Myanmar

Myanmar is situated in the easternmost Indochina Peninsula. It boasts of richly-varied marine resources along extensive coastal shores which can be divided into three regions , namely Rakhine, Ayeyarwaddy and Gulf of Mottama ( the Delta Zone) and the Taninthayi. The Myanmar coastline is approximately 2,831 km long. Regions are bounded by territorial sea and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The territorial sea of Myanmar extends 12 nautical miles from the base line towards the sea and the EEZ covers all areas of territorial sea and extends 200 nautical miles from the base line seawards (Lwin, 2004)

Medical and nursing students’ knowledge of accurate blood pressure measurement procedure in University Malaysia Sarawak

Blood pressure measurement is a basic, frequently-used clinical procedure. Nowadays with increasing use of automatic devices, blood pressure measurement procedure is the most inaccurately performed by the healthcare professionals. The medical and nursing students need good knowledge of accurate measurement procedure for correct diagnosis of hypertension. Our study assessed the knowledge of blood pressure measurement procedure among medical and nursing students in Faculty of Medicine and Health Science of University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). This was a quantitative, cross-sectional study. Data were collected from total 242 students (171 medical and 71 nursing programmes) with a pre-tested questionnaire including patient’s position, application of instruments, and measurement technique and blood pressure reading. Of 16 items tested, correct answers for 9 items were less than 70%: proper patient’s position (66.9%), choice of the arm (59.1%), appropriate cuff size(51.2%), chest piece (bell or diaphragm) of stethoscope used for listening of Korotkoff sound(11.6%), estimated inflation cuff pressure(66.1%), recommended deflation rate(65.3%), preference of last digit of blood pressure reading(60.7 %), awareness of the auscultatory gap (31.0 %), and habit of palpatory method (27.7%). 51.7% of total students (n= 242) had good knowledge scores. There was no significantly different between the medical and nursing students’ mean knowledge scores (p value=0.099). Our study found that the students need subsequent learning and practices to improve their knowledge for accurate blood pressure resul

Emotional Intelligence Level of Year One and Two Medical Students of University Malaysia Sarawak: Association With Demographic Data

Emotional intelligence is the ability to monitor one’s own and other’s emotions, to discriminate among them, and to guide one’s thinking and actions. It is very important to assess as it helps to reason out our emotional responses. The objective of this study is to assess the emotional intelligence level of Year one and two medical students of UNIMAS. Majority has strength in all the domains except managing emotions domain where 51.5% need attention. No respondent fall into the development priority competency. There were no significant difference among all the domains between two groups but Year 1 students need more attention in managing emotions domain compared to Year 2 students. There was no significant association between demographic characteristics – age, residency, qualification and ethnicity – but there was a significant association (p value of 0.038) in male with empathy domain. Further study should be done on groups spanning from Year 1 to Year 5 as they have a greater difference in age as well as exposure to clinical practice which may have a significant impact on their emotional intelligence

Bioactive compounds screening, antimicrobial activities of leave extract from two palatable plants: Piper betle and Murraya koenigii (Curry leaves)

Introduction: Piper betle Linn is one of the most commonly used compounding plants for ethno-medical purposes, with its extract generally used in modern products to enrich their functional efficacy. The extraction methods always lead to differences in the antimicrobial efficacy of methanol extracts of bioactive compounds. Purpose: The study was conducted to screen for bioactive compounds and determine their antimicrobial efficacy in a methanol extract of Piper betle and Murraya koenigi leaves from five different regions. Methodology: The phytochemical screening done according to the procedure that is implied in from Patil, et.al, with minor modifications by the researchers of the current study. Antimicrobial activity was determined; efficacy was measured by disc diffusion analysis. Results: Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of saponin, tannin, terpenoids, alkaloids and flavonoids in the extracts. The methanolic extract of betel leaves from all the selected regions except from Bau exhibited antimicrobial activities. Among them, extract from Kuching and Simunjan have no effect on E. coli. The methanolic extract of curry leaves from Kuching, Balai ringai and Bau have antimicrobial activities against Staph aureus and those from Balai ringai is also active against E.coli. Conclusion: Although there were previous reports of phytochemical screening and antimicrobial activities from the extract of these plants, there were still lack of research conducted on the specimens especially from our local community (Sarawak). The outcome of this study will help us to identify the bioactive compounds of the local samples and give us some pictures of their activities on how to ensure these plants can be brought forward based on the origin of the sample. KEYWORDS: Bioactive Compounds Screening, Antimicrobial Activities of Leave Extract, Palatable Plants, Piper betle and Murraya koenigii

