Sleep quality, sleep hygiene practices and their influencing factors among Malaysian university students: A cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Sleep quality refers to the subjective experience of sleep, encompassing aspects such as duration, depth and continuity. In contrast, sleep hygiene practices involve behaviours and habits conducive to healthy sleep patterns. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of good sleep quality and hygiene and the factors that affect good sleep hygiene and quality.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasonography in Evaluation of Adenoid Hypertrophy.

Background: Adenoid hypertrophy is common in children and can cause several symptoms including nasal obstruction, mouth breathing and obstructive sleep apnoea. The popular method used in present era is X-ray nasopharynx which is the primary investigation used in evaluation of adenoid hypertrophy. It has the risk of exposure to radiation and the head posture may not be correct due to insufficient coordination of children.

Eating disorders among physically disabled national athletes in Malaysia.

Introduction: Eating disorders are becoming a cause of concern amongst athletes in recent times. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of eating disorders amongst physically disabled athletes in Malaysia. Athletes were sampled and screened for eating disorders utilising the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire 6.

A new enigma: doping in E-sports.

Electronic sports (e-sports) is a growing entity that is estimated to be valued at USD $200 billion by the end of 2023. With the rapid rate of growth, it will come to a point that e-sports will need to be regulated including regulatory mechanisms of fair play, which includes sports doping. With the emergence of substances that provides unfair advantages in terms of concentration, staying awake and preventing anxiety including tremors, there is a need to regulate doping in e-sports.

Development of a Malaysian potentially inappropriate prescribing screening tool in older adults (MALPIP): a Delphi study.

Introduction: Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) are common among older adults. To guide appropriate prescribing, healthcare professionals often rely on explicit criteria to identify and deprescribe inappropriate medications, or to start medications due to prescribing omission. However, most explicit PIM criteria were developed with inadequate guidance from quality metrics or integrating real-world data, which are rich and valuable data source.

Stroke Riskometer Application (SRA™) influence on lifestyle changes of home bound familial Malaysian stroke caregivers: a randomised controlled trial in a primary care based longer term stroke care facility.

Background: In countries where access to Specialist stroke care services are limited, primary care physicians often manage stroke patients and the caregiving family members. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of Stroke Riskometer Application (SRA™) on promoting healthier lifestyles among familial stroke caregivers for primary prevention.

Methods: A parallel, open-label, 2-arm prospective, pilot randomised controlled trial was conducted at a long-term stroke service at a university based primary care clinic.

Mapping Levels of Palliative Care Service Development in Malaysian Public Hospitals Using the WHO Public Health Model of Palliative Care.

Introduction And Objectives: This national audit involving Ministry of Health (MOH) Hospitals aimed to map out the levels of development of palliative care services and essential palliative medication availability in Malaysia.

Materials And Methods: An online survey coupled with manual follow up was conducted throughout all MOH hospitals in Malaysia. Data collected described elements of the palliative care service(PCS) based on the WHO public health model.

To Study the Long Term Outcome of Endoscopic Septoplasty with Microdebrider Assisted Inferior Turbinoplasty (MAIT) Versus Medial Flap Turbinoplasty (MFT).

To study the long term outcome of endoscopic septoplasty with microdebrider assisted inferior turbinoplasty (MAIT) versus medial flap turbinoplasty (MFT). The present study was conducted in the Department of ENT, Government Medical College, Amritsar. Patients with symptomatic persistent nasal obstruction were recruited from ENT outdoor clinics.

Prevalence and barriers of reporting needle-stick injures amongst government pharmacists working in Perak, Malaysia.

Introduction: Needle-stick injuries (NSIs) are common amongst healthcare workers including pharmacists. Studies have reported a range of 0-5.65 per 1,000 pharmacists handling vaccinations that suffered at least one incident of NSI.

Psychological impact amongst patients with COVID-19 in Perak state.

Introduction: Psychological distress had been documented since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2019. The aim of the study is to describe the psychological impact among those who were hospitalized for COVID-19 infection within 6 months after being discharged from the hospital. The psychological impact in this study is defined as depression, anxiety, and stress.

Comparison of the Efficacy of Intraperitoneal Instillation of Butorphanol Versus Nalbuphine as Adjuvants to Ropivacaine for Postoperative Pain Relief in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Under General Anesthesia: A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study.

Background And Aims: Postoperative pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy is very common complication hindering the early return of routine activity. Since agonist opioids are not easily available, the most common drug used for intraoperative analgesia is intravenous butorphanol in our institute. The purpose of our study is to compare the analgesic effect of intraperitoneal butorphanol and nalbuphine as additives with ropivacaine in laparoscopic cholecystectomy for postoperative pain.

Parental control on handphone access and usage among Malaysian children.

Introduction: Parental control for a child's handphone access is important to ensure online safety. This study was to determine parental control on handphone access and the usage amongst Malaysian children.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted electronically between April 2017 and March 2018 among parents with children above 2 years of age, who owned a handphone.

