Invisible minority: a constitutional study on the rights of orang asli in Peninsular Malaysia / Farah Maznah Mohd Yusof… [et al.]

This research is a legal study on the main difference of rights between the rights of Natives in Sabah and Sarawak and also the rights of Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia. This study sets out to discover the provisions relating to the Orang Asli under the Federal Constitution. This study also seeks to discover whether there is other legislation department that protects the rights of Orang Asli. Under Article 153 of the Federal Constitution, the rights of Malays and Natives of Sabah and Sarawak are incorporated but the Article is silent on the rights of Orang Asli. We found out that there is a legislative department called the Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli established to protect the rights of Orang Asli. This governmental department do protect the rights of Orang Asli but it should be enforced strictly so that there would not be any oppression done to the Orang Asli

Strategies to improve coverage of typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) immunization campaign in Karachi, Pakistan

The emergence and spread of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) typhoid in Karachi, Pakistan led to an outbreak response in Lyari Town, Karachi utilizing a mass immunization campaign with typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV), Typbar TCV®. The mass immunization campaign, targeted Lyari Town, Karachi, one of the worst affected towns during the XDR typhoid outbreak. Here we describe the strategies used to improve acceptance and coverage of Typbar TCV in Lyari Town, Karachi. The mass immunization campaign with Typbar TCV was started as a school- and hospital-based vaccination campaign targeting children between the age of 6 months to 15 years old. A dose of 0.5 mL Typbar TCV was administered intramuscularly. A mobile vaccination campaign was added to cope with high absenteeism and non-response from parents in schools and to cover children out of school. Different strategies were found to be effective in increasing the vaccination coverage and in tackling vaccine hesitancy. Community engagement was the most successful strategy to overcome refusals and helped to gain trust in the newly introduced vaccine. Community announcements and playing typhoid jingles helped to increase awareness regarding the ongoing typhoid outbreak. Mop-up activity in schools was helpful in increasing coverage. Networking with locally active groups, clubs and community workers were found to be the key factors in decreasing refusals

A systematic review of the role of integrated farming and the participation of universities in ensuring food security: Malaysia’s effort

Food security is critical for promoting health and well-being and achieving sustainable development, especially in developing countries. Despite the recent efforts to improve it, food security is still a concern due to the rapid increase in populations, conflicts, and natural disasters worldwide. Universities, particularly agricultural universities, play an essential role in addressing food security issues by researching, developing new technologies, and providing education and training to farmers and other stakeholders. The main objective of this review is to discuss the role of universities and integrated farming in ensuring food security. Specifically, this paper reviews the importance of universities and focuses on their role in ensuring and promoting food security in Malaysia. It includes a brief overview of the different types of integrated farming methods that can be used to improve food security and finally discusses the Student Farmer Entrepreneur program, which can be crucial in promoting food security by increasing agricultural productivity, promoting local food production, encouraging sustainable agriculture practices, and supporting rural development. This review also considers the significant impact of the Malaysian government and universities on food security. With integrated farming and the Student Farmer Entrepreneur program, food security can be further improved

The impact of corticosteroid use on inpatients with inflammatory bowel disease and positive polymerase chain reaction for

Background/Aims Optimal management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with concomitant Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is controversial, especially when CDI diagnosis is made by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, which may reflect colonization without infection. Methods We performed a multicenter review of all inpatients with IBD and PCR diagnosed CDI. Outcomes included length of stay, 30- and 90-day readmission, colectomy during admission and within 3 months, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, CDI relapse and death for patients who received corticosteroid (CS) after CDI diagnosis versus those that did not. Propensity-adjusted regression analysis of outcomes based on CS usage was performed. Results We identified 177 IBD patients with CDI, 112 ulcerative colitis and 65 Crohn’s disease. For IBD overall, CS after CDI diagnosis was associated with prolonged hospitalization (5.5 days: 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5–9.6 days; P=0.008), higher colectomy rate within 3 months (odds ratio [OR], 5.5; 95% CI, 1.1–28.2; P=0.042) and more frequent ICU admissions (OR, 7.8; 95% CI, 1.5–41.6; P=0.017) versus no CS. CS use post-CDI diagnosis in UC patients was associated with prolonged hospitalization (6.2 days: 95% CI, 0.4– 12.0 days; P=0.036) and more frequent ICU admissions (OR, 7.4; 95% CI, 1.1–48.7; P=0.036). Conclusions CS use among IBD inpatients with CDI diagnosed by PCR is associated with poorer outcomes and would seem to reinforce the importance of C. difficile toxin assay to help distinguish colonization from infection. This adverse effect appears more prominent among those with UC

The Impact of Migration on Rural Poverty: The Case Study of District Faisalabad, Pakistan

Internal-migration is the process of displacement of people within a country, mostly for better employment. Pakistan is among those South-Asian countries who have high rate of internal-migration. Poverty is considered to be an important factor in this context. This study estimates the rural-household poverty in Pakistan's Faisalabad District and the impact of internal-migration on rural-household poverty. By using stratified random sampling technique, 180 respondents were selected and interviewed. Propensity Score Matching method was used to examine the causal effect of internal-migration on household-poverty level. Results reveal that the ATT estimates of 0.18 for poverty reduction which shows that the household participation in the internal-migration decreases the probability of poverty by 0.18 points, suggesting that internal-migration has a significant impact on poverty reduction among the rural-households. The study suggests the policy makers to focus on rural development and enhance labor productivity, so that internal-migration is discouraged, which will ultimately reduce poverty. Keywords: Internal-Migration, Rural-Poverty, Pakistan JEL Classifications: I320, J11, D310, D1

