Displaying publications 1201 - 1220 of 4700 in total

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  1. Health-related quality of life profiles among family caregivers of patients with schizophrenia
    Lua PL, Bakar ZA
    Fam Community Health, 2011 Oct-Dec;34(4):331-9.
    PMID: 21881420 DOI: 10.1097/FCH.0b013e31822b54ad
    This cross-sectional study aims to determine and compare health-related quality of life profiles of schizophrenia family caregivers on the basis of their sociodemographic characteristics. Thirty outpatient family caregivers completed the generic 36-Item Short Form Health Survey instrument (male = 53.5%; mean age = 51 years; married = 76.7%). The highest mean score was reported for social functioning while role limitation-emotional was rated the worst. Significantly better health-related quality of life profiles were demonstrated by caregivers who were male, younger than 50 years, adequately educated, employed, and without health problems and were receiving monthly income. Understanding of on health-related quality of life matters for family caregivers is crucial to improve the quality of care for schizophrenia patients.

    Study site: tients were
    identified with assistance from psychiatrists
    and nursing staff in-charge at a governmentfunded public hospital in Selangor, Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
  2. Fulltext A qualitative exploration of Malaysian cancer patients' perspectives on cancer and its treatment
    Farooqui M, Hassali MA, Shatar AK, Shafie AA, Seang TB, Farooqui MA
    BMC Public Health, 2011;11:525.
    PMID: 21718547 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-525
    BACKGROUND: Cancer patients' knowledge about cancer and experiences with its treatment play an important role in long-term adherence in their disease management. This study aimed to explore cancer patients' knowledge about cancer, their perceptions of conventional therapies and the factors that contribute to medication adherence in the Malaysian population.
    METHODS: A qualitative research approach was adopted to gain a better understanding of the current perceptions and knowledge held by cancer patients. Twenty patients were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. A saturation point was reached after the 18th interview, and no new information emerged with the subsequent 2 interviews. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed by means of a standard content analysis framework.
    RESULTS: The majority of patients related the cause of their cancer to be God's will. Participants perceived conventional therapies as effective due to their scientific methods of preparations. A fear of side effects was main reasons given for delay in seeking treatment; however, perceptions were reported to change after receiving treatment when effective management to reduce the risk of side effects had been experienced.
    CONCLUSIONS: This study provides basic information about cancer patients' perceptions towards cancer and its treatment. These findings can help in the design of educational programs to enhance awareness and acceptances of cancer screening. Priorities for future research should focus on patients who refused the conventional therapies at any stage.
    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
  3. Fulltext Stages of change and health-related quality of life among employees of an institution
    Liau SY, Shafie AA, Ibrahim MI, Hassali MA, Othman AT, Mohamed MH, et al.
    Health Expect, 2013 Jun;16(2):199-210.
    PMID: 21645189 DOI: 10.1111/j.1369-7625.2011.00702.x
    BACKGROUND: Transtheoretical Model of change has been used successfully in promoting behaviour change.

    OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationships between health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scores with the stages of change of adequate physical activity and fruit and vegetables intake.

    DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among employees of the main campus and Engineering campus of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) during October 2009 and March 2010.

    MAIN VARIABLES STUDIED: Data on physical activity and fruit and vegetable intake was collected using the WHO STEPS instrument for chronic disease risk factors surveillance. The Short Form-12 health survey (SF-12) was used to gather information on participants' HRQoL. The current stages of change are measured using the measures developed by the Pro-Change Behaviour Systems Incorporation.

    STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: One way ANOVA and its non-parametric equivalent Kruskal-Wallis were used to compare the differences between SF-12 scores with the stages of change.

    RESULTS: A total of 144 employees were included in this analysis. A large proportion of the participants reported inadequate fruits and vegetable intake (92.3%) and physical activity (84.6%). Mean physical and mental component scores of SF-12 were 50.39 (SD = 7.69) and 49.73 (SD = 8.64) respectively. Overall, there was no statistical significant difference in the SF-12 domains scores with regards to the stages of change for both the risk factors.

