Introduction: The National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) defines complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine. Many types of CAM practices, and they may be grouped into categories such as natural products, mind–body, and body-based practices. A broad collection of own-care and practitioner-based practices, (CAM) has been a major stream health care to meet the primary health care needs of people for centuries. A good proportion of the world’s population, even in developed countries, continue to depend on CAM. This study aimed to find out the knowledge, attitude, and responses among nursing students of Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out between June 2015 and June 2016. One hundred and eight (108) nursing studentsparticipated by simple random sampling. After taking informed consents, data were collected by structured questionnaire. The first section of survey data contained demographic profille. The second, third and fourth sections of the survey instrument consisted of the items assessing the knowledge of, interest in, and attitudes toward CAM. The last section consisted items to assess the attitude towards the teaching-and-learning in the curriculum. Descriptive statistics were used to present the data. Results: Out of 108 students, there were 19 males and 89 females. Knowledge did not have any relation (p>0.05) to response towards CAM but both positive and negative attitude was significantly (p
Introduction: Role of nurses is very important in raising awareness, motivation level and increasing rate of organ donation subsequently. There are many studies on critical care nurses’ roles and education affect organ donation. Methods: A narrative literature review article of published research. Twelve published articles from ten different countries were found using different renowned online search engines. Results: Knowledge about organ donation among nursing students almost all over the world is inadequate than expectation and requirement in respective country. Marlene R et al showed that scores on the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs subscales were positively cor- related with the number of requests for tissue and organs and consents obtained (0.76); and consents obtained for tissues and consents obtained for organs (0.72). Professional education was indicated in 43% of nurses surpassing family beliefs, religion and mass media. The cognitive part (knowledge) is directly depends on non-cognitive (Aware- ness and Attitude). Findings from almost all articles suggest the need of adding organ donation topic in the nursing and medical curriculum to prepare competent nurses and health care providers for future. Conclusion: This study suggests that there is a need to integrate organ donation aspects into the educational program to prepare nurses for their roles in organ and tissue procurement as well as awareness among policy makers in this regard for the well-be- ing of our patients.
Introduction: Promotion of internationalization of higher education is a strategic marketing in public and private Ma- laysia universities.University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) hosted the international nursing mobility programme involving 15 nursing students from Hunan and Yangtze University of China. Students from China obtained hands-on learn- ing experience and exposed to indigenous health practices in Sabah. After 12 weeks of the programme, although casual face-value audit of the mobility program was deemed adequate, there was a need to objectively gauge the Chinese student’s satisfaction and identify issue of contention that can be remedied. This study is to evaluate Chi- nese international nursing students’ satisfaction during their mobility posting tenure in UMS and identify issues of discontentment for improvement. Methods: the study entailed a cross sectional survey involving a convenient sam- ple of all 15 nursing students from China who had completed the 12-week UMS-nursing mobility programme. The study tool consisted of a 25-item questionnaire which used Likert-like statements to anchor level of satisfaction on 5 sub-domains itemsnamely; arrival orientation; logistic arrangements; learning opportunities; cultural experience and perceived worth-for-money. Results: Cumulative ratings counts from 15 Chinese international students who had participated in the UMS-nursing mobility program in this study rated the following sub-domains as satisfactory and highly satisfactory: (i) learning experience (88%), (ii) Sabah’s cultural experience (90%), (iii) worth for money (88
%). Sub-domains rated as dissatisfactory or strongly dissatisfactory by the China students were: (i) adequacy of 1st - day arrival orientation (72%), (ii) quality of logistic arrangement (72%). Conclusion: Findings imply that the China students were satisfied with the overall learning experience during the UMS-nursing mobility programme. However, areas of grievances such as the conduct of the 1st - day arrival orientation and logistics management of the UMS-mo- bility program needs to be addressed.