Impact of sewage and industrial effluents on water quality in Faisalabad, Pakistan

Background: Urban sector is witnessing significant increase in municipal wastewater due to rapid growth in population and industrialization. Much of the city’s wastewater is being disposed into the Ravi and the Chenab rivers without proper treatment. Objective: The present study evaluated the impacts of municipal wastewater on both surface and groundwater resources. Results: The physicochemical parameters for 75 to 80% of the industrial wastewater were found beyond the permissible limits. Most of the city’s water supply and the bottled water samples were found to be within the drinking water quality standards. Most of the groundwater samples (used for drinking and domestic purposes) were either unfit for drinking purpose or approached the limits. Conclusion: The groundwater samples near the drains were the most polluted and were unacceptable for drinking and the same may be used for irrigation only after treatment. However, the analyzed heavy metals (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cd, Cr, Pb and Ni) were within the permissible limits for industrial wastewater, drinking water and wastewater used for irrigation

Effectiveness of typhoid conjugate vaccine against culture-confirmed salmonella enterica serotype typhi in an extensively drug-resistant outbreak setting of Hyderabad, Pakistan: A cohort study

Background: Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi (S Typhi) is a major public health problem in low-income and middle-income countries. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness and impact of the typhoid conjugate vaccine Typbar-TCV against S Typhi among children in an outbreak setting of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) S Typhi in Pakistan.Methods: This cohort study was done from Feb 21, 2018, to Dec 31, 2019. A census survey of all households located in the Qasimabad and Latifabad subdistricts of Hyderabad, Pakistan, was done at baseline, and 174 005 households were registered in the census. The Typbar-TCV immunisation campaign was initiated at temporary vaccination centres and 207 000 children aged 6 months to 10 years were vaccinated from Feb 21, 2018, to Dec 31, 2018. Social mobilisers informed parents about the vaccination process. Vaccination records were maintained electronically and linked with the household census surveys. Active surveillance for suspected and blood-culture-confirmed S Typhi was established in hospitals, clinics, and laboratories to assess the following outcomes: cases of suspected typhoid fever, culture-confirmed S Typhi, and antimicrobial resistance. An age-stratified cohort of 1100 vaccinated children was randomly selected from the vaccination registry, tested for Vi-IgG antibodies (data not reported), and followed up fortnightly (via telephone calls or household visits) until Dec 31, 2019, for ascertainment of outcomes during the study period. 20 847 vaccinated and unvaccinated children were randomly selected from the census registry as a quality control cohort and followed up from Oct 1 to Dec 31, 2019, for ascertainment of outcomes. Vaccine effectiveness against suspected, culture-confirmed, and XDR S Typhi was calculated.Findings: 23 407 children from the census registry and surveillance system were included in the vaccine effectiveness analysis. 13 436 (57·4%) children were vaccinated, 12 214 (52·2%) were male, and 10 168 (43·4%) were aged 6-59 months. 5378 (23·0%) of 23 407 children had suspected S Typhi, among whom 775 (14·4%) had culture-confirmed S Typhi and 361 (68·6%) of 526 had XDR S Typhi. Vaccine effectiveness was 55% (95% CI 52-57) against suspected S Typhi (regardless of culture confirmation), 95% (93-96) against culture-confirmed S Typhi, and 97% (95-98) against XDR S Typhi.Interpretation: Typbar-TCV is effective in protecting children against S Typhi infection in an outbreak setting, and was able, with moderate deployment, to curtail a major XDR S Typhi outbreak in a densely populated setting. The vaccine shows efficacy against S Typhi irrespective of antimicrobial resistance.Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

No association of miscarriage and BRCA carrier status in Pakistani breast/ovarian cancer patients with a history of parental consanguinity

Q2Q1Carta al editor211-21

A review on the orthotics and prosthetics and the potential of kenaf composites as alternative materials for ankle-foot orthosis

Since ancient Egypt, orthosis was generally made from wood and then later replaced with metal and leather which are either heavy, bulky, or thick decreasing comfort among the wearers. After the age of revolution, the manufacturing of products using plastics and carbon composites started to spread due to its low cost and form-fitting feature whereas carbon composite were due to its high strength/stiffness to weight ratio. Both plastic and carbon composite has been widely applied into medical devices such as the orthosis and prosthesis. However, carbon composite is also quite expensive, making it the less likely material to be used as an Ankle-Foot Orthosis (AFO) material whereas plastics has low strength. Kenaf composite has a high potential in replacing all the current materials due to its flexibility in controlling the strength to weight ratio properties, cost-effectiveness, abundance of raw materials, and biocompatibility. The aim of this review paper is to discuss on the possibility of using kenaf composite as an alternative material to fabricate orthotics and prosthetics. The discussion will be on the development of orthosis since ancient Egypt until current era, the existing AFO materials, the problems caused by these materials, and the possibility of using a Kenaf fiber composite as a replacement of the current materials. The results show that Kenaf composite has the potential to be used for fabricating an AFO due to its tensile strength which is almost similar to polypropylene's (PP) tensile strength, and the cheap raw material compared to other type of materials