INTRODUCTION: Glaucoma is a leading cause of permanent blindness, often going undetected in its early, asymptomatic stages, especially in older age groups. In Malaysia, glaucoma is a growing public health issue due to an increase in the ageing population. While screening is essential for early glaucoma detection, the most suitable strategy for Malaysia's healthcare system remains unclear. This study explored the perspectives of eye healthcare professionals on the most suitable glaucoma screening strategies for Malaysia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with 19 eye health professionals (ophthalmologists, optometrists, nurses, ophthalmic technicians, and assistant medical officers) practicing in the Klang Valley. The interviews were conducted face-to-face in their workplace or via a video conferencing platform. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Six major themes were identified: types of glaucoma screening programmes, accessible screening locations, target screening population, instruments and use of digital technology, trained personnel, and referral criteria. Opportunistic case finding and population-based programmes were identified as the glaucoma screening programmes in which trained personnel conducted screening at accessible locations. Glaucoma screening for high-risk individuals was recommended, focusing on visual acuity testing, tonometry, anterior chamber angle assessment, funduscopy, perimetry, and retinal nerve fibre assessment. A lack of clear referral criteria due to low awareness and poor implementation of existing guidelines was observed. CONCLUSION: Further investigations are required to identify the best combination of components for glaucoma screening. This will enable policymakers to develop an effective glaucoma screening programme in Malaysia.

Introduction: Staphylococcus aureus is the leading biofilmforming microorganisms in orthopaedic implant infections. The biofilms formed are difficult to eradicate and resistance to antibiotics. This current study aims to determine the effectiveness of povidone-iodine; an antiseptic solution in eradicating S. aureus biofilm on stainless steel alloy. In addition to the usual Colony-Forming Unit (CFU) used for verification, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) is used to validate the formation and eradication of the biofilms. Materials and methods: This is an in vitro study where the biofilm is formed by inoculating clinically isolated S. aureus, incubated for 24 hours onto stainless steel alloy 316L implants. The implants are then irrigated using povidoneiodine solution with varying concentrations (5 and 10%) and durations (30, 60, and 180 seconds). The anti-biofilm effect was evaluated using plating and SEM methods to confirm its effectiveness. The process is repeated after 24 hours of postirrigation reincubation to detect any rebound growth. Results: No biofilm seen after irrigation with povidoneiodine at 5% and 10% concentrations at 30, 60 and 180 seconds, respectively, in both CFU count and SEM. This result is replicated after 24 hours of reincubation, in assessing for rebound growth. Conclusion: Our study supports that a minimum of 5% povidone-iodine with a minimum irrigation time of 30 seconds are effective at eliminating S. aureus biofilm on stainless steel alloy implants. Both CFU count and SEM yield similar value in validating the presence of biofilm. Additionally, SEM allows visualisation of the morphology of the biofilm.

Willingness To Pay for Future National Health Insurance Scheme: A Study Among Health Sector Employees in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia IntroductionThe National Health Insurance (NHI), which utilizes the concept of social health insurance, is a long-term strategy for addressing healthcare costs and rising household out-of-pocket expenditures. This study aimed to determine the willingness to pay (WTP) for NHI among health sector employees and the factors that affect their WTP.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 122 health sector employees of three government health institutions in Kuala Lumpur. A self-administered questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha 0.78) using the Contingent Valuation Method technique was used to estimate the value of WTP.ResultsThe response rate was 91.8%. Most respondents (n = 96, 85.7%) were willing to pay for NHI. The mean and median of NHI monthly premiums were RM72.00 (SD RM77.92) and RM50.00 (IQR RM70.00) or 1.94% (SD1.92%) and 1.00% (IQR 1.88%) of respondents’ monthly income. Age (χ2=12.088, p=0.001), household size (χ2 = 5.737, p= 0.017) and total monthly income of respondents (χ2=4.978, p= 0.026) were significant in influencing their WTP for NHI.ConclusionsIn conclusion the future NHI scheme will be supported by the majority of health sector employees if the government implements it in Malaysia, based on a sample of 122 employees. Most were willing to pay RM72.00 or 1.94% per month of their total monthly income for NHI. Age, household size, and monthly income were the key factors to consider in planning a successful and sustainable NHI.