    CONCLUSIONS: There were some evidence of positive relationship between stages of change of physical activity and fruit and vegetable intake with SF-12 scores. Further studies need to be conducted to confirm this association.

    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
  4. The characteristics of people with mental illness who are under treatment in traditional healer centres in Sudan
    Sorketti EA, Zainal NZ, Habil MH
    Int J Soc Psychiatry, 2012 Mar;58(2):204-16.
    PMID: 21609984 DOI: 10.1177/0020764010390439
    To determine the general characteristics of people with mental disorders in traditional healers centres in Sudan in terms of sociodemographic profile, common clinical presentations and diagnostic features, and to look at the treatment methods and intervention procedures used in these centres for treating people with mental illness.
    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
  5. Motorcyclist rear brake simple perception-response times in rear-end collision situations
    Davoodi SR, Hamid H, Arintono S, Muniandy R, Faezi SF
    Traffic Inj Prev, 2011 Apr;12(2):174-9.
    PMID: 21469025 DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2010.533314
    The purpose of this study was to determine the baseline motorcycle riders' perception-response times (PRTs) in an expected object braking task and to determine the significant difference between PRTs of older and younger riders.
    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
  6. Perceptual processing of Mandarin nasals by L1 and L2 Mandarin speakers
    Lai YH
    J Psycholinguist Res, 2012 Aug;41(4):237-52.
    PMID: 22089521 DOI: 10.1007/s10936-011-9190-2
    Nasals are cross-linguistically susceptible to change, especially in the syllable final position. Acoustic reports on Mandarin nasal production have recently shown that the syllable-final distinction is frequently dropped. Few studies, however, have addressed the issue of perceptual processing in Mandarin nasals for L1 and L2 speakers of Mandarin Chinese. The current paper addressed to what extent and in what directions L1 and L2 speakers of Mandarin differed in perceiving Mandarin nasals. Possible variables, including the linguistic backgrounds (i.e. L1 vs. L2 speakers of Mandarin Chinese), the vocalic contexts (i.e. [i, ə, a, y, ua, uə, ia]) and the phonetic settings (i.e. syllable-initial vs. syllable-final), were discussed. Asymmetrical findings in the current investigation indicated limitations of speech learning theories developed from European languages in the context of Mandarin nasals. A tri-dimensional model was thus suggested for interpreting the cognitive mechanism in Mandarin nasal perception.
    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
  7. EEG spectral analysis on Muslim prayers
    Doufesh H, Faisal T, Lim KS, Ibrahim F
    Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback, 2012 Mar;37(1):11-8.
    PMID: 21965118 DOI: 10.1007/s10484-011-9170-1
    This study investigated the proposition of relaxation offered by performing the Muslim prayers by measuring the alpha brain activity in the frontal (F3-F4), central (C3-C4), parietal (P3-P4), and occipital (O1-O2) electrode placements using the International 10-20 System. Nine Muslim subjects were asked to perform the four required cycles of movements of Dhuha prayer, and the EEG were subsequently recorded with open eyes under three conditions, namely, resting, performing four cycles of prayer while reciting the specific verses and supplications, and performing four cycles of acted salat condition (prayer movements without any recitations). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests revealed that there were no significant difference in the mean alpha relative power (RP(α)) between the alpha amplitude in the Dhuha prayer and the acted conditions in all eight electrode positions. However, the mean RP(α) showed higher alpha amplitude during the prostration position of the Dhuha prayer and acted condition at the parietal and occipital regions in comparison to the resting condition. Findings were similar to other studies documenting increased alpha amplitude in parietal and occipital regions during meditation and mental concentration. The incidence of increased alpha amplitude suggested parasympathetic activation, thus indicating a state of relaxation. Subsequent studies are needed to delineate the role of mental concentration, and eye focus, on alpha wave amplitude while performing worshipping acts.
    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
  8. 'Rallying around the flag': Can an intergroup contact intervention promote national unity?
    Al Ramiah A, Hewstone M
    Br J Soc Psychol, 2012 Jun;51(2):239-56.
    PMID: 21793860 DOI: 10.1111/j.2044-8309.2011.02041.x
