The impact of metacognitive strategy (MCS) in reading Arabic text among SMK Agama Students in Seremban

Although the study of Arabic text reading is growing in Arab and other countries, it is still not as commonplace in Malaysia. Thus, this study focused on the use of Arabic metacognitive strategy (MCS) which was used by form 4 students at SMK Agama in Seremban. Apart from that, this article aimed to investigate the effects of MCS use of Arabic text in comprehension and Arabic vocabulary. Based on stratified sampling, 60 respondents were taken from SMKA in Seremban to undergo this study. This group was divided into two groups, with 30 in the experimental group and 30 in the control group. This study is a quantitative research and is a numericalbased research method that used the ANCOVA test. In this study, training was provided between pre-test and post-test. Eventually, after quasi-experimental studies were done, the finding showed that there is a significant difference in the Arabic comprehension and Arabic vocabulary post-test between the experimental group and control group. The experimental group indicated higher levels than the control group. This study contributes to the field of Arabic education from the perspective of the comprehension and vocabulary in MCS reading Arabic text

Readiness of Understanding the Arabic Term in Usul Fiqh

This study aims to investigate the level of Arabic Language comprehension among students of Faculty of Islamic Studies (FPI) in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Malaysia in understanding the ten-term of Usul Fiqh. This study based on word-level of easy and complexity of 248 students regarding issues of the ten terms in the perspective of readiness in understanding the ten-term of Usul Fiqh. Apart from that, this article examined the students' academic performance in understanding the word of Usul Fiqh that related to the use of Arabic Language knowledge. The present study employed a quantitative-qualitative approach to obtain the data. The data were collected via questionnaire and interview from students of postgraduate and undergraduate of FPI, UKM. Firstly, the investigators of this article employed quantitative design to identify the level of students' readiness in understanding the ten-term of Arabic words in Usul Fiqh. Secondly, for depth study, the investigators prefer using qualitative design to explore three individual's readiness among students of FPI in understanding the ten-term of the Arabic words in Usul Fiqh. The result of the finding indicates all students required Arabic Language reading skills to comprehend the word of Usul Fiqh in learning Islamic Studies in their lesson

Nutrition education intervention improves nutrition knowledge, attitude and practices of primary school children : a pilot study.

The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in knowledge, attitude and practices of primary school children after receiving a nutrition education intervention for 6 weeks. A validated questionnaire was used to assess knowledge, attitude and practice at pre- and post-intervention. A total of 335 students from four primary schools were assigned to either intervention or comparison group. The intervention group received nutrition education taught by trained school teachers while the comparison group received the standard Health and Physical Education curriculum. A generalized linear univariate procedure was used to compare changes in knowledge, attitude and practice scores between intervention and comparison groups with ethnicity, weight-for-age, mother’s and father’s employment as confounding factors. There were significant increments (p<0.001) in the post intervention mean scores of knowledge (2.17 vs. 0.47), attitude (1.40 vs. 0.32) and practice (0.87 vs. -0.10) items for the intervention group compared to comparison group. The changes in knowledge (F=17.72, p<0.001), attitude (F=6.41, p<0.05) and practice (F=15.49, p<0.001) in the intervention group were maintained even after adjusting for confounding factors. The findings support the importance of providing children with nutrition knowledge to promote healthy dietary behaviors

ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tools Retrospective version (ICAST-R): Delphi study and field testing in seven countries

Objectives: To gain consensus among an ethnically and linguistically diverse group of international child protection experts on the structure and content of a new survey tool for retrospective measurement of child abuse, and to determine the performance of the instrument through an international field trial with young adults. Methods: The questionnaire was developed through focus group discussions with international experts, and then subjected to a Delphi study in two waves to determine the perceived importance and translatability of items. The resultant questionnaire was translated into six languages and field tested in seven countries with convenient samples of young adults aged 18–26 years (N = 842). Results: Child maltreatment experts from 28 countries provided input to questionnaire development. Satisfactory agreement on draft item inclusion and exclusion and the translatability of items was gained. The tool includes 15 primary questions about potentially abusive physical, sexual and emotional events, with follow-up questions about perpetrator characteristics, frequency of acts and periods in childhood when the recalled abuse occurred. The field test revealed lifetime prevalence per item usually exceeded 10% (11/15 items; range 2.1–49.5%). Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was moderate to high for each of three item sub-sets (between .61 and .82) and the rates of missing data were low (less than 1.5% for 14 of 15 items). The great majority of respondents nominated either peer and/or adult perpetrators (between 82.3% and 98.2% depending upon the item), and among these, child/adolescent peers and non-family adults (including teachers for emotional and physical acts) were nominated often. Conclusions: The ICAST-R is based on consensus from international experts, translates clearly and has satisfactory properties for adoption as a survey tool to estimate prevalence and describe perpetrators and other contextual aspects of child abuse. Practice implications: This tool can be utilized in a broad range of cultures and languages and may contribute to improved research practice. Although the core items are limited to just 15 acts of maltreatment, if these behaviorally specific questions are adopted as key indicators and incorporated into comprehensive local, national or regional surveys, eventually there should be greater comparability in survey estimates

How do young adolescents spend their waking hours at night

Research Note/ Nota Penyelidikan: This study, conducted in 1997, sought to find out what young adolescents were doing at night; whether they were at home and if not, where they were and what they were doing during specific times of the night. The study raised two research questions, viz. what are the types of home environments of the adolescents? And is there enough space for all the members of the family? The sample consisted of 1842 young adolescents from low and middle-income families in the Klang Valley who were still attending school. The children lived mostly in less satisfactory housing in terms of the physical structure be it walk-up flats, high-rises, long houses or squatter houses. The study shows that on a normal evening during school term, most of the children were inside their houses. Only a small proportion remained outside, even till the late hours of the night. Children in the single bedroom flats and long houses slept later as compared to those in the other types of houses. During weekends, many of the children stayed out late in the evening, especially so among those from families living in bungalows, while it was least among children from families living in squatter houses

