ABSTRACT Objective: To identify etiologic microbiota associated periodontal diseases among diabetes patients and the factors related to the most commonly identified bacteria species. Material and ...Methods: Periodontal plaque samples from 11 diabetic participants and 13 non-diabetic controls were collected to assess their aerobic and anaerobic bacterial growth. Different distinct colonies were identified by microscopic and 16srDNA sequencing. Pearson's chi-square tests were conducted to examine any association between categorical variables. Results: The diabetic subjects revealed a more intense plaque formation with a mean plaque index of 2.4 compared to 1.8 in non-diabetics. A total of 86 bacteria were isolated from 24 plaque samples, 44 were aerobic, and 42 were anaerobic. Only aerobic isolates, 22 from diabetic patients and 22 from non-diabetic patients, were evaluated in these analyses. Bacillus spp. (B. cereus mainly) and Klebsiella spp. (K. pneumoniae, K. aerogenes, K. oxytoca) were detected markedly higher in non-diabetic individuals than in diabetic subjects (p=0.026 and p=0.021, respectively). Some bacteria were only identified in the dental plaque of diabetic individuals, namely, Bacillus mojavensis, Enterobacter cloacae, Proteus mirabilis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus hominis, Staphylococcus pasteuri, Streptococcus mutans, and Streptococcus pasteurianus. The presence of acid reflux and jaundice were significantly associated with the most common bacterial isolate, namely Bacillus spp., with the p-values of 0.007 and 0.001, respectively. Conclusion: Type-2 diabetes mellitus is associated with a higher amount of dental plaques. Periodontal plaque samples from diabetic and non-diabetic subjects possess differential microbial communities. Diabetic plaques contain more versatile microbes predominated by gram-positive streptococci and staphylococci.
Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the fifth most common cancer reported in Malaysia. Although several studies on NPC have been carried out, the risk factors associated with NPC in ...Malaysia are unknown. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the risk factors associated with NPC cases in Pahang state. Methods: NPC cases that were diagnosed between 2012 and 2017 were recruited from two referral hospitals in Pahang. An interview was conducted using adapted questionnaires, which included demographic data, family history of cancer, and lifestyle. The data were analyzed statistically to identify the associations between the selected variables and NPC. Results: A total of 71 NPC cases and 81 control subjects were recruited from the hospitals. Multivariate analysis showed that a family history of NPC and current smoking were significantly associated with the risk of NPC (p < 0.05). Further analysis revealed a significant association between the risk of NPC in smokers with no family history of NPC (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This preliminary study suggests that family history and smoking are factors associated with the development of NPC in Pahang, which was consistent with previous studies.
Purpose: This study was intended to assess the knowledge and attitude of health-based students regarding HBV infection, its associated factors and the relationship between the knowledge and attitude.
...Materials and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study. The data had been collected from the students selected through convenience sampling in a public university in Malaysia using a self-administered questionnaire.
Results: Among the 117 student respondents, nearing half (44.4%) had adequate knowledge related to HBV infection and nearing fourth-fifth (78.6%) had attitude score of satisfactory level. Genders and community status showed no association with knowledge and attitude regarding HBV infection, while faculty was significantly associated with both knowledge and attitude. Only knowledge but not attitude was found to have significant positive correlation with age and year of study. Knowledge was also found to be positively correlated with attitude regarding HBV infection.
Conclusion: This research found that age and year of study were only positively correlated with knowledge regarding HBV, but not attitude. Besides, the result showed significant positive correlation between knowledge and attitude regarding HBV infection, meaning higher knowledge was associated with higher attitude.
The use of Internet has now become indispensable, and the technology has revolutionized the medical education and practice worldwide. Currently, medical students and professionals have an enormous ...opportunity to keep them always updated with the exponential growth of knowledge because of potential progression of Internet throughout the world that enables them to become a lifelong learner. Internet addiction is a widespread phenomenon among students and academicians at universities in Malaysia. Students use the Internet for recreational purpose and personal and professional development. The Internet has become an integral part of day-to-day life of the university students, including medical students. The aim of the present study was to examine the Internet use and addiction among students of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Malaysia.
This was a cross-sectional study in which a questionnaire, Internet Addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire, developed by the Center for Internet Addiction, USA, was used. One hundred forty-nine medical students of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin participated in this study. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software.
The mean scores were 44.9±14.05 and 41.4±13.05 for male and female participants, respectively, which indicated that both the genders were suffering from mild Internet addiction.
This study shows almost similar level of Internet usage among medical students irrespective of their socioeconomic background, with no statistically significant (
>0.05) differences, except among the years of study (
=0.007). Overall, from the research data and having worked with this cohort very closely, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin medical students can be labeled as wonted and recurring users of the Internet. Nevertheless, it is very difficult to define as Internet addicts or pathological users of the Internet because of small sample size and cross-sectional study.
