AIM: To identify the effect of triage training on the skills and accuracy of triage decisions for adult trauma patients.
METHOD: A randomized controlled trial design was conducted in ten emergency department of public hospitals. A total of 143 registered nurses and medical officer assistants who performed triage roles were recruited for the control group (n = 74) and the intervention group (n = 69). The skill and accuracy of triage decisions were measured two weeks and four weeks after the intervention group were exposed to the intervention.
RESULTS: There was a significant effect on the skill of triage decision-making between the control and the intervention group p control group and the intervention group p
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study is conducted at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia. UCLP group comprised 48 patients with nonsyndromic UCLP who have had the lip and palate repaired, whereas the control group comprised 48 healthy noncleft cases. The lateral cephalometrics measurements were used to determine the vertical height, sagittal depth of the face, and cranial base length and angle. Maxillary arch dimensions were measured on the study cast including arch width, depth, and length.
RESULTS: Vertical facial height and sagittal depth measurements showed a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in the mean growth pattern in UCLP group. The anterior cranial base length (S-N) was shorter in UCLP children (P < 0.001), while Ba-N length had no significant difference (P = 0.639). Nasion-Sella Tursica-Basion angle was significantly higher in the UCLP group (P = 0.016). Dental arch width with reference to canine-to-canine and first premolar-to- first premolar distance was significantly larger in control (P = 0.001).
CONCLUSION: Mean vertical and sagittal facial dimensions in the UCLP children who do not undergo orthodontic treatment are significantly lesser in all directions of growth than healthy noncleft children. The maxillary dental arch had a normal depth but constricted in width and arch length.
Aim: This study aims to study the efficacy of 5-min mindful breathing for rapid reduction of pain in a palliative care setting.
Methods: This is a sub-analysis of the previous randomized controlled study on distress reduction. Sixty patients were recruited and randomly assigned to either the intervention (5-min mindful breathing) or the control (5-min normal listening) group. Participants reported their pain on a 10-item analog scale at baseline, immediately after intervention and 10 min postintervention. Changes in pain scores were further analyzed.
Results: Pain scores decreased for both the intervention and control groups. However, the reduction of pain did not reach statistical difference in both groups (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: Five-minute mindful breathing is a quick and easy to administer therapy but does not have significant effects in terms of pain reduction in palliative settings. Future research and directions are nonetheless suggested and encouraged to look for short-term mindfulness-based therapies on pain reduction for this population.
METHODOLOGY: The expression of stemness markers for DPSC and SHED was evaluated using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Alkaline phosphatase assay was used to compare the osteoblastic differentiation of these cells (2D culture). Then, cells were seeded on the scaffold and incubated for 21 days. Morphology assessment using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) was done while osteogenic differentiation was detected using ALP assay (3D culture).
RESULTS: The morphology of cells was mononucleated, fibroblast-like shaped cells with extended cytoplasmic projection. In RT-PCR study, DPSC and SHED expressed GAPDH, CD73, CD105, and CD146 while negatively expressed CD11b, CD34 and CD45. FESEM results showed that by day 21, dental stem cells have a round like morphology which is the morphology of osteoblast as compared to day 7. The osteogenic potential using ALP assay was significantly increased (p
Methods: This multicentre randomised controlled trial included 244 patients, of whom 86 were treated with chitosan derivative film and 84 with hydrocolloid. The percentage of epithelisation, as well as patient comfort, clinical signs, and patient convenience in application and removal of the dressings were assessed.
Results: The primary outcome of this study was the percentage of epithelisation. Except for race (p = 0.04), there were no significant differences between groups in sex, age, antibiotic usage, or initial wound size (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the mean epithelisation percentage between groups (p = 0.29). Patients using chitosan derivative film experienced more pain during removal of dressing than those in the hydrocolloid group (p = 0.007). The chitosan derivative film group showed less exudate (p = 0.036) and less odour (p = 0.024) than the control group. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between groups in terms of adherence, ease of removal, wound drainage, erythema, itchiness, pain, and tenderness. No oedema or localised warmth was observed during the study.
Conclusion: This study concluded that chitosan derivative film is equivalent to hydrocolloid dressing and can be an option in the management of superficial and abrasion wounds.
Clinical trial No: NMRR-11-948-10565.
Methods: The control group was administered with phosphate buffer solution (PBS) while the other two groups received PCM alone (1000 mg/kg) and PCM + 25 mg/kg ZER, respectively, at 0 h and 4 h after PCM injection. After 24 h, the blood and liver were collected for differential white blood cell count, liver histological observation and biochemical analysis including alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and total protein concentration in serum and liver.
Results: Treatment with ZER was found to significantly reduce ALT (P = 0.041), AST (P = 0.044) and total hepatic protein (P = 0.045) in comparison to PCM-induced rats. Rats treated with ZER exhibited the normal structure of hepatocytes with no vacuolisation or necrosis and showed significantly reduced neutrophil count (P = 0.037). This finding suggests its ability to suppress the inflammatory processes caused by PCM overdosage and decrease the hepatocytes tendency to go through necrotic processes.
