MyMedR

Injury and health hazards at construction sites

Jagdev SB

Family Practitioner, 1976;2:14-16.

The author documented the industrial accidents according to the major industrial group and extent of injury in 1973.

Preliminary study of Unmarried pregnant female adolescents Are they able to build resilience?

S. B. M. SHAHBANI

Borneo International Journal, 2020;2(3):1-6.

MyJurnal

Unmarried pregnancy causes arange of psychosocial problemsthat lead to difficult and distress situations. Whenconfronted with stressful situations, female adolescents are expected to rise up for a better life with the ability calledresilience. Thispreliminary studyaims to explore the resilience process amongunmarried pregnant female adolescentsand how the environmental context affects them. Therefore, the qualitative method of phenomenology is used tounderstand and explore the meaning of events of the respondent. The study sample consisted of two respondents involvingunmarried pregnant female adolescents (primiparous-pregnant for the first time) between the ages of 15 and 18. Thispaper is based on the results of semi-structured interviews methods. Interviews were recorded and interpretedimmediately afterthe field study. The results show that both respondents showed a negative influence during theresilience process with no support from the community. However, the respondent managed their resilience process withpositive influence thru strong social support from parents and immediate family members such as siblings, aunt andgrandmother. Thus, the burden of their psychosocial problems can be reduced and may improve their resilience

Fulltext Palliative care: experience with 156 cases in a general hospital

Khoo SB

Med J Malaysia, 2002 Dec;57(4):408-17.

PMID: 12733165

The concept of Palliative Care is still quite new in Malaysia and there is a need to promote the awareness of its importance for patients with incurable and advanced illnesses, not only to the public but also to the nursing and medical professionals. These patients especially the poor ones very often have no one to turn to; they cannot afford to seek treatment from the private hospitals, they are turned away from acute General Hospitals and are told that there is nothing more to be done because their illnesses are no longer curable, they cannot pay for GPs to come to their homes, and there is difficulty in purchasing opiate drugs for pain relief. This is a retrospective observational study of the palliative care services we try to provide to those few patients referred to us. This study showed that out of the total of 156 patients, majority were Chinese, peak age between 50-59 years, referrals were mainly from the community and the Obstetrics + Gynaecology department, patients were referred rather late, 60% of patients died at home, most common malignancies being those of the breast, colorectal and cervix, common sites of metastases being the lungs, liver, bones, peritoneum and local infiltration, 87% of patients experienced pain, about 40% of patients were not fully aware of both diagnosis and prognosis, common drugs used being opiate analgesics followed by dexamethasone, H2 antagonist, antiemetics and NSAID.

"Complement fractionation" in natural diploid orchid species

Teoh SB

Theor Appl Genet, 1982 Mar;61(1):91-5.

PMID: 24271380 DOI: 10.1007/BF00261517

Four out of 10 diploid orchid species showed "complement fractionation" a complex cytological phenomenon, hitherto reported only in polyploid plants. The manifestation of this phenomenon during meiosis is the formation of chromosome subgroups resulting eventually in cells with more than the usual four sporads; five or six being the optimum number in the investigated orchid species. No implications whatsoever can be deduced as to the genetic or genomic constitution of the end products. The presence of the phenomenon in these orchid species could perhaps indicate a polyploid ancestry or concealed hybridity. The operation of "complement fractionation", however, could be interpreted as an alternative evolutionary pathway opposed to polyploidy.

Fulltext Mosquito-borne haemorrhagic fevers of South and South-East Asia

Halstead SB

Bull World Health Organ, 1966;35(1):3-15.

PMID: 5297536

During the past decade outbreaks of a severe haemorrhagic disease caused by dengue viruses of multiple types have been reported in the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Viet-Nam and eastern India. In many of these outbreaks chikungunya virus, a group A arbovirus, was simultaneously the cause of similar but probably milder disease. Both these viruses appear to be able to be able to produce classical dengue fever in some individuals and disease with haemorrhagic manifestations in others. Because of the growing public health importance and the progressive spread of this disease a unified review of its clinical and epidemiological features has been needed. This paper presents the history and salient clinical features of mosquito-borne haemorrhagic fever and summarizes recent epidemiological studies and current diagnostic and control methods.

Response of LiF:Mg,Cu,P TL detector simulated with Geant4

Samat SB, Priharti W

Sains Malaysiana, 2017;46:1317-1322.

