19672 research outputs found
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Health facility use by dengue patients in the Klang Valley, Malaysia: a secondary analysis of dengue surveillance data
No full textBackground: Dengue patients in Malaysia have the choice to seek care from either public or private sector providers. This study aims to analyse the pattern of health facility use among dengue patients to provide input for the ongoing policy discussion regarding public-private integration. The focus of this study is in the Klang Valley, which has a high dengue burden as well as a high number of private facilities. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study using an available secondary data source - the Malaysian national dengue passive surveillance system, e-Dengue registry. A total of 61 455 serologically confirmed dengue cases from the Klang Valley, registered in year 2014, were included. We retrospectively examined the relationship between demographic factors and the choice of health-care sector by logistic regression. Results: The median age of the cohort was 26 (interquartile range: 17 to 37) years. More private facilities (54.4%) were used for inpatient care; more public facilities (68.2%) were used for outpatient care. The Chinese and urban populations showed significantly higher use of the private health-care sector with an adjusted odds ratio of 4.8 [95% confidence interval (CI): 4.6-5.1] and 2.3 (95% CI: 2.2-2.4), respectively. Conclusion: Both public and private health facilities bear significant responsibilities in delivering health-care services to dengue patients. The workload of both sectors should be included in future health policy planning by public agencies. (c) 2019 The authors; licensee World Health Organization
Posterior Spinal Fusion in a Scoliotic Patient With Congenital Heart Block Treated With Pacemaker: An Intraoperative Technical Difficulty
No full textSTUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVE: To describe the technical difficulties on performing posterior spinal fusion (PSF) on a pacemaker-dependent patient with complete congenital heart block and right thoracic scoliosis. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Congenital complete heart block requires pacemaker implantation at birth through thoracotomy, which can result in scoliosis. Corrective surgery in this patient was challenging. Height gain after corrective surgery may potentially cause lead dislodgement. The usage of monopolar electrocautery may interfere with the function of the implanted cardiac device. METHODS: A 17-year-old boy was referred to our institution for the treatment of right thoracic scoliosis of 70°. He had underlying complete congenital heart block secondary to maternal systemic lupus erythematosus. Pacemaker was implanted through thoracotomy since birth and later changed for four times. PSF was performed by two attending surgeons with a temporary pacing inserted before the surgery. The monopolar electrocautery device was used throughout the surgery. RESULTS: The PSF was successfully performed without any technical issues and complications. Postoperatively, his permanent pacemaker was functioning normally. Three days later, he was recovering well and was discharged home from hospital. CONCLUSION: This case indicates that PSF can be performed successfully with thoughtful anticipation of technical difficulties on a pacemaker-dependent patient with underlying congenital heart block.5
Development of high-performance two-dimensional gel electrophoresis for human hair shaft proteome
No full textThe primary components of human hair shaft—keratin and keratin-associated proteins (KAPs), together with their cross-linked networks—are the underlying reason for its rigid structure. It is therefore requisite to overcome the obstacle of hair insolubility and establish a reliable protocol for the proteome analysis of this accessible specimen. The present study employed an alkaline-based method for the efficient isolation of hair proteins and subsequently examined them using gel-based proteomics. The introduction of two proteomic protocols, namely the conventional and modified protocol, have resulted in the detection of more than 400 protein spots on the two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE). When compared, the modified protocol is deemed to improve overall reproducibility, whilst offering a quick overview of the total protein distribution of hair. The development of this high-performance protocol is hoped to provide a new approach for hair analysis, which could possibly lead to the discovery of biomarkers for hair in health and diseases in the future. © 2019 Wong et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Genetic diversity of zoonotic malaria parasites from mosquito vector and vertebrate hosts