Introduction: Resilience is an important coping mechanism that nurses need to inculcate as they often faced with numerous psychosocial conflicts and stressors in providing day to day patient care. Student nurses are particularly vulnerable to psychosocial stressors and studies indicates that poor resilience is associated with poor academic performance, burn out, depression and high risk of drop out. This study was to examine the level of resilience and associated factors among nursing students in University Malaysia Sabah. Methods: The study entailed a descriptive cross-sectional survey assessing the level of resilience involving student nurses. Ethical clearance for this study was obtained from REC UMS and as well as respondent’s consent. A total of 100(N) nursing students was selected through stratified sampling by year of study (year 1, n=35; year 2 n=35; and year 3 n=30). Sample selection randomization for each year of study was done using full name list generated using Microsoft excel. The study tool consists of a validated instrument (reliability α= 0.82) benchmarked from a previous study which captured respondent`s demo- graphics and a 28-item inquiry related to resilience. Data analysis use descriptive statistics and Fisher`s-Exact test for correlates. Results: In this study among 100 nursing students 82% (n=82) had high resilience score (cut-off mean score more than 3.5) and 18% low resilience score (cut-off mean score lower than 3.4). Comparing distribution of resilience scores, respondents with low resilience scores were higher among thefirst-year nursing student and stu- dents of family origin from rural settings. Conclusion: Findings imply that most nursing students in this study have a high level of resilience and a small cohort of the student nurses have low resilience vulnerable to stressors and risk poor achievement and drop out. There is a need to address nursing students with poor resilience and this paper will discuss some pragmatic strategies.
Introduction: The final year of the study period is the time students should be in the mood of ready to enter working life. There are concerned that newly graduated nurses do not have the necessary skills and competence once they enter the working life. The final year nursing students seldom have confidence because they were not getting enough experience in the clinical posting. The soft skill and not being able to perform in the clinical area and their readiness to work in real working life. Thus, this study is to assess final year and newly graduated students’ readiness to enter the real working life environment after graduated from the institution. Methods: This study using cross-sectional sur- vey design using convenience sampling method. Adapted questionnaire is used and distributed via on-line Google form to all final year nursing and newly graduated of nursing students Universiti Malaysia Sabah. Results: Total 71 respondents (63.38% third-year and 21.12% newly graduated students) responded to this survey. 68 students (95%) were ready to enter the real working life and there were two students (5%) that still not ready to perform on their own after the course finished. Majority 70 (98.59%) find that early exposure to a real working environment was important to polish student soft skill and enhance student performance skill in doing any procedure. 96% responded that early exposure will develop student competency in leadership qualities to guide their teamwork and adaptation from the real scenario on how they will perform in their work in the future. Complete facilities in the practical area can make the student feel excited to start working in clinical area is the possible factor rated in more than half of the responded (57.7%). Conclusion: Most of the participant is ready to apply their knowledge and skill in a real working situation.
Introduction: Cholera is an infection caused by the bacterium Vibriocholerae that causes severe watery diarrhoea, which can lead to dehydration. Beet-roothas been shown to induce favourable outcomes and holds promise as an economic, practical natural dietary intervention in cholera. Methods: Systematic search of peer-reviewed literature on beet-root ORS and carrot ORS use for acute diarrhoea in below 6-year-old. We identified 3 studies for abstraction. Results: A study had compared a commercial carrot/rice-based ORS A (Na 52 mmol/L) and two glucose-based ORS B (Na 55 mmol/L) and C (Na 90 mmol/L). Fluid intake, faecal and urine output and absorption of fluid was measured in 161 infants and children (3-48 months old) during the first 48 hours after admission. The number of stools (p < 0.01) and the mean faecal output (p < 0.05) per kg body weight were significantly lower in group A. Children in group A also had significantly (p < 0.01) greater fluid absorption (mean 464 ml/kg) than in groups C (312 ml/kg) and B (140 ml/kg). Conclusions: While there are some promising results, this analysis indicates that the need for further investi- gation into approaches to increasing beet-root ORS and carrot ORS use.
