A new species of riffle beetle, Vietelmis jablonskii, from Laos and Thailand is described and illustrated. Differences to other Vietelmis species are discussed and an identification key for the Vietelmis is presented. New faunistic records are provided for V. kovaci Kodada & Čiampor, 2000; the genus Vietelmis is newly recorded for Thailand.
A new species of Asian rock gecko, genus Cnemaspis, is described from Padawan, western Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. The new species forms a clade with C. paripari and C. nigridia of the C. nigridia group in a mitochondrial DNA phylogeny and is similar to them morphologically in some characters such as caudal scalation. It differs from the other Asian Cnemaspis species in its unique combination of snout-vent length (up to 62.7 mm), 4-9 precloacal pores in males, keeled subcaudals with an enlarged, smooth, median row, presence of ventrolateral caudal tubercles, and coloration (head and upper flanks dark-yellow; anterior portion of tail black; posterior portion of tail white with black, paravertebral blob). Phylogenetic relationships within the C. nigridia group and the distributional ranges of species within the group suggest allopatric speciation by geographic isolation.
In 2015, a female patient returning to Australia from Sabah, Malaysia, was diagnosed with a suspected sylvatic dengue virus type 2 (DENV-2) infection, becoming the second case of imported highly divergent dengue virus infection recorded in Australia. We describe here the complete genome sequencing of the DENV-2 strain isolated from this patient.
Fluid replacement is the mainstay treatment for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Currently, the best choice of fluids is still debatable. An amount of 0.9% sodium chloride is commonly used. Sterofundin® is an alternative crystalloid that is assumed to expedite resolution of acidosis. Advantages in sterofundin content being smaller significant ion difference (SID) to plasma and lower chloride content. The main objective of the study was to compare rate of acidosis resolution in DKA patients between treatment with 0.9% normal saline and Sterofundin over 12 hrs. Other objectives were to compare significant ion difference (SID), 12-hr blood ketone clearance and electrolyte balance between the two groups. The study was a prospective open labelled randomized control trial. This study was conducted over 6 months. Sample size of 18 was obtained with 9 for each arm. Main difference between two groups was initial median 2-hr pH level improvement (NS = +0.006 vs. Sterofundin = +0.05, P=0.063), however not being significant. Ketone, anion gap reduction, bicarbonate normalisation, sodium, chloride, urea and creatinine levels failed to show any significant differences between both groups. Twelve-hour median chloride levels increments were higher in the NS group (+11) compared to the sterofundin group (+6). There was no difference between mortality and morbidity. Comparing the two fluid groups, there was no significant biochemical differences during treatment of DKA. This was a pilot study that can initiate further clinical trials.
Keywords: anion gap, diabetic ketoacidosis, ketone, ph, saline, sterofundin
Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is the most common subtype of acute leukaemias with a poor outcome. Msi2 protein is a newly discovered prognostic marker and it has been considered as a new target for therapy in AML. The study of Msi2
protein expression in AML cases has not been performed in Malaysia, to date. The main aim of the present study was to observe the expression of Msi2 protein in AML patients by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and to correlate its expression
with the well-established prognostic and clinical parameters in AML as well as the overall survival (OS). Sixty four bone marrow trephine biopsy sections were immunostained for Msi2 protein. The percentage of blasts with positive reaction
and the intensity of the cytoplasmic and nuclear staining were evaluated. The expression of Msi2 protein was found in 95.3% cases with Msi2 pattern varying between the cases. In 71.9% of cases, the blasts showed total cellular positivity and 23.4% cases showed only cytoplasmic positivity. Majority showed high expression of Msi2 for cytoplasmic staining. Interestingly, there was significant correlation between total cellular staining and the intermediate cytogenetic subgroup (P=0.04). In conclusion, the results showed that the majority of the patients had high expression of Msi2 but this did not correlate to OS. However, the Msi2 expression correlated to the cytogenetic findings. The results suggest future extensive research to be conducted in order to ascertain the exact role of Msi2 positive blast cells in AML in our population and their association with prognosis and outcome.