Fingerprints are unique structures made up of a combination of friction ridges. Due to the individual characteristics of fingerprints, it is used commonly used for identification. Traditionally, patent fingerprints are obtained using an ink pad. Unfortunately, the print takes time to dry on paper and sometimes the fingerprint will leave streaks on a finger and nearby surfaces. Alcohol gel and thermal paper could address this problem as the alcohol component in gel is a weak acid that can reacts with the leuco dyes present on thermal paper. Hence forth, this study intends to find an alternative method of obtaining patent fingerprints using various combinations of alcohol gels and thermal papers. Six donors were requested to deposit their fingerprints on different types of thermal paper using different brands of alcohol gel hand sanitisers. Quality scores based on CAST’s grading scheme were used to determine the fingerprint quality using various combinations of thermal paper and hand sanitisers. The result showed that patent fingerprints developed using hand sanitiser and thermal paper were of lower quality than the standard (ink pad). Combination of alcohol-based hand sanitiser, which consists of 70% alcohol concentration and ATM receipt paper was found to be able to produce the best quality fingerprint among the studied combinations. Despite this result, it still indicates that fingerprints using an ink pad is still the best method to record a fingerprint.

Sports drinks consist of water, carbohydrates, and electrolytes specially formulated for athletes or individuals in need. However, coaches from the National Coaching Academy division experience budget constraints to obtain commercial sports drinks on a large scale to meet the needs of all athletes. Therefore, an experimental study was conducted to produce a low-cost isotonic sports drink (Rose Lemonade) with white sugar and brown sugar and evaluate its acceptance among university students through sensory evaluation. This study involved 50 panels with 25 students from UKM (nonathletes) and 25 students from UM (athletes). The overall acceptance of brown sugar Rose Lemonade has an average score of 3.52 ± 0.97 compared to white sugar Rose Lemonade, which is 3.50 ± 1.07. The data analysis showed a nonsignificant difference in the Kruskal Wallis test (p>0.05) for the overall acceptance of both types of sports drinks. In conclusion, this study showed that both white sugar and brown sugar Rose Lemonade isotonic sports drink formulations were acceptable to the panels. The findings of this study provide the formulation of cheap, and easy-making sports drinks. A suggestion for future research is to test the effectiveness of energy supply and electrolytes replacement and shelf life of this sports drink and produce a variety of flavors to meet individual tastes.

Wound healing is a complex process that includes haemostasis and inflammation, followed by a proliferation period and repair and finally remodelling. Ocular surgeries, particularly in glaucoma cases, aim at minimal fibrosis to preserve the function of trabeculectomy as an alternative pathway for aqueous drainage. Hence, it is important to find an agent to modulate the wound healing process. This review presents compilation of wound modulation agents that have been tested in vitro, in vivo, or clinically on patients undergoing ocular surgeries, particularly for glaucoma. We identified agents into four groups, mostly for glaucoma filtration operations: anti-metabolites, anti-growth factors, mechanical barriers and rho kinases. The effect of these agents is highlighted in this review. In conclusion, despite recognized drawbacks of antimetabolites, they are still regarded as the gold standard and the most efficient treatment as anti-scarring agents use in ocular surgeries. More studies are needed to inquire agents that efficient yet has minimal adverse effects both in short and long term.