    A longitudinal study evaluated the success of a contact-based nation-building intervention (the Malaysian National Service Programme) in promoting various facets of national unity. The study assessed how post-test measures of quality of intergroup contact, outgroup evaluations, and levels of identification changed compared to their respective pre-test levels, for both National Service and control group participants. The intervention did not lead to a worsening of any of the constructs related to intergroup relations, which is noteworthy given the novelty for many participants of mixing in a multi-ethnic setting. Furthermore, all rater groups (Malays, Chinese, and Indians) maintained their ethnic identity, even in the presence of high levels of national identity, which we discuss with respect to past research on the effects of positive intergroup contact on minority group identification. However, the changes associated with the intervention yielded only small effect sizes, and, on the whole, National Service participants did not show significantly greater improvement than that experienced by control participants. We discuss the value of intergroup contact in this novel setting, considering various features of this programme that may have limited its effectiveness and discuss how such interventions can more successfully meet their goals.
    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
  9. Urinary bisphenol A concentrations and their implications for human exposure in several Asian countries
    Zhang Z, Alomirah H, Cho HS, Li YF, Liao C, Minh TB, et al.
    Environ Sci Technol, 2011 Aug 15;45(16):7044-50.
    PMID: 21732633 DOI: 10.1021/es200976k
    Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Due to the potential of this compound to disrupt normal endocrinal functions, concerns over human exposure to BPA have been raised. Although several studies have reported human exposure to BPA in Western nations, little is known about exposure in Asian countries. In this study, we determined total urinary BPA concentrations (free plus conjugated) in 296 urine samples (male/female: 153/143) collected from the general population in seven Asian countries, China, India, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, and Vietnam, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). On the basis of urinary BPA concentrations, we estimated the total daily intake. The results indicated that BPA was detected in 94.3% of the samples analyzed, at concentrations ranging from <0.1 to 30.1 ng/mL. The geometric mean concentration of BPA for the entire sample set from seven countries was 1.20 ng/mL. The highest concentration of BPA was found in samples from Kuwait (median: 3.05 ng/mL, 2.45 μg/g creatinine), followed by Korea (2.17 ng/mL, 2.40 μg/g), India (1.71 ng/mL, 2.09 μg/g), Vietnam (1.18 ng/mL, 1.15 μg/g), China (1.10 ng/mL, 1.38 μg/g), Malaysia (1.06 ng/mL, 2.31 μg/g), and Japan (0.95 ng/mL, 0.58 μg/g). Among the five age groups studied (≤ 19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, and ≥ 50 years), the highest median concentration of BPA was found in urine samples from the age group of ≤ 19 years. There was no significant difference in BPA concentrations between genders (male and female) or domicile of residence (rural and urban). The estimated median daily intakes of BPA for the populations in Kuwait, Korea, India, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Japan were 5.19, 3.69, 2.90, 2.13, 2.01, 1.80, and 1.61 μg/day, respectively. The estimated daily intake of BPA in the seven Asian countries was significantly lower than the tolerable daily intake recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This is the first study to document the occurrence of and human exposure to BPA in several Asian countries.
    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
  10. Fulltext Socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics of illegal motorcycle street racers in Malaysia
    Wong LP
    BMC Public Health, 2011;11:446.
    PMID: 21649937 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-446
    This study sought to understand the factors associated with street racing among the illegal motorcycle racers in Malaysia or known as the "Mat Rempit".
    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
  11. Fulltext Self-reported tobacco smoking practices among medical students and their perceptions towards training about tobacco smoking in medical curricula: A cross-sectional, questionnaire survey in Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh
    Sreeramareddy CT, Suri S, Menezes RG, Kumar HN, Rahman M, Islam MR, et al.
    Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy, 2010;5:29.
    PMID: 21080923 DOI: 10.1186/1747-597X-5-29