Keywords: AML, cytogenetics, immunohistochemistry, Msi2 protein
Di Malaysia, timun laut lebih dikenali sebagai Gamat. Di kalangan kaum Melayu,
gamat sering digunakan sebagai ubat tradisional untuk melegakan kesakitan,
merawat luka dan kesan terbakar. Ianya juga digunakan sebagai tonik untuk
memberi sumber tenaga tambahan. Stichopus chloronotus merupakan salah satu
spesies timun laut yang boleh didapati di Malaysia. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk
menentukan dos optimum ekstrak akues Stichopus chloronotus emulsi salap ke
atas luka pada model tikus. Beberapa siri kepekatan iaitu 0.1%, 0.5% dan 1%
ekstrak akues Stichopus chloronotus emulsi salap diberikan ke atas luka eksisi sekali
sehari selama 10 hari. Perubahan pada kawasan luka diukur dengan menggunakan
angkup dan gambar luka diambil pada hari pertama, ke-3, ke-6, ke-8 dan ke-10
selepas pembentukan luka. Keputusan daripada peratusan pengurangan luka dan
pemerhatian makroskopik akan menentukan dos optimum Stichopus chloronotus.
Hasil kajian menunjukkan, kumpulan tikus kajian yang menerima rawatan
Stichopus chloronotus 0.5% mempunyai peratusan pengurangan luka yang lebih
tinggi dan pemerhatian makroskopik yang lebih baik bermula dari hari ke-6 selepas
pembentukan luka berbanding kumpulan yang lain. Kesimpulannya, dos 0.5%
merupakan kepekatan optimum bagi Stichopus chloronotus memberikan kesan
kepada penyembuhan luka dan akan digunakan pada kajian sebenar
Crowdsourcing has changed the way people conduct business. It provides access to work, and employers can source for the best talent, at the best price, with the shortest turnaround time. Research so far has focussed on crowdsourcing implementation. Hence, there is a need to conduct research that can contribute towards crowdsourcing sustainability. Thus, the objectives of this paper are to identify current practices of crowdsourcing in Malaysia and the challenges that face it. A conceptual model for crowdsourcing sustainability ecosystem is then proposed. This study adopted the case-study approach. Two crowdsourcing platforms were examined in the case study. Two techniques were used to obtain the data: observation and interview. Observation was carried out to observe how the crowdsourcing platforms worked. The interviews helped to uncover current practices, challenges in using crowdsourcing and identification of sustainability factors. It is hoped that the proposed conceptual model will facilitate better planning of the ecosystem supporting crowdsourcing and ensure sustainable growth for crowdsourcing. Future research into crowdsourcing can test the proposed conceptual model to validate its components.
The light train (LRT) is one of the important public transportation modes in the congested city of Kuala Lumpur. Train drivers drive the trains within their shift time on similar routes every day. This job activity may lead to stress. Physical fatigue is one of the health problems commonly experienced by the train drivers. There were three methods applied in this study, namely, Nordic Questionnaire, NASA-TLX and observations. There were a total of 52 respondents, consisting of the train drivers from Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary company of Prasarana Malaysia Berhad. The questionnaires were analyzed using Statistical Software for the Social Science (SPSS) with a suitable statistical analysis. It was found that, the train drivers experienced pain on their necks, shoulders and lower backs. The main causes of physical fatigue that affect the performance of a train driver are sleep disorder and uncomfortable seating. Moreover, other effects of physical fatigue also prevent the drivers from carrying out activities at home. The industry has improved the drivers’ workstations such as their seats to reduce the rate of physical fatigue. However, more improvements are expected to be done.
Ergonomics can be viewed as an approach to reduce injury and illness rates to improve the overall working
conditions for employees by addressing risk factor exposure that may occur during manual tasks. The objective
of this research was to analyze ergonomics risk factors by associating the perception of employer and employees
towards their workplace condition in quarry and mining industry. A Questionnaire on Ergonomics Risk Assessment
was used to determine the comparison level awareness and perception analysis among quarry and mining industry in
Malaysia. The findings of this research prove that the exposure of ergonomics risk factors towards the workers is in
a moderate level with a mean of 3.59 for the overall respondent review about the ergonomics risk among workers at
their workplace. Besides, the most concern in ergonomics is about the awkward posture at work. Some 8.8% of them
agreed and 6.6% of them totally agreed that they were in awkward posture while doing their work. As a conclusion,
assessment of ergonomics in quarry and mining industry will be a platform to provide a safe and healthy working
environment.
