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Fulltext Rehabilitation of malnourished preschool children with Nutri-Pak

Ng TKW, Supasri R, Florencio CA

Med J Malaysia, 1980 Dec;35(2):122-8.
PMID: 7266403

The results of the food consumption study suggested that the calorie and protein intakes of ID and 20 malnourished preschool children in the study area were much lower than the RDA and thus these children should benefit from a supplementary feeding project. However, after 42 days of supplementation with Nutri-Pak, the project's objective of increasing by 5%, the percent standard weight for age of at least 60% of the subjects was not achieved since only one child's weight reached this target. From the records of monitoring, it was noticed that the low consumption of Nutri -Pak. a partial replacement by the the food supplement of the children's diet in the home. uncooperative mothers, and illness or disease factors had contributed to the much lower weight gains than expected in most of the children.
Fulltext Exploring the impact of a transdiagnostic cognitive behavioural therapy-based intervention on a group of Malaysian adolescents with problematic drug use and emotional problems

Zakaria S, Sasagawa S, Essau CA

Addict Behav Rep, 2021 Dec;14:100381.
PMID: 34938839 DOI: 10.1016/j.abrep.2021.100381

Introduction: Adolescents with problematic substance use frequently have anxiety and depression and tend to have "unhealthy" lifestyle such as having poor dietary patterns and physical inactivity. The overall aim of the present study was to explore the impact of a Transdiagnostic Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-based Intervention ("Super Skills for Life" - adolescent version; SSL-A) on emotional problems among adolescents with problematic substance use and to identify demographic factors which influence the intervention outcomes.
Method: A total of 108 adolescents (M = 16.30 years, SD = 1.6) with problematic substance use who showed high levels of anxiety and depression participated in this study. They completed a set of questionnaires to measure substance use, mental health problems, cognitive emotion regulation strategies, loneliness, and lifestyle and habits at pre- and post-intervention.
Results: The adolescents reported less emotional symptoms and more prosocial behavior after the intervention. These adolescents were also consumed less substance and used less maladaptive emotion regulation strategies after participating in SSL-A. Females compared to males showed more treatment gains (i.e., reduction in loneliness and improvement in psychological health and self-esteem) after the intervention.
Conclusion: This study provides empirical evidence for the utility of the SSL-A in reducing emotional problems and substance use among adolescents with problematic substance use.
Fulltext Factors related to substance use among adolescents from six low-and middle-income countries

Ozeylem F, de la Torre-Luque A, Essau CA

Addict Behav Rep, 2021 Dec;14:100370.
PMID: 34938831 DOI: 10.1016/j.abrep.2021.100370

Substance use is a common public health problem among adolescents in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), however, factors that are associated with this condition are not clearly understood. The aim of the present study was to examine personal and interpersonal factors that contribute to risk for substance use among adolescents in six ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) LMICs (i.e., Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines and Thailand). Data of 57,825 adolescents (52.64% girls; median age = 14 years old) who participated in the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) were analysed. After the weighted prevalence was estimated for each country, multilevel models were employed to examine the influence of the risk factors on the prevalence of substance use across the countries. The results indicated a high prevalence of substance use among adolescents in all these six ASEAN LMICs. Alcohol use, smoking and drug use were more prevalent among adolescents in Thailand, Laos and Philippines. Adolescents who were bullied and who had no close friends had a high prevalence of alcohol and drug use. Problematic drinking and smoking were more prevalent among older adolescents, and smoking and drug use were more prevalent among boys. Furthermore, frequent worry, loneliness and regular physical activity were found to predict adolescents' heavy and binge drinking. This study contributed to knowledge on risk factors for specific substance use among adolescents and drew attention for the urgent need to strengthen the intervention, law policies and professional support for reducing substance use in ASEAN LMICs.
Fulltext Early management of head injury in adults in primary care

Liew BS, Zainab K, Cecilia A, Zarina Y, Clement T

Malays Fam Physician, 2017;12(1):22-25.
PMID: 28503270

Head injury is common and preventable. Assessment of the head injury patient includes airway, cervical spine protection, breathing, circulation, haemorrhage control and the Glasgow Coma Scale. Hypotension, hypoxia, hypocarbia and hypercarbia should be avoided by continuous monitoring of vital signs and hourly head chart to prevent secondary brain injury. This paper aims to assist primary healthcare providers to select the appropriate patient for transfer and imaging for further management of head injury.
Diagnostics of banana Blood disease

Rincon-Florez VA, Ray JD, Carvalhais LC, O'Dwyer CA, Subandiyah S, Zulperi D, et al.