Negotiations on Federalism in Myanmar’s Peace Process since 2011

This study examines the struggle for federalism among the key stakeholders in peace and political negotiations in Myanmar since 2011. Conflict over power-sharing arrangements has resulted in a long-running civil war. After the 2011 political reforms, federalism has reemerged in peace talks under and beyond the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) regime. However, a narrow sense of both unitarianism and centralism continue to present obstacles to the realisation of a federal system in Myanmar. This paper raises two main research questions: i) How have the major players (especially the government, the Tatmadaw, and the ethnic armed organizations-EAOs) discussed a future federal state? and ii) What are the key opportunities and challenges in national dialogues on federalization?. We argue that ethnic armed conflicts will continue so long as the federal issue remains constitutionally unresolved. We hypothesize that only a genuine level of politico-socio-economic autonomy will allow the conflicting parties to pursue a genuine federalism in the country. This paper employs a qualitative analysis, relying on documentary proposals authored by some EAOs as well as personal interviews with EAOs and political parties, military officers and government authorities. This study concludes with recommendations on how ethnic minority groups can best deal with the ruling government to promote federal constructional reforms during the peace negotiations

From Ceasefire to Dialogue: The Problem of “All-Inclusiveness” in Myanmar’s Stalled Peace Process

A key principle underpinning Myanmar’s peace process has been the principle of “all-inclusiveness.” Initially, this principle represented a commitment to the inclusion of all ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) in a nation-wide ceasefire agreement (NCA) that would serve as a basis for reconciliation, political dialogue and negotiation over constitutional reform. When President Thein Sein’s transition government (2011–16) began making peace overtures, the principle was widely embraced by EAOs and the military, and ultimately enshrined in the text of the NCA. When Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) came to power in 2016 and made the peace process its top priority it, too, championed the principle of “all-inclusiveness.” However, as the NLD and the military struggle to convince more EAOs to sign the NCA, it has become apparent that, for all its good intentions, the principle of “all-inclusiveness” has become an obstacle to the peace process. This chapter reviews the peace process to date to examine the problems that have emerged around the concept of “all-inclusiveness.” Drawing on interviews with signatories of the NCA and other key stakeholders,1 the chapter highlights a central challenge confronting the government in its efforts to advance Myanmar’s stalled peace process

The Relationship between Serum Brain - Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) Level and Cognitive Function in Middle Aged Male Chronic Smokers

Cigarette smoking is a pervasive high-risk behavior and recent studies reported that nicotine in tobacco influences a wide variety of cognitive domains. BDNF is one of the factors of the neurotrophin family that can regulate the cognitive functions of the brain. The purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between serum BDNF level and cognitive function in middle-aged (40-60years) male chronic smokers. The material used in the study, Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and General Memory Scale (GMS) to assay ELISA, and to test the cognitive function respectively. The results showed that serum BDNF level of chronic smokers (19.19±6.05ng/ml) was comparable with that of non-smokers (20.83±8.63ng/ml). The total GMS scores of chronic smokers (n=41) had significantly lowered total GMS scores (56.88±12.24) than that of non-smokers (n=41) (67.74±7.59) demonstrated cognitive functions. Although the cognitive function of chronic smokers was significantly lower than that of non-smokers, serum BDNF level of chronic smokers was not significantly different from non-smokers (p>0.05). Moreover, serum BDNF level was positively correlated with cognitive function (total GMS scores) in both chronic smokers’ group (r =0.453, p=0.003) and non-smokers group (r =0.458, p=0.003). The study results indicate, even in middle-age healthy adults, chronic smoking would impair cognitive function. The study concludes by portending the role of BDNF in cognitive function, whether or not the individuals are chronic smokers

Some Physicochemical Properties of Sea Water in Tanintharyi Coastal Zone, Myanmar

In this research, some physicochemical properties and lead (Pb), mercury (Hg) and cadmium (Cd) concentrations of the thirty-two sea water samples from Tanintharyi coastal zone in Myanmar were determined and compared with acceptable levels of international and ASEAN standards. The average dissolved oxygen (DO) and total suspended so lid (TSS) values were found to be 5.46 ppm and 7.06 ppm, respectively. These values were lower than the acceptable levels for aquatic life protection. The concentrations of ammonia nitrogen (0.031 ppm), nitrite nitrogen (0.026 ppm) and orthophosphate (0.025 ppm) were under the acceptable levels of ASEAN and other countries. It can be deduced that the studied regions are not eutrophicated with nitrogen and phosphorus species. Average concentrations of Pb, Hg and Cd were found to be 5.64, 0.65 and 1.95 ppb, respectively. These values (except Hg) were lower than the acceptable levels of ASEAN