Neuroblastoma is usually presented with abdominal distension. However, central nervous system manifestations of neuroblastoma are uncommon. In this case report, patient presented with uncommon presentation of neuroblastoma and the diagnostic dilemma.
We report here the draft genome of Klebsiella sp. strain C31, a bacterial isolate from the North Selangor peat swamp forest in Malaysia. The putative genes for the biogeochemical processes of the genome were annotated and investigated.
The paper presents the data from the surface and subsurface mapping of this area for the purpose of siting industrial city in the area. The field data collected combine with the borehole data was to successfully apply these to solving geological, environmental and engineering complications posed by the complexity of the subsurface geological structures underlain this area. The Electrical Resistivity, (ER) and Induced Polarization, (IP) data were initially processed using RES2DINV software model to generate the depth to the lithological units together with topographic correction. The 2-D ER and IP data were collected from 23rd April 2017 up until 7th May 2017 covering a total of about 17.6 km along 44 survey lines using ABEM Terrameter SAS4000 for the field measurement. A total of 20 Borehole logs data were recorded to better characterized in-situ, the subsurface geological formations emplaced in the study area. The study area is located at Bagan Datuk, Perak Darul Ridzuan situated on Latitude 2° 44.653'N and Longitudes 104° 28.79' E along the west coast Peninsula Malaysia. The topography of the area is generally flat low-laying and elevation range from about 0 m to 32 m above mean sea level (MSL).
Workplace accident is still prevalent in the Malaysian industry sector. Although statistics indicates that the number of
accidents in the workplace is showing signs of decrease over the last five years, there is still room for improvements. According to
report, a majority of the workplace accidents in Malaysia happened in Small and Medium Enterprise (SME). This shows that SME is
still lagging behind in ensuring the safety of their workplace. This can disrupt their business activities as workplace accidents bring
several negative effects. Therefore, this study explores the use of safety training to foster safety behaviour among employees. Surveys
were distributed to employees working in SME, Northern Corridor of Economic Region (NCER). The data was analysed and results
were presented. Suggestions to management in SME are made at the end of the paper.
The management of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) conserves natural resources, provides economic benefits, and reduces water, air, and soil pollution. In an effort to adequately manage flow of ELVs, modern infrastructure is considered a prerequisite. Thus, development of an effective performance evaluation tool for monitoring and continuous improvement of ELV management systems is strongly desired. In this paper, a performance evaluation tool is proposed for ELV management system implementation, based on the analytic hierarchy process. A real-life case study in Malaysia was conducted in order to demonstrate the potential and applicability of the presented methodology. The scores of eight key success factors in establishing an ELV management system (i.e., management responsibility, performance management, capacity management, resource management, stakeholders' responsibility, education and awareness, improvement and enforcement, and cost management) are presented. The overall score of the ELV management system implementation in Malaysia is equal to 2.13. Therefore, its performance level is average. The presented multi-criteria decision analysis tool can be of assistance not only to stakeholders in the Malaysian ELV management system, but also to vehicle recycling managers from other countries in order to monitor and continuously improve their ELV management systems.
The purpose of this study is to retrospectively report the results of scoliosis patients who underwent chiropractic therapy and to evaluate their outcome by looking at the potential to alter the natural progression of scoliosis after therapy.
Methods: Retrospective data collection was conducted at a private chiropractic centre in Kuala Lumpur. The data was collected from patients between the ages of 16 to 19 years old. A total of eight patients with 14 scoliotic curvatures (six thoracic, six lumbar and two thoracolumbar), who met the inclusion criteria, were selected as subjects for this study. All subjects received the same chiropractic therapy program. The outcome of the therapy was assessed by measuring the Cobb’s angle on the erect spine as captured on an x-ray. The Cobb’s angle was measured at the first presentation (to establish a baseline) after 6 and 24 months of therapy.
Results: The mean baseline Cobb’s angle for thoracic, lumbar and thoracolumbar scoliosis were 30.70 ± 19.40, 31.70 ± 12.30 and 25.00 ± 18.40 respectively. After 24 months of chiropractic therapy, there was no discernible effect on the magnitude of the Cobb’s angles on the subjects overall.
