Tujuan kajian ini dijalankan adalah untuk menentukan peratusan kes kecelaan kognitif, strok dan kemurungan dalam sampel populasi yang berumur di antara 60-89 tahun. Seramai 40 orang subjek dan pemberi maklumat subjek di sekitar Lembah Kelang, Kuala Lumpur dan Selangor dipilih. Alat penyaringan yang digunakan dalam kajian ini ialah Psychogeriatric Assessment Scale (PAS). Psychogeriatric Assessment Scale (PAS) terdiri daripada dua bahagian iaitu laporan subjek dan laporan pemberi maklumat subjek. Laporan subjek digunakan untuk menyaring kecelaan kognitif, strok dan kemurungan. Manakala laporan pemberi maklumat subjek digunakan untuk menyaring kemerosotan kognitif, strok dan perubahan tingkah laku subjek. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan peratusan kes kecelaan kognitif (lelaki 67% kes, perempuan 64.3% kes) dan strok (lelaki 75% kes, perempuan 64.3% kes) yang tinggi di kalangan subjek lelaki dan wanita. Terdapat juga hubungan yang signifikan di antara laporan subjek dengan laporan pemberi maklumat subjek mengikut setiap skala PAS. Alat ujian psikologi PAS mampu menyaring masalah psikogeriatrik di kalangan warga tua dan ketepatan penyaringan dapat dinilai dengan data pemberi maklumat daripada alat ujian PAS. Penyaringan psikogeriatrik adalah penting untuk mengenal pasti kehadiran kecelaan fungsi kognitif dan kemurungan di kalangan warga tua pada peringkat awal.