Pahang River (Sg. Pahang) is the longest river in Peninsular Malaysia. Flood is a common event in Pahang River Basin during wet season which triggered by monsoon season. The hydrodynamic study of ...Pahang River should be well understood especially when it is a target of northeast monsoon which influenced the Pahang River Basin every year (from November to March). 17 river cross section stations were selected and used to measure its drainage capacity, hydraulic parameters and estimation of flow discharge. Long term (1980 to 2009) variation of hydrologic data series comprised of river flow, river stage and rainfall data were analyzed based on the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) Malaysia record. Monthly rainfall was recorded from Sg. Yap, Temerloh and Lubuk Paku Rainfall Stations. Two hydrologic sampling trips had been carried out; first sampling on January 2010 and second sampling on February 2010. The study indicates that velocity and river flow measurement during first sampling ranged from 0.308 to 0.582 m sec super( -1) and 153.282 to 439.684 super( m3) sec super( -1). Meanwhile, during second sampling, the velocity and river flow ranged from 0.217 to 0.484 and 52.071 to 304.485 m super( 3) sec super( -1), respectively. Floods were occurred annually at Pahang River especially during northeast monsoon, these events are expected to be stimulated by the inconsistent condition of width and depth along Pahang River which finally create sedimentation and meandering characteristic.
This study presents a shear strength prediction model for concrete beams reinforced with GFRP bars. An empirical equation is developed using multiple regression analysis from the experimental results ...of 16 RC beams with GFRP bars. The proposed equation involved the parameters that affected the shear strength of beams such as compressive concrete strength, shear span ratio, longitudinal reinforcement ratio and modulus elasticity of the reinforcement. The accuracy of the proposed equation was verified by predicting the available experimental data from the literature. Furthermore, the predictions of shear capacities were compared with the current shear design code of ACI 440.1R-06. As a result, the ACI 440 provides very conservative prediction, while a better prediction is obtained from the shear strength prediction model in the present study.
Chronic cholangitis in cats can be induced by liver fluke infestation. It is a rare disease and can be fatal if it is left untreated due to a number of complications including liver cancer. A ...2.5-year-old–spayed female domestic shorthair cat with history of jaundice, vomiting and self-inflicted alopecia was brought to the University Veterinary Hospital. Blood and urine samples were sent to the Veterinary Haematology and Clinical Biochemistry Laboratory. Complete blood count results showed values within normal. The cat rather had persistent increases in liver enzymes and bilirubin throughout 1 week of hospitalisation, although she was treated empirically. Bilirubinuria was expected, and adequately concentrated urine was noted. Faecal sample submitted to the Veterinary Parasitology Laboratory during hospitalisation revealed the presence of liver fluke ova. The cat was treated with fenbendazole and other medications upon discharged, and the owner was advised to bring the cat for a visit for re-evaluation of liver enzymes and liver fluke ova.
The conversion of biomass into hydrogen-rich syngas has been getting attention recently, as it has potential sustainability benefits of agricultural residues. In this study, gasification of empty ...fruit bunch (EFB) was performed using various calcined Malaysian dolomite catalysts, which were denoted as P1, P2, and P3. The physicochemical properties of the catalysts were examined using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of various catalyst to biomass (C/B) ratios (varied in the range of 0.05–0.3 in an increment of 0.05) of P1, P2, and P3 catalyst in EFB gasification was evaluated at a gasifier temperature of 850°C. The gas produced was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC). The effect of various C/B ratios on tar conversion was also examined. The result showed that, with lower impurities in calcined dolomites and high content of active sites (CaO–MgO), improved characteristics of P1 and P2 in crystalline structure contributes to a significant reduction in tar cracking (~78 and 75%, respectively) and higher H2 yield (32.25 mg H2/g EFB).
Background: According to researches, low sleep quality may lower the well-being of the students directly. One of the known components of well-being is satisfaction with life. Hence, this study is ...done to address if there is any relationship between sleep quality and well-being by measuring the quality of sleep and satisfaction with life. Purpose: This study was done to identify the association between quality of sleep and well-being amongst Allied Health Sciences students in a public university in Malaysia. Aside from that, it was also completed to compare the sleep quality and well-being between the different study programs, years of study and genders of the students. Materials and Methods: The study design chosen for this study was a cross-sectional study. A total of 120 students from the years 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the six study programs in the Allied Health Sciences faculty were selected by convenience sampling. The students were required to answer one set of questionnaires consisting of the consent form, information sheet, sociodemographic data, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). The questionnaire was analysed by incorporating Kruskal-Wallis test, ANOVA, independent t-test and Pearson correlation test. Results: This research found that there was no significant difference of PSQI and SWLS scores between different study programs (P = 0.250 and P = 0.106, respectively), years of study (P = 0.162 and P = 0.704, respectively) and genders (P = 0.070 and P = 0.201, respectively) in the faculty. The results, however, indicated that there was a significant fair negative correlation between PSQI and SWLS amongst the students (P < 0.001; r = −0.416). Conclusion: This study amongst Allied Health Sciences students can be safely concluded that there was no difference in sleep quality and satisfaction with life between audiology, dietetic, biomedical science, physiotherapy, optometry and radiography students, neither between the years 1, 2, 3 and 4 nor between male and female students. On the other hand, better sleep quality was significantly associated with better satisfaction of life, hence the well-being of the students.
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