58178 research outputs found
Sort by
The association between nutritional status, vitamin and mineral intake and renal profile among haemodialysis patient in Hospital Pakar Universiti Sains Malaysia (HPUSM), Kelantan
Get PDFHaemodialysis treatment is common among chronic kidney disease patients as it may shift an individual’s food choices as well as renal profile mainly due to the side effects of treatment which will influence their nutritional status and vitamin and mineral intake. The aim of this study was to explore the association between nutritional status, vitamin and mineral intake and renal profile among hemodialysis patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 106 hemodialysis patients aged 19 years old and above using convenience sampling techniques in Hospital Pakar Universiti Sains Malaysia (HPUSM) patients. Social-demographic background, clinical characteristics, laboratory data, anthropometric measurements and dietary intake (3-day diet history) were also included during the interview. Data collection carried out through interviewer-administered questionnaires. Majority of hemodialysis patients were BMI slightly overweight (24.24 kg/m²). The findings of this study found that there are significant association between nutritional status and renal profile ( height and potassium ( p = 0.004) , dry weight and phosphate test (p = 0.044) , calf-circumferences and phosphate (p = 0.003), mid-upper arm circumferences and creatinine (p = 0.014), calf-circumferences and creatinine , ( p = 0.003) , BMI and magnesium ( p = 0.018), and dry weight and creatinine tests ( p < 0.001 ) , BMI and creatinine ( p = 0.004) and BMI and albumin ( p = 0.049)) and vitamin and mineral intake and renal profile (vitamin C and uric acid (p = 0.020)). However, no statistically significant association was found between nutritional status and vitamin and mineral intake among hemodialysis patients. Hence, more studies are needed to better understand the factors affecting renal profiles in hemodialysis patients, ensuring interventions can prevent declines in nutritional status and vitamin/mineral intake
Association between demographics and knowledge of gestational diabetes mellitus (gdm) with fasting plasma glucose (fpg) among patients in Hospital Pakar Universiti Sains Malaysia (HPUSM)
Get PDFMaintaining well-controlled glycaemic levels in patients with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is crucial to prevent adverse outcomes for both mother and child. Adequate knowledge about GDM is hypothesized to contribute to fasting plasma glucose level. This study investigated the association between the degree of knowledge regarding GDM with fasting plasma glucose among GDM patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June 2024, involving 60 GDM patients admitted to the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Ward at Hospital Pakar USM. Participants completed the GDM Knowledge Questionnaires (GDMKQ) with assistance, and their fasting plasma glucose levels were obtained from their medical records. A total of 60 patients were included in final analysis. The analysis of the five knowledge domains showed that the diet/food values domain had the highest mean score (0.93 ± 0.15), while basic knowledge of GDM domain had the lowest (0.57 ± 0.21). The study found no significant association between the level of knowledge and fasting plasma glucose (r = 0.143, p > 0.05). This weak correlation further indicates that knowledge alone may not be a strong predictor of glycaemic control. These findings suggest that other factors may influence glycaemic control in GDM patients. The P-value of 0.957 indicates no significant difference in knowledge scores across age groups. Similarly, parity showed no significant association with knowledge scores (P-value = 0.564) or FPG values (P-value = 0.912). The study concluded no significant association exists between demographics and knowledge about GDM with fasting plasma glucose among GDM patients. Patients aged 30-34 years, with a parity of one, who are working women, have a degree-level education, no family history of diabetes, and follow a diet control regimen recorded the highest mean knowledge scores and the lowest mean fasting plasma glucose levels. Further research is recommended to explore additional factors that may affect glycaemic levels which were not considered in the current study
Association of financial literacy and food insecurity among undergraduate students in USM Health Campus
Get PDFThe increasing prevalence of food insecurity among university students is a critical issue. A lack of food and money management skills, such as the inability to plan a budget and manage expenses due to inadequate financial literacy, might affect one's level of food security. This study investigates the association between financial literacy and food insecurity among undergraduate students at the USM Health Campus. A cross-sectional study design was employed, involving a sample size of 169 students recruited through stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire that assessed demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, food security status, and financial literacy. The data were analyzed using Pearson’s Chi-square test or Fisher Exact test. Results indicated that 49.8% of students experienced food insecurity, with significant differences observed based on ethnicity, mother’s education level, and household income. The study found that 21.9% of university students have a low level of financial literacy, 37.8% have a medium level, and 40.2% possess a high level of financial literacy. However, there is no significant association between financial literacy and food security status among university students. These findings suggest that while improving financial literacy is important, it may not be sufficient on its own to address food insecurity among students. Further research is needed to explore other contributing factors and develop comprehensive strategies to mitigate food insecurity in this population