Introduction: Delays in case-based surveillance are a significant obstacle to eliminating malaria. This study aims to optimise the current electronic malaria information system (eMIS), which uses an eMIS android-based mobile. Method: Qualitative research was conducted in the Lahat District, South Sumatra Province. We select informants directly involved in, or playing a role in, malaria control activities, such as program managers at community health centres (Puskemas) and health services. The system is built using the Framework for the Application of Systems Techniques (FAST), a structured method for analysing complex systems. It helps professionals break down problems, uncover hidden relationships, and make better decisions. FAST is widely used in engineering, project management, and business process optimisation to tackle complex challenges and improve problem-solving. Results: The paper revealed suggestions for designing and optimising the current eMIS. One recommended method for overcoming the obstacles is to optimise an eMIS Android-based mobile for malaria reporting. Eight key informants participated in the interviews. The main obstacles by key informants are the free time available for giving deep information and annoyance from outside during interviews due to their other activities. Hence, the researchers made appointments with informants and interviewed in a particular room, not the informant’s office. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that eMIS android-based mobile is a better refinement of the current eMIS based on PC to support malaria surveillance for malaria elimination programs in an endemic area. Data entry with an eMIS android-based mobile is faster, more accurate, and allows real-time collaboration, outperforming sheet applications.

Staphylococcus aureus is a common bacterial pathogen known to cause various kinds of infections due to its repertoire of virulence factors. This study aimed to investigate the distribution of 19 types of virulence genes among clinical isolates of methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) using the polymerase chain reaction. A total of 109 MSSA isolates, i.e., 63 hospital-associated (HA) and 46 community-associated (CA) were collected from Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah, the main tertiary hospital in Terengganu, Malaysia, from July 2016 to June 2017. The most frequent virulence genes detected were hla (78.9%, n=86) and hld (78.0%, n=85) encoding hemolysins, lukED (56.9%, n=62) encoding leukotoxin ED, followed by seb (26.6%, n=29) and sea (24.8%, n=27) encoding enterotoxins. Among 34 (31.2%) isolates carrying six or more virulence genes, only five were multidrug resistant (MDR) while the remaining isolates were susceptible. Significant associations were discovered between the hld gene with CA-MSSA (p=0.016) and the seo gene with HA-MSSA (p=0.023). However, there is no significant association between virulence genes among the different types of infection. The clinical MSSA isolates in Terengganu showed high prevalence and high diversity of virulence gene carriage.

Gastrointestinal endoscopy, which includes procedures such as esophagogastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, has become an increasingly routine part of cancer preventive care for the digestive system. Target-controlled infusion (TCI) has revolutionized total intravenous anesthesia by enabling precise control over the delivery of sedative and analgesic agents. This technique, often used with propofol or a combination of propofol and other agents like midazolam and fentanyl, facilitates personalized sedation that considers factors such as sex, age, body height, and weight. By employing TCI for endoscopy, clinicians can customize the dosage of sedative agents to meet the needs of each patient, ensuring optimal sedation and comfort. To date, the application of TCI in gastrointestinal endoscopy has not been standardized, and no review has covered its potential to provide safe sedation during these procedures. The present review explores the fundamentals of this technique and its use in gastrointestinal endoscopy, including the selection of drugs for TCI, the determination of the optimal dose for TCI target concentration, and a comparison of TCI with other sedation methods.

Gastrointestinal endoscopy, which includes procedures such as esophagogastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, has become an increasingly routine part of cancer preventive care for the digestive system. Target-controlled infusion (TCI) has revolutionized total intravenous anesthesia by enabling precise control over the delivery of sedative and analgesic agents. This technique, often used with propofol or a combination of propofol and other agents like midazolam and fentanyl, facilitates personalized sedation that considers factors such as sex, age, body height, and weight. By employing TCI for endoscopy, clinicians can customize the dosage of sedative agents to meet the needs of each patient, ensuring optimal sedation and comfort. To date, the application of TCI in gastrointestinal endoscopy has not been standardized, and no review has covered its potential to provide safe sedation during these procedures. The present review explores the fundamentals of this technique and its use in gastrointestinal endoscopy, including the selection of drugs for TCI, the determination of the optimal dose for TCI target concentration, and a comparison of TCI with other sedation methods.