Displaying publications 121 - 140 of 1064 in total

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  1. Hanis TM, Arifin WN, Musa KI, Rodzlan Hasani WS, Che Nawi CMNH, Shahrani SA, et al.
    Malays J Med Sci, 2022 Dec;29(6):123-131.
    PMID: 36818910 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2022.29.6.12
    BACKGROUND: Understanding the risks of COVID-19 mortality helps in the planning and prevention of the disease. This study aimed to determine the risk factors for COVID-19 mortality in Malaysia.

    METHODS: Secondary online data provided by the Ministry of Health, Malaysia and Malaysia's national COVID-19 immunisation programme were used: i) COVID-19 deaths data; ii) vaccination coverage data and iii) population estimate data. Quasi-Poisson regression was performed to determine the risk factors for COVID-19 mortality.

    RESULTS: Four risk factors were identified: i) vaccination status (partial versus unvaccinated, incidence rate ratio [IRR]: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.54, 0.64; complete versus unvaccinated, IRR: 0.50; 95% CI: 0.45, 0.56; booster versus unvaccinated, IRR: 0.13; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.26); ii) age group (19 years old-59 years old versus above 60 years old, IRR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.84, 0.97; 13 years old-18 years old versus above 60 years old, IRR: 0.09; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.19; 6 years old-12 years old versus above 60 years old, IRR: 0.09; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.22; below 5 years old versus above 60 years old, IRR: 0.11; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.23); iii) gender (male versus female, IRR: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.14, 1.32) and iv) comorbidity (yes versus no, IRR: 2.13; 95% CI: 1.96, 2.32).

    CONCLUSION: This study highlighted the risk factors for COVID-19 mortality and the benefit of COVID-19 vaccination, especially of booster vaccination, in reducing the risk of COVID-19 mortality in Malaysia.

  2. Al-Ani AHHDA, Othman N, Hassali MA, Ibrahim B
    Malays J Med Sci, 2022 Oct;29(5):17-23.
    PMID: 36474531 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2022.29.5.3
    Sepsis is a medical emergency that involves a systemic immunological response due to an infection, resulting in the end-stage-organs malfunction and death. It is associated with high mortality rate despite a better understanding of the disease pathology and the mechanism involved. This review was designed to summarise the available evidences regarding the adequacy of the empiric antimicrobial therapy (EAMT), its predictors and its impact on the outcomes in intensive care unit (ICU) sepsis patients. Providing an adequate EAMT is considered one of the cornerstones of sepsis management as it has been found to be associated with better survival and is a good predictor for shorter ICU-length-of-stay. In contrast, inadequate EAMT in sepsis patients is associated with poor clinical outcomes including increased mortality and prolonged hospital stay. Evidence from this review suggest that it is important to identify determinants of inadequate EAMT to optimise the antimicrobial therapy provided to sepsis patients. Predictors of inadequate EAMT included co-morbidities (cancer), source and type of infection, higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHI-II) score and long hospital stay prior to the infection. As EAMT is considered as one of the effective treatment strategies to prevent sepsis associated death, healthcare providers should ensure the adequate antimicrobial therapy is provided for sepsis patients to improve and optimise their management.
  3. Poh TE, Chai S, Lim YP, Wong CY, Heng FEK, Wong JSY
    Malays J Med Sci, 2022 Dec;29(6):89-103.
    PMID: 36818909 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2022.29.6.9
    BACKGROUND: Flexible work arrangements (FWAs) have been widely implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the FWA perceived benefits and barriers (FWAPB) scale and subsequently, to determine the preference and perceived feasibility, perceived benefits and barriers, and readiness to implement FWA among healthcare workers.

    METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire in Miri Hospital. The questionnaire was administered via a web survey design (Google Forms). The convenience sampling method was applied to recruit respondents. All healthcare workers in Miri Hospital who could read and understand English were invited to participate in the study. Response process validation, exploratory factor analysis, reliability analyses and descriptive statistics were performed.