The Impact of Metacognitive Strategy (MCS) in Reading Arabic Text Among SMK Agama Students in Seremban

Although the study of Arabic text reading is growing in Arab and other countries, it is still not as commonplace in Malaysia. Thus, this study focused on the use of Arabic metacognitive strategy (MCS) which was used by form 4 students at SMK Agama in Seremban. Apart from that, this article aimed to investigate the effects of MCS use of Arabic text in comprehension and Arabic vocabulary. Based on stratified sampling, 60 respondents were taken from SMKA in Seremban to undergo this study. This group was divided into two groups, with 30 in the experimental group and 30 in the control group. This study is a quantitative research and is a numericalbased research method that used the ANCOVA test. In this study, training was provided between pre-test and post-test. Eventually, after quasi-experimental studies were done, the finding showed that there is a significant difference in the Arabic comprehension and Arabic vocabulary post-test between the experimental group and control group. The experimental group indicated higher levels than the control group. This study contributes to the field of Arabic education from the perspective of the comprehension and vocabulary in MCS reading Arabic text

Case Series of Genetically Confirmed Index Cases of Familial Hypercholesterolemia in Primary Care

BACKGROUND: In Malaysia, the prevalence of genetically confirmed heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) was reported as 1 in 427. Despite this, FH remains largely underdiagnosed and undertreated in primary care.CASE REPORT: In this case series, we report 3 FH cases detected in primary care due to mutations in the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), apolipoprotein-B (APOB), and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) genes. The mutations in case 1 (frameshift c.660del pathogenic variant in LDLR gene) and case 2 (missense c.10579C>T pathogenic variant in APOB gene) were confirmed as pathogenic, while the mutation in case 3 (missense c.277C>T mutation in PCSK9 gene) may have been benign. In case 1, the patient had the highest LDL-c level, 8.6 mmol/L, and prominent tendon xanthomas. In case 2, the patient had an LDL-c level of 5.7 mmol/L and premature corneal arcus. In case 3, the patient had an LDL-c level of 5.4 mmol/L but had neither of the classical physical findings. Genetic counseling and diagnosis were delivered by primary care physicians. These index cases were initially managed in primary care with statins and therapeutic lifestyle modifications. They were referred to the lipid specialists for up-titration of lipid lowering medications. First-degree relatives were identified and referred for cascade testing.CONCLUSIONS: This case series highlights different phenotypical expressions in patients with 3 different FH genetic mutations. Primary care physicians should play a pivotal role in the detection of FH index cases, genetic testing, management, and cascade screening of family members, in partnership with lipid specialists

Reducing Premature Coronary Artery Disease in Malaysia by Early Identification of Familial Hypercholesterolemia Using the Familial Hypercholesterolemia Case Ascertainment Tool (FAMCAT): Protocol for a Mixed Methods Evaluation Study

Background:Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is predominantly caused by mutations in the 4 FH candidate genes (FHCGs), namely, low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), apolipoprotein B-100 (APOB-100), proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), and the LDL receptor adaptor protein 1 (LDLRAP1). It is characterized by elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) levels leading to premature coronary artery disease. FH can be clinically diagnosed using established clinical criteria, namely, Simon Broome (SB) and Dutch Lipid Clinic Criteria (DLCC), and can be identified using the Familial Hypercholesterolemia Case Ascertainment Tool (FAMCAT), a primary care screening tool.Objective:This study aims to (1) compare the detection rate of genetically confirmed FH and diagnostic accuracy between the FAMCAT, SB, and DLCC in the Malaysian primary care setting; (2) identify the genetic mutation profiles, including novel variants, in individuals with suspected FH in primary care; (3) explore the experience, concern, and expectation of individuals with suspected FH who have undergone genetic testing in primary care; and (4) evaluate the clinical utility of a web-based FH Identification Tool that includes the FAMCAT, SB, and DLCC in the Malaysian primary care setting.Methods:This is a mixed methods evaluation study conducted in 11 Ministry of Health primary care clinics located at the central administrative region of Malaysia. In Work stream 1, the diagnostic accuracy study design is used to compare the detection rate and diagnostic accuracy of the FAMCAT, SB, and DLCC against molecular diagnosis as the gold standard. In Work stream 2, the targeted next-generation sequencing of the 4 FHCGs is used to identify the genetic mutation profiles among individuals with suspected FH. In Work stream 3a, a qualitative semistructured interview methodology is used to explore the experience, concern, and expectation of individuals with suspected FH who have undergone genetic testing. Lastly, in Work stream 3b, a qualitative real-time observation of primary care physicians using the “think-aloud” methodology is applied to evaluate the clinical utility of a web-based FH Identification Tool.Results:The recruitment for Work stream 1, and blood sampling and genetic analysis for Work stream 2 were completed in February 2023. Data collection for Work stream 3 was completed in March 2023. Data analysis for Work streams 1, 2, 3a, and 3b is projected to be completed by June 2023, with the results of this study anticipated to be published by December 2023.Conclusions:This study will provide evidence on which clinical diagnostic criterion is the best to detect FH in the Malaysian primary care setting. The full spectrum of genetic mutations in the FHCGs including novel pathogenic variants will be identified. Patients’ perspectives while undergoing genetic testing and the primary care physicians experience in utilizing the web-based tool will be established. These findings will have tremendous impact on the management of patients with FH in primary care and subsequently reduce their risk of premature coronary artery disease.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID):DERR1-10.2196/4791