Conclusion: ZER possessed protective activity against PCM-induced acute hepatotoxicity in a rat model.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A double-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) on systemically healthy smokers was conducted. A total of 78 smokers, aged 18 to 40 years, were enrolled as per exclusion/inclusion criteria. An alkaline mouthwash was provided to the intervention group and a placebo to control group. Salivary pH and inflammatory biomarker interleukin (IL)-1β levels were evaluated at baseline and at follow-up (14 ± 2 days).
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Chi-squared test, independaent t-test, and paired t-test were used to observe the changes in parameters among and between groups before and after intervention using SPSS v16 with a significance level of p≤0.050.
RESULTS: Sixty eight salivary samples were analyzed. All study parameters of the study sample were statistically insignificant between both intervention and control groups at baseline. pH level was 6.56 ± 0.53 at baseline and 6.62 ± 0.45 at follow-up in the intervention group; respective values for control group were 6.70 ± 0.36 and 6.83 ± 0.44 and the changes were not significant (p≥0.071). IL-1β level was 9.39 ± 10.23 pg/µL at baseline and 5.40 ± 6.62 pg/µL at a follow-up in the intervention group and the change was significant (p = 0.001); respective values for the control group were 10.63 ± 11.50, and 9.33 ± 11.73 and the difference was nonsignificant (p = 0.076).
CONCLUSION: This randomized trial indicated that sodium bicarbonate mouth rinse is effective in decreasing IL-1β levels and increasing salivary pH favorable for prevention of oral diseases.
METHODS: Subjects from dental and RA clinics were screened. Complete periodontal examinations were performed. Subjects were divided into 4 groups: RA-PD, RA, PD and healthy controls (HC). Questionnaires on characteristics and Malaysian versions of Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14(M)) and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ-DI)) were answered.
RESULTS: A total of 187 subjects were included (29 RA-PD, 58 RA, 43 PD and 57 HC). OHIP-14(M) severity score was highest in the PD group (17.23 ± 10.36) but only significantly higher than the HC group (p
Aims: The objective of this study is to investigate if the subgingival plaque biofilm resistance can be reduced using doxycycline in the presence of low-intensity electric field (bioelectric effect).
Settings and Design: The study was an in vitro microbiological study.
Materials and Methods: Subgingival plaque samples from chronic periodontitis patients were collected to grow subgingival plaque biofilms on hydroxyapatite disks. Hydroxyapatite disks with the plaque biofilms from each patient were divided into four groups: (i) No intervention - control, (ii) current alone - CU; (iii) doxycycline - AB, and (iv) combined treatment - CU + AB. After respective treatments, the disks were anaerobically incubated for 48 h, the biofilm was dispersed and subcultured and colony-forming unit/mL was estimated in all the four groups.
Statistical Analysis: Statistical analysis was done using Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests for intergroup comparisons. T-test was done to assess the difference in current flow between the groups CU and CU + AB.
Results: All the three treatment modalities showed antibacterial effect. Application of current alone resulted in reduced bacterial growth than control group. Doxycycline alone resulted in reduction in bacterial counts better than control and current alone groups. The combination treatment showed greatest inhibition of bacterial colonies.
Conclusion: The ability of doxycycline antibiotic in inhibiting plaque biofilm was significantly enhanced by application of a weak electric field (5 volts for 2 min).
Methods: The maize seeds were first photobiomodulated with two lasers: 1) a helium-neon (He-Ne) red laser (632.8 nm), and 2) a neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) green laser (532 nm). Following three replications of randomized complete block design (RCBD), four irradiation treatments were applied (45 s, 65 s, 85 s, and 105 s) at two power intensities (2 mW/cm2 and 4 mW/cm2).
Results: Based on the results, maize seeds pretreated with a green laser and 2 mW/cm2 power intensity for 105 s exhibited the highest rate of seed emergence (96%) compared to the untreated control seeds with a lower seed emergence rate (62.5%). Furthermore, maize seeds treated with a red laser for 45 s showed an increased vigor index compared to the other treatment options and the control (P control group p
METHODS: This is a quasi-experimental research with prepost test design with control group involving 81 participants per group from two health clinics in Sepang. The primary outcome was a change in the haemoglobin levels following educational intervention. Secondary outcomes include knowledge on anaemia, Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs, dietary iron intake and compliance towards iron supplementation. The intervention group received a HBMbased education intervention programme.
RESULTS: The response rate in the intervention and control group were 83.9% and 82.7% respectively. Generalised estimating equations analysis showed that the intervention was effective in improving the mean haemoglobin level (β=0.75, 95%CI=0.52, 0.99, p<0.001), the knowledge score (β=1.42, 95%CI=0.36, 2.49, p=0.009), perceived severity score (β=2.2, 95%CI= 1.02, 3.39, p<0.001) and increased proportion of high compliance level (AOR=4.59, 95%CI=1.58, 13.35, p=0.005).
CONCLUSION: HBM-based health education programme has proven to be effective in improving the haemoglobin levels, knowledge scores, perceived severity scores and compliance level of participants. The study results emphasized on the effectiveness of such an approach, therefore it is recommended that future educational interventions which aim at increasing preventive healthy behaviours in pregnant women may benefit from the application of this model in primary health care settings.