SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among all (n = 361) consented dental undergraduate students of our dental school. A twenty-item Lay's Procrastination Scale for student population and a ten-item General Self-Efficacy Scale were used for the study after getting institutional ethical approval. The quantitative data were explained using descriptive statistics. Independent sample t-test and ANOVA were used to determine the association between self-efficacy, academic procrastination, and genders and academic years. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the association between self-efficacy and procrastination. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to determine the related factors to academic procrastination.
RESULTS: High procrastination (score ≥62) was seen among 28.5% of students. The mean self-efficacy score was 29.5. There was no significant difference between genders for procrastination scores (P = 0.835) and between academic years (P = 0.226). Males showed significantly more self-efficacy (P < 0.001), and self-efficacy did not show any significant difference (P = 0.204) between academic years though a tendency for year 5 students to have lower self-efficacy scores was observed. Academic procrastination was negatively correlated with self-efficacy (r = -0.238 and P < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: For dental undergraduates who have cognitive load as well as work associated with patients, procrastination and self-efficacy are negatively correlated.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving patients aged ≥18 years. Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) was assessed. Skin pH, TEWL and hydration were measured at 18 pre-determined sites.
RESULTS: Forty-eight patients participated, 33(68.8%) females and 15(31.3%) males aged 28.46 ± 12.07 years. The overall skin pH was 5.32 ± 0.68 ranging from 5.16 ± 0.75 to 5.52 ± 0.59. The lowest pH 5.16 ± 0.75 was at anterior leg, popliteal fossae 5.18 ± 0.67, lower back 5.21 ± 0.64, forehead 5.22 ± 0.62, upper back 5.25 ± 0.65 and neck 5.26 ± 0.76. Highest pH was at the cheek 5.52 ± 0.59, anterior thigh 5.47 ± 0.68, dorsal arm 5.46 ± 0.68, volar arm 5.43 ± 0.67 and abdomen 5.39 ± 0.67. Lesional areas' pH (5.40 ± 0.13) was higher than nonlesional (5.27 ± 0.14), P = .01. pH at AD predilection sites was significantly lower non-predilection sites (5.26 ± 0.59 vs 5.34 ± 0.64). pH did not correlate with TEWL (r = .23, P = .12), EASI (r = .19, P = .20) and itch (r = .06, P = .70) but correlated with hydration r = -.33, P = .02.
CONCLUSION: Skin pH was lower at AD predilection sites. There was no correlation between pH with AD severity and TEWL, pH correlated with hydration.
METHODS: A total of 2,461 secondary school students aged 12-17 years from 19 schools in Sarawak participated in the study. Questionnaire was used to obtain socio-demographic data, parental history of hypertension, and self-reported physical activity. Anthropometric and blood pressure measurements were taken. Data was entered and analysed using SPSS version 23.0.
RESULTS: The prevalence of adolescents with elevated blood pressure, overweight, central obesity, and overfat were 30.1%, 24.3%, 13.5%, and 6.7%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated the predictors significantly associated with elevated blood pressure among respondents: overweight (adjusted odds ratio=3.144), being male (adjusted odds ratio=3.073), being Chinese (adjusted odds ratio=2.321) or Iban (adjusted odds ratio=1.578), central obesity (adjusted odds ratio=2.145), being overfat (adjusted odds ratio=1.885), and being an older adolescent (adjusted odds ratio=1.109). Parental history of hypertension, locality, and physical activity showed no significant associations.
CONCLUSION: The obesity epidemic must be tackled at community and school levels by health education and regulation of school canteen foods.
DESIGN AND SETTING: Descriptive cross-sectional study in a tertiary center.
PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The subjects are 274 audio files of voices of patients undergoing thyroid, parathyroid surgeries, and known VCP due to other neck surgeries. Voice assessments were done by three endocrine surgeons (A, B, and C) with 20, 12, and 4 years of surgical experience.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sensitivity and specificity of surgeon documented voice assessment in patients with underlying VCP. Subjects' acoustic analysis and Voice Handicap Index (VHI-10) were analyzed.
RESULTS: Raters A, B, and C have sensitivity of 63.6%, 78.8%, and 66.7%, respectively. Inter-rater reliability shows substantial agreement (ƙ = 0.67). VHI-10 has sensitivity of 75.8% and strong correlation of 0.707 (p value <0.001) to VCP. Subjects with VCP have notably higher jitter, shimmer, and noise-to-harmonic ratio compared to normal subjects with sensitivity of 74.2%, 71.2%, and 72.7%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: The results for surgeons documented voice assessment did not reach the desired sensitivity for a screening tool for patients with underlying VCP. Other tools such as VHI-10 and acoustic analysis may not be used as standalone tools in screening patients with underlying VCP. Routine preoperative laryngeal examination may be recommended for all patients undergoing thyroid, parathyroid, or other surgeries that places the laryngeal nerves at risk.