Introduction: Low glycemic index (GI) diet is recommended as part of medical nutrition therapy for the management of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). While the clinical benefits are evident, data assessing knowledge of the GI concept among women with GDM are scarce. This was a needs assessment study to determine the level of knowl- edge about the GI concept among women with GDM. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, we included 85 women with GDM (mean age: 30.6 ± 4.0, pre-pregnancy BMI: 24.8 ± 4.1 kg/m2, gestational age: 34.0 ± 4.0 weeks) from Hospital Serdang, Malaysia. Knowledge about the GI concept was assessed using a developed questionnaire. Additional questions on GDM were assessed using Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Knowledge Questionnaire (GDM- KQ). Subjects with less than 50%, 51-74%, and more than 75% total score were categorized as having poor, fair, and good knowledge levels, respectively. Results: The mean knowledge score obtained by the subjects was 12.8 ± 3.5. More subjects scored correctly for GDM-related knowledge (68.2%). More than half (58.8%) had heard about the GI concept previously and 55.3% understood the definition of GI. The average knowledge score about the GI con- cept was 55.6%; subjects scored highest on the influence of different carbohydrates (teh tarik versus milk) on blood glucose level (87.1%). However, the majority of the subjects had fair knowledge level (62.4%). Conclusion: Women with GDM had moderate knowledge about the GI concept. Results of the needs assessment served as preliminary data for the development of a GI-based nutrition education program in Malaysia.
Introduction: Single parent families, especially, those headed by single mothers are becoming increasingly common around the world especially in Malaysia. Single mothers generally suffer from poorer mental health, job discrimina- tion, abuse and neglect. Hence, they often experience high anxiety, depression, and stress. This calls for research to empower their mental wellbeing. The present study examined the effectiveness of creative group counselling in increasing self-compassion, and decreasing depression, anxiety and stress among single mothers. Methods: A qua- si experimental pre-test post-test design was employed in the study. Research participants consisted of 36 single mothers placed in two experimental and two control groups. The instruments used were Self-Compassion Scale and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale. A self-compassion module was developed that comprised creative therapeutic activities which was administered to the participants in the experimental groups via a 7-session group counselling programme. Participants in the control groups, on the other hand, took part in guidance activities. Semi structured in- terviews were also performed to gather feedback on the impact of the creative intervention from three single mothers. Results: Findings revealed that creative group counselling successfully increased the level of self-compassion among single mothers. Additionally, the depression, stress and anxiety scores of single mothers were lower after joining the group counselling programme. Furthermore, three themes emerged from the present study which are i) be kind to oneself; ii) mistakes are part of life; and iii) self-transformation. Conclusion: It is evident that the implementation of creative group counselling improves the mental wellbeing of single mothers.
Introduction: This study aims to investigate different residue sizes of β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) micro-granules as carriers to assess antibacterial activity and drug-control release behavior of ampicillin (AMP-) and antimycotic (AMC-). Incorporation of antibiotic into the β-TCP micro-granules and it sustain release behavior could be used as alternative solution to reduce the risk of osteomyelitis and bone infections risks. Methods: Three different residue sizes (less than 300 µm, 300 µm and 600 µm) were prepared and coated with antibiotics solution (20 µg/µl of ampi- cillin and 100X antimycotic solution) by using two methods; dip and stream coating. After 72 h, 1.5 mL of distilled water was added to the treated (β-TCP) micro-granules at two different pH value (5.0 and 7.4). The extracted solution was further analyzed by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion test and spectrophotometer assay. Results: The solution con- taining AMC-(β-TCP) micro-granules with the size of 300 µm residue produced the largest inhibition zones against Escherichia coli (E. coli). All residue sizes coated with AMP- showed no antibacterial activity against both strains; Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and E.coli. Additionally, the release behavior of AMC-(β-TCP) micro-granules was found not depending on the pH, but on the size of residue. Complete drug release was rapidly observed within 48
h. Conclusion: Based on this findings, it showed AMC-(β-TCP) micro-granules had an antibacterial activity against Gram-negative strain. Specifically, it can reduced the growth rate of E. coli and the rapid release behavior of AMC- (β-TCP) micro-granules help in minimizing the risk-infections in early stage of implantation.