    RESULTS: A total of 339 respondents participated. All items had satisfactory response process indices. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure. Items of 'perceived benefits-workplace management', 'perceived benefits-family life balance' and 'perceived barriers' have high internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.852-0.884) and factor loadings. Flextime is preferred and perceived to be the most feasible work arrangement. Most agreed that FWA helps in improving social distancing among colleagues (mean = 3.65, standard deviation [SD] = 0.99) and reduces their exposure to COVID-19 (mean = 3.60, SD = 1.06). A total of 44.0% of the respondents agreed Miri Hospital is ready to implement FWA.

    CONCLUSION: The FWAPB is valid and reliable. Almost half of the respondents were positive towards the implementation of FWA. These findings contribute to the understanding of FWA, and thus increase the readiness and acceptance of such an arrangement.

  4. Othman A, Idris Z, Rosman AK, Abdullah JM, GhanI ARI, Zakaria AZ
    Malays J Med Sci, 2022 Oct;29(5):48-58.
    PMID: 36474530 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2022.29.5.6
    BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment (CI) and neuropsychiatry manifestation (NM) are known complications among patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, the clinical correlation between mild and moderate TBI with the above have not been extensively studied.

    METHODS: The patients (n = 54) were divided into mild and moderate TBI. Both groups were assessed at 3 months and 6 months post-trauma for the same measures. Diagnosis of CI was done using the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) questionnaire while NM screening was performed using the 12-items General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) followed by MINI International Neuropsychiatry Interview (MINI).

    RESULTS: We found five patients (19.2%) with mild TBI had CI and five patients (19.2%) had NM at 3 months. Only one patient (3.8%) persistently has CI at 6 months while the rest recovered. As for moderate TBI, 11 patients (39.3%) had CI and seven patients (25%) had NM at 3 months but none had persistent CI or NM at 6 months. Age (P < 0.05) and blood pressure were significant risks (P < 0.05) for CI and NM at 3 months.

    CONCLUSION: This study highlighted the importance of screening following mild and moderate TBI at 3 months and 6 months. Early recognition facilitates effective rehabilitation programmes planning hence improve prognosis in the future.

  5. Malays J Med Sci, 2022 Oct;29(5):1.
    PMID: 36815009
    [This retracts the article DOI: 10.21315/mjms2022.29.5.9.].
  6. Wan Ahmad WA, Rosman A, Bavanandan S, Mohamed M, Kader MASA, Muthusamy TS, et al.
    Malays J Med Sci, 2023 Feb;30(1):67-81.
    PMID: 36875188 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2023.30.1.6
    Dyslipidaemia is highly prevalent in the Malaysian population and is one of the main risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is recognised as the primary target of lipid-lowering therapy to reduce the disease burden of ASCVD. Framingham General CV Risk Score has been validated in the Malaysian population for CV risk assessment. The Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) on the management of dyslipidaemia were last updated in 2017. Since its publication, several newer randomised clinical trials have been conducted with their results published in research articles and compared in meta-analysis. This underscores a need to update the previous guidelines to ensure good quality care and treatment for the patients. This review summarises the benefits of achieving LDL-C levels lower than the currently recommended target of < 1.8mmol/L without any safety concerns. In most high and very high-risk individuals, statins are the first line of therapy for dyslipidaemia management. However, certain high-risk individuals are not able to achieve the LDL-C goal as recommended in the guideline even with high-intensity statin therapy. In such individuals, lower LDL-C levels can be achieved by combining the statins with non-statin agents such as ezetimibe and PCSK9 inhibitors. Emerging non-statin lipid-lowering therapies and challenges in dyslipidaemia management are discussed in this article. The review also summarises the recent updates on local and international guidelines for dyslipidaemia management.
  7. Nor Nazli NA, Muthuraju S, Ahmad F, Mohamed Yusoff AA, Jaafar H, Shamsuddin S, et al.
    Malays J Med Sci, 2023 Feb;30(1):92-106.
    PMID: 36875187 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2023.30.1.8
    BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to understand the characterisation of human hippocampal astrocyte following hypoxia exposure. Based on the preliminary screening, 15 min was chosen as the time point and the cells were exposed to different oxygen percentages.

