Sleep Duration and its Associated Factors among Residents of Hulu Langat, Selangor

Background and Aims: Shorter and longer duration of sleep are known to be risk factors for diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension and obesity. Most studies were done in the developed countries and there are limited population based data from Malaysia regarding this topic. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of short sleeping duration among residents in the Hulu Langat district and determine its associated factors. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study done in the year 2000. 7731 respondents in the Hulu Langat district were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire. Short sleep duration was defined as having sleeping duration of less than 6 hours per day and long sleep duration as having sleeping duration of 6 hours or more per day. Results: The prevalence of short sleep duration was 6.2%. The mean age of participants was 43.2 years (±14.31) and 64.1% were females. Multiple logistic regression revealed significant association between short sleeping duration and younger age group (< 40 years old) (aOR=1.41, 95% CI: 1.15-1.73) and between short sleeping duration and smoking (aOR= 2.26, 95% CI: 1.57-3.26). Association between sleeping duration and gender, ethnicity, marital status, hypertension, diabetes and body mass index (BMI) were found to be not significant after multivariate analysis was done. Conclusion: This study shows that shorter sleeping duration is significantly associated with younger age group (<40 years old) and smoking. Health promotion strategies should aim to educate the public regarding getting adequate sleep and stop smoking

Simbolisme Dalam Seni Pertukangan Perahu Tradisional Melayu Di Pantai Timur

Masyarakat di Pantai Timur sangat kaya dengan seni tampak dan seni persembahan yang diwarisi sejak zaman berzaman. Seni ini juga didapati mempunyai persamaan di tiga buah negeri yang berbeza walau pun terdapat jurang perbezaan geografi. Persamaan ini boleh didapati dalam dialek, bahasa, persembahan, binaan dan artifak warisan silam. Kemahiran pertukangan Melayu juga dikuasai oleh masyarakat Melayu di Pantai Timur dan ia juga dihasilkan dengan penuh seni dan bergaya. Artifak seperti perahu, rumah dan perabot masih lagi dapat dilihat sehingga sekarang dan mempunyai nilai seni yang tinggi. Kertas ini bertujuan untuk memaparkan simbol-simbol yang dihasilkan oleh masyarakat Melayu pada seni pertukangan perahu. Seni ini dapat dilihat pada ukiran dan lukisan yang dihasilkan pada perahu tradisional Melayu di Pantai Timur. Kesenian ini yang bukan sahaja berfungsi sebagai perhiasan dan keindahan malah ia mempunyai perlambangan dan simbolik yang tersendiri. Seni perhiasan yang dihasilkan ini menunjukkan bahawa 3 perkara utama perlu ada dalam kesenian Melayu iaitu fungsi, estetika dan etika. Kepercayaan tentang adanya kuasa ghaib yang memelihara dan menjaga keselamatan mereka di laut dan keupayaan mereka mendapatkan sumber pendapatan daripada hasil laut mendasari penghasilan kesenian perhiasan perahu in

The physiological, biochemical and quality of life changes in chronic diabetic foot ulcer after hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) was established to increase oxygenation and antimicrobial effect that potentially improve the healing of chronic ulcer. Present study aim to assess the effects of HBOT in chronic diabetic foot ulcer (DFU). A total of sixty patients classified according to Wagner 1, 2 or 3 chronic diabetic foot ulcers, were recruited and subsequently divided randomly into two groups; HBOT and control group. All patients underwent the standard treatment for DFU, but for the HBOT group, underwent 20 HBOT sessions, each lasted 80 – 90 mins at 2.5 atmospheres absolute (ATA). White cell count (WCC) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were taken during inclusion, at second and fourth week of treatment. Wound sizes were documented at each follow up until six months follow up. SF-36 at one-month post hyperbaric oxygen therapy was used to measure the health-related quality of life. Reduction of WCC and CRP in HBOT group were significant throughout the treatment (p=0.046 and p=0.039, respectively). A total of 26 patients (86.7%) from the HBOT group achieved complete ulcer healing at six months’ follow-up, while 18 patients (60%) in the control group’s ulcer healed completely. Patients treated with HBOT had significantly better mental and physical health constituent of quality of life. It must be emphasised that HBOT is an adjunctive therapy to the standard management of chronic DFU in accelerating wound healing for a better quality of life

