METHODS: Self-administered questionnaires adapted from the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire were sent to 105 physiotherapists at three main public hospitals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The questionnaire had 12 items that covered demographic information, areas of musculoskeletal problems and physiotherapy techniques that could contribute to work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The data obtained were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science version 14 software.

RESULTS: The overall prevalence of work-related injuries during the past 12 months was 71.6%. Female therapists reported a significantly higher prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders than the male therapists (73.0%, p,0.001). Significant differences were observed between the proportion of therapists who had work-related musculoskeletal disorders and those who did not for the group with a body mass index (BMI) .25 (x² = 9.0, p = 0.003) and the group with a BMI of 18-25 (x² = 7.8, p = 0.006). Manual therapy (58.6%) and lifting/transfer tasks (41.3%) were the two physiotherapy techniques that most often contributed to work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

METHODS: This was a prospective randomized comparative trial. Women who required vacuum assisted vaginal delivery were randomized into the Kiwi Omnicup (KO) group and the Malmstrom metal cup (MM) group. The vacuum assisted deliveries were conducted according to hospital protocol. Details of the procedure and delivery outcomes including success and complications were analyzed.

RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-four women were recruited - 85 were assigned to vacuum assisted delivery using the KO and 79 the MM. One hundred percent delivery success was achieved with no significant differences between the two instruments in terms of maternal morbidity (P = 0.66). Six women in the MM group sustained post delivery complications in comparison to five in the KO group. Three babies were diagnosed with birth asphyxia in each group. More babies in the MM group were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) (10 babies versus 5 babies) and suffered complications (14 versus 12 babies), compared to the KO group, although the difference was not statistically significant. There were no intrapartum or neonatal deaths and of those admitted to the NICU, all were discharged within a week without any serious consequences.

METHOD: A retrospective observational study amongst AMA mothers was done in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, a Malaysian teaching hospital. The data over a period of three years (January 2013 - December 2016) obtained from the Maternal Foetal Medicine clinic registry was analysed. AMA mothers with singleton pregnancy presenting for foetal structural anomaly scan was included. They were later subdivided into 2 groups (35-39 years and ≥ 40 years). The logistic regression analysis was used to analyse the association of the chromosomal anomalies and the age groups.

RESULTS: In all 486 patients were recruited and 84 patients were identified with foetal anomaly (17.3%). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of foetal anomalies or significant association with a specific structural foetal anomaly identified (p>0.05). However, the number of followups for these patients are significantly higher (p<0.001).