The Geant4 simulation code was developed to study the Hp
(10) energy response of the LiF:Mg,Cu,P (TLD-100H). Initial
study chose the simulation conditions similar to the work reported by Obryk et al. in year 2011, in which a TLD-100H chip
without filter was used. The work went further to simulate the Hp
(10) results obtained experimentally at SSDL Malaysia.
The experiment used a TLD-100H chip embedded in a TLD card and the card was enclosed in a badge complete with PTFE
filter. Irradiation with eleven photon energies in the range of 24-1250 keV was applied. The simulation code therefore
took into accounts the details of the badge (the materials type and the dimensions of the chip, the card, the badge and
the filters) and the set-up of the experiment (the source distance and the energies). In comparison with Obryk’s work, the
simulation code yielded the mean deviation of 0.59%. For the experimental work, the simulated Hp
(10) curves obtained
were quite similar and comparable and a mean deviation of 13.96% was obtained. As both 0.59% and 13.96% deviations
are within the acceptable limit of ±25%, it was concluded that a satisfactory level of accuracy has been achieved by the
developed simulation code and the selection materials and physics processes that have been adapted in the code were
correct. Sources of uncertainty that has contributed to this deviation are discussed.

Determination of fano factor and pre-amplifier noise from the measurement of energy resolution of a HPGe detector

Samat SB, Priharti W

Sains Malaysiana, 2015;44:761-764.

A HPGe detector and γ-ray multinuclide standard solution were used to get several data pairs of photon energy E and
detector’s energy resolution FWHM. A series of graph of FWHM2
versus E was plotted to determine the detector’s Fano
factor and pre-amplifier noise, which yielded the mean values of 0.123±0.003 and (7.448±0.011) × 10−1 keV, respectively.
The Fano factor value agrees within 95% confident interval with the mostly quoted value of 0.13 for semiconductor
detectors. The obtained preamplifier noise is in agreement with typical manufacturer’s specification.

Multielement analysis of human hair and kidney stones by instrumental neutron activation analysis with the k0-standardization method

Abugassa I, Sarmani SB, Samat SB

Appl Radiat Isot, 1999 Jun;50(6):989-94.

PMID: 10355102

This paper focuses on the evaluation of the k0 method of instrumental neutron activation analysis in biological materials. The method has been applied in multielement analysis of human hair standard reference materials from IAEA, No. 085, No. 086 and from NIES (National Institute for Environmental Sciences) No. 5. Hair samples from people resident in different parts of Malaysia, in addition to a sample from Japan, were analyzed. In addition, human kidney stones from members of the Malaysian population have been analyzed for minor and trace elements. More than 25 elements have been determined. The samples were irradiated in the rotary rack (Lazy Susan) at the TRIGA Mark II reactor of the Malaysian Institute for Nuclear Technology and Research (MINT). The accuracy of the method was ascertained by analysis of other reference materials, including 1573 tomato leaves and 1572 citrus leaves. In this method the deviation of the 1/E1+ alpha epithermal neutron flux distribution from the 1/E law (P/T ratio) for true coincidence effects of the gamma-ray cascade and the HPGe detector efficiency were determined and corrected for.

Fulltext Human infections with Plasmodium knowlesi--zoonotic malaria

Millar SB, Cox-Singh J

Clin Microbiol Infect, 2015 Jul;21(7):640-8.

PMID: 25843504 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2015.03.017

In 2004 a large focus of Plasmodium knowlesi malaria was reported in the human population in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. Plasmodium knowlesi, a parasite of the South-East Asian macaques (Macaca fascicularis and Macaca nemestrina), had entered the human population. Plasmodium knowlesi is transmitted by the leucosphyrus group of Anopheline mosquitoes and transmission is largely zoonotic and restricted to the jungle setting. Humans entering jungle transmission sites are at risk. Since 2004, human cases of P. knowlesi have been continuously reported in local communities and in travellers returning from South East Asia. Plasmodium knowlesi is the most common type of indigenous malaria reported in Malaysia. Infections are most often uncomplicated but at least 10% of patients report with severe malaria and 1-2% of cases have a fatal outcome. Parasitaemia is positively associated with the clinical and laboratory markers of severe malaria. The current literature on P. knowlesi, including epidemiology, natural hosts and vectors, pathogenesis, clinical descriptions, treatment and diagnosis, is reviewed. There are many gaps in our understanding of this disease that are highlighted here with suggestions for further research to inform pre-emptive control measures that would be required to prevent a full emergence of this parasite into the human population.