No full textWe explored and constructed haplotype network for simian malaria species: Plasmodium knowlesi, P. cynomolgi and P. inui aiming to understand the transmission dynamics between mosquitoes, humans and macaques. Mosquitoes were collected from villages in an area where zoonotic malaria is prevalent. PCR analysis confirmed Anopheles balabacensis as the main vector for macaque parasites, moreover nearly 60% of the mosquitoes harboured more than one Plasmodium species. Fragments of the A-type small subunit ribosomal RNA (SS rRNA) amplified from salivary gland sporozoites, and equivalent sequences obtained from GenBank were used to construct haplotype networks. The patterns were consistent with the presence of geographically distinct populations for P. inui and P. cynomolgi, and with three discrete P. knowlesi populations. This study provides a preliminary snapshot of the structure of these populations, that was insufficient to answer our aim. Thus, collection of parasites from their various hosts and over time, associated with a systematic analysis of a set of genetical loci is strongly advocated in order to obtain a clear picture of the parasite population and the flow between different hosts. This is important to devise measures that will minimise the risk of transmission to humans, because zoonotic malaria impedes malaria elimination. © 201
Current issues facing the introduction of human papillomavirus vaccine in China and future prospects
No full textThe introduction of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in China aims to prevent HPV infection in all women. The issues that China might face include high cost of vaccines made in other countries, shortage in HPV vaccine supply, negative events attributed to vaccination (whether justified or not) that jeopardizes the general public’s confidence in the HPV vaccine, cultural and literacy barriers, and sensitivity to receiving a vaccine for a sexually transmitted disease. Ensuring the effective delivery of the HPV vaccine in China, a country with vast economic, geographical, and cultural complexities, will require a commitment of significant resources. In light of the high price of imported vaccines, the availability of locally manufactured HPV vaccines would greatly facilitate the national HPV vaccination program. New evidence supporting the efficacy of a two-dose regime in younger adolescents would also be advantageous in terms of affordability and logistical simplicity of vaccine administration. Furthermore, it would potentially enhance the compliance and uptake, especially for hard to reach women in remote regions. © 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Surveillance of aedes vectors in selected agricultural, fogging-free and dengue-prone areas in Peninsular Malaysia
No full textDistributions of Aedes vectors in fifteen study sites comprising of ag-ricultural, fogging-free and dengue-prone areas in Peninsular Malaysia were investigated using ovitraps during January and May 2016 placed indiscriminately inside and outside human premises in all study sites. Cheras, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, a dengue-prone area showed the highest ovitrap index (OI) (96.00%) while the lowest OI (64.00%) was found in both Padang Serai, Kedah and Temerloh, Pahang, fogging-free residential areas. Aedes albopictus was the most dominant species in all study sites while Ae. aegypti was captured in only five study sites. Mean number of larvae per recovered ovitrap among various species is significantly different for all types of areas except for oil palm planta-tions. The existence of Ae. aegypti in a few and Ae. albopictus in all study sites suggest their roles in the current and forthcoming transmission of dengue virus in these study sites. © 2019, SEAMEO TROPMED Network. All rights reserved
Are non-Muslims willing to patronize Islamic financial services?