HBME-1 expression in differentiating benign and malignant thyroid lesions

Thyroid carcinomas are classically diagnosed based on specific morphological criteria. In some cases, a definitive diagnosis may be difficult when morphological features are equivocal. This study evaluated the utility of Hector Battifora Mesothelial-1 (HBME-1) as an immunohistochemical marker to differentiate malignant from benign thyroid lesions and to compare its expression in different types of thyroid lesions. The sensitivity and specificity of HBME-1 as a specific marker for thyroid carcinoma were also studied. A total of 54 malignant and 54 benign thyroid cases diagnosed were collected in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre for a period of seven years. All cases were stained with HBME-1 and evaluated by three independent observers. The cases were scored based on the proportion of staining and graded as 0 (less than 10%), 1+ (10-25%), 2+ (26-50%) or 3+ (more than 50%). In addition, the score of malignant cases was correlated with their pathological tumour stage. HBME-1 showed significantly higher expression in malignant compared to benign lesions (P<0.001) with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) showed the highest expression among the carcinoma cases (87.1%). Benign lesions were mostly negative (96%), except for two follicular adenoma cases having focal positivity. HBME-1 had a sensitivity of 57% and specificity of 96% in thyroid carcinoma. There was no correlation between HBME-1 expression and TNM primary tumour stage (pT). HBME-1 might be a useful marker in distinguishing malignant from benign thyroid lesions, especially in PTC cases

Tahap pengetahuan, sikap dan amalan terhadap pencegahan HIV/AIDS dalam kalangan ibu muda

Pengenalan Sindrom Kurang Daya Tahan Melawan Penyakit atau Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) adalah berpunca daripada jangkitan Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) dan merupakan penyakit dengan morbiditi dan mortaliti yang tinggi. Ibu muda adalah sub-populasi yang berisiko tinggi untuk memperoleh HIV melalui aktiviti seksual. Maklumat mengenai tahap pengetahuan, sikap dan amalan dalam kalangan ibu muda di Malaysia mengenai pencegahan HIV/AIDS adalah masih terhad. Oleh itu, objektif kajian ini adalah untuk mengkaji tahap pengetahuan, sikap dan amalan terhadap pencegahan HIV/AIDS dalam kalangan ibu muda serta faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhinya. Kaedah Satu kajian keratan rentas telah dijalankan di sebuah hospital tertiari di pusat bandar dalam kalangan seramai 147 orang ibu muda yang berusia 18-30 tahun dan mendapatkan rawatan di Post Natal dan Wad Obstetrik dan Ginekologi (O&G). Pengumpulan data telah dijalankan pada bulan AprilNovember 2014 dan pemilihan responden adalah berdasarkan persampelan rawak mudah. Soalselidik yang mengandungi instrumen-instrumen yang telah divalidasi digunakan di dalam kajian ini. Kelulusan untuk menjalankan kajian ini telah diperoleh dari Jawatankuasa Etika Penyelidikan UKM sebelum prosedur pengumpulan data dilaksanakan. Keputusan Majoriti daripada ibu muda mempunyai pengetahuan (78.8%) dan amalan (71.2%) yang baik terhadap pencegahan HIV/AIDS. Lebih separuh (56.7%) daripada mereka mempunyai sikap yang positif terhadap pencegahan HIV/AIDS. Hasil kajian mendapati, status perkahwinan dan kawasan tempat tinggal ibu muda adalah berkait rapat dengan pengetahuan yang baik dan sikap yang positif terhadap pencegahan HIV/AIDS. Manakala dari segi amalan pula, ibu muda yang berkahwin dan berumur 5 tahun lebih tua mempunyai keberangkalian tiga kali ganda untuk mempunyai amalan yang baik terhadap pencegahan HIV/AIDS berbanding dengan ibu yang 5 tahun lebih muda. Kesimpulan Kesimpulannya, tahap pengetahuan, sikap dan amalan serta faktor yang berkaitan dengan pencegahan HIV/AIDS boleh dijadikan sebagai garis panduan untuk merancang program kesihatan di masa akan datang dalam usaha mencegah HIV/AIDS di kalangan golongan ibu muda yang tidak berkahwin bagi memastikan program pencegahan dapat dilaksanakan secara efektif khususnya dalam meningkatkan pengetahuan, sikap dan amalan serta faktor yang berkaitan bagi membantu pencegahan HIV/AIDS di negara ini

A review on climate change and Malaysia’s actions

One of the biggest global health threats of the 21st century is climate change It is so catastrophic that the climate action has been given a platform as it is the 13th goal of the 17 United Nations Sustainable developmental goals (SDG). This review seeks to understand the factors causing climate change, followed by understanding the impact it has on individual and population health. We also identify the strategies to control and prevent further climate change. Methods: Reviews of local and international articles from the past ten years was conducted. The focus of the review was the causes health effects as well as strategies. Data base used was Pro Quest. Results: This review identified that the main contributor to climate change are man-made activities such as fossil fuels combustion, livestock farming, and deforestation. This change in climate has many repercussions from mass migrations, increase communicable diseases as well as an increase in extreme weather events and natural disasters. All this eventually leads to the deterioration of individual and population health. Strengthening adaptivity to climate-related hazard, climate change integration into national policies, education, awareness-raising, impact reduction and early warning are actions that are present in Malaysia to manage this crisis. Conclusion: Climate change is occurring globally, and its presence can no longer be denied. Actions have been put forth, but only when its importance and impact is taken seriously will the positive changes be sustainable

