Occupational safety and health practices in manufacturing industry

In today’s world, the economic growth rapidly in industrialization has been given a significant impact of distributions of income and quality of life it is also led in enhance the number of workplace accident in manufacturing industry.In Malaysia, people are still not much aware about the safety and health for the worker on manufacturing industry.Therefore, this study aims to examining the Safety and Health Practices that can be apply in manufacturing industry and identify the benefit of Occupational Safety and Health Practices. Besides that, this study also identified types of hazards, injury and accidents happen in the workplace.This study was carried out in a case of manufacturing sector in Malaysia.The data were collected via an interview with Ong Chuan Hin Rice Mill Sdn Bhd.Qualitative method was employed to achieve all the objectives. Therefore, the data referred in this study consist of the primary and secondary data.Besides, it was found that the selected industry was involved the Safety and Health Practices to reduce the accident happen in workplace.The significant from this study is to improve the knowledge about the Safety and Health Practices to the workers and employees to reduce the accidents in the workplace

Roles and recommendations from primary care physicians towards managing low-risk breast cancer survivors in a shared-care model with specialists in Singapore-a qualitative study.

BackgroundBreast cancer is prevalent and has high cure rates. The resultant increase in numbers of breast cancer survivors (BCS) may overwhelm the current oncology workforce in years to come. We postulate that primary care physicians (PCPs) could play an expanded role in comanaging survivors, provided they are given the appropriate tools and training to do so.ObjectiveTo explore the perspectives of PCPs towards managing BCS in a community-based shared-care programme with oncologists.MethodsEleven focus groups and six in-depth interviews were conducted with seventy PCPs recruited by purposive sampling. All sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and coded by three independent investigators. Thematic data analysis was performed and the coding process facilitated by NVivo 12.ResultsMajority of PCPs reported currently limited roles in managing acute and non-cancer issues, optimizing comorbidities and preventive care. PCPs aspired to expand their role to include cancer surveillance, risk assessment and addressing unmet psychosocial needs. PCPs preferred to harmonize cancer survivorship management of their primary care patients who are also BCS, with defined role distinct from oncologists. Training to understand the care protocol, enhancement of communication skills, confidence and trust were deemed necessary. PCPs proposed selection criteria of BCS and adequacy of their medical information; increased consultation time; contact details and timely access to oncologists (if needed) in the shared-care programme.ConclusionsPCPs were willing to share the care of BCS with oncologists but recommended role definition, training, clinical protocol, resources and access to oncologist's consultation to optimize the programme implementation

A survey of recently emerged genome-wide computational enhancer predictor tools

The race for the discovery of enhancers at a genome-wide scale has been on since the commencement of next generation sequencing decades after the discovery of the first enhancer, SV40. A few enhancer-predicting features such as chromatin feature, histone modifications and sequence feature had been implemented with varying success rates. However, to date, there is no consensus yet on the single enhancer marker that can be employed to ultimately distinguish and uncover enhancers from the enormous genomic regions. Many supervised, unsupervised and semi-supervised computational approaches had emerged to complement and facilitate experimental approaches in enhancer discovery. In this review, we placed our focus on the recently emerged enhancer predictor tools that work on general enhancer features such as sequences, chromatin states and histone modifications, eRNA and of multiple feature approach. Comparisons of their prediction methods and outcomes were done across their functionally similar counterparts. We provide some recommendations and insights for future development of more comprehensive and robust tools. © 2018 Elsevier Lt

Isolation and Characterization of Putative Liver-specific Enhancers in Proboscis Monkey (Nasalis larvatus)

Enhancers are indispensable DNA elements responsible for elevation of gene transcriptional efficiency that regulates biological processes tightly at various developmental stages, linking them to numerous genetic diseases. Discovering the enhancer landscape of the genome will not only benefit mankind, but also aid in conservation researches involving endangered non-human primates such as the proboscis monkey. As one of the most ancient colobine endemic to Borneo Island, the proboscis monkey offers a wide spectrum of unique and exclusive characteristics that distinguish it from other primates. This study has successfully isolated 13 liver-specific enhancers from this primate and tested for their activities in HepG2 and A549 cell line. The TFBS-enriched regions such as pairs of AP-1, clusters of C/EBP-β and triplets of HNF-1 in enhancers contributed to enhancer activities whereas huge clusters of HNF-3β possess suppressing effects, but generally these regions contributed to the cell specificities of enhancers. It is hoped that this study serves as a stepping stone in knowledge enrichment on this primate and future conservation researches

Construct validity and reliability of Malay language-perception towards smoking questionnaire (BM-PTSQ) among secondary school adolescents

Multitude studies have demonstrated that perception is an integral factor associated with smoking. However, no such tool was available in the Malay language. In this study, we established a Bahasa Malaysia version of PTSQ (BM-PTSQ) and tested the validity and reliability among secondary school adolescents. The English version of PTSQ originally consists of 12 items. It was translated into Bahasa Malaysia and back-translated again into English to check for consistency. After face validity (face-to-face query) was determined among 20 secondary school adolescents, only 10 items were included in the survey. Construct validity was established from 407 school adolescents through random selection in the same locality. More than 60% of the respondents were female, while the majority of them (67.3%) were schooling in rural areas. Then, the reliability of the questionnaire was determined with Cronbach’s alpha. The Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) has grouped PTSQ into two components associated with either knowledge or attitude towards smoking. The variance and Cronbach’s alpha for the first and second components were 38.24% and 0.861 (7 items), 21.62% and 0.661 (3 items), respectively. The PTSQ showed good validity and reliability for measuring perception of smoking among secondary school-going adolescents in Malaysia. Hence, this is a viable measurement tool. But, more importantly, this study showed an urgent need to improve smoking education among adolescents in Malaysia