    BACKGROUND: Tobacco smoking issues in developing countries are usually taught non-systematically as and when the topic arose. The World Health Organisation and Global Health Professional Student Survey (GHPSS) have suggested introducing a separate integrated tobacco module into medical school curricula. Our aim was to assess medical students' tobacco smoking habits, their practices towards patients' smoking habits and attitude towards teaching about smoking in medical schools.
    METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was carried out among final year undergraduate medical students in Malaysia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire included items on demographic information, students' current practices about patients' tobacco smoking habits, their perception towards tobacco education in medical schools on a five point Likert scale. Questions about tobacco smoking habits were adapted from GHPSS questionnaire. An 'ever smoker' was defined as one who had smoked during lifetime, even if had tried a few puffs once or twice. 'Current smoker' was defined as those who had smoked tobacco product on one or more days in the preceding month of the survey. Descriptive statistics were calculated.
    RESULTS: Overall response rate was 81.6% (922/1130). Median age was 22 years while 50.7% were males and 48.2% were females. The overall prevalence of 'ever smokers' and 'current smokers' was 31.7% and 13.1% respectively. A majority (> 80%) of students asked the patients about their smoking habits during clinical postings/clerkships. Only a third of them did counselling, and assessed the patients' willingness to quit. Majority of the students agreed about doctors' role in tobacco control as being role models, competence in smoking cessation methods, counseling, and the need for training about tobacco cessation in medical schools. About 50% agreed that current curriculum teaches about tobacco smoking but not systematically and should be included as a separate module. Majority of the students indicated that topics about health effects, nicotine addiction and its treatment, counselling, prevention of relapse were important or very important in training about tobacco smoking.
    CONCLUSION: Medical educators should consider revising medical curricula to improve training about tobacco smoking cessation in medical schools. Our results should be supported by surveys from other medical schools in developing countries of Asia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
  12. Fulltext Pattern and clinical characteristics of patients with nail psoriasis in Sarawak General Hospital, Malaysia
    Yap FB, Pubalan M
    Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol, 2010 Nov-Dec;76(6):703-4.
    PMID: 21079320 DOI: 10.4103/0378-6323.72447
    Study site: Skin Clinic, Sarawak General Hospital, Malaysia
    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
  13. Fulltext Patient satisfaction and loyalty to the private hospitals in Sana'a, Yemen
    Anbori A, Ghani SN, Yadav H, Daher AM, Su TT
    Int J Qual Health Care, 2010 Aug;22(4):310-5.
    PMID: 20543208 DOI: 10.1093/intqhc/mzq029
    To evaluate patients' satisfaction and loyalty to private hospitals and to identify factors influencing patient loyalty.
    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
  14. Fulltext Prevalence and risk factors of intestinal parasitism in rural and remote West Malaysia
    Ngui R, Ishak S, Chuen CS, Mahmud R, Lim YA
    PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2011;5(3):e974.
    PMID: 21390157 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000974
    Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) have a worldwide distribution and have been identified as one of the most significant causes of illnesses and diseases among the disadvantaged population. In Malaysia, IPIs still persist in some rural areas, and this study was conducted to determine the current epidemiological status and to identify risk factors associated with IPIs among communities residing in rural and remote areas of West Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
  15. Fulltext Pattern of homicidal deaths autopsied at Penang Hospital, Malaysia, 2007-2009: a preliminary study
    Bhupinder S, Kumara TK, Syed AM
    Malays J Pathol, 2010 Dec;32(2):81-6.
    PMID: 21329178 MyJurnal
    This article describes the homicide pattern in Penang Island, Malaysia over a three-year period (2007-2009). 65 homicide autopsies were performed at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Penang Hospital over the study period. The homicide rates ranged from 0.01 to 0.09/1000 population, the highest being in the Indian ethnic group. The majority (37%) of victims were in the 20-39 years age group. The male: female ratio was 3:1. The majority of deaths were caused by blunt instruments (46%), followed by stab/slash wounds (25%) and asphyxiation (12%). 63% of homicides occurred in areas served by the police stations at Jalan Patani (23.1%), Sg. Nibong (16.9%), Central (12.3%) and Bayan Lepas (10.9%). 56 (86%) victims were brought in dead to the hospital, while 9 (14%) died after admission. Most (39%) incidences occurred in the morning. The methods of homicide were different from Kuala Lumpur, another highly urbanised area of Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