Plant Dis, 2021 Oct 20.
PMID: 34668403 DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-07-21-1436-RE

Blood disease in bananas caused by Ralstonia syzygii subsp. celebesensis (Rsce) is a bacterial wilt disease that causes major yield losses of banana in Indonesia and peninsular Malaysia. The disease has significantly increased its geographic distribution in the last decade. Diagnostic methods are an important component of disease management in vegetatively propagated crops such as banana to constrain incursions of plant pathogens. Therefore, the objectives of this study were: i) to design and rigorously validate a novel banana Blood disease (BBD) real-time PCR assay with a high level of specificity and sensitivity of detection. ii) to validate published PCR based diagnostic methods targeting either the intergenic region in the megaplasmid ("121 assay" with primer set 121) or the phage tail protein coding sequence in the bacterial chromosome ("Kubota assay" and "BDB2400 assay" with primer set BDB2400). Assay validation included 339 samples (174 Blood disease bacterium, 51 bacteria associated with banana plants, 51 members of the Ralstonia solanacearum species complex and 63 samples from symptomatic and healthy plant material). Validation parameters were analytical specificity (inclusivity and exclusivity), selectivity, limit of detection, accuracy, and ruggedness. The "121 assay" and our newly developed "BBD real-time PCR assay" detected all Rsce strains with no cross specificity during validation. Two different PCR assays using the primer set BDB2400 lacked specificity and selectivity. This study reveals that our novel "BBD real-time PCR assay" and the conventional PCR "121 assay" are reliable methods for Blood disease diagnostics as they comply with all tested validation parameters.
Fulltext Geographic Expansion of Banana Blood Disease in Southeast Asia

Ray JD, Subandiyah S, Rincon-Florez VA, Prakoso AB, Mudita IW, Carvalhais LC, et al.

Plant Dis, 2021 Oct;105(10):2792-2800.
PMID: 33973808 DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-01-21-0149-RE

Blood disease in bananas caused by Ralstonia syzygii subsp. celebesensis is a bacterial wilt causing significant crop losses in Indonesia and Malaysia. Disease symptoms include wilting of the plant and red-brown vascular staining, internal rot, and discoloration of green banana fruit. There is no known varietal resistance to this disease in the Musa genus, although variation in susceptibility has been observed, with the popular Indonesian cooking banana variety Kepok being highly susceptible. This study established the current geographic distribution of Blood disease in Indonesia and confirmed the pathogenicity of isolates by Koch's postulates. The long-distance distribution of the disease followed an arbitrary pattern indicative of human-assisted movement of infected banana materials. In contrast, local or short-distance spread radiated from a single infection source, indicative of dispersal by insects and possibly contaminated tools, water, or soil. The rapid expansion of its geographical range makes Blood disease an emerging threat to banana production in Southeast Asia and beyond.
Fulltext From ToyBox Study to eToyBox: Advancing Childhood Obesity Reduction in Malaysian Kindergartens

Reeves S, Poh BK, Chong YT, Lee JAC, Cheah WL, Hafizah YN, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2023 Aug 20;20(16).
PMID: 37623197 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20166614

Prevention and treatment of childhood obesity is a global concern, and in Malaysia, it is considered a national public health priority. Determinants of childhood obesity are multifactorial and include factors that directly and indirectly influence energy balance-related behaviours, including energy intake and energy expenditure. Interventions to address childhood obesity that have multiple components at different levels have been shown to be the most influential. The ToyBox-study is a childhood obesity intervention aimed at preschool-aged children and their families that had been shown to be effective in several European countries and so was chosen for adaption for the Malaysian setting. Materials were translated and adjusted for the Malaysian context and audience and implemented in kindergartens in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, teaching transitioned to being online. This brought an opportunity to reach a wider audience and consider the long-term sustainability of the intervention, and thus eToybox was born. eToybox aims to bring support for healthy energy balance behaviours directly to the teachers, into kindergartens and homes, to encourage families to be active and eat healthily, and prevent or reduce obesity. Through online innovation, the Toybox Study Malaysia programme has been expanded to enhance its potential to impact the promotion of healthy lifestyles among preschoolers and their families, highlighting the importance of a holistic approach to preventing and treating childhood obesity in Malaysia.
Fulltext Validity and Reliability of a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) to Assess Dietary Intake of Preschool Children

Noor Hafizah Y, Ang LC, Yap F, Nurul Najwa W, Cheah WL, Ruzita AT, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2019 11 27;16(23).
PMID: 31783477 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16234722

As there are few food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) to assess the dietary intake of preschool children, this study examined the validity and reliability of an FFQ for this purpose. A total of 210 preschoolers aged 4 to 6 years participated in the validation study, while a subsample of 66 participants joined the reliability study. The FFQ is modified from the ToyBox-study and South East Asian Nutrition Surveys (SEANUTS), and comprised 108 food items from 13 food groups. A three-day estimated dietary record (3DR) was used as reference and reliability was assessed through a second administration of the FFQ (FFQ2), four weeks after the first administration (FFQ1). For the validation study, Spearman's correlation coefficients showed moderate to high correlations (p < 0.001) between FFQ and 3DR. Cross-classification of quartile analysis showed moderate agreement between the two methods. As for reliability, Spearman's correlation coefficients showed moderate to high correlations (p < 0.001) between FFQ1 and FFQ2. Cronbach's alpha values (0.708 to 0.824) and intraclass correlation coefficients (0.710 to 0.826) showed good agreement between repeated FFQs. The results suggest that the FFQ has acceptable validity and good reliability. Hence, the FFQ can be used to assess preschool children's food intake.