8142 research outputs found
Sort by
Factors associated with quality of life among caregivers of special needs children in Terengganu, Malaysia
No full textBackground: Living with special needs children requires a life-long adjustment. Parents
have to adapt to the condition that consequently may possess a large impact on their overall
health and well-being. This paper evaluates the sociodemographic factors and physical
characteristics associated with the quality of life (QoL) among caregivers of special needs
children in community-based rehabilitation centre Terengganu.
Methods: A total of 183 caregivers involved in this cross-sectional study. This study was
conducted in all 46 rehabilitation centres across Terengganu state. Validated Malay Version
World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) Questionnaire was used to
assess the QoL of these caregivers based on physical health, psychological health, social
relationship and environment domain.
Results: The lowest QoL score obtained was in the physical health domain (64.30 [17.90])
followed by environmental support domain (65.60 [18.70]), psychological wellbeing (70.80
[20.90]) and social relationship domain (75.00 [16.60]). There was a significant difference
between family income with all QoL domains by which the tertiary education caregivers
score significantly higher in the environmental support domain. Meanwhile, child’s texture
acceptance was significantly different between two groups for the physical health (Pvalue=0.030) and psychological wellbeing (P-value=0.022). Family income, child’s texture
acceptance and seizure episodes were predictors for variations in QoL domain score
obtained by the caregivers.
Conclusion: This study found that parents with all types of child’s disability scored the
lowest for environment domain in QoL. Parents with special need children were currently
living with affected QoL. Therefore, more support and intervention should be offered to the
parents to enhance overall well-being that consequently will improve the child’s QoL
Effects of thymoquinone on neurotoxic rats induced by 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine
No full textAims/Background:Ecstasy (3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine; MDMA) is a psychoactive substance that is associated with neurotoxicity. The MDMA exposure on human results in alteration of serotonin (5.1-m released by brain and leads to degeneration of neuronal cells in hippocampus. Although there are several treatments available on the effects of MDMA, but most of them are synthetic drugs. There is less study was done on the effects of natural compounds in MDMA-induced neurotoxicity. Hence, a natural active compound from a black seed of Nirlia sativa known as thymoquinone (TQ) was studied for its protective effect towards neurotoxicity in rat model. This study aimed to investigate the effects of TQ on MDMA-induced neurotoxicity based on 5-HT level, sign of anxiety, recognition memory and neuronal damage in rats.Methodology: The induction of MDMA neurotoxicity was done with two different dosages to stimulate 5-HT depletion (single oral administration of 20 mg/kg MDMA) and neuronal damage (one week i.p treatment of 10 mg/kg MDMA) on rats. The administration of TO into neurotoxic rats was carried out in male Sprague Dawley (n=24, 6 per group). TQ treated groups were administered with 40 mg/kg TQ once daily for one week. Anxiety test was subjected to a light-dark test and social interaction test. Cerebrospinal fluid was collected from the cisterna magna to determine the level of 5-HT by means of Enzyme-Link Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). A novel object recognition test (NORT) was carried out to measure the memory performance of the rats followed by a histopathological assessment carried out in the hippocampal dentate gyrus by using haematoxylin & eosin (H&E) and Fluoro-Jade C fluorescein staining.Results: It showed that MDMA caused a significant depletion of 5-HT and neuronal damage when compared to the control (P5.0.05). On the other hand, TO prevented depletion of 5--HT and reduced anxiety after undergoing a 1-week treatment in MDMA+PQ group as Compared to the untreated MDMA group (P<_0.05). The histopathology analysis revealed a statistically significant increase in numbers of positive cells by Fluoro-Jade C following the effect of MDMA on neuronal damage (MDMA induced group) compared to control. Next, the TQ treatments observed in MprviA+Tia exhibited a decline in positive cells from Fluoro-Jade C. The index of recognition memory was found to be increased in MDMA+TQ compared to the MDMA alone.Conclusion: This study suggests that the neuronal damage inflicted by MDMA in a rat model has the potential to be treated by TQ
The Efficacy of Planned Intervention on Maternal Stress in Malaysia's NICU
No full textTo evaluate the effectiveness of Planned Intervention (PI) in reducing maternal stress among Malay mother who has premature infant admitted
to NICU
Solah Guide During Illness (SGDI) Mobile App as Supporting Tools during Recovery Process
No full textSGDI is an interactive mobile application aims to provide guide to user in performing solat during
illness. Four (4) main condition of illness and two (2) method of ablution has been animated in 3D
animation to show step by step how it can be done. Mobile platform chosen to ease user anytime and
anywhere especially at the hospital. All multimedia elements are fully utilized to ensure the clear
presentation of content to users. Solah is the second pillar of Islam. Solah Guide during Illness (SGDI)
is a mobile application which has been developed to assist patients that has some difficulties to
perform their solah in a normal way. SGDI application employs six learning modules. Four modules
for solah and two modules for wudhu' and tayammum. We included an animation as an approach to
guide potential users effectively. Each activity prepared in 3D animation represents certain movement
of solah during illness. Extra module of to test the understanding of users is a Quiz provided as a way
to test user’s comprehension. This application embedded with interactivity and user control concept
that allow user to freely explore the application at their own pace
CAIS@LAW: Web-Service Computerized Accounting Information System for Small Law Firms in Malaysia
No full textExploring the adaptation of whistleblowing practice of the internal auditors in Malaysia
No full textNews of high-profile frauds and financial malpractices continue to make daily media headlines after the change of government in
May 2018. Whether in the private or government sector, corruptions, financial misconduct and malpractices have always been
associated with lack of proper auditing and ineffective internal control systems. Various initiatives have been developed to reduce
the negative perception of public sector frauds including the implementation of whistleblowing practices in public sector. However,
to date, it is still questionable whether this practice is efficient and effective due to the increasing trend in reported frauds in the
government departments. Thus, this study examines the practice of whistleblowing in Malaysian public sector agencies. Total of
500 questionnaires are distributed to the internal auditors in public sector agencies. To achieve the objective of this study, the
application of artificial intelligence in the practice of the whistleblowing will be examined to see the effectiveness of this practice.
The findings are expected to enhance the new Malaysian government initiatives in fighting frauds and corruptions. The effect of
whistleblowing practice will provide further evidence to strengthen the internal control system and practices and improve the public
sector accountability and transparency
