Students’ Satisfaction and Learning Outcomes with Virtual and Light Microscopy in Undergraduate Pathology: A Randomised Cross-Over Trial Virtual microscopy (VM) has emerged as a valuable adjunct to light microscopy (LM) in medical education, enabling remote access to high-quality histopathological images. While many studies report improved satisfaction and comparable better learning outcomes with VM, effectiveness in student performance was not properly studied. This study evaluated students’ satisfaction and effectiveness of VM compared to LM in undergraduate pathology teaching of a Malaysia private institution. A randomised cross-over trial was conducted among Year 1 and Year 2 medical students. Pre- and post tests consisting of 10 one-best-answer (OBA) questions, mapped to the histopathology slides used in pathology practical sessions, were used to analyse effectiveness of VM and LM. After crossover swapping the groups, students completed pre-validated 5-point Likert scale questionnaires to assess the satisfaction on both methods. A majority (≥65%) expressed satisfaction with both LM and VM; however, VM scored higher for ease of use, time efficiency, and image quality. Group (B) with VM followed by LM had higher mean pre-test scores (6.85 ± 1.80) than Group A with LM followed by VM (5.92 ± 2.29), suggesting possible baseline differences. Post-test scores improved significantly in both groups (p < 0.001). Although Group B’s post test mean was higher (9.13 ± 1.19) than Group A’s (8.61 ± 1.63), this may reflect initial group performance rather than VM superiority alone. Although the reliability statistics of tests could not be analysed, this study concluded that VM is a reliable adjunct tool to replace traditional LM in teaching learning. However, differences in baseline performance between groups highlight the need for cautious interpretation when comparing modalities. Integration of VM into e-learning platforms may enhance blended pathology education.

Palliative care provides active holistic care for people with serious health-related suffering due to illness, especially near the end of life. In the Asia-Pacific region, there is variability in palliative care services and access to drugs, with a predominant focus on hospitals and cancer. The COVID-19 pandemic also disrupted the development and provision of palliative services. In this situation analysis, palliative services and the impact of the pandemic in five Asian countries (Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Myanmar and Thailand) are described. Overall, palliative care is an underserved specialty despite an obvious need for the services in each locality. While the pandemic significantly interrupted palliative services, palliative care providers adapted by developing guidelines and using teleconferencing. Overall, much work still needs to be done to improve palliative care in the region.

INTRODUCTION: MyDiagnostick is an atrial fibrillation (AF) screening tool that has been validated in the Caucasian population in the primary care setting. METHODS: In our study, we compared MyDiagnostick with manual pulse check for AF screening in the community setting. RESULTS: In our cohort of 671 candidates from a multi-ethnic Asian population, AF prevalence was found to be 1.78%. Of 12 candidates, 6 (50.0%) had a previous history of AF and another 6 (50.0%) were newly diagnosed with AF. Candidates found to have AF during the screening were older (72.0 ± 11.7 years vs. 56.0 ± 13.0 years, P < 0.0001) and had a higher CHADSVASC risk score (2.9 ± 1.5 vs. 1.5 ± 1.1, P = 0.0001). MyDiagnostick had a sensitivity of 100.0% and a specificity of 96.2%. In comparison, manual pulse check had a sensitivity of 83.3% and a specificity of 98.9%. CONCLUSION MyDiagnostick is a simple AF screening device that can be reliably used by non-specialist professionals in the community setting. Its sensitivity and specificity are comparable and validated across various studies performed in different population cohorts.
Humans ; Atrial Fibrillation/diagnosis* ; Heart Rate ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Risk Factors ; Electrocardiography ; Mass Screening