    METHODS: The Trypan blue viability assay used to examine cell death. Immunofluorescence assay, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was used to portray the morphology of astrocytes. The hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) staining was performed to confirm hypoxia induced cell death and there was a dramatic expression of HIF-1α displayed in exposed astrocyte cells compared to the control. In molecular level, genes were chosen, such as glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), GFAP, HIF-1α and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and ran the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

    RESULTS: Microscope revealed a filamentous and clear nucleus appearance in a control whereas the rupture nuclei with no rigid structure of the cell were found in the 3% oxygen. The control and hypoxia cells were also stained with the annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (annexin V-FITC). Fluorescence microscope reveals astrocyte cells after hypoxia showed higher expression of nuclei but not in control. Merging PI and FITC showed the differences of nuclei expression between the control and hypoxia. In the molecular analysis, there were significant changes of GFAP, HIF-1α and Bcl-2 in hypoxia exposed cells when compared to the control group.

    CONCLUSION: Cells that were exposed to hypoxia (3% oxygen for 15 min) clearly showed damage. General view of human hippocampal astrocyte genomic response to hypoxia was obtained.

  8. Almutairi R, Azuhairi AA, Mahmud A, Dablool AS
    Malays J Med Sci, 2023 Feb;30(1):185-197.
    PMID: 36875191 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2023.30.1.16
    BACKGROUND: Eating disorders (EDs) are characterised by an abnormal attitude towards food that causes someone to change their eating habits and behaviour. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of EDs and their associated factors among female going-school adolescents in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in five schools in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, among a representative random sample of female adolescent students aged 13 years old-18 years old. A simple random sampling method was used to select the participants. An online self-administered questionnaire, the Arabic version of eating attitude test (EAT-26) and socio-cultural attitudes toward appearance questionnaire (SATAQ-4), was used.

    RESULTS: More than half (53.6%) of adolescent girls scored at or above the cut-off point of EAT-26. Around 45% of the participants had experienced family influence on their appearance and body shape, 36.7% had experienced peer influence on these factors, and 49.4% had experienced media influence. Family influence was significantly associated with EDs (P = 0.013).

    CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of EDs among female going-school adolescents in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is of great concern. To mitigate this problem, effective programmes must be designed to change their dietary habits while considering the effects of family, peer and media influence, as well as focusing on the importance of eating breakfast and practising physical activity.

  9. Mohd Daud SM, Sukri NM, Johari MH, Gnanou J, Manaf FA
    Malays J Med Sci, 2023 Feb;30(1):31-48.
    PMID: 36875192 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2023.30.1.4
    Strenuous exercise causes increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), creating an imbalance between ROS and antioxidants. The reduced antioxidant defence leads to defective elimination of ROS and consequently, delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS due to exhaustive or prolonged exercise typically peaks between 24 h and 72 h after exercise results in soreness, inflammation, pain and decreased muscle function. As a result, muscle strength will be reduced progressively and this situation might be detrimental to one's athletic performance, especially amidst competition season. Therefore, supplementation to improve muscle recovery and sports performance has become a common practice among athletes. However, it is suggested to consume natural-based fruit-derived antioxidants as a more effective and safe nutritional strategy. Fruits containing a high amount of polyphenol protect muscle cells from excessive and harmful ROS due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant characteristics. To date, there are several expended studies on the consumption of supplements from various antioxidant-rich fruits to provide evidence on their effectiveness, giving better solutions and wider choices of supplementation to the athletes. Therefore, this review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of nutritional standpoint from previous literature on the effect of fruit juices supplementation on muscle recovery and sports performance.
  10. Norsa'adah B, Yaacob NM, Abdullah S, Kueh Yee C, Ab Hamid SA, Ghazali AK, et al.
    Malays J Med Sci, 2023 Feb;30(1):1-6.
    PMID: 36875186 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2023.30.1.1
    Health and medical research are important parts of the curriculum of medical and health programmes in universities and play an important role in the functioning of organisations related to health care. There is a shortage of well-trained health and medical research statisticians. This article describes the courses and structure of the Master of Science in Medical Statistics programme at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), as well as the graduates' achievements. It is a 2-year programme that prepares qualified and competent graduates in statistical methods and data analysis for research in health and medical sciences. The Biostatistics and Research Methodology Unit, School of Medical Sciences, USM has been running the programme since 2003. It is currently the only medical statistics programme available in Malaysia. There have been 97 graduates since 2005, with an employment rate of 96.7% and a successful subsequent doctorate rate of 21.1%. Most of the students returned to their previous employments, mainly with the Ministry of Health of Malaysia and several others became lecturers, statisticians or research officers. The employability of graduates from this programme is very high and their professional future is bright. We hope our graduates will impart their knowledge and skills to the nation.
  11. Abidin NZ
    Malays J Med Sci, 2023 Feb;30(1):137-151.
    PMID: 36875189 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2023.30.1.12
    BACKGROUND: Asian women are more susceptible to musculoskeletal disorders compared to their Caucasian counterparts, and employed women are substantially more prone to musculoskeletal disorders compared to men. Data on musculoskeletal health in Malaysian women are lacking. The study's goal was to evaluate the body composition and functional performance of older and younger Malaysian women for obesity and musculoskeletal health problems.

