Knowledge, attitude and response towards complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among academicians of faculty of medicine and health sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is the most popular medicine in Health Sciences. Different countries use different modalities of CAM. Doctors of modern medicine usually prohibit patients from using CAM due to lack of evidence of CAM. Physicians and medical students need to have adequate information about CAM so that they will able to advise the patients, inform them about advantages and disadvantages of CAM and provide answer to their questions. The present study was designed to assess the knowledge, attitude and response about CAM among academicians at Universiti Malaysia Sabah. Out of 112 academicians, eighty one (81) participated in this study. Data was collected using validated structured questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed by structural equation modeling using SPSS AMOS Graphics version 22 and SPSS version 16. The results showed that academicians had the knowledge of all the modalities of CAM like acupuncture, massage therapy, homeopathy, prayer, herbal, yoga, Ayurveda, reflexology. Thirty three (40.7%) academicians agreed that CAM has fewer side effects. More than 40% of the academicians had positive attitude towards CAM. Thirty three (40.7%) academicians responded that the suggestion of CAM modalities to the patient is not the responsibility of a doctor. Though the academicians had the knowledge and positive attitude towards CAM, they did not fully support this medicine. This could be due to lack of evidence-based research of CAM and their conventional medical backgrounds. As this study focused only on one University, it is essential to further extend the study by including other Universities in Malaysia to get the complete picture of the knowledge, attitude and response of the academicians’ towards CAM before proper conclusions can be drawn. KEYWORDS: CAM, knowledge, attitude, response, academician

Children vaccination of COVID-19

The Delta variant is currently the highly contagious predominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide that causes severe illness more than the previous variants in unvaccinated people (CDC, 2021). At a White House briefing, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director, Anthony Fauci, predicted that there would be an increase in the number of child hospitalisation proportionate to the increased number of children getting infected with the Delta variant (Press briefing White House, 2021). In response to this situation, the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) approved Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for children aged 12 – 17 years. Vaccines in children aged 5 – 11 years are currently under clinical trial (Sick-Samuels & Messina, 2021)

Effects of Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) Root Extract on Architecture of Liver Tissue against Gentamicin induced hepatotoxic rats.

Prolonged use and higher doses of drugs, and some toxins produce hepatotoxicity. Ashwagandha (Withaniasomnifera) have free radical scavenging activity. It can be used as a hepatoprotective agent. This study was carried to observe the effect of Ashwagandha root extract on histology of liver against gentamicin induced hepatotoxic Wistar albino rats. Thirty-five rats were divided into control and experimental group. Control group was again subdivided into baseline control and gentamicin treated control group.Each of this group received standardized pellet for 22 consecutive days.In addition, gentamicin treated control and experimental group received gentamicin subcutaneously (100mg /kg body weight/day) for the last eight consecutive days. Experimental group also received Ashwagandha root extract (500mg/kg body weight/day; orally) for 22 consecutive days. All the animals were sacrificed on the 23rd day. Histology of liver revealed normal histological findings in 84.62% of experimental group. In conclusion, it was found that Ashwagandha may have protective effect against gentamicin induced hepatotoxicity

A multivariate analysis to propose linear models for the stature estimation in the Sabahan young adult population

Stature is one of the significant parameters to confirm a biological profile besides sex, age, and ancestry. Sabah is in the Eastern part of Malaysia and is populated by multi-ethnic groups. To date, limited studies on stature estimation have been conducted in Sabah. Hence, this study aims to construct population-specific stature estimation equations for the large ethnic groups in Sabah, Malaysia. The aim is to propose linear models using different hand dimensions (hand span, handbreadth, hand length, middle finger length, and the second inter-crease in the middle finger) for the young adult male and females of the major ethnic groups in Sabah. This cross-sectional study framework used stratified random sampling on 184 male and 184 female young adults. An unpaired t-test and a one-way ANOVA were used to assess the differences in the mean between sex and ethnicities, respectively. The link between the response variable and explanatory variables was initially investigated using simple linear regression, followed by multiple linear regression. The present study demonstrated the highest association for the quantitative explanatory variables among hand length and stature (right side: r = 0.833; left side: r = 0.842). Simple equations were specifically developed without sex indicators, and ethnic and multiple linear regression was developed with sex and ethnic indicators. Multiple linear regression provided good estimation r2 = 0.7886 and adjusted r2 = 0.7853. The stature of 18 to 25 year old large ethnic groups in Sabah can be estimated using the developed models 90.218 + 3.845 LHL -5.950 Sex—2.308 Bajau -1.673 KadazanDusun + 2.676 L2ICL. While, formula for each ethnic and sex KadazanDusun Male: Stature = 88.545 + 3.845 LHL+ 2.676 L2ICL, KadazanDusun Female: Stature = 82.595 + 3.845 LHL+ 2.676 L2ICL, Bajau Male: Stature = 87.910 + 3.845 LHL+ 2.676 L2ICL, Bajau Female: Stature = 81.960 + 3.845 LHL+ 2.676 L2ICL, Malay Male: Stature = 90.218 + 3.845 LHL+ 2.676 L2ICL, Malay Female: Stature = 84.268 + 3.845 LHL+ 2.676 L2ICL, Chinese Male: Stature = 90.218 + 3.845 LHL+ 2.676 L2ICL, and Chinese Female: Stature = 84.268 + 3.845 LHL+ 2.676 L2ICL