Objective: Physical exercise can provide many health benefits in humans. Exercise-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and its downstream signaling cascades are reported to induce mitochondrial biogenesis in exercising tissues. Selenoprotein P (SELENOP) is the antioxidant hepatokine whose hypersecretion is associated with various metabolic diseases. It was reported to impair exercise-induced reactive oxygen species signaling and inhibit subsequent mitochondrial biogenesis in mice. However, the relationship between selenoprotein P and mitochondrial dynamics in humans has not yet been reported. While reduction of plasma selenoprotein P becomes an attractive therapeutic target for metabolic diseases, the role of regular exercise in this regard is still unknown. This study aimed to analyze the influence of regular habitual exercise on plasma selenoprotein P levels and its association with leucocyte mitochondrial DNA copy number in healthy young adults. Methodology: Plasma selenoprotein P levels and leucocyte mitochondrial DNA copy numbers were compared in 44 regularly exercising subjects and 44 non-exercising controls, and the correlation between the two parameters was analyzed. Plasma selenoprotein P levels were measured by Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay, and leucocyte mitochondrial DNA copy numbers were measured using the qPCR method. Results: The regular-exercise group had lower plasma selenoprotein P levels with higher leucocyte mitochondrial DNA copy numbers than the non-exercise group. There was a tendency of negative correlation between the two variables in our studied population. Conclusion Regular habitual exercise has a beneficial effect on reducing plasma selenoprotein P levels while raising mitochondrial DNA copy numbers.
mitochondria ; physical exercise ; reactive oxygen species ; selenoprotein P

Objectives: To investigate the association between the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs7903146 in the transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) gene and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to examine the impact of this variant on pancreatic beta-cell function in the Myanmar population. Methodology: A case-control study was undertaken in 100 subjects with T2DM and 113 controls. The SNP rs7903146 was genotyped using the allele-specific polymerase chain reaction method. Plasma glucose and serum insulin levels were determined using the enzymatic colorimetric method and ELISA respectively. Beta-cell function was calculated by the HOMA-β formula. Results: The frequencies of carrier genotypes (CT and TT) were higher in subjects with T2DM than in controls. The minor T alleles of rs7903146 were found to statistically increase type 2 diabetes risk than the C allele with an allelic odds ratio of 2.07 (95% CI 1.39-3.09, p=0.0004). The mean HOMA-β level of the group with non-carrier genotype (CC) was significantly higher than that of the groups with carrier genotypes (CT and TT) in subjects with T2DM and controls with a p-value of 0.0003 and less than 0.0001, respectively. Conclusion The rs7903146 variant of the TCF7L2 gene was found to be associated with T2DM and low β-cell function among Myanmar subjects.
TCF7L2 ; Myanmar

INTRODUCTION: Microinvasion (Mi) is often thought to be an interim stage between ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive ductal carcinoma. This study aimed to investigate the potential influence of Mi on survival and assess its correlations with clinicopathological parameters, prognosis and molecular markers. METHODS: The number of Mi foci in a cohort of 66 DCIS-Mi cases was assessed from haematoxylin and eosin-stained sections. Disease-free survival, clinicopathological parameters and biomarker expression were correlated with the number of Mi foci. RESULTS: Higher numbers of Mi foci were found in larger tumours (P = 0.031). CONCLUSION Greater extent of DCIS is associated with multifocal Mi.
Humans ; Female ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating ; Prognosis ; Disease-Free Survival ; Progression-Free Survival ; Breast Neoplasms ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast/pathology* ; Neoplasm Invasiveness

Background: As the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, obesity and diabetes increase worldwide, the need to identify modifiable lifestyle risk factors also increases, especially those that may be relatively unique to a specific population. To explore a possible association between betel quid chewing and metabolic syndrome, a community-based cross-sectional study was conducted. Methodology: Three hundred ninety-one (391) adults were interviewed and the following parameters were measured: triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, glucose, waist circumference, body mass index and blood pressure. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the association between betel quid chewing and metabolic syndrome while controlling for confounders. Results: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was similar in chewers and non-chewers, 50% and 49%, respectively. After controlling for other factors, development of metabolic syndrome was positively associated with number of betel quid chewed per day, age greater than 40 years , and a positive family history of hypertension and diabetes. Regarding the duration of betel chewing, when analyzed by sex, the risk was doubled in men compared to non-chewers (OR 2.15; 95% CI = 1.21, 3.84]). As a result, a man chewing more than 10 pieces (OR 2.49; 95% CI = 1.36, 4.57]) of betel quids per day for more than 10 years had a two-fold increased chance of developing the metabolic syndrome. Conclusions Frequency and duration of betel quid chewing may represent a behavioral lifestyle target for approaches to reduce the incidence of metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic Syndrome