Background: This study investigated the association of emotional intelligence (EI) and other factors with perceived stress (PS) in undergraduate dental students. Methods: A total of 234 undergraduate dental students at the School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), in the academic year of 2009/2010, participated in this crosssectional study. Self-administered questionnaires, the Assessing Emotions Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), were used to evaluate EI and PS, respectively. Results: The mean EI score was 121.2 (SD 11.85). The scores were significantly higher in females than males, and in students who chose dentistry based on their own interest rather than in those who were motivated by others to study dentistry. The mean PSS-10 score was 21.2 (SD 5.08). Pearson correlation analysis indicated a significant inverse relationship between EI and PSS-10 scores (r = -0.337). Multi-variable regression analysis also indicated a significant negative linear association between EI and PSS-10 scores (b = -0.156, 95% CI: -0.207, -0.104). PSS-10 scores were significantly higher for students who were in the clinical years rather than the preclinical years. Conclusions: This study of USM undergraduate dental students shows that a low EI, female sex, and being in the clinical years were significant predictors of PS.

Psychiatric symptoms may be related to a silent cerebral infarct, a phenomenon that has been described previously in literature. Acute psychosis or other neuropsychiatric symptoms including depression may present in stroke patients and patients with lesions either within the prefrontal or occipital cortices, or in subcortical areas such as the basal ganglia, thalamus, mid-brain, and brainstem. Psychosis in clinical stroke or in silent cerebral infarction is uncommon and not well documented in the literature. Neurological deficits are the most common presentation in stroke, and nearly a third of patients that suffer a stroke may experience psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety, related to physical disability. The present case report describes an elderly female patient who presented with hallucinations and depressive symptoms, and was discovered to have a recent right frontal brain infarction, without other significant neurological deficits.
Aged ; Anxiety ; Basal Ganglia ; Brain Infarction ; Brain Stem ; Cerebral Infarction ; Depression* ; Female ; Frontal Lobe* ; Hallucinations ; Humans ; Occipital Lobe ; Psychotic Disorders ; Stroke ; Thalamus

Fixed cutaneous sporotrichosis is a differential diagnosis that can be considered in diabetic patients who present with a poorly healing ulcer. Although its prevalence is low, it can occur in patients with immunocompromised status. Here we report a case of a 70-year-old man with diabetes mellitus who presented with a 1-month history of an unhealed ulcer over the tip of his left middle finger. He experienced a cat bite over his left middle finger 1 month prior to the appearance of the lesion. A skin biopsy revealed the presence of Sporothrix schenckii. Oral itraconazole 200 mg twice daily was started empirically and the patient showed marked improvement in the skin lesion after 2 months of therapy.
Aged* ; Animals ; Biopsy ; Cats ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Fingers* ; Humans ; Itraconazole ; Prevalence ; Skin ; Sporothrix ; Sporotrichosis ; Ulcer*

BACKGROUND: Breastmilk is the best nourishment for an infant for the first 6 months of life. Health professionals like medical doctors and dentists can help promote and support exclusive breastfeeding. We aimed to assess knowledge, attitudes, exposure, and future intentions toward exclusive breastfeeding among final year medical and dental students at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia. METHODS: A total of 162 students participated in this cross-sectional study that was conducted between May and September of 2015. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect the variables of interest. RESULTS: Most students knew exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first 6 months of life (98.1%). However, some students incorrectly thought formula milk can be given if the infant appears hungry after having been breastfed (61.7%). Additionally, some incorrectly thought expressed breastmilk can be warmed on direct heat (47.5%) and left-over expressed milk can be re-stored (60.5%). Most students agreed that exclusive breastfeeding is easier to practice than formula feeding and that it is the best choice for working mothers. Most students (93.2%) intend to breastfeed their children, and this intention was significantly associated with their experience being breastfed as infants and attitudes toward exclusive breastfeeding. CONCLUSION: Generally, final year medical and dental students have favorable attitudes and future intentions toward exclusive breastfeeding, although some of them lacked knowledge about certain important aspects of the practice. Past experience of being exclusively breastfed and a more positive attitude toward the practice were associated with their future intentions to practice exclusive breastfeeding.
Breast Feeding ; Child ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dentists ; Health Occupations ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Infant ; Intention ; Malaysia ; Milk ; Mothers ; Students, Dental

“Rusty pipe syndrome” is a condition that needs to be considered in a primiparous woman who presents with bilateral bloody nipple discharge in the early postpartum period. Its prevalence is low and can occur due to physiological condition that arises primarily in primiparous women with increased alveolar and ductal vascularization associated with the onset of lactation. Here, we report a case of a 29-year-old primigravida who presented with bilateral painless bloody nipple discharge after delivery. Her breast examination showed no signs of infection or structural changes, and breast ultrasound did not reveal any significant observations except for a bilateral simple breast cyst. Six days after the onset of lactation, the bloody nipple discharge ceased and lactation continued on demand.

