In the perspective of recent bauxite mining in Malaysia, this review aims to identify the potential environmental and health impacts on miners and surrounding communities. The environmental issues of bauxite mining include, air, water and soil pollution due to bauxite dust; leaching of bauxite into water sources resulting in reduced soil fertility as well as affecting agricultural food products and aquatic life. Bauxite occupational exposure affects the health of miners, and has negative consequences on the health of surrounding communities, such as increased respiratory symptoms, contamination of drinking water, other potential health risks from ingestion of bauxite and heavy metals, including noise-induced hearing loss and mental stress. This review discusses the processes of bauxite mining, its constituents and residual trace elements, and their impact on the environment and health of exposed workers and communities. It also explores the Malaysian legal requirements and standards of occupational exposure to bauxite.

Objective: To identify commonly regulated genes in HPV-infected HeLa and CaSki cervical cancer cells treated with curcumin analogue 1,5-bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)-1,4-pentadiene-3-one (MS17) and to explore potential mechanisms that underlie its cytotoxic, anti-proliferative and apoptotic activity. Methods: HeLa and CaSki cells were treated with 2 × EC

The use of GBL in dermatology education is not uncommon. GBL provides education to audiences around the world, wherever their learning environment allows them. The paper serves to present the experience of a medical student who developed a GBL program for malignant melanoma (MM) without prior skills in the development of GBL software or computer programming. The commercial GBL software used is ‘Chat Mapper’. The program can be published in HTML and embedded in Moodle. It allows the creation of non-linear branching dialogue trees. The users will interact with a virtual physician which discusses the clinical features, risk factors, management, staging and prognosis of MM. A 6-minute GBL program was practical to have a basic coverage of MM. To limit learner fatigue, the program is completed with audio, graphics and dialogue menus. It tailors to English-speaking users with visual and auditory learning styles. A straightforward navigating system can accommodate users at all levels of computer literacy. The program is compatible with laptop, desktop but not all phones. A period of one week was used to master the software, resolve any technical issues and to develop this program. Users who completed the program will be able to know more about MM. The program can be viewed at: https://tlderm.webnode.com/. Physicians may consider integrating GBL programs into routine practice. The development, however, might be hampered by the time factor, cost factor and the need for technical experts.

INTRODUCTION: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a serious global burden that affects men as well as their partners. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and predictors of ED among male outpatient clinic attendees in Johor, Malaysia. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of Malaysian men aged ≥ 18 years attending two major outpatient clinics in Johor Bahru and Segamat in Johor, Malaysia, between 1 January 2016 and 31 March 2016. Subjects were chosen via simple random sampling and 400 patients were recruited. The study instrument was a survey form that consisted of three sections: sociodemographic and comorbid profile, validated English and Malay versions of the 15-item International Index of Erectile Function, and the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of self-reported ED was 81.5%. The prevalence of ED according to severity was as follows: mild (17.0%), mild to moderate (23.8%), moderate (11.3%) and severe (29.5%). Multivariate analysis showed that ED was associated with increasing age (odds ratio [OR] 4.023, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.633-9.913), Indian as compared to Malay ethnicity (OR 3.252, 95% CI 1.280-8.262), secondary as compared to tertiary education (OR 2.171, 95% CI 1.203-3.919), single as compared to married status (OR 6.119, 95% CI 2.542-14.734) and stress (OR 4.259, 95% CI 1.793-10.114). CONCLUSION ED has significant prevalence and severity among adult male outpatient clinic attendees in Johor. Increasing age, Indian ethnicity, lower educational level, singlehood and stress were significant predictors of ED.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Comorbidity ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression ; complications ; Educational Status ; Erectile Dysfunction ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Malaysia ; epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Regression Analysis ; Risk Factors ; Severity of Illness Index ; Social Class ; Young Adult

Background: Thalassaemia is a public health burden in Malaysia and its prevention faces many challenges. In this study, we aimed to assess the effectiveness of a web-based educational module in improving knowledge and attitudes about thalassaemia prevention amongst Malaysian young adults. Methods: We designed an interactive web-based educational module in the Malay language wherein videos were combined with text and pictorial visual cues. Malaysians aged 18-40 years old who underwent the module had their knowledge and attitudes assessed at baseline, post-intervention and at 6-month follow-up using a selfadministered validated questionnaire. Results: Sixty-five participants: 47 Malays (72.3%), 15 Chinese (23.1%), three Indians (4.6%) underwent the module. Questionnaires were completed at baseline (n=65), postintervention (n=65) and at 6-month follow-up (n=60). Out of a total knowledge score of 21, significant changes were recorded across three time-points- median scores were 12 at pre-intervention, 19 at post-intervention and 16 at 6-month follow-up (p<0.001). Post-hoc testing comparing preintervention and 6-month follow-up scores showed significant retention of knowledge (p<0.001). Compared to baseline, attitudes at 6-month follow-up showed an increased acceptance for “marriage avoidance between carriers” (pre-intervention 20%, 6-month follow-up 48.3%, p<0.001) and “prenatal diagnosis” (pre-intervention 73.8%, 6-month follow-up 86.2%, p=0.008). Acceptance for selective termination however, remained low without significant change (pre-intervention 6.2%, 6-month follow-up 16.7%, p=0.109). Conclusion: A web-based educational module appears effective in improving knowledge and attitudes towards thalassaemia prevention and its incorporation in thalassaemia prevention programs is potentially useful in Malaysia and countries with a high internet penetration rate.