Relationship of body weight with the foot shape of adult Bangladeshi male medical students: an anthropometric study

Foot shape significantly varies with age, sex and ethnicity. Information on gender and racial differences in foot shape is also useful to forensic scientists identifying isolated remains. Literature survey revealed that there are lot enough studies on correlation of foot shape with changes in body weight. Hence this cross-sectional and analytical study was carried out to evaluate the correlation of foot shape with changes in body weight within same race and ethnicity. A total number of 110 male medical students of 3rd and 4th year of Bengali ethnicity were chosen through purpose sampling. Foot index was calculated by dividing the foot length with the foot width. On the basis of foot index. foot shapes were classified into slender, standard and broad. Correlation of the foot shape with the body weight was assessed. Both right and left foot indices showed significant negative correlations with the body weight (r = -0.214, p: .033 and r: *0.282, p: 0.005 respectively). This approach of categorization will help in taking best fit footwear for males. It will also serve as a baseline data for forensic investigators

Can Clinical Skill Laboratories (CSLs) be Online?

Clinical skill laboratories (CSLs) are integrated community, objective, and outcome-based learning processes that integrate basic knowledge with clinical skills. CSLs are hospital or medical school-based teaching which includes self-directed, student-centered and problem-based learning. CSLs can be taught in the procedural room, out-patient department, primary healthcare center, casualty department, and simulation settings (Al-Elq, 2007). Experienced clinician, a small group of self-motivated students, cooperative patients, adequate and reliable instruments, enough time to practice, and a comfortable room with adequate ventilation are factors for effective CSLs (Ramani & Leinster, 2008). The teaching activities and learning can be face-to-face or blended learning, e-learning and online learning. Nowadays, blended and online learning is gaining more popularity. Blended learning combines face-to-face and online learning that supports creative, critical thinking skills (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). Synchronous and asynchronous learning is the part of online learning where teachers use video and audio technologies (Gormley et al., 2009)

Comprehensive care of a patient with obesity of BMI >70 kg/m2

A 31-year-old woman, with a body mass index of 70.31 kg/m2 , presented with progressive worsening of dyspnoea for 3 days. She had multiple comorbidities, including obesity hypoventilation syndrome. The patient developed type II respiratory failure with respiratory acidosis along with multiorgan failure. She was intubated and put on a mechanical ventilator and treated with intravenous diuretics, subcutaneous low-molecularweight heparin and other supportive measures. Later, she was on noninvasive, continuous positive airway pressure ventilation overnight. She was prescribed a very-lowcalorie diet along with physiotherapy and exercise. The patient underwent bariatric surgery 2 months after resolution of acute illness. Ten months after surgery, her body weight reduced from 180 kg to 121 kg, and her general condition improved. Successful management before and after surgical intervention depends on multidisciplinary teamwork, which includes the dietician, physiotherapist, endocrinologist, pulmonologist, nursing care and other supportive care

Predicting handgrip power of young adult population among major ethnic groups of Sabah: A multivariate analysis

Handgrip power is an essential indicator of health, vital for grasping or gripping sports, and crucial for providing information related to work capacity. The present study investigated any linear relationship of handgrip power with hand anthropometric variables (hand length, handbreadth, middle finger length, second inter-crease length of the middle finger, and hand span), gender, and ethnicity in young adults of Sabah. In this cross-sectional study (from January 2020 to December 2021), the adult Sabahan population (18-25 years) was stratified into four ethnicities (KadazanDusun, Bajau, Malay, and Chinese) and was further stratified as males and females. Then, 46 subjects were randomly selected from each gender, and the ethnic group met the intended sample size. The hand dimensions were measured using a digital calliper, and the handgrip power was measured using a portable dynamometer. The relationship between the response variable and explanatory variables was analyzed at first through simple linear regression and then multiple linear regression. R2, adjusted R2, and standard errors of the estimates were used to compare different models. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 27 and StatCrunch. The study found a linear relationship between gender, height, hand length, handbreadth, hand span, middle finger length, and second inter-crease length of both hands with the corresponding hand’s grip power. The highest percentage (68% and 67%) of handgrip variability was demonstrated by the model predicting handgrip power for right-handed subjects, followed by the general models without stratifying based on hand dominance which was able to explain 63% and 64% of the variability of handgrip power. The study proposes the models for predicted right (RHGP) and left handgrip power (LHGP) of 18 to 25 years old adults from major ethnic groups of Sabah RHGP = − 18.972 − 8.704 Gender + 7.043 Right hand breadth and LHGP = − 11.621 − 9.389 Gender + 5.861 Left hand breadth respectively. The predicted handgrip power would be a key to selecting a better player or a better worker or assessing the prognosis of a disease or the wellbeing of a person. The study can be further expanded to all ethnicities and ages of people of Sabah or even Malaysia