Patient safety culture: development and evaluation of an intervention to enhance nurses’ perception on handoffs and safety in katsina state public hospitals, north-western Nigeria
Get PDFPatient safety entails preventing avoidable harm during healthcare delivery and has become a pressing concern in the healthcare sector due to growing awareness of potential risks and errors. In Nigeria, the burden of unsafe care carries profound consequences, including medical errors, infections, prolonged hospital stays, elevated healthcare costs, and reduced patient quality of life. This study determined the level of patient safety culture, identified factors linked to negative perceptions of this culture, developed and validated an educational intervention module, and evaluated its effectiveness among nurses in Katsina State Public Hospitals, North-West Nigeria. In Phase I, a cross-sectional study employing the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) assessed patient safety culture among 430 nurses across 20 hospitals. Data analysis, performed using SPSS v.23, described the background and job-related characteristics of respondents and their perception of patient safety culture. Simple and multiple logistic regression analyses identified factors associated with negative perceptions. In Phase II, a Delphi technique validated the developed educational intervention module. In Phase III, a Quasi-Experimental design was employed to evaluate the intervention's effectiveness on nurses' perceptions of patient handoff and safety. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to assess the intervention's impact, with a significance level set at α = 0.05. The study revealed that a majority of participants were female (59.8%), aged 30–39
years. Most had 1–5 years of hospital experience, with 46.4% working 40–59 hours per week. Nearly all (96.9%) had direct patient contact. The study identified four factors that were significantly associated with overall negative perceptions of patient safety culture. These include nurses who reported fewer events (five or less) in last 12 months with adjusted odds ratio of 2.66, (95% CI = 1.03–4.97), organizational learning and continuous improvement 2.39 (95% CI = 1.40–4.10), staffing 3.15 (95% CI = 1.34–7.17), and patient handoffs and transitions 1.48 (95% CI = 1.09–3.12). The educational module achieved good content validity. Repeated-measures ANOVA indicated significant mean differences across three assessment time points (pre-intervention, 3.05±0.32, post-intervention, 3.43±0.45, Follow-up, 3.34±0.40), with the educational intervention producing significant effects, F Stat 67.58, p<0.001. The post-hoc pairwise comparison, using the Bonferroni correction, revealed statistically significant mean differences in patient handoffs and safety perception scores across assessment time points. In conclusion, this study highlights the significance of addressing patient safety culture among nurses in Nigerian public hospitals. It identifies areas for improvement in patient safety culture and effectively develops, validates, and demonstrates the educational intervention module's ability to enhance patient handoff and safety perceptions among nurses. Thus, it should be integrated into nursing education and practice to enhance healthcare quality and reduce adverse events in Nigeria
Elucidating the genetic variants of the type vi secretion system 5 (t6ss-5) in clinical and environmental strains of burkholderia pseudomallei and their potential correlation with the clinical courses of the human diseases
Get PDFBurkholderia pseudomallei, a pathogenic bacterium that causes melioidosis, is endemic in Southeast Asia and tropical Australia. Although knowledge and understanding of this neglected infectious disease have increased, the fatality rate remains high. Notably, the bacterial virulence factor type six secretion system-5 (T6SS-5) plays a significant role in this cellular internalization, yet its genetic variants and correlation with clinical outcomes of melioidosis remain unexplored. By employing multiplex PCR and whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis, this study aimed to elucidate T6SS-5 genetic variations and their potential association with disease severity and outcome. Three multiplex PCR assays were developed for the detection of 18 genes within the T6SS-5 cluster of B. pseudomallei i.e. Assay 1: tssC-5, tagD-5, tssA-5, hcp-5, tssB-5, tssF-5, and vgrG-5; Assay 2: tssL-5, tssJ-5, tssG-5, virA-5, tagB-5, and tagAB-5; and Assay 3; clpV-5, tssE-5, tssM-5, virG-5, and tssK-5. Designing specific primers was the first step in constructing these PCR assays. The specificity and sensitivity were assessed on each individual set of primers. Clinical B. pseudomallei isolates were used to evaluate the initial accuracy of these multiplex PCR assays. Results indicated that all the designed primers for T6SS-5 gene cluster were specific to the respective target bacteria. The optimized concentrations of primers for each multiplex assay were varied for each primer pair, between 2.5 – 20.0 µM. The optimum annealing temperature for these assay was 61 °C. The limit of detection for Assay 1, Assay 2 and Assay 3 were determined to be at 103 CFU/ml, 108 CFU/ml, and 107 CFU/ml, respectively, to detect all the targeted genes in each multiplex assay. Initial evaluation of clinical isolates indicated that the assays were 100% accurate on both target and non-target bacteria (n = 28). Screening of T6SS-5 genes was conducted on 88 clinical and 2 environmental isolates. Results showed that majority of the clinical isolates (83%; n=73) and all environmental isolates (100%; n=2) were able to detect all the 18 target genes in their genomes. Variations in detection of the T6SS-5 gene cluster were seen in the tssE-5, tssM-5, virG-5, and tssK-5 genes. However, there was no significance association observed between the presence of these genes and the types of clinical presentation and outcomes of the disease. In addition to multiplex PCR analysis, WGS was performed on 