    METHODS: The study included 141 post-menopausal Malaysian women and 118 young Malaysian women between 18 years old and 32 years old of age. Body composition, bone density, handgrip strength and physical performance were assessed using bio-electrical impedance analyser, calcaneal quantitative ultrasound, hand dynamometer and modified short physical performance battery test, respectively.

    RESULTS: There was a higher prevalence of 'low muscle mass' among the younger age group compared to their older counterparts (48 young women [40.0%] versus 44 post-menopausal women [31.2%]). Conversely, there was a higher prevalence of 'obesity' and 'low bone density' among the older age group compared to their younger counterparts. Mean broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) for both age groups was ≥ 70.0 dB/MHz. The majority of post-menopausal women had a 'minor functional decline' (40.6%), followed by moderate (28.1%), major (22.7%), severe (6.3%) and the lowest percentage for 'no decline' (2.3%).

    CONCLUSION: There was a high prevalence of obesity with poor musculoskeletal health in older Malaysian women, which may lead to frailty and higher incidences of falls and fractures at an advanced age. The screening of musculoskeletal conditions among Malaysian women may aid in early detection of abnormalities and timely intervention.

  12. Roslan M, Mohd Nisfu FR, Arzmi MH, Abdul Wahab R, Zainuddin N
    Malays J Med Sci, 2023 Aug;30(4):8-24.
    PMID: 37655145 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2023.30.4.2
    Individuals with a history of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exhibit memory immunity acquired during natural infection. However, a decline in immunity after infection renders these individuals vulnerable to re-infection, in addition to a higher risk of infection with new variants. This systematic review examined related studies to elucidate the antibody response in these infected individuals after messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccination. Hence, the focus of this review was to ascertain differences in the concentration of binding and neutralising antibodies of previously infected individuals in comparison to those of infection-naïve individuals after administration of two doses of mRNA vaccination through available case-control and cohort studies. Positive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test or detectable anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies at the baseline in included studies showed categorisation of infected and uninfected individuals. This review utilised three online databases: PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane with the following keywords: (COVID-19 OR 'Coronavirus Disease 2019' OR SARS-CoV-2) AND Immun* AND (Pfizer OR BioNTech OR BNT162b2 OR Comirnaty OR Moderna OR mRNA-1273) from January 2019 to July 2021. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocol (PRISMA-P) 2020 guidelines and assessment based on the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool (CCAT), we included 13 related qualified papers of observational studies discerning the binding and neutralising antibody concentrations of infected and uninfected individuals after administration of mRNA vaccines, such as the BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 vaccine. The mRNA vaccines induced robust binding and neutralising antibody responses in both groups. However, infected individuals showed induction of higher antibody responses in a shorter time compared to uninfected individuals. Hence, a single dose of mRNA vaccination for infected individuals may be sufficient to reach the same level of antibody concentration as that observed in uninfected individuals after receiving two doses of vaccination.
  13. Md Khairi LNH, Gnanasan S
    Malays J Med Sci, 2023 Aug;30(4):33-47.
    PMID: 37655143 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2023.30.4.4