Regulations and policies on pharmaceuticals in Malaysia: its impact on healthcare

Abdul Latiff SB

Kaohsiung J. Med. Sci., 1999;15 Suppl:S75-8.

PMID: 10422428

Fulltext The outcomes that an interview-based medical school admission process has on academic performance, psychological health, personality traits, and emotional intelligence

Yusoff MSB

J Taibah Univ Med Sci, 2018 Dec;13(6):503-511.

PMID: 31435370 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2018.09.003

Objectives: This study investigated the outcomes that an interview-based medical school admission process has on academic performance, psychological health, personality traits, and emotional intelligence.

Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on the interviewed and non-interviewed cohorts. Their examination marks were obtained from the academic office, psychological health was measured by DASS-21, personality traits were measured by USMaP-15, and emotional intelligence was measured by USMEQ-17.

Results: The interviewed cohort performed significantly better in the clinical examination than the non-interviewed cohort. Conversely, the non-interviewed cohort performed significantly better in the theoretical examination. Depression, anxiety, and stress level between the two cohorts showed no difference. The interviewed cohort demonstrated more desirable personality traits, higher emotional intelligence, and social competence than the non-interviewed cohort.

Discussion: This study provides evidence to support the claim that the interview-based admission process has favourable outcomes on clinical performance, emotional intelligence, and personality traits. Several insights gained as a result of this study are discussed.

Interspecific variation in C-banded chromosomes of diploid Aegilops species

Teoh SB, Hutchinson J

Theor Appl Genet, 1983 Apr;65(1):31-40.

PMID: 24263198 DOI: 10.1007/BF00276259

Based on an improved C-banding technique, the C-banding patterns of all 11 diploid Aegilops species were described and compared. All diploid species exhibit characteristically different patterns which enable the chromosomes of any complement to be identified individually. These patterns confirm existing genome symbols and provide further evidence for the suggested changes in genome symbols of Ae. umbellulata and Ae. sharonensis, U and S(sh) respectively. Furthermore, Ae. uniaristata should be given a separate symbol, probably N. Aegilops speltoides and Ae. sharonensis could be possible donors to the B genome of wheat. Interspecific divergence in these diploid species has been accompanied by either amplification or deletion as well as massive repatterning of heterochromatin from the centromere to the telomere.

Fulltext A comparative study on the psychological health status of pre-clinical medical students enrolled through different admission tests

Yusoff MSB

J Taibah Univ Med Sci, 2020 Dec;15(6):439-446.

PMID: 33318735 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2020.08.011

Objective: This study was conducted at the end of the second year of the pre-clinical program to assess differences in psychological status of students enrolled by multiple mini interview (MMI) and personal interview (PI).

Methods: We adopted a comparative cross-sectional study on pre-clinical medical students who appeared in two different admission tests. The stress, anxiety, and depression levels of students were measured by the depression, anxiety, stress scale (DASS-21), and their burnout level was measured by the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory.

Results: The stress, anxiety, and depression scores between MMI and PI were not significantly different (p-value > 0.05). The personal, work and client burnout scores between MMI and PI were not significantly different (p-value > 0.05). The prevalence of stress (MMI = 39%, PI = 36.9%), anxiety (MMI = 78%, PI = 67.4%), depression (MMI = 41%, PI = 36.2%) and burnout (MMI = 29%, PI = 31.9%) between MMI and PI cohorts was not significantly different (p-value > 0.05). These results showed similar levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout in students at the end of the pre-clinical phase.

Conclusions: This study showed similar psychological health status of the pre-clinical students who were enrolled by two different admission tests. The prevalence of stress, anxiety, burnout, and depression among the pre-clinical medical students was comparable to the global prevalence. The results indicate that medical schools can consider implementing either MMI or PI to recruit suitable candidates for medical training.

Fulltext Cancer-risk perception among Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) medical students

Jefferelli SB, Limi L

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2002;2(2):76-80.

MyJurnal

We do not know how medical doctors perceive the risk of cancer as a cause of death. Medical doctors provide advice and information on health risks to the general public. How they perceive these risks influences the way they behave towards these risks and the way they will communicate these risks. We would like to ascertain how medical students perceive cancer as a health risk. This will hehv us determine misperceptions among medical students that need to be addressed before they practice medicine. A cross-sectional study was conducted among
all UPM medical students (2000-2001) using sefadministered questionnaires. A total of 339 (88.3%) students responded to the questionnaires. The internal consistency of items was good (Cronbach Alpha >0,7). Cancer was perceived as the 3rd leading risk of death after motor vehicle accidents (I") and heart diseases/cardiovascular disorders (2"d ). The breast was perceived as the organ with the highest risk of developing cancer. Smoking was perceived to be the leading risk factor for developing cancer. There is a dpjference in risk perception of diseases, cancer target organs and cancer risk factors based on gender and ethnicity. There was moderate to fair correlation ( r = 0.41-0.57) between perception of risks of death, cancer target organs and risks factors of cancer (p

The circulating cells with blast-like morphology in transient abnormal myelopoiesis of Down syndrome are unique and deserve a specific name: Would the term "megakaryogones" serve this purpose?