18 isolates, stratified into recovered (six isolates), relapsed (four isolates), deceased (six isolates) patient groups, and environment (two isolates). A total of 1495 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mutations were detected across the T6SS-5 gene cluster, with the highest mutations found in the clpV-5 gene. The non-synonymous SNPs of clpV-5, tssM-5, tssA-5, and tagAB-5 show a significant association (p value < 0.0001, < 0.0001, 0.0067, and 0.0207, respectively) with bloodstream infection among the patients. Approximately 149 insertion/deletion (indel) mutations have been identified, with notable occurrences in tssA-5, clpV-5, tagAB-5, tagC-5, and tssM-5 with 36, 72, 16, 11 and 14 mutations respectively. However, there was no significance association observed between indels mutations of these genes with the clinical presentations and outcomes of melioidosis. In conclusion, this study highlights the complexity of melioidosis pathogenesis and the importance of T6SS-5 as a virulence determinant, as well as the need for further research to unravel this virulence determinant. Understanding these genetic variants could aid in developing targeted therapies or diagnostics for melioidosis
The effect of mawangdui exercise on the pulmonary function, physical fitness and quality of life in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients
Get PDFPhysical exercise is an important component of pulmonary rehabilitation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. However, certain physical therapy may be restrictive to COPD patients, as it induces fatigue and shortness of breath, thus reducing quality of life. Mawangdui exercise, a type of low-to-medium-intensity aerobic exercise, has been gaining popularity in China as adjuvant physical therapy, particularly for patients with contraindications to exercise. This study aims to: (1) understand the characteristics and risk factors of patients with COPD (age, sex, cigarette smoking, smoking cessation, COPD grade, average length of hospital stay, and comorbidities); (2) investigate the effects of Mawangdui exercise on pulmonary function (FEV1, FVC, FEV 1 %pred), exercise capacity (6MWT, Borg CR-10, and SpO2), physical fitness (back-leg-chest muscle strength and sit-and-reach flexibility), dyspnoea symptoms (CAT, mMRC), and quality of life (SGRQ) in patients with COPD. Two studies were conducted. Study 1 is a retrospective, cross-sectional investigation of the COPD patients’ clinical records conducted in Changde First Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China and Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kota Bharu, in Malaysia; In study 2, 45 COPD patients in stable stage (mean age: 65.2 years) underwent 12 weeks sessions in communities. Intervention group (n=22) practised Mawangdui exercise for 60 minutes per session, 5 times per week, while the control group (n=23) maintained daily activities without additional exercise. The outcomes were assessed at baseline, 24 hours, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks post-intervention. Analysis of study 1 revealed that COPD was prevalent in male patients, both in China and Malaysia. Cigarette smoking was prevalent in COPD patients, with men smoking more than women. The number of smoking cessation in COPD patients was less than 50% in both hospitals. COPD patients in Changde hospital have higher severity and longer hospital stays than HUSM. However, there are more comorbidities in COPD patients from HUSM than in Changde hospital. As for study 2, at 12 weeks post intervention, Mawangdui exercise showed improvement in dyspnoea symptoms (CAT, mMRC), exercise capacity (6MWT, Borg CR-10, and SpO2), back-leg-chest muscle strength, sit-and-reach flexibility, BMI, body fat%, fat mass and quality of life (SGRQ). In conclusion, COPD patients living in different climates have similar smoking habits and comorbidities, and they should improve their healthy lifestyles. Mawangdui exercise improved exercise capacity, dyspnoea symptoms, physical fitness, and quality of life in stable mild and moderate COPD patients. Mawangdui exercise can be recommended as part of pulmonary rehabilitation for COPD patients in the mild and moderate stages of the disease
EPE 472 – Artificial Intelligence and Data Mining (Kecerdasan Buatan dan Pelombongan Data)
No full textEffects Of Effort Praise On Selfefficacy, Growth Mindset And Englishspeaking Proficiency For A Student With Learning Difficulty In An Afterschool Language Enrichment Class
No full textThe students with learning difficulties in this study refers to those students with
the behaviour of fidgeting, squirming, restless, sitting still trouble and rules breaking
in class. This study aimed to investigate how the effort praise effect the self-efficacy,
growth mindset, and speaking English proficiency of a student with learning difficulty.
A mixed-method, single-case study design was used for data collection. Research
questionnaires and scales were adopted for quantitative research, while interviews
were utilized in the qualitative research. The study consisted of two phases. Phase 1
investigated self-efficacy, growth mindset and English ability of both the students
without learning difficulties and with learning difficulty to explore the possible gaps.
Phase 2 investigated the effect of using effort praise in an English after-school program
on self-efficacy, growth mindset and English-speaking proficiency, utilizing both
quantitative data and qualitative methods. In this study, one 10-year-old student with
learning difficulty has already been selected for the study using purposive sampling
and effort praise intervention has been set. The findings showed the levels of selfefficacy,
growth mind and English ability of students without learning difficulties are
higher than those of students with learning difficulties. The findings also showed effort
appraise plays an important role to help student with learning difficulty improve their
self-efficacy, growth mindset and English-speaking proficiency