Introduction: The compatibility of denture cleanser is crucial in the prevention of failure of adhesion between silicone soft liner and acrylic denture base, thus ensuring the durability of the prosthesis. This scanning electron microscope (SEM) study was to determine the mode of failure and measured the gap formation between silicone soft liners and Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) denture base after immersion in denture cleansers. Methods: A total of 135 specimens of PMMA denture base lined with three different silicone soft liners (GC Reline Soft, Mollosil and Tokuyama Sofreliner Tough) were immersed into denture cleansers (Polident® and Stearadent) daily and stored in distilled water at 37±1°C. Specimens were examined and sectioned at 2.5mm and 5.0mm from the margin after 1 day, 30 days and 90 days before analyzed. Results: No significant difference detected in the mode of failure and gap formation after one-day immersion. Adhesive failure was the commonest failure at the margin after 30 days (71.11%) and after 90 days (95.56%). However, 33.33% of specimens showed mixed failure at 5.0mm sectioned after 90 days. A significant difference of gap formation was demonstrated from Mollosil in Steradent at the margin and at 2.5 mm sectioned after 30 days and after 90 days (p
Introduction: Intracranial brain tumour like meningiomas and glioblastomas are most prevalent tumour. The metas- tasis to the brain is one of the major issues in the tumours of the central nervous system. The diagnosis of metastatic and primary brain tumour is incomprehensible with standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The magnetic res- onance spectroscopy (MRS) is basically performed in standard clinical setting for diagnosing and tracking the brain tumour. Method: It is a retrospective study containing 53 patients with MRS. The patients with metastatic tumour (n=10), glioblastomas (n=8) and meningiomas (n=20) are included in the study. Single voxel technique is applied in the tumour core to determine the metabolites. The tumour N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), Choline (Cho), Creatine (Cr), Lactate, Alanine and lipids were analysed. The ratios of NAA/Cr, Cho/NAA and Cho/Cr were recorded and com- pared between the three tumours. The metabolites were detected between short echo time (TE) to long echo time (TE) during MRS. Results: There is a sharp fall of NAA peak in metastatic tumour. The resonance of creatine, lactate and alanine is higher in glioblastomas. A high lipid mean value of 3.13(0.17) is seen in metastatic tumour. The ROC curve shows a low NAA/Cr specificity of 46.7%, high sensitivity of 83.3% in Cho/NAA and Cho/Cr ratio. Conclusion: The metabolic profiles of metastatic brain tumour, glioblastomas and meningioma illustrate a divergence in their description that will assist in planning therapeutic and surgical intervention of these tumours.
Introduction: cAMP Response Element Binding (CREB) and Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) protein levels tend to be a critical mediator for the beneficial effects of diet on neurogenesis and cognitive function. Increased fruit intake has been associated with improved cognitive function. However, in Malaysia, most adolescents still haven't met the recommended intake of fruits and far less is known on how their adequacy of fruit intake can be affected to their protein levels of CREB and BDNF. Methods: A cross sectional study was done on 352 students aged 14 and 16 years old involving 11 secondary schools in Kuala Terengganu, Marang and Hulu Terengganu Districts. A validated MyUM adolescent FFQ was used for fruit intake assessment. Blood sample to determine the level of CREB and BDNF proteins. Results: A total of 53.7% of adolescents consumed an adequate intake ( 2 servings/day) of fruits. Serum level BDNF was significantly (p
Introduction: This study examined how waist circumference (WC) varied across sociodemographic characteristics of Malaysian adults using a nationally representative data. Methods: Data from the Malaysian Adult Nutrition Survey 2014 (n = 2696) was used. In the sample, 46.55% were males and 53.45% were females. The outcome variable was WC. Waist circumference was categorised into four ordinal outcomes: very low, low, high and very high. The ex- planatory variables were age, monthly individual income, education, gender, marital status, ethnicity, employment status and household location. Ordered probit models were utilised. Results: The majority of males had a low WC (54.66%), and only a small proportion had a very high WC (0.96%). Similarly, a high proportion of females had a low WC (55.59%), and only 1.94% had a very high WC. Younger males were more likely to have a high WC than their older counterparts. Males who had monthly income of RM2000-2999 or RM3000-3999 were more likely to have a high WC compared with those who had monthly income of RM999. Chinese and Indian males were more likely to have a high WC than Bumiputera males. For females, those who were married, widowed/divorced and Bu- miputera were likely to have a high WC. Conclusion: WC was associated with various sociodemographic profiles of males and females. In particular, there were positive associations between the likelihoods of having a high WC and younger age group, higher income, Chinese, Indian, and being married. Our findings provided policy makers with better information on formulating intervention measures.