    The arrival of COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 adversely affected every aspect of human life, including the management of asthma. The pandemic has forced clinicians to revisit the application of high-risk aerosol-generating procedures in asthma management, including spirometry and nebuliser therapy. The use of commercial spacers with pressurised metered-dose inhalers to replace nebulisation is limited by the high cost and pandemic-induced stock unavailability of these inhalers. The need for social distancing, healthcare reserves reallocation, and scarce personal protective equipment has promote increased telemedicine uptake for patients' asthma control and monitoring. Malaysian pharmacists have been providing long-term care of asthma through the introduction of the respiratory Medication Therapy Adherence Clinic (MTAC) to empower patients' general health literacy, train and regularly evaluate their inhalation technique, and reinforce the importance of medication compliance. To minimise the use of unplanned healthcare resources and avoidable COVID-19 infection exposure, Malaysian pharmacists need to better support asthma self-management via increased uptake of written Asthma Action Plans (AAPs). Pharmacist-led asthma treatment step-down to attain the lowest effective dose of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) has become increasingly relevant during the pandemic, as its prolonged use carries risk of numerous side effects and possible hospitalisation. Telepharmacy offers a promising model for exploration and an alternative to the traditional service delivery of asthma education. Despite not being authorised as vaccinators, Malaysian pharmacists hold strong positions in COVID-19 immunisation programmes for pharmacovigilance and advocacy. The pandemic demands an increased role for pharmacists within medication management to prevent patients from the stockpiling that can cause adverse effects on pharmaceutical supply chain. This review intends to summarise the impact of COVID-19 on asthma management, with a focus on the transitional roles of Malaysian pharmacists before and after the pandemic era.
  14. Mohd Yosli HN, Hong W, Kazura K, Abdul Salim NH, Md Pauzi AL, Mat Din H, et al.
    Malays J Med Sci, 2023 Aug;30(4):157-174.
    PMID: 37655142 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2023.30.4.14
    INTRODUCTION: Despite the high prevalence of post-stroke delirium in Malaysia, there are no studies on good practices related to its management. This study aimed to analyse the knowledge, attitude, perception, and factors associated with current practices related to delirium in acute stroke patients among health personnel at Hospital Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah (HSAAS) (formerly known as Hospital Pengajar Universiti Putra Malaysia).

    METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from 26 April 2021 to 9 May 2021 (17 weeks). All health personnel from various departments managing patients with acute stroke in our centre were invited to participate. An online questionnaire was disseminated to assess their knowledge, attitude, perception, and current practices concerning delirium. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the association between the independent and dependent variables. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05.

    RESULTS: The response rate was 22.49% (47 of 209 participants). More than half (61.7%, n = 29) had good current practices towards delirium in acute stroke patients. A significant association was found between knowledge and current practices related to delirium (P = 0.024). However, there was no significant association between current practices and sociodemographic factors (age, ethnicity, gender and job position), attitude, perceptions, screening barriers, or health service organisation.

    CONCLUSION: Most respondents had good current practices and knowledge in managing post-stroke delirium. Therefore, upskilling health personnel for managing this illness is essential to ensure good post-stroke care and improve prognosis related to delirium.

  15. Aldawsari M, Soh KL, Abdul Raman R, Mohd Taib N, Aboshaiqah A
    Malays J Med Sci, 2023 Aug;30(4):116-131.
    PMID: 37655141 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2023.30.4.11
    BACKGROUND: Hands are the most common vehicle of pathogen transmission in a healthcare setting. Therefore, hand hygiene is the leading method of reducing healthcare-associated infections. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of hand hygiene and predictors for poor hand hygiene practice among healthcare workers who care for children with leukaemia in the paediatric oncology ward of King Saud Medical City (KSMC) in Saudi Arabia.