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the awareness of non-Muslims coming from a non-Muslim-majority country regarding Islamic financial services, in particular, the takaful products. Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses structured questionnaires to acquire and understand South Korean citizens’ perceptions of Islamic financial services (primarily takaful) to reinforce the scant previous literature in this area of research. The questionnaires are developed and adapted based on a previous study by Htay and Salman (2013). The sample consisted of 121 Korean people who were living in Ampang, a popular suburb for South Koreans in Kuala Lumpur. Findings: The findings indicate that even South Korean citizens who have dwelled in Malaysia for a significant amount of time had little awareness of Islamic financial services. Upon personal explanation about the product, however, they showed a significant interest to get to know about takaful and a willingness to subscribe to it in the near future. Research limitations/implications: Respondents are limited to only South Koreans who are residing in Malaysia. Practical implications: Understanding the level of awareness about Islamic financial services among non-Muslims residing in Muslim-majority country. Social implications: There is ample scope to penetrate the non-Muslim market for Islamic financial products. Originality/value: There is a growing concern over the lack of research in the area of perceptions of Islamic financial services among non-Muslims from non-Muslim-majority countries. The lack of study in this area of research has often been overshadowed by research studies on perceptions of Islamic financial services among non-Muslim residents in Muslim-majority countries, which may have led to a dearth of proper strategies in the Islamic financial industry to penetrate non-Muslim-majority markets. © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited
In-hospital mortality of cardiogenic shock complicating ST-elevation myocardial infarction in Malaysia: a retrospective analysis of the Malaysian National Cardiovascular Database (NCVD) registry
No full textObjectives Cardiogenic shock (CS) complicating ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) carries an extremely high mortality. The clinical pattern of this life threatening complication has never been described in Malaysian setting. This study is to investigate the incidence, clinical characteristics and outcome of STEMI patients with CS in our population. Design A retrospective analysis of STEMI patients from 18 hospitals across Malaysia contributing to the Malaysian National Cardiovascular Database-acute coronary syndrome) registry (NCVD-ACS) year 2006-2013. Participants 16 517 patients diagnosed of STEMI from 18 hospitals in Malaysia from the year 2006 to 2013. Primary outcome measures In-hospital and 30 day post-discharge mortality. Results CS complicates 10.6% of all STEMIs in this study. They had unfavourable premorbid conditions and poor outcomes. The in-hospital mortality rate was 34.1% which translates into a 7.14 times mortality risk increment compared with STEMI without CS. Intravenous thrombolysis remained as the main urgent reperfusion modality. Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in CS conferred a 40% risk reduction over non-invasive therapy but were only done in 33.6% of cases. Age over 65, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, chronic lung and kidney disease conferred higher risk of mortality. Conclusion Mortality rates of CS complicating STEMI in Malaysia are high. In-hospital PCI confers a 40% mortality risk reduction but the rate of PCI among our patients with CS complicating STEMI is still low. Efforts are being made to increase access to invasive therapy for these patients. © 2019 Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ
Guidelines for neuromuscular ultrasound training
No full textNeuromuscular ultrasound has become an essential tool in the diagnostic evaluation of various neuromuscular disorders, and, as such, there is growing interest in neuromuscular ultrasound training. Effective training is critical in mastering this modality. Our aim was to develop consensus-based guidelines for neuromuscular ultrasound training courses. A total of 18 experts participated. Expert opinion was sought through the Delphi method using 4 consecutive electronic surveys. A high degree of consensus was achieved with regard to the general structure of neuromuscular ultrasound training; the categorization of training into basic, intermediate, and advanced levels; the learning objectives; and the curriculum for each level. In this study, a group of neuromuscular ultrasound experts established consensus-based guidelines for neuromuscular ultrasound training. These guidelines can be used in the development of the specialty and the standardization of neuromuscular ultrasound training courses and workshops. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
Neuroticism, extraversion and conscientiousness as predictors of the hedonistic lifestyle
No full textThe present study aimed to investigate relationships of big five personality traits (openness to experiences, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) with the hedonistic lifestyle as well as gender differences in two variables. Participants were students of the Psychology Department at Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Indonesia. A total of 256 students (165 women and 91 men) were selected based on the simple random sampling. The Indonesian version of the Big Five Personality Inventory Scale and the Hedonistic lifestyle Scale were used in the research. The results indicated that three dimensions of the big five, namely conscientiousness, extraversion, and neuroticism, were significantly correlated with the hedonistic lifestyle. conscientiousness had a greater correlation with the hedonistic lifestyle compared to the extraversion and neuroticism. However, the other two dimensions, namely the openness to experience and agreeableness were not correlated with the hedonistic lifestyle. Meanwhile, female participants showed significantly higher levels of hedonistic lifestyle, neuroticism, and agreeableness than men; however, the conscientiousness was significantly higher in men than women. © NAJP