An uncommon cause of myalgia: A case report on systemic lupus erythematous myopathy

Introduction: Myositis in systemic lupus erythematous may present in a wide range of clinical spectrum. It can be part of an overlap syndrome, or mixed connective tissue disease or a musculoskeletal manifestation of systemic lupus erythematous itself. Case presentation: Here, we present a young girl with an underlying systemic lupus erythematous presented with the typical manifestation of severe proximal myopathy in the background of normal creatine kinase values. The diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematous myopathy was made after excluding other more common causes of myopathies which in itself is a very rare occurrence. Discussions: A normal creatine kinase values does not exclude systemic lupus erythematous myositis but make the diagnosis more challenging. However, there are other parameters or diagnostic tools which can be used to exclude a myositis

Unparalleled experiences of online medical education during Covid-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia has adversely affected the country in many aspects especially the economy and education sectors. Schools and universities alike are facing challenges in providing quality education to students. Many strategies have been recommended to improve the quality of online teaching to enhance students’ engagement in the teaching-learning processes. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are one of the alternative teaching strategies to advocate the students to access education remotely. It is time to take advantage of the uncertain period of COVID-19 into an opportunity to develop the MOOCs for the students

Assessment of internet addiction during COVID 19 pandemic in India, 2022

Introduction: The effect of COVID-19-related changes (such as disturbance of face-to-face human association, breakdown of propensities, vulnerability almost long-term, money related frailty, and depression) on people's mental well-being.  The enormous utilize of the Web can be a double-edged sword: on the one hand, get to to innovation has cultivated people's well-being and has encouraged the get to to social back; on the other hand, it may have turned into tricky utilize, particularly with respect to compulsive utilize and cognitive distraction.  Methods: A sample of 311 was calculated by using the Raosoft software. Descriptive analysis, univariate analysis and multivariate analysis were carried out. Binary logistic regression and multiple logistic regression were used for analysis to access the associated factors with internet addiction. Results: The majority of respondents 323(61.5%) belonged to the normal level of internet addiction, which was followed by Moderate level of internet addiction by 113(21.5%) respondents. 8(1.5%) respondents were severely addicted to internet. Conclusion: During COVID 19 pandemic, the prevalence of psychological problems such as Internet Addiction increased especially among young adults. Therefore, national policy should be refined to reduce the stressful lifestyle in order to reduce the impact of internet addiction especially for young adults in India

Regular Meals with Family and Its Association with Children’s BMI In Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Introduction: Nutrition is an issue of great academic and public importance. However, there is evidence that parents do not have family breakfast, lunch or dinner with their children. This study aims to assess the prevalence of having regular family breakfast, lunch, dinner among primary school children age 7 to 12 years in Kota Kinabalu and its association with children’s weight status. Methods: The study is based on 485 children (mean age: 11.5+/-0.7 years, 54% girls) randomly selected in five primary schools in Kota Kinabalu who participated in a cross-sectional school-based survey in 2019. Data on family meals were self-reported by the parents by answering a validated question¬naire. Children’s height and weight were measured to determine BMI status. Binary regression analyses assessed the associations of having regular family meals with children’s obesity status and to assess potential differences in having family meals according to gender and parental education. Results: The mean BMI male gender 24.3 ± 4.05 versus mean BMI female gender 17.9 ± 3.62 from 7 to 12 years old. The father mean BMI was 33.2 ± 8.24 versus 26.17 ± 9.63 mean BMI in mother from 32 to 52 years old. The prevalence of obesity within five (5) selected schools in Kota Kinabalu was only 13.2%. Regarding potential socio-demographic determinants, children of higher educated parents (STPM, DIPLOMA)[OR = 1.85 (95% CI 1.20–2.85)] were more likely to have breakfast together, while children of lower educated parents (SRP, SPM) [OR = 1.08 (95% CI 0.91–1.44)] were more likely to have dinner together. No significant associations of having family meals with gender observed. The prevalence of regular family meals was 94.6%, 74.17% and 93.8% for breakfast, lunch and dinner respectively. Conclusion: This study showed that having regular family breakfast, lunch and dinner was associated with children normal BMI between 18.50-24.99

