Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease that occurs in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world. A severe form of dengue fever, also called dengue haemorrhagic fever, can cause severe bleeding, a sudden drop in blood pressure (shock) and death. The incidence of dengue fever has grown dramatically around the world in recent decades. The purpose of this study was to determine factors affecting prevention practices for dengue fever within the community. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the the municipality of Banda Aceh and district of Aceh Besar, Aceh Province, Indonesia. The sample size was 203, and the study instrument was a questionnaire. The study results showed that female respondents, 71 (75,5%) seem to have practiced prevention of dengue fever more as compared to the males (58,7%) or 64 respondents. Respondents in early adulthood (75 people or 54.7%) practiced more dengue prevention than older respondents. Meanwhile, respondents with higher levels of education, 85 (87.6%) practiced more dengue prevention than respondents with a middle level of education (47.2%) or 50 respondents. Respondents with good knowledge about dengue fever 128 (74%) practiced more prevention of dengue fever than respondent with a poor knowledge (23.3%) or 7 respondents. Respondents who had a positive attitude to the prevention of dengue fever, 108 (85.7%) practiced much more prevention than respondents who had a negative attitude (33.3%) or 25 respondents. Factors most affecting prevention practices for dengue fever were knowledge, attitude, education level, age and gender. Health promotion related to prevention of dengue fever should be done more in the media, especially using televison.
factors affecting ; prevention practices ; dengue fever

Objective: To investigate the acute toxicity of cadmium and lead on larvae of two tropical Chironomid species, Chironomus kiiensis (C. kiiensis) Tokunaga and Chironomus javanus (C. javanus) Kieffer. Methods: Different larval instars (first-fourth) were exposed using a static non-replacement testing procedures to various concentrations of cadmium and lead. Results:In general, younger larvae (first and second instars) of both species were more sensitive to both metals than older larvae (third and forth instars). The toxic effects of the metals on C. kiiensis and C. javanus were influenced by the age of the larvae (first to fourth instars), types of metals (cadmium or lead) and duration of larval exposure (24, 48, 72 and 96 h) to the metals. Conclusions: Cadmium was more toxic to the chironomids than lead and C. javanus was significantly more sensitive to both metals than C. kiiensis (P<0.05).

Temporal bone rhabdomyosarcoma is an aggressive entity that simulates chronic otitis ear infection. It is the most common soft tissue sarcoma amongst pediatric patients. Herein, we would like to report a case of temporal bone rhabdomyosarcoma involving a 2-year-old boy who presented with a one-month history of otorrhea with facial asymmetry. Early treatment led to remission of this severe neoplasm

Introduction: Despite the benefits of cervical cancer screening, Pap smear uptake remains variable in Malaysia, with Johor previously reported as the state with the lowest uptake. This study aims to fill the gap in epidemiological knowledge and assess factors affecting the uptake of Pap smear screening among women in Johor. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in several government and private clinics across Johor, including Pagoh, Muar, Batu Pahat, Kulai, and Johor Bahru districts. Data was collected from 452 women using self-administered questionnaires, and logistic regression was performed to determine factors associated with Pap smear uptake. Results: Findings showed that 48.5% of the women reported having undergone Pap smear screening in the previous 3 years, and 40.0% and 51.3% of respondents accurately answered questions on symptoms and risk factors of cervical cancer, respectively. Increasing age (ORadj 2.322, 95% CI 1.708–3.158), being married (ORadj 4.860, 95% CI 1.100–21.476), parity of ≥5 (ORadj 8.381, 95% CI 1.326–52.958), young age at first pregnancy (ORadj 0.932, 95% CI 0.877–0.991), knowledge of cervical cancer symptoms (ORadj 1.745, 95% CI 1.065–2.857), support from family (ORadj 3.620, 95% CI 2.081–6.298), and contraception use (ORadj 2.220, 95% CI 1.314–3.750) were significantly associated with increased Pap smear uptake among women visiting outpatient clinics in Johor. Conclusion Pap smear uptake remains suboptimal in Johor, and broad-based awareness campaigns tailored towards improving knowledge of cervical cancer with family involvement are crucial to improving uptake among women in Johor.
Papanicolaou Test ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; Knowledge ; Early Detection of Cancer

Introduction: Smartphone addiction is becoming a global concern affecting every part of society, including healthcare professionals. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of risk of smartphone addiction and its associated factors among medical and dental students in a public university in Malaysia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among pre-clinical medical and dental students using convenience sampling. Questions regarding sociodemographic profile and responses to the Smartphone Addiction Scale Short Version (SAS-SV) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Score questionnaire (DASS-21) were collected. Multiple logistic regression testing was used to analyse the factors associated with smartphone addiction. Results: We invited 409 pre-clinical medical and dental students to participate voluntarily, resulting in a response rate of 80.2%. The prevalence of high-risk smartphone addiction among the participants was 47.9%. Male participants, participants who used smartphones mainly for social media, and participants with depressive symptoms were more likely to have a high risk of smartphone addiction. Medical students, participants who spent less than 3 hours per day on a smartphone, and participants who used smartphones for education-related activities were less likely to have a high risk of smartphone addiction. Conclusion Smartphone addiction prevalence among pre-clinical medical and dental students was high. Therefore, the authorities should overcome this problem by implementing early measures.
Internet Addiction Disorder ; Students, Medical ; Students, Dental

Background: Most postpartum women are prescribed at least one medication; so the safety of the medication is a major concern. In 2017, 11% of 815 questions received by the Pharmacy Drug Information Services at seven clinics in Dungun is related to medication use in breastfeeding. Thus, this study was carried out to evaluate the attitudes of healthcare providers (HCPs) and to investigate the effect of knowledge about medication use in breastfeeding among HCPs; pre- and post-educational intervention.Methods: An interventional study was carried out among medical officers, assistant medical officers, pharmacists and pharmacist assistants from seven clinics in the district of Dungun, Malaysia. The questionnaires were distributed during pre- and post-intervention period. The interventions in this study included continuous medical education (CME) and the use of a booklet regarding medication use for breastfeeding women. The data collected were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Studies (SPSS) and presented as frequencies, means, and standard deviations.Results: Fifty HCPs were enrolled in this study and over 20% of them advised mothers to discontinue breastfeeding whenever they are prescribed any medication. The knowledge of HCPs about medication use in breastfeeding women was significantly improved (Z= -5.917, p<0.001) following the educational intervention.Conclusion: CME and a simplified booklet appeared to have a positive impact on the knowledge of HCPs regarding medication use in breastfeeding