Introduction: Often considered a legitimate strategy to enhance health and performance, the consumption of nutritional supplements (NS) has become a common practice which frequently results in unintentional doping among athletes. Despite a probable association between NS and doping, there are limited studies on this topic in developing countries such as Malaysia. Thus, this study aimed to identify the prevalence of NS usage among national elite athletes and assess their knowledge and attitude regarding its use and doping. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Malaysian National Sports Institute among national elite athletes (n=50) recruited via convenience sampling. The athletes completed a self-administered questionnaire documenting their demographic characteristics, training information, NS consumption, knowledge and attitude related to supplement-doping. The total knowledge and attitude scores were compared according to demography, training information, and NS consumption. Results: The prevalence of NS use among the athletes was 72%. NS usage was significantly associated with training duration (p=0.029), source of nutrition information (p=0.047) and self-exploration on supplements (p=0.045). Supplement-doping knowledge was significantly higher among athletes with tertiary level education (p=0.027), NS users (p=0.044), those obtaining information from nutritionists (p=0.048) and those who had attended nutrition workshops (p<0.001). The attitude score was significantly higher among males (p=0.021), professional athletes (p=0.041), athletes with lower training hours (p=0.010), those obtaining information from nutritionists (p=0.035) and those who had attended nutrition workshops (p=0.005). Conclusion: A demographic- and training-specific education on NS should be provided by qualified nutritionists to reduce the risk of doping amongst athletes.

Introduction: This research was conducted to extend the theoretical construct of positive orientation (PO) to psychiatric outpatients. This research also examined the effect of PO on alleviating stress, anxiety, and depression among psychiatric outpatients. Methods: This cross-sectional survey recruited 301 psychiatric outpatients online. As these respondents have a short attention span, short measures were used to measure PO-related variables (life satisfaction, optimism, self-esteem) and indicators of psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress). These outpatients are at the legal age to provide consent for themselves (M = 30.12, SD= 8.11). The majority of them have been identified as male (80.07%). Similarly, the ethnic distribution was unequal, with the majority of these outpatients identified as Malay (85.05%), followed by those who were identified as Chinese (7.31%), Indian (4.32%), and from other ethnic groups (3.32%). Results: Generalized structured component analysis (GSCA) supported that satisfaction with life, optimism, and self-esteem reflect the construct of PO. Furthermore, PO predicted depression, anxiety, and depression negatively. Conclusion: It is possible to replicate the construct of PO with psychiatric outpatients using single item measures for life satisfaction, optimism, and self-esteem. PO is beneficial to psychiatric outpatients as it reduces the severity of depression, anxiety, and stress.

A cell-based model of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a well-established in vitro experimental prototype to investigate the disease mechanism and therapeutic approach for a potential anti-PD drug. The SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells and 6-OHDA combo is one of the many neurotoxininduced neuronal cell models employed in numerous neuroscience-related research for discovering neuroprotective drug compounds. Emerging studies have reported a significant correlation between PD and epigenetic alterations, particularly DNA methylation. However, the DNA methylation changes of PD-related CpG sites on the 6-OHDA-induced toxicity on human neuronal cells have not yet been reported. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using Infinium Epic beadchip array surveying 850000 CpG sites in differentiated human neuroblastoma cells exposed to 6-OHDA. We identified 236 differentially methylated probes (DMPs) or 163 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in 6-OHDA treated differentiated neuroblastoma cells than the untreated reference group with p<0.01, Δbeta cut-off of 0.1. Among 236 DMPs, hypermethylated DMPs are 110 (47%), whereas 126 (53%) are hypomethylated. Our bioinformatic analysis revealed 3 DMRs that are significantly hypermethylated and associated with neurological disorders, namely AKT1, ITPR1 and GNG7. This preliminary study demonstrates the methylation status of PD-related CpGs in the 6-OHDA-induced toxicity in the differentiated neuroblastoma cells model.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relationships between psychosocial work factors and risk of WRMSDs among public hospital nurses in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 660 public hospital nurses. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on the occurrence of WRMSDs according to body regions, socio-demographic profiles, occupational information and psychosocial risk factors. 468 questionnaires were returned (response rate of 71%), and 376 questionnaires qualified for subsequent analysis. Univariate analyses were applied to test for mean and categorical differences across the WRMSDs; multiple logistic regression was applied to predict WRMSDs based on the Job Strain Model's psychosocial risk factors. RESULTS: Over two thirds of the sample of nurses experienced discomfort or pain in at least one site of the musculoskeletal system within the last year. The neck was the most prevalent site (48.94%), followed by the feet (47.20%), the upper back (40.69%) and the lower back (35.28%). More than 50% of the nurses complained of having discomfort in region one (neck, shoulders and upperback) and region four (hips, knees, ankles, and feet). The results also revealed that psychological job demands, job strain and iso-strain ratio demonstrated statistically significant mean differences (p < 0.05) between nurses with and without WRMSDs. According to univariate logistic regression, all psychosocial risk factors illustrated significant association with the occurrence of WRMSDs in various regions of the body (OR: 1.52-2.14). Multiple logistic regression showed all psychosocial risk factors were significantly associated with WRMSDs across body regions (OR: 1.03-1.19) except for region 1 (neck, shoulders and upper back) and region 4 (hips, knees, ankles, and feet). All demographic variables except for years of employment were statistically and significantly associated with WRMSDs (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicated the high prevalence of WRMSDs in many body regions, and the risks of developing WRMSDs according to the various body regions were associated with important psychosocial risk factors based on the job strain model. These findings have implications for the management of WRMSDs among public hospital nurses in the Klang Valley, Malaysia.
Ankle ; Body Regions ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Employment ; Foot ; Hospitals, Public* ; Knee ; Logistic Models ; Malaysia* ; Musculoskeletal System ; Neck ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors* ; Shoulder