Sequencing and Characterisation of Complete Mitochondrial DNA Genome for Trigonopoma pauciperforatum (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae: Danioninae) with Phylogenetic Consideration

The Trigonopoma pauciperforatum or the redstripe rasbora is a cyprinid commonly found in marshes and swampy areas with slight acidic tannin-stained water in the tropics. In this study, the complete mitogenome sequence of T. pauciperforatum was first amplified in two parts using two pairs of overlapping primers and then sequenced. The size of the mitogenome is 16,707 bp, encompassing 22 transfer RNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes and a putative control region. Identical gene organisation was detected between this species and other family members. The heavy strand accommodates 28 genes while the light strand houses the remaining nine genes. Most protein-coding genes utilize ATG as start codon except for COI gene which uses GTG instead. The terminal associated sequence (TAS), central conserved sequence block (CSB-F, CSB-D and CSB-E) as well as variable sequence block (CSB-1, CSB-2 and CSB-3) are conserved in the control region. The maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree revealed the divergence of T. pauciperforatum from the basal region of the major clade, where its evolutionary relationships with Boraras maculatus, Rasbora cephalotaenia and R. daniconius are poorly resolved as suggested by the low bootstrap values. This work contributes towards the genetic resource enrichment for peat swamp conservation and comprehensive in-depth comparisons across other phylogenetic researches done on the Rasbora-related genus

Sequencing and characterization of complete mitogenome DNA for Rasbora myersi (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae: Rasbora) and its evolutionary significance

The Seluang fish (Rasbora myersi) is a small ray-finned fish categorized under the genus Rasbora in the Cyprinidae family. In this study, the complete mitogenome sequence of R. myersi was sequenced using two primer pairs targeting overlapping regions. The mitogenome is 16,581 bp in length, encompassing 22 transfer RNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes and a putative control region. Identical gene organisation was observed between this species and other genus counterparts. The heavy strand accommodates 28 genes while the light strand houses the other nine genes. Most protein-coding genes utilize ATG as start codon, excluding COI gene, which employs GTG instead. The central conserved sequence blocks (CSB-F, CSB-E and CSB-D), variable sequence blocks (CSB-3, CSB-2 and CSB-1) as well as the terminal associated sequence (TAS) are conserved within the control region. The R. myersi formed a trio with R. borapetensis and R. argyrotaenia in a moderately strong clade with bootstrap value of 86. This work acts as essential gateway towards further molecular evolution and population genetics studies of the Rasbora genus in future

Replication and Meta-analysis of the Association between BDNF Val66Met Polymorphism and Cognitive Impairment in Patients Receiving Chemotherapy.

Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) adversely affects cancer patients. We had previously demonstrated that the BDNF Val66Met genetic polymorphism is associated with lower odds of subjective CRCI in the multitasking and verbal ability domains among breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. To further assess our previous findings, we evaluated the association of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism with subjective and objective CRCI in a temporally separate cohort of patients and pooled findings from both the original (n = 145) and current (n = 193) cohorts in a meta-analysis. Subjective CRCI was assessed using FACT-Cog. Objective CRCI was evaluated using computerized neuropsychological tests. Genotyping was carried out using Sanger sequencing. The association of BDNF Val66Met genotypes and CRCI was examined with logistic regression. A fixed-effect meta-analysis was conducted using the inverse variance method. In the meta-analysis (n = 338), significantly lower odds of CRCI were associated with Met allele carriers based on the global FACT-Cog score (OR = 0.52, 95% CI 0.29-0.94). Furthermore, Met allele carriers were at lower odds of developing impairment in the domains of memory (OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.17-0.70), multitasking (OR = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.18-0.59), and verbal ability (OR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.24-0.88). Consistent with the previous study, lower odds of subjective CRCI among patients with the BDNF Met allele was observed after adjusting for potential confounders in the multitasking (OR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.14-0.67) domain. In conclusion, carriers of the BDNF Met allele were protected against global subjective CRCI, particularly in the domains of memory, multitasking, and verbal ability. Our findings further contribute to the understanding of CRCI pathophysiology

International Collaboration on Palliative Care Development Between ASCO and the Land of Hornbills

PURPOSE Palliative care in Sarawak is mainly provided by health care professionals with limited formal training in palliative care. Therefore, in 2020, collaborative work between Sarawak General Hospital, University Malaysia Sarawak, and ASCO began. This study reports on the outcome of this collaboration. METHODS The collaboration was initiated with the first ASCO Palliative Care e-course, Train the Trainer program, International Development and Education Award—Palliative Care and translation of ASCO Palliative Care Interdisciplinary Curriculum resources. RESULTS This collaboration has resulted in the change of practice of palliative care among the oncology team of Sarawak General Hospital. CONCLUSION It encourages more timely palliative care referrals to ensure that patients with complex physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs have the necessary input and support from the palliative care team throughout the course of patients’ illnesses