Comparison of the COVID-19 mortality occurring in hospitals and those brought in dead within Malaysia.

Background: Measuring the success of the control of COVID-19 in any country includes a review of the mortality especially to compare the deaths of those dying in hospitals and those brought in dead (BID). The objective of this study was to compare the death groups with the demographic factors that influenced the type of death.

Methods: This was a case-control study (1:1 ratio) looking at COVID-19 secondary public data from March 2020 to February 2021.

The opinion of general practitioners in Malaysia on newly imposed third party health administrator policies in primary care.

Background: Third Party Health Administrators (TPA) has become an integral part in the field of funding healthcare for most parts in the world. Although they ensure access to medical care when out-of-pocket payment is required, TPAs have been found to impose unreasonable dictation in medicine prescriptions that undercuts doctors remuneration including paying very low medical consultation fees, types/methods of treatment and modalities for their policy holders. The objective of this study was to get the opinion of Malaysian doctors regarding the newly imposed policies and rates that these companies have forcibly dictated towards private primary care General Practitioners (GPs).

Role of arterial blood gas (ABG) as a valuable assessment tool of disease severity in SARS-CoV-2 patients.

Background: COVID-19 is caused by a novel coronavirus, named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The foremost predominant complication of SARS-CoV-2 is arterial hypoxemia thereby disturbing lung compliance, requiring mechanical ventilation. The aim of the current research study is to analyze role of ABG as a valuable assessment tool of disease severity in SARS-CoV-2 patients.

Risk stratification and assessment framework for international travel and border measures amidst the COVID-19 pandemic - A Malaysian perspective.

Background: Guided by the best practices adapted from national and international bodies including the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the UK Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC), this paper aims to develop and provide an empirical risk stratification and assessment framework for advancing the safe resumption of global travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method: Variables included in our model are categorized into four pillars: (i) incidence of cases, (ii) reliability of case data, (iii) vaccination, and (iv) variant surveillance. These measures are combined based on weights that reflect their corresponding importance in risk assessment within the context of the pandemic to calculate the risk score for each country.

Can Dermoscopy and Ultrasonography be Considered a Prognostic Tool in Management of Psoriasis?

Background: Dermoscopy can reliably predict the diagnosis of plaque psoriasis. Ultrasonography has been increasingly used in dermatology in inflammatory diseases like psoriasis as a tool for evaluation. Hence, this study was done to evaluate the role of dermoscopy and ultrasonography as prognostic aid in plaque psoriasis.

Role of Dexamethasone on Oxygen Requirement, Mortality, and Survival Incidence among COVID-19 Patients: Quasi-Experimental Study.

Background: Patients diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are often prone to developing systemic inflammation which eventually causes damage to the lungs and other important organs. Randomized open-label control trials carried out in the different parts of the world have highlighted the importance of corticosteroids for treating such patients.

Materials And Methods: The current quasi-experimental study was based on COVID-19-infected patients with oxygen saturation <92% and evidence of pneumonia confirmed through radiological examination.

Diabetes Mellitus Prevalence Among Haitian American Afro-Caribbeans in the United States.

To measure the prevalence of diabetes mellitus among Haitian American Afro-Caribbeans, a quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a convenience sample of 151 Haitian Americans in New York, New Jersey, and Florida. The results of the study revealed an age-adjusted prevalence of diabetes mellitus of 39.9% (95% CI 29.

Premedication for Induced Hypotension in Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgeries: Intravenous Dexmedetomidine Infusion vs Oral Metoprolol vs Placebo: A Comparative Study.

Background: Controlled hypotension has been used to reduce bleeding and the need for blood transfusions and provide a satisfactory bloodless surgical field. In this double-blind, randomized controlled trial, we are comparing intravenous (i.v.

The Role of Al -Based Aqueous Electrolytes in the Charge Storage Mechanism of MnO Cathodes.

Rechargeable aqueous aluminium batteries are the subject of growing interest, however, the charge storage mechanisms at manganese oxide-based cathodes remain poorly understood. In essense, every study proposes a different mechanism. Here, an in situ spectroelectrochemical methodology is used to unambiguously demonstrate that reversible proton-coupled MnO -to-Mn conversion is the main charge storage mechanism occurring at MnO cathodes for a range of slightly acidic Al -based aqueous electrolytes, with the Al hexaaquo complex playing the key role of proton donor.

Knowledge and attitude of nurses towards diabetic foot care in a secondary health care centre in Malaysia.

Introduction: Nurses play a vital role in the care and prevention of ulcers in patients with diabetic foot. Patient education, prevention of ulcers and rehabilitation are some of the vital aspects that nurses provide on a daily basis. Thus, good knowledge and attitude of nurses towards diabetic foot ulcers and its care will ensure better patient care.