Background: Cesarean delivery is linked with lower rates of early breastfeeding initiation. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of early initiation of breastfeeding among women admitted for elective cesarean delivery in Kelantan, Malaysia. Methods: A total of 171 women admitted for elective cesarean delivery at two tertiary hospitals in Kelantan, Malaysia, participated in this study. On day two after cesarean delivery, face-to-face interviews were conducted with the mothers to get information on feeding practice. Descriptive statistics, including simple and multiple logistic regressions, were used for data analysis. Results: Seventy-three percent of mothers initiated breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth. Approximately 15.8% and 10.5% of mothers initiated breastfeeding within 24 hours and ≥24 hours, respectively. Skin-to-skin contact between mothers and their infants occurred in 77.8% of cases after cesarean delivery. Breastfeeding initiation was significantly associated with skin-to-skin contact (odds ratio [OR], 14.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.58–58.06), mothers who exclusively breastfed during hospitalization (OR, 36.37; 95% CI, 5.60–236.24), and infants who were not sleepy during attempts at breastfeeding (OR, 5.17; 95% CI, 1.32–20.21). Conclusion Based on our results, it is possible to increase the proportion of mothers initiating breastfeeding within 1 hour among women who undergo elective cesarean delivery. Therefore, it is important that health practitioners educate women beginning in the antenatal period who plan to undergo cesarean delivery by emphasizing the importance of early initiation of breastfeeding.

“Rusty pipe syndrome” is a condition that needs to be considered in a primiparous woman who presents with bilateral bloody nipple discharge in the early postpartum period. Its prevalence is low and can occur due to physiological condition that arises primarily in primiparous women with increased alveolar and ductal vascularization associated with the onset of lactation. Here, we report a case of a 29-year-old primigravida who presented with bilateral painless bloody nipple discharge after delivery. Her breast examination showed no signs of infection or structural changes, and breast ultrasound did not reveal any significant observations except for a bilateral simple breast cyst. Six days after the onset of lactation, the bloody nipple discharge ceased and lactation continued on demand.

Background: Cesarean delivery is linked with lower rates of early breastfeeding initiation. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of early initiation of breastfeeding among women admitted for elective cesarean delivery in Kelantan, Malaysia. Methods: A total of 171 women admitted for elective cesarean delivery at two tertiary hospitals in Kelantan, Malaysia, participated in this study. On day two after cesarean delivery, face-to-face interviews were conducted with the mothers to get information on feeding practice. Descriptive statistics, including simple and multiple logistic regressions, were used for data analysis. Results: Seventy-three percent of mothers initiated breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth. Approximately 15.8% and 10.5% of mothers initiated breastfeeding within 24 hours and ≥24 hours, respectively. Skin-to-skin contact between mothers and their infants occurred in 77.8% of cases after cesarean delivery. Breastfeeding initiation was significantly associated with skin-to-skin contact (odds ratio [OR], 14.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.58–58.06), mothers who exclusively breastfed during hospitalization (OR, 36.37; 95% CI, 5.60–236.24), and infants who were not sleepy during attempts at breastfeeding (OR, 5.17; 95% CI, 1.32–20.21). Conclusion Based on our results, it is possible to increase the proportion of mothers initiating breastfeeding within 1 hour among women who undergo elective cesarean delivery. Therefore, it is important that health practitioners educate women beginning in the antenatal period who plan to undergo cesarean delivery by emphasizing the importance of early initiation of breastfeeding.

Background: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) especially dabigatran, have gain popularity for their efficacy, fixed dosing and favourable safety profile. A dabigatran prescribing checklist has been prepared by the Ministry of Health, Malaysia (MOH) to ensure rational and safe prescribing of dabigatran. This study therefore aimed to audit the utilization and documentation of this checklist and use of dabigatran in the government healthcare facilities. Methods: This is a nationwide retrospective audit on the documentation of Dabigatran Prescribing and Dispensing Checklist for a period of two years from January 2013 till December 2014. Data from these Dabigatran Checklists (indication, dose, duration, renal function and adverse drug reactions encountered) were extracted by the pharmacist at MOH healthcare facilities. Results: A total of 52 out of 56 (92.9%) of MOH facilities complied to usage of checklist at their centres involving a total of 582 patients of which 569 (97.7%) patients were initiated on dabigatran for the approved indications. The recommended dose of dabigatran was used correctly in 501 (99.6%) of patients. Reason for switching to DOACs use was only documented in 76.7% (131/171) of patients. The most common reason for switching from warfarin was poor INR control (n=39), history of bleeding/overwarfarinisation (n=22) and unable to attend regular INR clinic (n=21). There were 75 cases of adverse events reported. The most common adverse event reported were abdominal discomfort (n=10) followed by gum bleeding (n=9) and dizziness (n=5). Conclusions: Compliance to the dabigatran check list was high with 70% of patients prescribed the appropriate dosing.

Introduction: The high prevalence of obesity in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) has become a major public health burden. This study explored the readiness to change for weight loss in adults with T2D with obesity, examining its association with sociodemographics, health status, dietary self-efficacy, and social support for physical activity and diet. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study involved 381 adults with T2D with obesity in Kemaman, Terengganu. The stages of change were dichotomized into ‘not ready’ and ‘ready'. The self-efficacy was measured using the Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire (WEL-Q), and the social support for physical activity was measured using the Social Support Scale for Diet and Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results: More than half of the participants (50.4%) were still not ready to change for weight loss. Multiple logistic regression showed patients who are not married (p = 0.011), obtained tertiary education (p = 0.018), have a higher score in self-efficacy for social pressure (p < 0.001) and received better family support for physical activity (p = 0.001) tend to be ready for weight loss efforts. Conclusion: This study identified marital status, academic background, self-efficacy for social pressure, and family support for physical activity as the determinants in influencing the readiness to change for weight loss in adults with T2D with obesity. The results highlight the importance of targeting the large proportion of adults with T2D who are not ready to lose weight, providing valuable insights to improve obesity interventions within this population.