Introduction: Hypertension is a public health concern that is associated with heart disease. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension and its associated factors among the staff in a private uni- versity in Selangor, Malaysia. Methods: 100 respondents participated in this cross-sectional study. Blood pressure, Body Mass Index (BMI), percentage body fat (%BF), visceral fat rating (VFR), and waist circumference (WC) were measured. Questionnaires regarding knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of salt diet validated from WHO/PAHO and Food Frequency Questionnaires regarding sodium intake validated from IPH Malaysia were administered. Sta- tistical data was analysed using SPSS. Results: The prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension was 24%. About 66% of the participants had excessive sodium intake. The mean sodium intake was 2869.43±930.75mg/d. Simple linear regression showed that BMI. %BF, VFR, and WC were significantly correlated with systolic blood pressure (SBP). Age and sodium intake were not correlated with SBP. After controlling all the variables in multiple linear regression, VFR remained as a significant contributor to SBP (adjusted R2=0.419, F=18.833, p=2400mg/d). Conclusion: Our study found a high prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension among the private university staff. The association between VFR and SBP is an important finding for community study. Increased awareness on the excessive salt consumed and its association with health is needed to reduce the sodium intake.
Most orthopaedic cases that involved with bone fracture are normally treated with medical implants. To be noticed that some precautions in terms of biomechanical and biomaterial properties are necessary for a successful post-sur- gery process. The biomechanical evaluation of implants could be carried out using computing and engineering technologies. However, in the computer simulation, some assumptions are needed as the limitations on computer resources and data input. This review focuses on the current method of developing the finite element model for patients with specific values of material properties for lower limb part such as hip, knee and ankle joint. Previous literature was reviewed from which keywords and search engines were identified. In this review, inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to limit the literature search. We reviewed the state-of-the-art in this area and provide recommendations for future research. In conclusion, the previous published reports illustrated different methods to develop numerical models.
Presently, there is no specific federal legislation governing articular cartilage tissue engineering (ACTE) experimenta- tion practices in Malaysia. However, there are related regulations and guidelines provided by government agencies to oversee and guide such practices. The rules and regulations provided in the documents have the essential aim of safeguarding public health through ensuring that non-clinical studies reach a certain quality, efficient and safe for hu- man use. There are themes identified when scrutinising relevant documents which includes, the need for authorised personnel and the establishment of facilities in conducting such experiments, the aspect of cell-scaffold construct development, the use of human materials, the aspect of biosafety, animal care and use during the experiments, and considerations on the impact on the environment. The individual laboratory or facility shall adopt and adapt these standards as deemed appropriate by the ACTE researchers to ensure that non-clinical studies are conducted in a proper and ethical manner.