    METHODS: One hundred and ninety medical doctors and nurses, who were registered with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialities, were selected to participate in this cross-sectional study using a simple sampling technique. Their KAP of hand hygiene was assessed using a self-structured questionnaire and the collected data was analysed using IBM® SPSS® version 26.0.

    RESULTS: Of the 190 healthcare workers, 74.7% were nurses and 25.3% were medical doctors. Among the participants, 53.7% (102) had good knowledge of hand hygiene, 51.6% (98) had positive attitudes towards hand hygiene and 55.8% (106) practised satisfactory hand hygiene. Bachelor education level (adjusted OR = 2.736; 95% CI = 1.101, 6.799; P = 0.030), postgraduate education level (adjusted OR = 6.256; 95% CI = 2.171, 18.028; P = 0.001), poor knowledge (adjusted OR =2.575; 95% CI = 1.263, 5.246; P = 0.009) and negative attitude (adjusted OR = 4.702; 95% CI = 1.263, 5.246; P < 0.001) were the significant predictor variables of unsatisfactory hand hygiene practice among healthcare workers.

    CONCLUSION: The performance of hand hygiene among healthcare workers is still far less than optimal, particularly in settings like oncology units. Effective programmes are needed to increase their awareness of hand hygiene KAP, while strict guidelines are needed to reduce nosocomial infections.

  16. Jong HY, Rauf RA, Abdullah JM, Reza F, Tye J, Karageorghis CI, et al.
    Malays J Med Sci, 2023 Aug;30(4):132-146.
    PMID: 37655149 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2023.30.4.12
    BACKGROUND: Adolescents with syntactic specific language impairment (S-SLI) fail to comprehend which object questions. We hypothesised that rhythmic music training is more effective in treating this condition than conventional methods because music is often perceived as having a clear, isochronous beat or pulse. Thus, this study aims to investigate the effects of rhythmic music training on the syntactic structure processing of Malay which questions among native adolescents.

    METHODS: In this research study, the participants were three groups of Malay adolescents aged 13 years old-15 years old: i) adolescents with S-SLI with music training, ii) adolescents with S-SLI without music training and iii) typically developing adolescents. Before and after music training, the participants were given a sentence-picture matching task. Accuracy measures and reaction times were captured using E-Prime 2.0.

    RESULTS: The results indicated that with music training, the accuracy and reaction time associated with which object questions among the two SLI groups were significantly higher and lower, respectively.

    CONCLUSION: The implications of using rhythmic music training in enhancing syntactic structure processing are also discussed.

  17. Boulesnam SL, Hamaidi-Chergui F, Benamara M, Azrou S
    Malays J Med Sci, 2023 Aug;30(4):85-93.
    PMID: 37655144 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2023.30.4.8
    BACKGROUND: Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) causes a variety of nosocomial infections that mainly affect critically ill patients in intensive care units (ICUs). The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of A. baumannii in the ICU environment and evaluate the antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation ability of the environmental isolates compared to those isolated from ICU patients simultaneously.

    METHODS: A total of 166 non-duplicate ICU samples (80 environmental and 86 clinical) were collected between January 2019 and January 2020. Antimicrobial susceptibility detection was determined using the disc diffusion method, and the strains were evaluated for the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of imipenem (IMP) using broth microdilution or metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) detection according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. The isolates' capacity to produce biofilms was evaluated using the tube method and the crystal violet microtitre plate-based method.

    RESULTS: A. baumannii was identified in 25 (31.25%) environmental and 30 (34.88%) clinical samples, and beds were the most infected (60%). Both types of isolate demonstrated a rate surpassing 80% resistance to the tested antibiotics. Phenotypically, the environmental and clinical strains were found to be MBL producers. Fourteen environmental (56%) and 15 clinical (50%) strains were found to be moderate biofilm producers, indicating that each isolate has a high biofilm-forming capacity.

    CONCLUSION: These results show that the spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) A. baumannii in an ICU setting emphasises the necessity of disinfecting and cleaning medical devices and surfaces to prevent and restrict cross-transmission. Intensive surveillance and infection control methods are also of paramount importance.

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