Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the chief aetiologic agent for the parenterally transmitted Non-A, Non-B (NANB) hepatitis. This preliminary study was done to determine the prevalence of anti-HCV in the blood donor population. Blood from 3,540 donors who donated blood to the Blood Services Centre, Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, from 25th August 1991 to 13th January 1992, was tested for anti-HCV using both the Ortho and Abbott 2nd Generation ELISA test kits. ELISA positive specimens were repeated twice but no confirmatory test was done. There were 53 out of 3,540 (1.49%) blood donors who were repeatedly reactive to anti-HCV by ELISA. We plan to do further tests to confirm the results, using RIBA-2 or Abbott Neutralising test. Twenty eight out of 1,713 (1.63%) Malays, 22 out of 1,373 (1.60%) Chinese and 2 out of 393 (0.50%) Indians had antibodies to HCV. There was no significant difference in prevalence in the different age groups. The majority of donors tested were males (3,511 out of 3,540) of which 53 (1.50%) were anti-HCV positive. Only 29 females were tested and all were negative. To determine infectivity of the anti-HCV positive cases we would like to introduce testing for RNA by polymerate chain reaction (PCR). Screening all donated blood for anti-HCV will decrease, but not totally eliminate, post-transfusion hepatitis.
This study employed the Model of Technology Preference (MTP) to explain the relationship of the variables as the antecedents of behavioral intention to adopt a social networking site (SNS) for communication. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to SNS account users using paper-based and web-based surveys that led to 514 valid responses. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results show that two out of three attributes of the attribute-based preference (ATRP) affect attitude-based preference (ATTP). The data support the hypotheses that perceived enjoyment and social presence are predictors of ATTP. In this study, the findings further indicated that ATTP has no relationship with the behavioral intention of using SNS, but it has a relationship with the attitude of using SNS. SNS development should provide features that ensure enjoyment and social presence for users to communicate instead of using the traditional face-to-face method of communication.
A qualitative method using focus group discussions (FGDs) was applied in this study to identify people's perceptions on newspaper reporting pertaining to the Southern Separatist Movement (SSM) by different Yemeni newspapers. This paper also looked into the attitudes towards the movement and the popularity of the issue of Yemeni unification. Five FGD groups with a total of 30 participants discussed the subject and some other aspects related to it. The findings of the focu19 groups showed that the southern crisis and SSM had shaken the people's trust on the current form of the unity. The discussion with the groups revealed that media in general and the selected four papers from various political persuasions have no credibility and objectivity, but these papers are trying to instill democratic values which is consistent with their ideology, which have a serious impact on the value of liberal democracy. The participants assured that reporting on the southern cause and the SSM indicated the absence of professional journalism in the media and the political discourse in general.