METHODS: A literature search was conducted of Medline and Embase databases from January 2007 to February 2017, using the key words 'aortic disease', 'thoracic aorta' and 'endovascular repair'; 205 articles were identified, of which 25 studies were selected for review based on their relevance.
FINDINGS: The key findings of the indications, techniques, outcomes, complications and comparisons with open surgical repair were extracted from the published studies and are summarised in this review. Thoracic endovascular aortic repair is the preferred choice of intervention for patients with descending thoracic aortic disease. With time, it has improved to be safer and has the potential to expand aortic treatment choices in future.
METHODS: This research was a cross-sectional study conducted in 4 health care centers, namely Klinik Mediviron Sri Rampai, Queck Dental Surgery, International Medical University (IMU) Healthcare Chiropractic Centre, and Be Pharmacy Bandar Sri Permaisuri, in Klang Valley from July to November 2018, with a total of 440 respondents. The data collection was done by the self-administration method using questionnaires that were enclosed in envelopes and passed on to the participants by the center's staff. Descriptive statistics were conducted on the data collected and are presented in tables and figures. The variables were sex, age, nationality, ethnicity, marital status, education level, employment status, and health status with the utilization of chiropractic.
RESULT: There were 186 (42.3%) male and 254 (57.7%) female respondents. The youngest respondent was 18 years old, and the oldest was 81 years old. The median age was 30 years old. Most respondents (97.3%) were Malaysian from a non-Bumiputra (non-Malay) ethnic group. Almost half (47.5%) of the respondents had a bachelor's degree education level. The utilization of chiropractic was 35.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 31.4-40.5).
CONCLUSION: The utilization of chiropractic was 35.9%, which was slightly lower than utilization among other traditional and complementary medicine practices in Malaysia.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted of patients attending the following 4 health care services: medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and chiropractic. The study ran from July to November 2018. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires and reported using descriptive statistics. Variables included demographic characteristics and awareness of the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act 2016 (Act 775).
RESULTS: We obtained 440 responses, 186 (42.3%) from men and 254 (57.7%) from women, with ages ranging from 18 to 81 years. The majority of respondents (97.3%) were Malaysian from the non-Malay ethnic group. Almost half (47.5%) of the respondents had a bachelor's degree. The awareness of the traditional and complementary medicine law governing chiropractic was low (4.8%). Binary logistic regression revealed marital status as the only significant predictor of awareness of the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act, with married individuals showing higher awareness (adjusted odds ratio: 2.77; 95% CI, 1.38-5.58).
CONCLUSION: For this sample of adults, the awareness of the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act 2016 governing chiropractic was found to be low. As the regulation of chiropractic is still new in Malaysia and other Asian countries, efforts are needed to increase public awareness to ensure the safety and quality of chiropractic services.