Awareness of glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in Hospital Putrajaya

The glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) test is the most widely accepted laboratory test for evaluating long term glycaemic control. Patient’s understanding of HbA1c can lead to better glycaemic control. This study is aimed to determine the awareness and level of understanding of HbA1c among type 2 DM patients and its association with glycaemic control. A cross-sectional descriptive study among Type 2 DM patients undergoing routine follow up in an endocrine clinic of a tertiary centre in Malaysia. Patients were invited to answer a validated questionnaire which assessed their awareness and understanding of HbA1c. Their last HbA1c results were retrieved from the laboratory information system. A total of 92 participants were recruited. Fifty-six (60.9%) were aware of the term HbA1c. Fifty percent were categorised as having good HbA1c understanding, with age, monthly income and level of education between HbA1c understanding and glycaemic control, although more patients with good HbA1c understanding had achieved the target glycaemic control compared to those with poor understanding. The level of HbA1c awareness and understanding was acceptable. Factors associated with understanding were age, income and level of education. Continuing efforts however, must be made to improve patients understanding of their disease and clinical disease biomarkers

Multigradient field-active contour model for multilayer boundary detection of ultrasound rectal wall image

Extraction and reconstruction of rectal wall structures from an ultrasound image is helpful for surgeons in rectal clinical diagnosis and 3-D reconstruction of rectal structures from ultrasound images. The primary task is to extract the boundary of the muscular layers on the rectal wall. However, due to the low SNR from ultrasound imaging and the thin muscular layer structure of the rectum, this boundary detection task remains a challenge. An active contour model is an effective high-level model, which has been used successfully to aid the tasks of object representation and recognition in many image-processing applications. We present a novel multigradient field active contour algorithm with an extended ability for multiple-object detection, which overcomes some limitations of ordinary active contour models—"snakes." The core part in the algorithm is the proposal of multigradient vector fields, which are used to replace image forces in kinetic function for alternative constraints on the deformation of active contour, thereby partially solving the initialization limitation of active contour for rectal wall boundary detection. An adaptive expanding force is also added to the model to help the active contour go through the homogenous region in the image. The efficacy of the model is explained and tested on the boundary detection of a ring-shaped image, a synthetic image, and an ultrasound image. The experimental results show that the proposed multigradient field-active contour is feasible for multilayer boundary detection of rectal wal

Facebook Live-Streaming: How It Affect the Purchase Intention of Generation Y in Malaysia?

Today, people use social media for communicating and browsing the internet during their spare time. Additionally, people are using social media as a means of leisure during their free time. When Facebook launched its Facebook Live streaming application in 2016, the phenomenon created new opportunities for marketers. Recently, Facebook Live streaming is getting popular among companies in promoting their products and services. This research aims to investigate the factors that influence consumers’ purchase intention using Facebook Live streaming. The dependent variable of this study is the purchase intention whereas the independent variable is the attitude towards the broadcasters, interactivity, peer influence, perceived risk and product quality. There were 200 Generation Y respondents from whom information was collected via Facebook using a questionnaire. The result of the study showed that attitude and peer influence affect the consumer purchase intention when watching Facebook Live. This study gives marketers insight into improving their strategies in influencing consumer purchase intention when using Facebook Live streaming

Effect of gibberellic acid and eggshell on Hylocereus polyrhizus

Dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) is a tropical fruit. Recently, it has gained interest from the public due to its potential beneficial effects on health. The acclimatization of micropropagated Hylocereus polyrhizus depends on the application of gibberellic acid (GA3 ) to increase plant growth. Eggshells are waste materials from industrial sectors, and they are composed of calcium source that is vital for the development of plant shoots and root. The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of different concentrations of GA3 and eggshell either added individually or in combination on the growth of shoot length and shoot diameter of H. polyrhizus. The result showed the shoot length of the H. polyrhizus increased by approximately 54.69%, from 0.64 ± 0.13 cm to 0.99 ± 0.26 cm, as the concentration of GA3 increased from 0 ppm to 10 ppm. Furthermore, this finding also reported that with eggshells, GA3 showed an adverse effect on the development of shoot diameter. The growth of shoot length and shoot diameter with the addition of eggshell was different, perhaps due to the gibberellic acid affecting the shoot length but not the shoot diameter. Generally, the growth of shoot length and shoot diameter with eggshells was higher in comparison with those without eggshells. With that, we can prove that eggshell is a good additive to promote the growth of H. polyrhizus

Effect of Gibberellic Acid and Eggshell on Hylocereus polyrhizus

Dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) is a tropical fruit. Recently, it has gained interest from the public due to its potential beneficial effects on health. The acclimatization of micropropagated Hylocereus polyrhizus depends on the application of gibberellic acid (GA3) to increase plant growth. Eggshells are waste materials from industrial sectors, and they are composed of calcium source that is vital for the development of plant shoots and root. The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of different concentrations of GA3 and eggshell either added individually or in combination on the growth of shoot length and shoot diameter of H. polyrhizus. The result showed the shoot length of the H. polyrhizus increased by approximately 54.69%, from 0.64 ± 0.13 cm to 0.99 ± 0.26 cm, as the concentration of GA3 increased from 0 ppm to 10 ppm. Furthermore, this finding also reported that with eggshells, GA3 showed an adverse effect on the development of shoot diameter. The growth of shoot length and shoot diameter with the addition of eggshell was different, perhaps due to the gibberellic acid affecting the shoot length but not the shoot diameter. Generally, the growth of shoot length and shoot diameter with eggshells was higher in comparison with those without eggshells. With that, we can prove that eggshell is a good additive to promote the growth of H. polyrhizus

