This study explored the efficacy of Toxorhynchites splendens, predator of Aedes albopictus as a biocontrol agent. There was a negative correlation between Ae. albopictus larval population and Tx. splendens larval population in ovitraps (r= -0.287, R2=0.0821). The correlation is higher between the mean number of Ae. albopictus larvae per ovitrap and the number of Tx. splendens larvae in an ovitrap (r=-0.987, R2=0.9737). Larvae of Tx. splendens were observed to co-exist with larvae of Ae. albopictus and Culex fuscocephala in the ovitraps placed in the study area. The existence of Tx. splendens larvae in the study area coincides with their habit, preferring to breed in bamboo stumps. A total of 480 ovitraps were inspected for 30-week study period and 281 ovitraps were positive with Ae. albopictus larvae respectively. There was a significant difference between numbers of ovitrap positive for Ae. albopictus larvae with number of Tx. splendens larvae in the ovitraps (ANOVA, F(4,475) 2.655, p< 0.05). Of 281 ovitraps positive with Ae. albopictus larvae, 255 ovitraps contained only one Tx. splendens larva each. Only one ovitrap contained four, the most number of Tx. splendens larvae (p< 0.05). Thus, Tx. splendens could be utilised as an alternative for dengue vector control programme.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Malaysian women. This study aimed to determine the reproductive for premenopausal breast cancer risk in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A case-control study was conducted in 216 histopathologically confirmed cases of premenopausal breast cancer and 216 community-based controls that were matched by age within a 5-year period and ethnicity. The results of this study showed that premenopausal breast cancer risks were strongly related to parity, number of live births and family history of breast cancer. Premenopausal women with these known reproductive and family history risk factors should take extra measures to undergo appropriate screening method for early detection of breast cancer

The ideal size of intramedullary device to fix corrective osteotomy of proximal femur in abnormal bone in children and small patients may not be easily available. We report the successful use of Rush rod in combination with multiple Kirschner wires to fix the corrective osteotomy of coxa vara and shepherd crook deformity in two patients with osteogenesis imperfecta and fibrous dysplasia. The union was achieved on time, neck shaft angle and rotation were maintained.

Objective: This article aims to review the literature published over the past five decades related to the experiences of women who have undergone induced lactation. Methods: A comprehensive electronic search was conducted using PubMed, the Library of Congress, Google Scholar, SAGE, and ScienceDirect. The following search keywords were used: adoptive breastfeeding, induced lactation, non-puerperal lactation, extraordinary breastfeeding, and milk kinship. The search was restricted to articles written in English and published from 1956 to 2019. All study designs were included except for practice protocols. Results: A total of 50 articles about induced lactation were retrieved. Of these, 17 articles identified the experiences of women who underwent induced lactation. The articles included original papers (n=7), reviews (n=5), and case reports (n=5). Four articles were specifically related to Malaysia, and the others were international. These 17 articles concerning the experiences of women who induced lactation will be reviewed based on four themes related to inducing lactation: (a) understanding women’s perception of satisfaction, (b) emotional aspects, (c) enabling factors, and (d) challenges. Conclusion: Identifying a total of only 17 articles on induced lactation published over the last 53 years suggests that the subject is understudied. This review provides emerging knowledge regarding the experiences of women who have induced lactation in terms of satisfaction, emotions, enabling factors and challenges related to inducing lactation.

Introduction: The intention of a woman to breastfeed is one of the predictors of breastfeeding initiation and duration. Objective: The aim of this study is to determine exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) intention among women admitted for elective cesarean delivery in Kelantan and their postnatal EBF practices. Methods: A total of 171 women, mostly Malays, admitted for elective cesarean delivery at two tertiary hospitals in Kelantan participated in this prospective cohort study. The Malay version of Infant Feeding Intentions (IFI) scale was administered one day before the surgery to determine the EBF intention, and follow-up phone calls were made at one month, three months, and six months after delivery to determine the actual EBF practices. Results: Before delivery, 86.5%, 82.5% and 77.2% of the women somewhat agreed or very much agreed to practice EBF for 1, 3 and 6 months respectively and the actual EBF practices after delivery were 80.1%, 59.6%, and 42.1%. Women who had the intention to practice EBF for 6 months were about 2 times more likely to practice EBF for 6 months than those who did not have the intention to EBF (OR 2.19, 95% CI: 1.01-4.76). No significant association was found between EBF intention and the actual EBF practices at 1 month and 3 months postnatal. Conclusions: The number of women who practiced EBF after cesarean delivery was lower than those who had the intention prior to delivery. The number further declined as the child grew older. Prenatal EBF intention was associated with actual postnatal EBF practices at 6 months.

Antibiotics which once a boon in medicine and saved millions of lives are now facing an ever-growing menace of antibacterial resistance, which desperately needs new antibacterial drugs which are innovative in chemistry and mode of action. For many years, the world has turned to natural plants with antibacterial properties to combat antibiotic resistance. On that basis, we aimed to identify plants with antibacterial and antibiotic potentiating properties. Seventeen different extracts of 3 plants namely Burkillanthus malaccensis, Diospyros hasseltii and Cleisthanthus bracteosus were tested against multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). Antibacterial activity of hexane, methanol and chloroform extracts of bark, seed, fruit, flesh and leaves from these plants were tested using, disk diffusion assay, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assays. Antibiotic potentiating capabilities were tested using time-kill assay. B. malaccensis fruit chloroform extract showed the biggest zone of inhibition against MRSA (13.00±0.0 mm) but C. bracteosus bark methanol extract showed the biggest inhibition zone against MSSA (15.33±0.6 mm). Interestingly, bark methanol extract of C. bracteosus was active against MRSA (8.7±0.6 mm), MSSA (7.7±0.6 mm) (Gram-positive) and A. baumannii (7.7±0.6 mm) (Gram-negative). Overall, the leaf methanol and bark methanol extract of C. bracteosus warrants further investigation such as compound isolation and mechanism of action for validating its therapeutic use as antibiotic potentiator importantly against MRSA and A. baumannii.