Kahwash SB, Nicol K

Malays J Pathol, 2023 Dec;45(3):479-480.

PMID: 38155389

No abstract available.

Benign blast-like "Baby Lymphocytes" or "Infant Lymphocytes" are common in peripheral blood smears of newborns and infants: Not to be misconstrued as neoplastic blasts!

Kahwash SB, Roseberry B

Malays J Pathol, 2024 Apr;46(1):115-116.

PMID: 38682852

No abstract available.

Associations of pass-fail outcomes with psychological health of first-year medical students in a malaysian medical school

Yusoff MS

Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J, 2013 Feb;13(1):107-14.

PMID: 23573390

The demanding and intense environment of medical training can create excessive pressures on medical students that eventually lead to unfavorable consequences, either at a personal or professional level. These consequences can include poor academic performance and impaired cognitive ability. This study was designed to explore associations between pass-fail outcome and psychological health parameters (i.e. stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms).

Fulltext The best method for isolated total RNA from durian tissues

Ky, H., Yeap, S. K., Napis, S. B.

International Food Research Journal, 2012;19(3):1181-1183.

MyJurnal

Plant tissues, especially durian tissues contain high content of polysaccharides, polyphenols and other secondary metabolites which can co-precipitate with RNA causing problem in further transcriptomic study. In this experiment, three basic chaotic agents, CTAB, SDS and guanidine are used in three basic protocols for RNA isolation. The effectiveness of each method was determined by spectrophotometer, denaturing agarose gels analysis and northern blot hybridization. CTAB combining with additional sodium acetate precipitation step showed highest yield and best quality of isolated RNA which was free from contaminations of polysaccharides, polyphenols and other secondary metabolites. Furthermore, the total RNA from 4-month old durian flesh of clone D24 was successfully used to construct a cDNA library. In conclusion, CTAB method is effective to isolate total RNA on various types of durian tissues for further gene expression analysis.

Fentanyl dose for the insertion of Classic Laryngeal Mask Airways in non-paralysed patients induced with propofol 2.5 mg/kg

Tan AS, Wang CY

Anaesth Intensive Care, 2010 Jan;38(1):65-9.

PMID: 20191779

The aim of this randomised, controlled trial was to determine the optimum dose of fentanyl in combination with propofol 2.5 mg x kg(-1) when inserting the Classic Laryngeal Mask Airway. Seventy-five ASA I or II patients were randomly assigned to five groups of fentanyl dosage: 0 microg x kg(-1) (placebo), 0.5 microg x kg(-1), 1.0 microg x kg(-1), 1.5 microg x kg(-1) and 2.0 microg x kg(-1). Anaesthesia was induced by first injecting the study drug over 10 seconds. Three minutes after the study drug was injected, propofol (2.5 mg x kg(-1)) was injected over 10 seconds. The Classic Laryngeal Mask Airway was inserted four minutes and 30 seconds after injection of the study drug. Insertion conditions were evaluated using a four-category score. Thirty-nine males and 36 females aged 19 to 59 years were studied. The incidence of prolonged apnoea increased as fentanyl dose increased. We found that there was a high rate of successful first attempt at insertion with 1 microg x kg(-1) and 1.5 microg x kg(-1), 93% and 87% respectively, compared to 87% in the 2.0 microg x kg(-1) group. The 1.0 microg x kg(-1) group also achieved an 80% optimal insertion conditions score of 4, compared to 73% in the 1.5 microg x kg(-1) group and 80% in the 2 microg x kg(-1) group. Therefore we recommend 1.0 microg x kg(-1) as the optimal dose of fentanyl when used in addition to propofol 2.5 mg/kg for the insertion of the Classic Laryngeal Mask Airway.

A look at Asia's changing youth population

Xenos P, Kabamalan M, Westley SB

Asia Pac Pop Policy, 1999 Jan.

PMID: 12349008

Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 398 in total