Preclinical analysis of the anti-tumor and anti-metastatic effects of Raf265 on colon cancer cells and CD26(+) cancer stem cells in colorectal carcinoma

© 2015 Chow et al.Background: In colorectal carcinoma (CRC), activation of the Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway is commonly observed. In addition, the commonly used 5FU-based chemotherapy in patients with metastatic CRC was found to enrich a subpopulation of CD26+ cancer stem cells (CSCs). As activation of the Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway was also found in the CD26+ CSCs and therefore, we hypothesized that an ATP-competitive pan-Raf inhibitor, Raf265, is effective in eliminating the cancer cells and the CD26+ CSCs in CRC patients. Methods: HT29 and HCT116 cells were treated with various concentrations of Raf265 to study the anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of Raf265. Anti-tumor effect was also demonstrated using a xenograft model. Cells were also treated with Raf265 in combination with 5FU to demonstrate the anti-migratory and invasive effects by targeting on the CD26+ CSCs and the anti-metastatic effect of the combined treatment was shown in an orthotopic CRC model. Results: Raf265 was found to be highly effective in inhibiting cell proliferation and tumor growth through the inhibition of the RAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathway. In addition, anti-migratory and invasive effect was found with Raf265 treatment in combination with 5FU by targeting on the CD26+ cells. Finally, the anti-tumor and anti-metastatic effect of Raf265 in combination with 5FU was also demonstrated. Conclusions: This preclinical study demonstrates the anti-tumor and anti-metastatic activity of Raf265 in CRC, providing the basis for exploiting its potential use and combination therapy with 5FU in the clinical treatment of CRC.published_or_final_versio

Minimal clinically important difference of the EORTC QLQ-CIPN20 for worsening peripheral neuropathy in patients receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy.

Context/objectivesThis is the first study to determine the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of the European Organisation of Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-CIPN twenty-item scale (EORTC QLQ-CIPN20), a validated instrument designed to elicit cancer patients' experience of symptoms and functional limitations related to chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.MethodsCancer patients receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy completed EORTC QLQ-CIPN20 and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Gynecologic Oncology Group-Neurotoxicity [FACT/GOG-NTX] at baseline, second cycle of chemotherapy (T2, n = 287), and 12 months after chemotherapy (T3, n = 191). Anchor-based approach used the validated FACT/GOG-NTX neurotoxicity (Ntx) subscale to identify optimal MCID cutoff for deterioration. Distribution-based approach used one-third standard deviation (SD), half SD, and one standard error of measurement of the total EORTC QLQ-CIPN20 score.ResultsThere was a moderate correlation between the change scores of the Ntx subscale and sensory and motor subscales of QLQ-CIPN20 (T2: r = - 0.722, p < 0.001 and r = - 0.518, p < 0.001, respectively; T3: r = - 0.699; p < 0.001 and r = - 0.523, p < 0.001, respectively). The correlation between the change scores of the Ntx subscale and the QLQ-CIPN20 autonomic subscale was poor (T2: r = - 0.354, p < 0.001; T3: r = 0.286, p < 0.001). Based on the MCID derived using distribution-based method, the MCID for the QLQ-CIPN20 sensory subscale was 2.5-5.9 (6.9% to 16.4% of the subdomain score) and for motor subscale was 2.6-5.0 (8.1%-15.6% of the subdomain score).ConclusionThe MCID for the EORTC QLQ-CIPN20 established using distribution-based approaches was 2.5-5.9 for the sensory subscale and 2.6-5.0 for the motor subscale. When noted in assessments even with small change in scores, clinicians can be alerted for appropriate intervention

Overcoming issues of oil palm plantations manual1 work with ergonomic and engineering considerations

This paper is an initial study by reviewing current situation and researches to determine the issues with manual works in an oil palm plantation and the need for mechanisation with consideration for the application in the smallholder plantations. The smallholder oil palm plantations in certain areas, activities of harvesting, collecting, loading and pruning are still done using manual tools. The small land size ownership means it is not economical to acquire large machineries and current harvesting technologies to reduce the burden of the plantation works. Therefore, the current practise is still in favour. With the increasing awareness and role of ergonomic in recent days, a new solution for this current situation must be taken action not only for the benefit of human in terms of wellbeing but also towards the better gain margin as human productivity increases. Reviews on this paper is based on the three job scopes that had been identified high risk for musculoskeletal disorders, the use of manual tools and equipment, mechanised option for the manual tools and equipment, and issues with both manual and some developed mechanised solution

Identification of microRNA 885-5p as a novel regulator of tumor metastasis by targeting CPEB2 in colorectal cancer

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