Conclusion: Our study showed no significant reduction in spine curvature in patients with scoliosis using chiropractic therapy after 24 months.
Pollen distribution from the pollen loads of stingless bee foragers in KampungTempinis, Besut, Terengganu was observed and recorded using optical microscope. Heterotrigona itama, one of the most common IndoMalayan stingless bee species domesticated and widely distributed throughout Malaysia was selected for this observation.The objective of this study was to have an annual bee calendar for H. itama in Besut. Pollen collection was carried out twice a month from January to June 2015. Results showed, during the six months period of observation H. itama foraged 31 different flowering plants. Different months of the year showed different floral preference by the stingless bee. The most dominant flower visited by the stingless bee in January and February is Stevia rebaudiana while March to June is Antigonon leptopus (Honolulu creeper). This observation could be useful for conservation purposes and also in planning a good beescape in Malaysia meliponiculture industry.
Henoch – Schonlein purpura (HSP) is a vasculitis of small sized blood vessels. It is the most common acute systemic vasculitis in childhood. It mainly affects skin, gastrointestinal tract, joints and kidney. It results from Immunoglobulin A mediated inflammation. The characteristic skin findings are palpable purpuric lesions over the lower limbs and buttocks. The occurance of haemorrhagic bullae in children with HSP is rarely encountered. This case report describes a 12 year old boy with bullous haemorrhagic HSP treated at Institute Paediatric, Hospital Kuala Lumpur.
Crowdsourcing is an initiative implemented by the Malaysian government to support its National Key Result Area (NKRA) agenda to improve the lives of citizens with low household income in the B40 group. Crowdsourcing activities are done on mobile crowdsourcing platforms that enable workers to perform micro tasks at any time for a fixed payment. However, without active and constant participation from the crowd, this initiative might not be successful. This paper describes a preliminary study in identifying motivation factors for participating in mobile crowdsourcing platforms. This study identified intrinsic and extrinsic motivation factors that can attract crowds to participate in mobile crowdsourcing platforms. Technology efficacy factors that interlink with motivation factors were also identified in this study. The preliminary study employed the qualitative method where in-depth interviews were conducted among 30 crowdsourcing participants in Peninsular Malaysia. The findings of this study are the basis for a motivation model that can attract crowdworkers from among the B40 group of household-income earners to participate in crowdsourcing to procure and perform available micro-tasks. The findings will also help improvise mobile platforms for crowdsourcing.
The incidence of envenoming from king cobra, Ophiophagus hannah in human is relatively rare. Its venom acts on the postsynaptic region of the neuromuscular junction causing descending flaccid paralysis. Locked-in syndrome is a clinical state of inability to provide motor response in a conscious patient. Many reported cases of locked-in syndrome following neurotoxic snake-bite mimics brain death. We report a case of a middle aged man who presented with progressive neurological deficit following a king cobra bite over his right arm. He had local and systemic neurotoxic envenoming. His condition deteriorated, and was intubated and ventilated in the emergency department. He received a total of 33 vials of the Ophiophagus hannah monospecific antivenom and subsequently recovered well with no neurological deficit. Retrospectively, he was able to recall the events and while he was lying paralysed and intubated under minimal sedation in the intensive care unit. He described it as a terrifying and painful experience. This case highlights the rare presentation of locked-in syndrome following a systemic envenoming from a king cobra bite. It is important to differentiate neurotoxic snake envenoming lock-in syndrome from brain dead. Patients are unable to respond to physical pain and require adequate analgesia. A patient suffering this highly distressing experience may require psychological support.
Keywords: emergency, envenoming, neurotoxicity, snakebite
This study aims to assess the level of Knowledge, Attitude and
Practices (KAP) on Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) from employer perspectives
in Malaysia industries. A developed KAP questionnaires were distributed and
returned by 39 employers. Most employer show good scores to majority of items in
Knowledge and Attitude sections. However, good practices are still lacking as the
scores are quite low for half of the items. Kruskal-Wallis test for independent sample
was used to test the relationship between gender and KAP scores. It was found out
that gender is linked with few items in Knowledge and Attitude section (r < 0.05)
while no indication of relationship with Practice scores. As the number of reported
MSDs cases are increasing in Malaysia, hence understanding of KAP factors are
crucial in order to tackle the problem.