Purpose: Adjuvant radiotherapy (RT), while effective in reducing cancer recurrence and improving survival rates, often comes with radiation toxicity that can adversely affect the patient’s quality of life (QoL). Evaluating toxicity after RT is crucial because it helps to identify and manage adverse effects that can significantly impact a patient’s QoL. By monitoring toxicity, we can adjust treatment plans to mitigate these effects, improve patient comfort, and ensure a better overall outcome. Therefore this study aimed to evaluate and compare QoL following 3D-conformal hypofractionated RT in breast cancer patients. Methods: We included twenty-one Malaysian women with unilateral breast cancer treated with lumpectomy (n=15) or mastectomy (n=6) followed by 3D-conformal hypofractionated RT. QoL was evaluated using the EORTC QLQ-BR45 questionnaire before, during, and after RT. Results: During RT, there was a significant increase in the mean score of the breast symptoms scale compared to baseline (p=0.002), with the most common symptoms being skin problems, followed by swelling and oversensitivity. However, these symptoms were generally mild for most patients. The other quality of life scales remained stable during RT. Post-RT, most QoL scales showed improvements compared to both baseline and during RT, with significant enhancements in the mean breast symptoms score and breast satisfaction score (all p<0.05). Conclusion: Radiotherapy negatively impacted the QoL of our breast cancer patients, specifically on the breast symptoms scale. However, these symptoms improved after 4 months, resulting in high breast satisfaction and indicating a near-excellent cosmetic outcome. Future studies with larger cohorts are essential to validate these findings, as the small sample size (n=21 at baseline; n=13 post-RT) may have limited the detection of more subtle changes

Parenting children with autism spectrum disorder comes with challenges that impact parenting stress and quality of life, with social support being an influencing factor. The cultural context appears to influence associations between parenting stress, social support, and quality of life. There is a lack of reviews examining these associations in Asia. Thus, this review aims to provide an overview of the relationship between parenting stress, QOL and social support specific to the population in Asian countries. Systematic searches based on PRISMA guidelines were conducted on Medline, Web of Science, and Scopus, which found 26 eligible studies to be included in the review. Findings from the studies demonstrated social support, parenting stress, and quality of life to be significantly associated with each other directly and indirectly. They are also related to multiple variables like coping strategies and self-efficacy. In the future, data from a wider scope of Asian countries will be beneficial since most literature originated from China. Furthermore, more studies on potential moderator and mediator variables could be conducted.

Public interest in cognitive enhancement has driven the widespread availability of dietary supplements claiming to support brain health and memory. This comparative cross-sectional study explores the commercial availability and marketing claims of cognitive-enhancing dietary supplements across offline and online retail platforms. A dual-component design was employed in a comparative cross-sectional study. The first component involved assessing the commercial availability and marketing claims of cognitive-enhancing dietary supplements sold through offline retail outlets in Kuala Lumpur using a purposive sampling approach. The second component consisted of a parallel assessment conducted on online platforms, employing a convenience sampling strategy. A total of 13 products were identified on offline retail platforms in Kuala Lumpur, and 117 products were identified on online platforms. Capsules were the most common dosage form, both offline (46.2%) and online (79.5%). Products sold offline most frequently originated from Singapore (69.2%), whereas online products predominantly came from the United States of America (74.4%). The median prices of offline products were RM 190 (55.5), and online products were RM 196 (183), which are comparable, although the online products exhibited a wider price range (RM14–RM1,147). The most frequent claims were “brain health” for offline products and “memory” for online products. Natural or compound extracts were the most common active ingredients. This study’s findings found significant differences between offline and online dietary supplements in terms of availability, country of origin, price and marketing claims. These inconsistent findings underscore the need for stronger regulation and improved transparency in labelling to safeguard consumer health and ensure product credibility. Future research should focus on dosage accuracy, long-term safety, and mechanisms of action for supplements with cognitiveenhancing claims.

