Lung Cancer in Never-Smokers

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Determination Of Cost-Effectiveness Threshold For Malaysia

Dalam sistem penjagaan kesihatan, penentuan untuk kos berkesan bagi teknologi penjagaan kesihatan adalah sukar terutamanya dalam keadaan di mana terdapat alternatif-alternatif yang lebih mahal tetapi lebih berkesan. Dalam keadaan ini, satu kriteria luaran dalam bentuk nilai ambang kos berkesan ataupun WTP/QALY diperlukan untuk menentukan kos keberkesanan intervensi penjagaan kesihatan. Namun, amalan kini di Malaysia dalam penentuan kos keberkesanan untuk teknologi penjagaan kesihatan baru dilakukan tanpa satu nilai ambang kos berkesan yang jelas. In healthcare system, decisions on the cost-effectiveness (CE) of healthcare technologies are difficult especially when alternatives are more expensive but more effective. In this situation, an external criterion in the form of CE threshold or willingness-to-pay for a quality-adjusted life-year (WTP/QALY) is necessary to decide on the CE of healthcare interventions

Protective effect of aqueous extract from Spirulina platensis against cell death induced by free radicals

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Spirulina </it>is a commercial alga well known to contain various antioxidants, especially phycocyanin. Apart from being sold as a nutraceutical, <it>Spirulina </it>is incorporated as a functional ingredient in food products and beverages. Most of the previous reports on antioxidant activity of <it>Spirulina </it>were based on chemical rather than cell-based assays. The primary objective of this study was to assess the antioxidant activity of aqueous extract from <it>Spirulina </it>based on its protective effect against cell death induced by free radicals.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The antioxidant activity of the cold water extract from food-grade <it>Spirulina platensis </it>was assessed using both chemical and cell-based assays. In the cell-based assay, mouse fibroblast cells (3T3) cells were incubated for 1 h in medium containing aqueous extract of <it>Spirulina </it>or vitamin C (positive control) at 25, 125 and 250 μg/mL before the addition of 50 μM 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) or 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS). The cells were incubated for another 24 h before being assessed for cell death due to apoptosis using the Cell Death Detection ELISA Kit. Spectrophotometric assays based on DPPH and ABTS were also used to assess the antioxidant activity of the extract compared to vitamin C and vitamin E (positive controls).</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>Spirulina </it>extract did not cause cytotoxic effect on 3T3 cells within the range of concentrations tested (0 - 250 μg/mL). The extract reduced significantly (p < 0.05) apoptotic cell death due to DPPH and ABTS by 4 to 5-fold although the activity was less than vitamin C. Based on the DPPH assay, the radical scavenging activity of the extract was higher than phycocyanin and was at least 50% of vitamin C and vitamin E. Based on the ABTS assay, the antioxidant activity of the extract at 50 μmug/mL was as good as vitamin C and vitamin E.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results showed that aqueous extract of <it>Spirulina </it>has a protective effect against apoptotic cell death due to free radicals. The potential application of incorporating <it>Spirulina </it>into food products and beverages to enhance their antioxidant capacity is worth exploring.</p

Early Outbreak of 2009 Influenza A (H1N1) in Mexico Prior to Identification of pH1N1 Virus

10.1371/journal.pone.0023853PLoS ONE68

Lung cancer in Chinese women: Evidence for an interaction between tobacco smoking and exposure to inhalants in the indoor environment

10.1289/ehp.0901587Environmental Health Perspectives11891257-126

Automatic human guided shopping trolley with smart shopping system

A shopping trolley is a necessary tool for shopping in supermarkets or grocery stores. However, there are shopping trolleys abandoned everywhere in supermarkets after being used. In addition, there are also shopping trolley safety issues such as sliding down from an escalator. It is known to be an inconvenience and time wasting for customers who are in rush to search for desired products in a supermarket. Therefore, an automatic human and line following shopping trolley with a smart shopping system is developed to solve these problems. A line following portable robot is installed under the trolley to lead the users to the items’ location that they plan to purchase in the supermarket. This paper presents the hardware and software design of the portable robot. The result of the testing on the used sensors like ultrasonic and line sensors are presented. Lastly, the graphical user interface of Android application during the shopping trolley in operation is explained

The positive mental health instrument: development and validation of a culturally relevant scale in a multi-ethnic asian population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Instruments to measure mental health and well-being are largely developed and often used within Western populations and this compromises their validity in other cultures. A previous qualitative study in Singapore demonstrated the relevance of spiritual and religious practices to mental health, a dimension currently not included in exiting multi-dimensional measures. The objective of this study was to develop a self-administered measure that covers all key and culturally appropriate domains of mental health, which can be applied to compare levels of mental health across different age, gender and ethnic groups. We present the item reduction and validation of the Positive Mental Health (PMH) instrument in a community-based adult sample in Singapore.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Surveys were conducted among adult (21-65 years) residents belonging to Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnicities. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA, CFA) were conducted and items were reduced using item response theory tests (IRT). The final version of the PMH instrument was tested for internal consistency and criterion validity. Items were tested for differential item functioning (DIF) to check if items functioned in the same way across all subgroups. <b>Results: </b>EFA and CFA identified six first-order factor structure (General coping, Personal growth and autonomy, Spirituality, Interpersonal skills, Emotional support, and Global affect) under one higher-order dimension of Positive Mental Health (RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.96, TLI = 0.96). A 47-item self-administered multi-dimensional instrument with a six-point Likert response scale was constructed. The slope estimates and strength of the relation to the theta for all items in each six PMH subscales were high (range:1.39 to 5.69), suggesting good discrimination properties. The threshold estimates for the instrument ranged from -3.45 to 1.61 indicating that the instrument covers entire spectrums for the six dimensions. The instrument demonstrated high internal consistency and had significant and expected correlations with other well-being measures. Results confirmed absence of DIF.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The PMH instrument is a reliable and valid instrument that can be used to measure and compare level of mental health across different age, gender and ethnic groups in Singapore.</p