2 research outputs found
Payment methods and patient satisfaction among type-2 diabetes patient at a teaching hospital in Malaysia
Diabetes mellitus is a costly chronic disease related to medication, physician
consultation and laboratory investigation. The main means of financing healthcare
include direct out-of-pocket (OOP) payment and government subsidisation in
some countries, or public/private health insurance schemes, or a mix of all. Patient
satisfaction is critical in ensuring the use of healthcare services, continuity of care
and treatment adherence. In this study, we determined the satisfaction of type 2
diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients regarding the healthcare services and payment
methods at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Teaching Hospital, Malaysia.
This cross-sectional study involved 313 T2DM patients aged ≥18 years who were
included after clinical consultations. We used convenience sampling at the
outpatient and inpatient medical centres of Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz and
UKM Specialist Centre. A survey consisting of sociodemographic, socioeconomic
and payment method types as well as a validated patient satisfaction questionnaire
scale were used. The mean age was 59.6 years (SD=13.151), 53.0% of the patients
were female, 78.3% were Malay, 76.4% were uninsured, 39.6% were covered
by government subsidies, while 36.7% paid OOP. Around 86% were generally
satisfied with the overall services. Patients were most satisfied with technical
quality (84%), communication skills (83%) and accessibility (80%), but satisfaction
was lower in doctors’ service orientation, particularly the interpersonal manner
(73%), financial aspect (73%) and time spent with the doctor (70%). Over 86% of
patients were satisfied with healthcare services and payment methods; however,
patients who paid OOP reported low satisfaction. Full insurance and extending
benefits to partially cover both inpatients and outpatients with low co-payment is
recommended to increase satisfaction
Efficient uptake of mannosylated proteins by a human Schwann cell line
Complex carbohydrate structures are
essential molecules of infectious microbes and host cells,
and are involved in cell signaling associated with
inflammatory and immune responses. The uptake of
mannose-tailed glycans is usually carried out by
macrophages, dendritic cells (DCs), and other
professional phagocytes to trigger MHC class I- and
MHC class II-restricted antigen presentation, and to
promote T cell effector responses. Since Schwann cells
(SCs) have been proposed as immunocompetent cells,
we investigated whether a human cell line (ST88-14
cells) could bind mannosylated ligands in a specific
manner. The saturation of uptake of mannosylated
molecules by ST88-14 cells and the internalization and
distribution pathway of these ligands were tested by
cytometry and confocal plus electron microscopy,
respectively. This uptake showed a dose-dependent
increase, the saturation point being reached at high
concentrations of mannosyl residues/240mM mannose.
Merging of man/BSA-FITC and S100 labeling showed
their partial, but, significant colocalization.
Ultrastructural analysis of ST88-14 cells after incubation
with HRP-colloidal gold, without or with subsequent
chasing at 37°C, showed an initial location on the cell
surface and temperature- and time-dependent
internalization of the probe. Our findings suggest an
efficient mannosylated ligand uptake system through
putative lectin(s) that may be operational in
inflammatory and immune responses