Dialisis merupakan rawatan yang lazim bagi pesakit kegagalan buah pinggang. Dari tahun ke tahun, bilangan pesakit yang menjalani dialisis semakin meningkat dengan kadar yang membimbangkan. Tahap keupayaan fungsi pesakit dialisis adalah lebih rendah berbanding pesakit diabetes yang tidak menjalani dialisis. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti bagaimana dialisis mempengaruhi prestasi Aktiviti Kehidupan Seharian (ADL) dalam kalangan pesakit diabetes di Kuala Selangor serta faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi prestasi ADL mereka. Kajian berkaitan prestasi ADL dalam kalangan pesakit dialisis yang menghidap diabetes masih terhad. Oleh itu, kajian ini menggunakan kaedah kualitatif melalui sesi temu bual bersemuka secara separa berstruktur. Seramai sepuluh peserta telah direkrut berdasarkan kriteria kemasukan yang ditetapkan. Lima tema utama telah dikenal pasti daripada temu bual, iaitu: (i) meningkatkan kualiti kehidupan seharian: perspektif baharu terhadap aktiviti harian; (ii) kesan diabetes terhadap aktiviti kehidupan seharian; (iii) kesan dialisis terhadap aktiviti kehidupan seharian; (iv) prestasi fungsi dalam aktiviti asas kehidupan seharian; dan (v) aktiviti harian yang dianggap penting. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa pelbagai jenis aktiviti kehidupan seharian telah terjejas akibat kelemahan fizikal yang dialami oleh peserta. Kajian ini dapat memberi pemahaman yang lebih mendalam kepada ahli terapi cara kerja dan bidang pemulihan lain mengenai keupayaan fizikal pesakit diabetes yang menjalani hemodialisis

Introduction: Paediatric asthma, a prevalent chronic disease among children in Malaysia, can have its morbidity reduced through effective education. This study aims to assess the knowledge and perceptions of childhood asthma in the Malaysian general population. Materials and methods: A prospective study was conducted among visitors attending paediatric wards and clinics at the Institute of Paediatric Hospital Kuala Lumpur. Participants, who gave their consent, completed validated questionnaires in written form that evaluated their knowledge of asthma symptoms, triggering factors, medication, prevention, and myth perception. A higher score indicated a deeper understanding of asthma. Results: The study included 200 participants, predominantly female (88%), with a median age of 35.5 years. Among them, 12% were asthmatics, and 36% had a family member with asthma. The primary source of asthma information was electronic media (82%). The average score for knowledge of asthma symptoms, triggering factors, medication prevention and myth was 62.13% (SD 17.6). 62.88% (SD 16.3), 56.7% (SD 16.5), 82% (SD 15.1) and 57.8% (SD 15.4) respectively. Asthma myth perception and source of asthma information from family members were strongly related (p-value of 0.042). Conclusion: The general population exhibits an average understanding of asthma, comparable to findings from previous studies in other countries. This highlights the need for targeted educational interventions to dispel myths and enhance asthma knowledge.

