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Calculating carbon emissions from personal travelling: insights from a top-down analysis of key calculators

Bekaroo G, Roopowa D, Zakari A, Niemeier D

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2021 Feb;28(7):8853-8872.
PMID: 33078355 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-11179-z

Personal travelling unfavourably contributes to the emissions of greenhouse gases, which adversely causes long-term damage to the climate. In order to reduce the associated negative impacts of such activities on the environment, there is a wide consensus that enhancements and innovations in the efficiency of vehicles will not be enough, but behavioural changes are needed. For this, individuals should be able to measure their travel-related carbon emissions, and such emissions could be determined by using personal carbon footprint calculators, which proliferated during the previous decade. However, various research questions related to such calculators are yet to be answered in published literature. As such, this paper investigates how key transport-based calculators account for emissions from personal transport-related activities following a top-down analysis. In this endeavour, ten such calculators are investigated through a set of formulated research questions to analyse their scope, calculation approach used, transparency, consistency of results, communication methods utilized and platform differences. Results revealed that the calculators have varying granularity, have limited transparency, provide significantly inconsistent results in some cases and are not fully engaging end users. Based on limitations identified, recommendations have been proposed through a taxonomy to guide policy-makers towards improving such tools.
Comorbidities and Monitoring in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B on Nucleos(t)ide Analogues Attending a Tertiary Hospital in Malaysia, Southeast Asia: A Critical Perspective

Bello KE, Kelechi IJ, David ZA, Omebije AP, Shueb RH, Mustaffa N

Malays J Med Sci, 2024 Aug;31(4):149-161.
PMID: 39247116 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2024.31.4.12

BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a significant global public health concern in Malaysia. It is a potentially life-threatening liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV), which can lead to long-term complications such as cirrhosis, liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma. In managing CHB, nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) have become the preferred treatment due to their ability to suppress viral replication and prevent disease progression. The question of liver-associated comorbidities related to patients with CHB on NAs remains unresolved in Malaysia despite the impending burden of CHB in the country. This study intends to address this and related aspects.
METHOD: We assessed 136 CHB patients on NAs in one centre, the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia. Demographic and epidemiological data on the treatment, concomitant disease and monitoring strategies were collected and analysed.
RESULT: Patients on NAs aged 50 years old-70 years old had the highest proportion of CHB (45.59%), with males representing 61.03% of that age group. There was a statistical significance in CHB acquisition and presence of comorbidities at P > 0.005. Our cohort displayed seven comorbidities (diabetes, obesity, rheumatoid diseases, renal impairment, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hypertension, non-hepatocellular malignancies and carcinoma); hypertension had the highest incidence (69.12%), while renal impairment had the lowest incidence (8.09%). Whole blood count, liver function and creatinine tests were the major monitoring tests used in over 90% of the cohort compared to viral load (6.1%).
CONCLUSION: Diabetes, hypertension and obesity were independent risk factors for acquiring liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Malaysian CHB patients treated with NAs have several comorbidities that could affect disease outcomes. Therefore, careful monitoring is required.

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