Effectiveness of sugar sweetened beverages tax on health and healthcare costs: a systematic review

Taxing sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) is one of many other best strategies to reduce consumption of SSB among populations. It is known that SSB consumption is the main contributor which cause obesity and further lead to non-communicable diseases. This study aimed to gather the evidence on the effectiveness of sugar-sweetened beverages tax implementation, in terms of health outcome and healthcare cost benefit. A systematic review was done related to literature that reported about effectiveness of sugar-sweetened beverages tax implementation, in terms of health outcome and healthcare cost benefit. Four databases were used to identify the literature, namely PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus and Ovid and Medline. PRISMA flow checklist was used as a guide to search for the eligible articles. In total, there were sixteen eligible articles included in this systematic review. All studies are simulation studies. Results showed that both excise and ad valorem tax are effective to reduce healthcare costs and could avert diseases related to high sugar intake. Other than that, it is proven that implementing tax will gain favorable health outcome rather than do nothing. Better results seen when the tax is increased. As a conclusion, SSB tax is proven as an effective public health intervention in terms of giving benefit to the health outcome and healthcare cost

Prevalence of Strongyloidiasis in Southeast Asia: A Systematic Review

Received 7 June 2018 Accepted 30 August 2018 Introduction Strongyloides stercoralis is an intestinal helminth that infects humans through contact with soil containing the larvae. Methods A systematic search was performed for relevant titles, abstract and keywords in database from Cochrane Library, PLOS One, PubMed and several other sources in October 2017 based on PICO strategy. Out of 511 papers that were evaluated for possible inclusion, final assessment for eligibility has yielded a total of 17 papers to be included which were found suitable for analysis covering period from 2012 till 2016. Results A major challenge of giving an overview of prevalence data for S. stercoralis lies in the low sensitivity of diagnostic method used which resulted in very low prevalence in certain countries. Cambodia and Laos presented with high prevalence ranging from 17.4% to 45.9% by using high sensitivity of diagnostic methods. The current prevalence situation of S. stercoralis in Southeast Asia still have wide gaps remains due to several reasons. Conclusions The information we have today only scratches the surface which cannot truly reflect the true burden of S. stercoralis in Southeast Asia The main risk factor is personal hygiene practices especially amongst males

Faktor-Faktor yang mempengaruhi persepsi ibu terhadap kanak-kanak dengan kecacatan klef

Introduction A study was conducted to determine the level of mothers' perception on children with cleft deformity and its associated factors Methods This was a cross sectional study involving 110 mothers with children attending the Plastic And Reconstructive Surgery Clinic. Data was gathered from a face to face interview based on a questionnaire that assesses the level of perception and its associated factors. The level of perception was evaluated from a scoring method and divided into four domains namely psychosocial, care management, treatment and education. Results The level of perception was high in all four domains ranged from 62% for treatment and 80% for education. Factors that were significantly associated with the level of perception were ethnicity, religion, type of cleft deformity and level of information. Conclusions Information regarding cleft deformity must be tailored toward mothers’ personal characteristics and type of cleft deformity to improve mothers' perception on this problem

Surveillance Evaluation of the National Cancer Registry in Sabah, Malaysia

Background: Cancer is the fourth leading cause of death in Sabah Malaysia with a reported age-standardized incidence rate was 104.9 per 100,000 in 2007. The incidence rate depends on non-mandatory notification in the registry. Under-reporting will provide the false picture of cancer control program effectiveness. The present study was to evaluate the performance of the cancer registry system in terms of representativeness, data quality, simplicity, acceptability and timeliness and provision of recommendations for improvement. Materials and Methods: The evaluation was conducted among key informants in the National Cancer Registry (NCR) and reporting facilities from Feb-May 2012 and was based on US CDC guidelines. Representativeness was assessed by matching cancer case in the Health Information System (HIS) and state pathology records with those in NCR. Data quality was measured through case finding and re-abstracting of medical records by independent auditors. The re-abstracting portion comprised 15 data items. Self-administered questionnaires were used to assess simplicity and acceptability. Timeliness was measured from date of diagnosis to date of notification received and data dissemination. Results: Of 4613 cancer cases reported in HIS, 83.3% were matched with cancer registry. In the state pathology centre, 99.8% was notified to registry. Duplication of notification was 3%. Data completeness calculated for 104 samples was 63.4%. Registrars perceived simplicity in coding diagnosis as moderate. Notification process was moderately acceptable. Median duration of interval 1 was 5.7 months. Conclusions: The performances of registry’s attributes are fairly positive in terms of simplicity, case reporting sensitivity, and predictive value positive. It is moderately acceptable, data completeness and inflexible. The usefulness of registry is the area of concern to achieve registry objectives. Timeliness of reporting is within international standard, whereas timeliness to data dissemination was longer up to 4 years. Integration between existing HIS and national registration department will improve data quality