Dunia kosmetik sekarang berubah fokus kepada produk penjagaan kulit yang menggunakan ekstrak semulajadi seperti biji halba. Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk merumuskan krim kulit kosmeseutikal bersifat antioksidan dengan menggunakan minyak pati biji halba (Trigonella foenum-graecum) dan seterusnya menilai pelbagai ciri fisiokimianya termasuk ujian pemusnahan radikal bebas, penilaian organoleptik, pencirian fizikal, ujian kestabilan dan ujian biokeselamatan. Kepekatan minyak pati 300μL/mL menunjukkan aktiviti antioksidan yang paling tinggi secara signifikan pada 9.58% dan formulasi krim kulit dirumuskan menggunakan emulsi minyak dalam air dengan peratusan minyak pati yang berbeza (3%, 5% dan 10%). Ujian pemusnahan radikal juga dijalankan ke atas formulasi krim kepekatan minyak pati 3% dan ianya menunjukkan aktiviti antioksidan tertinggi yang signifikan (p<0.05) pada 87% serta mempamerkan sifat organoleptik yang memuaskan dengan pH 4.55. Ujian kestabilan semua formulasi telah dijalankan selama 90 hari dan hasilnya menunjukkan bahawa formulasi yang disimpan pada suhu bilik, mempamerkan nilai pH dan kebolehsebaran yang lebih baik berbanding formulasi yang disimpan pada 4°C. Formulasi krim juga diuji dengan ujian saringan biokeselamatan in vitro hemolisis yang menunjukkan ketiadaan perengsa dan bahan toksik dalam krim yang dirumuskan. Ujian sensitiviti kulit semua formulasi krim terhadap sukarelawan melaporkan tiada reaksi kulit. Hasil kajian menunjukkan minyak pati biji halba mempunyai sifat antioksidan yang tinggi dan boleh diformulasikan dalam bentuk krim kulit kosmeseutikal yang selamat. Walau bagaimanapun, ujian tambahan kosmeseutikal dan dermatologi diperlukan untuk penilaian lanjut manfaat krim yang dirumuskan.

Introduction: Malaysian adults consume excessive amounts of salt daily, which could lead to hypertension. Understanding knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) surrounding salt intake is crucial for designing effective interventions to reduce excessive consumption and its associated health risks. Therefore, this study aimed to adapt an existing salt intake-related KAP questionnaire that was previously employed in a local population-based survey and to validate and test its reliability. Methods: This cross-sectional study comprised two phases: (1) adaptation, content validation (CV), and face validation (FV); (2) pilot testing and reliability testing. CV and FV involved a total of seven experts and ten Malaysian adults from the Klang Valley, respectively. Pilot testing involved 139 Malaysian adults to determine the questionnaire’s reliability. Content validity index (CVI) and Face validity index (FVI) values were calculated to analyse CV and FV. Reliability of each domain was analysed by obtaining Cronbach’s alpha (α) values. Results: A self-administered questionnaire comprising six items each for knowledge, attitude, and practice was developed. The questionnaire demonstrated acceptable item-level CVI (I-CVI) and item-level FVI (I-FVI) values of at least 0.83, indicating that the items were relevant, clear, non-ambiguous, and simple. Reliability test showed acceptable α values of at least 0.70 for each domain, suggesting that the questionnaire was reliable. Conclusion: This tool could be considered valid and reliable for assessing the level of KAP towards salt intake among adults in Malaysia.

Mullerian agenesis or Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser Syndrome (MRKH) Type-II is a congenital defect in the Mullerian duct that results in the absence of a uterus in women. The aetiology of this syndrome is unknown and has been considered a sporadic genetic disease. MRKH, together with anorectal anomaly, is an extremely rare condition and has only been reported in a few cases without any information on genetic analysis. This study investigated the mutational profile of a girl diagnosed with MRKH and anorectal anomalies with rectovaginal fistula. The whole exome sequencing (WES) trio-genetic analysis of a 5-year-old Malaysian girl diagnosed with MRKH (having anorectal anomaly with rectovaginal fistula) was performed together with her normal parents, using the Ion AmpliSeq Exome RDY kit (ThermoFisher Scientific, USA). Data were analysed using Torrent Suite v.5.0.4 and annotated using ANNOVAR. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with an allele frequency >0.01 were excluded, and the remaining variants were filtered based on de novo mutations, autosomal recessive, and autosomal recessive genetic traits. Related genes were analysed by biological pathway analysis (g:Profiler) and protein-protein interaction (HIPPIE v.2.3, STRING v.11.5, dan GeneMANIA). A total of 36 mutations were identified, and two of them, the LHX5 (p.P358Q), inherited from the father, and CFTR (p.R1158X), inherited from the mother. There were 28 de-novo mutations from 28 genes. All genes were involved in 27 biological processes that connected with 23 interactions, and are likely to cause MRKH syndrome in this patient.