Factors associated with effects of COVID-19 vaccine among adults in Malaysia

Introduction: Globally, the needs for more focused research to understand the effects of COVID-19 vaccines among the population to verify the previous research and generate more reliable data. Therefore, this cross-sectional study was aimed to identify the factors associated with the effects of COVID-19 vaccination among adults in Malaysia. Methods: Malaysian people aged 18 and up were enrolled in a cross-sectional online survey. For data collection, a Google form was used to design an online questionnaire which was distributed through social media and in person by the author. Results: A total of 446 responses were analyzed. 58% participants received Pfizer BioNTech Covid 19 vaccine followed by Sinovac (21%) and AstraZeneca (16%). The most reported effect was local reaction pain, swelling and redness at the site of injection with 54.3% of participants. It was seen more in Pfizer BioNTech (56.8%) and AstraZeneca (57.1%) recipients in comparison to Sinovac recipients (42.9%), but this difference was not significant (x2=3.453; p-value=0.315). Tiredness/fatigue was the next most reported effect 51.3% by participants. The other more frequently reported effects were body pain (43.3%), muscle pain (41%), fever (41%) and headache (33%) respectively, which are significantly associated with the type of vaccine.&nbsp

The prevalence and associated factors of psychological distress among adults in a suburban community in Johor, Malaysia

Psychological distress refers to non-specific symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. Although it is common in the community, it is crucial to identify groups at risk of experiencing psychological distress for appropriate intervention strategies. This study aims to assess the prevalence of psychological distress and to determine the association between sociodemographic factors and satisfaction with life on psychological distress among adults in a community in Johor, Malaysia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in October 2022 at a community residential area in Muar, Johor. Self-administered General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) were used to measure psychological distress and satisfaction with life, respectively. Multiple logistic regression was utilized for the analysis with the significant level set at 5%. Out of 279 respondents, 36.2% (95% CI=36.2%, 42.0%) of them were having psychological distress. Younger age, Chinese, individuals with a primary education and those who were not satisfied with life were significantly associated with psychological distress. In summary, one-third of the population in the community reported psychological distress, with preponderance among certain groups of people. It is important to implement interventions effectively such as community activities in the target population to lower the psychological distress in the community

Consumption of fruits and vegetables and associations with risk factors for non-communicable diseases in the Yangon region of Myanmar: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: To explore the intake of fruits and vegetables in the Yangon region, Myanmar, and to describe associations between intake of fruits and vegetables (FV) and established risk factors for non-communicable diseases. DESIGN: 2 cross-sectional studies, using the STEPs methodology. SETTING: Urban and rural areas of the Yangon region of Myanmar. PARTICIPANTS: 1486, men and women, 25-74 years, were recruited through a multistage cluster sampling method. Institutionalised people, military personnel, Buddhist monks and nuns were not invited. Physically and mentally ill people were excluded. RESULTS: Mean intake of fruit was 0.8 (SE 0.1) and 0.6 (0.0) servings/day and of vegetables 2.2 (0.1) and 1.2 (0.1) servings/day, in urban and rural areas, respectively. Adjusted for included confounders (age, sex, location, income, education, smoking and low physical activity), men and women eating ≥2 servings of fruits and vegetables/day had lower odds than others of hypertriglyceridaemia (OR 0.72 (95% CI 0.56 to 0.94)). On average, women eating at least 2 servings of fruits and vegetables per day had cholesterol levels 0.28 mmol/L lower than the levels of other women. When only adjusted for sex and age, men eating at least 2 servings of fruits and vegetables per day had cholesterol levels 0.27 mmol/L higher than other men. CONCLUSIONS: A high intake of FV was associated with lower odds of hypertriglyceridaemia among men and women. It was also associated with cholesterol levels, negatively among women and positively among men