  16. Fulltext Biomedical studies on lipid peroxidation and erythrocyte fragility during the process of aging
    Kumar A
    Asian Pac J Trop Biomed, 2011 Jan;1(1):6-7.
    PMID: 23569715 DOI: 10.1016/S2221-1691(11)60058-0
    To investigate oxidative stress, hemoglobin percentage and erythrocyte osmotic fragility in various aging groups.
    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
  17. Fulltext Optic nerve involvement as a first manifestation of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia after remission
    Peyman M, Hieng TL, Subrayan V
    BMJ Case Rep, 2011;2011.
    PMID: 22698906 DOI: 10.1136/bcr.11.2010.3517
    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
  18. Life scripts for emotionally charged autobiographical memories: A cultural explanation of the reminiscence bump
    Haque S, Hasking PA
    Memory, 2010 Oct;18(7):712-29.
    PMID: 20803371 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2010.506442
    Two studies examined the ability of the life script account to explain the reminiscence bump for emotionally charged autobiographical memories among Malaysian participants. In Study 1 volunteers, aged 50-90 years, participated in a two-phased task. In the first phase, participants estimated the timing of 11 life events (both positive and negative) that may occur in a prototypical life course within their own culture. Two weeks later the participants retrieved the same set of events from their lives and reported how old they were when those events occurred. In the second study 92 undergraduate students produced life scripts for the same 11 events. The findings revealed reminiscence bumps in both life script and retrieval curves for the memories judged happiest, most important, most in love, and most jealous. A reminiscence bump was also noted for success, although this was later in the lifespan than other reminiscence bumps. It was suggested that the life scripts can be used as an alternative account for the reminiscence bump, for highly positive and occasionally for negative autobiographical memories.
    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
  19. Fulltext A retrospective clinicopathological study of 59 osteogenic sarcoma of jaw bone archived in a stomatology unit
    Ajura AJ, Lau SH
    Malays J Pathol, 2010 Jun;32(1):27-34.
    PMID: 20614723 MyJurnal
    To determine the clinicopathological features of osteogenic sarcomas of the mandible and maxilla.
    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
  20. Risk behaviour and HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men in a multiethnic society: a venue-based study in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    Kanter J, Koh C, Razali K, Tai R, Izenberg J, Rajan L, et al.
    Int J STD AIDS, 2011 Jan;22(1):30-7.
    PMID: 21364064 DOI: 10.1258/ijsa.2010.010277
    This research aimed to determine HIV prevalence, risk behaviour and knowledge of transmission methods among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Venue-day-time sampling (VDTS) was applied to identify venues where men congregate to solicit sex from other men. Participants recruited from clubs, massage parlours, saunas and one park self-completed a computerized behavioural questionnaire, were administered an oral rapid HIV test and given the opportunity to return later to receive full counselling and learn their HIV status. A total of 517 men were enrolled into the study. The majority were Malays (47.0%) and Chinese (43.7%). Twenty tested HIV positive (3.9%). Significant predictors of HIV infection included having unprotected anal sex with a casual partner (44.9% of participants, odds ratio [OR] = 2.99; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13-7.90; P = 0.027), having unprotected receptive anal sex (27.9%, OR = 2.71; 95% CI 1.10-6.54; P = 0.030) and having group sex (33.3%, OR = 3.95; 95% CI 1.55-10.09; P = 0.004). One in five participants (20.1% and 19.5%) did not believe that HIV could be transmitted through insertive or receptive anal sex, respectively. Risk behaviour is high and knowledge of HIV transmission methods was low among MSM in Kuala Lumpur. Future prevention efforts should focus on providing risk reduction education to this community.
    Matched MeSH terms: Young Adult
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