Treatment effectiveness depends on the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of osteoarthritis (OA) patients to- wards their assigned treatment. This study aimed to explore the KAP towards non-surgical intervention among OA patients. A methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley (2005) was implemented. An electronic database search of English-language academic articles was conducted using PubMed and ScienceDirect databases encompassing 1998 to 2018 period of time, resulting in a total of 26 studies. OA patients were knowledgeable about the disease and exercise management. However, they were lack of knowledge on drug therapy and complementary strategies. The attitude towards non-surgical interventions was ambivalence. Lastly, the practice section mainly fo- cused on patients’ compliance and behaviour towards different conservative managements, namely physiotherapy, medications, and complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) which influenced by both knowledge level and attitudes. In conclusion, a higher knowledge level and positive attitude will result in good practice.
The purpose of this study was to integrate the available data published to date on susuk or charm needles into a com- prehensive analysis of their clinical/radiological features. An electronic search was undertaken in September 2019. Eligibility criteria included publications having enough clinical and radiological to confirm a definite diagnosis. The initial literature search resulted in 48 publications. Ten publications were excluded for duplicates, and another 17 excluded after a screening of the abstract. Besides, the screening of the abstract shows that five publications were not meeting the inclusion criteria, resulting in a total of 14 publications of susuk that were included in the systematic review. Bias analysis was conducted according to Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine. The resulting total of 78 cases from the selected publications were analysed, showing a wide age range with different distribution among gender and ethnicity. Three cases reported in the literature having symptoms related to susuk. Susuk can be seen as an incidental finding during a routine radiographic assessment, and clinicians should be able to differentiate it from other radiopaque foreign bodies. The practice is not limited to South East Asian population and can be seen in wide racial profiles.
Introduction: Primary health care plays an important role in healthcare systems. In Malaysia, One (1) Malaysia Clinic (now known as Community Clinic since 2018) was established in 2010 aims to increase healthcare services accessibility within the poor urban population. The aim was to look at the effectiveness of One (1) Malaysia Clinic as a new form of public primary health clinic by looking at expectations and perceptions of the quality of the provided services by the patients. Method: It applied a cross sectional study involving nine clinics in of the busiest district in Kelantan namely, Kota Bharu district. 386 respondents which were Malaysian citizen, 18 years old and above were involved in this study. The survey used Malay validated SERVQUAL questionnaire. The Service Quality (SQ) gap was calculated. Result: The empathy dimension obtained the highest expectation and perception score, while the tangi- ble dimension has the lowest expectation and perception score. In all SERVQUAL dimension, the expectations and perceptions of the service provided was significantly different with P < 0.001. The most critical dimension identified was tangible dimension as it has the largest negative SQ gap score. Conclusion: Negative gaps for all SERVQUAL dimensions and individual items indicated that provided services at One (1) Malaysia Clinic still could not fulfilled the patient’s expectation. A continuous improvement program is needed especially on tangible dimension in deliv- ering a quality healthcare services.
Introduction: A parallel design randomized clinical trial was conducted to compare dentoalveolar and skeletal changes in two groups of patients who had completed twin block therapy; one group had a three-month night-time retention period whereas the other group had no retention period, after twin block therapy but before fixed applianc- es. Methods: 26 participants of Malay ethnicity aged 10 to 15 years were included in the trial and had an overjet of 5mm or greater, molar relationship greater than half cusp Class II on a skeletal Class II base which had been corrected to a Class I molar relationship following twin block therapy. Following randomization, the 26 were divided into two groups of 13. Group A had fixed appliances bonded immediately whereas group B continued wearing twin block at night for three months, after which fixed appliances were bonded. Lateral cephalograms assessed were those taken before randomization, upon twin block therapy completion (T1) and six months after bond-up of fixed appliances (T2). Results: Paired t-test showed several statistically significant dentoalveolar and skeletal changes in group A. In contrast, only condylar head position exhibited a statistically significant change in group B. Despite a statistical sig- nificance, changes measured in both groups were minimal at less than 2mm and therefore clinically insignificant. Independent t-test showed no statistically significant difference between the changes recorded in both groups. Con- clusion: The results suggest that a three-month night-time retention period after twin block therapy does not lead to any changes that may be considered clinically beneficial.