Introduction: Ageing is commonly linked with physical inactivity. This review was performed to identify the factors associated with participation in physical activity among older adults in Malaysia. Methods: A systematic review was conducted using five databases; Pubmed, Sagepub, Scopus, Cochrane Library and Science Direct. Observational and intervention studies published between January 2010 and December 2020 were included, with Malaysian older adults aged 55 years and older being the main subject. Results: A total of 9 articles were included in the review. Analysis was guided by the Social Ecological Model for Health Promotion. The review had successfully identified gender, age, education level, health reasons, ethnicity and attitude as intrapersonal factors, social support (friend) and marital status as interpersonal factors, and locality as well as availability of facilities as environmental factors. Conclusions: Physical activity participation among Malaysian older adults were mainly determined by intrapersonal factors, particularly gender, health condition and educational level.

Introduction: This systematic review aimed to investigate the level of participation, obstacles, and facilitator factors that influence activities of daily living among persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in four online databases, namely Google Scholar, PubMed, OT Seeker, and Cochrane Library covering the ten-years period from January 2012 to December 2022. Inclusion criteria encompassed original published studies in English focusing on daily activities, work, participation, obstacles, and facilitators in persons with SCI. Non-peer review sources (e.g., abstracts, grey literature, preprints), and studies unrelated to occupational therapy were excluded. The selected studies were assessed for quality using McMaster University Occupational Therapy Evidence-Based Practice critical review form. Results: Out of the 678 articles identified, ten studies were included after the screening, exploring participation in daily living activities, employment, return to work, leisure activities, family tasks, and community mobility among persons with SCI. Obstacles and facilitators influencing participation in activities of daily living were classified using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework. This review highlighted that long-term participation is challenging for persons with SCI, affected by obstacles such as body functions, pain, low self-esteem, and environmental and social factors. Conclusion: The findings underscore the importance of adopting a multidisciplinary rehabilitation approach to enhance participation in daily activities for persons with SCI. Occupational therapy plays a significant role in improving participation levels among persons with SCI.

Background: There are a few dry eye remedies available in the market. Currently, artificial tears and lubricants are still the most common management for dry eyes. Objective: We proposed a new method in managing dry eyes. Methods: A pre-soaked contact lens in virgin coconut oil (VCOCL) is being used as a vehicle to deliver virgin coconut oil (VCO) in dry eyes. VCOCL was prepared in sterilised conditions where daily soft hydrogel contact lenses were immersed in raw VCO. The efficacy of VCOCL in delivering the VCO to eyes was assessed by measuring the Tear Break-Up Time (TBUT) values, corneal staining of the anterior eye, Schirmer Test values and the measurement of residual VCO volume in tears at baseline and at 15 minutes after insertion on subjects with dry eyes. Pre- and post-data were used to analyse all the measurable variables. Results: This study showed a significant difference in the TBUT, corneal staining, and residual VCO volume for both eyes (p<0.05). However, there were no changes in the Schirmer Test value (p>0.05). VCOCL was proven to improve tear quality in dry eye subjects and was able to maintain its presence in the eye even after 15 minutes. Conclusion This study suggests a new method for dry eye management.
Contact Lenses ; Therapeutics ; Dry Eye Syndromes

Introduction: Poor appetite is prevalent among older adults and may negatively impact on their overall health. This is especially true for institutionalised residents. Despite this, there is a paucity of research on appetite and its associated factors among institutionalised residents, which signified the present study. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among elderly residents at long-term care facilities in the state of Selangor, Malaysia to ascertain their appetite status and its associated factors. Results: A total of 97 residents with mean age of 74.2±8.4 years old were recruited. They comprised 61.9% females and 38.1% males. More than 50% had poor appetite with early satiety. There were 63.0%, 82.4%, and 94.8% who had poor oral health, poor sleep quality, and depression, respectively. Ethnicity (OR=2.73; 95% CI=1.00-7.44; p=0.049) was the only factor that predicted poor appetite among older adults in long-term care facilities, with Malay residents having poorer appetite than their Chinese and Indian counterparts. Conclusion: The prevalence of poor appetite was high among residents staying at long-term care facilities in Selangor, Malaysia, especially among Malays. This issue deserves further studies to identify the specific underlying factors contributing to poor appetite among older adults from different ethnicities. Acknowledging the high prevalence of poor appetite among older adults and its possible unfavourable outcomes, appropriate nutrition interventions are therefore needed to address this issue among institutionalised elderly.

Introduction: Detection of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with higher disease activity and lower functional ability. This study investigated the presence of the new generation of anti-CCP antibodies (anti-CCP2 IgG, anti-CCP2 IgA and anti-CCP3.1 IgG/IgA) and their association with disease severity and functional status of RA patients. Methods: A total of 46 RA patients and 40 healthy controls participated in this cross-sectional study that was conducted at the Rheumatology Clinic, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia. Blood samples were taken from all participants for anti-CCP2 IgG, anti-CCP2 IgA, and anti-CCP3.1 IgG/IgA analysis. Disease severity and functional status of RA patients were measured using the Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS28) and the modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (mHAQ) respectively. Results: Significantly higher proportion of RA patients were found with positive anti-CCP2 IgG (63.0%), anti-CCP2 IgA (37.0%), and anti-CCP3.1 IgG/IgA antibodies (63.0%) than the healthy controls. No significant association was found between anti-CCP antibodies status and mean DAS28 score of the RA patients. However, RA patients with negative anti-CCP2 IgG status had higher mean mHAQ score than patients with positive anti-CCP2 IgG status. Conclusion: Our study has demonstrated detection of the new generation anti-CCP antibodies in RA patients, supporting the use of autoantibodies in RA diagnosis. While no significant association was found between the presence of anti-CCP antibodies and disease severity of RA patients, the absence of anti-CCP2 IgG was associated with worse function and greater disability of the patients.

Public health clinical rotation in the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Indonesia, was conducted in Puskesmas (community health center). This study aims to evaluate the public health clinical rotation in Puskesmas, part of the clinical clerkship of the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Indonesia. Several concerns have been highlighted regarding the implementation of clinical rotations in public health in Puskesmas. A briefing session before placement in the village must be coherent with a guidebook. The placement of students in the village was based on community health issues determined by the Puskesmas supervisor. Priority in the curriculum was given to converting the alertness village (Desa Siaga) into a Program Indonesia Sehat–Pendekatan Keluarga (Healthy Indonesia Program–Family Education) program throughout implementation. Moreover, scheduling after four major clinical programs was difficult, and the writing of reports served as a guide for establishing the correct format. Therefore, the objective of the evaluation was to assess knowledge, skill, and psychomotor, and the burden of assignment in Puskesmas was difficult to accomplish a primary task in the community.

Sjogren’s syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease affecting exocrine glands with known properties to cause chronic systemic multi-organ disease involvement. It produced the typical features of sicca syndrome, but due to insidious onset of the disease, patient may present with complications of the condition at the initial presentation. We present a case of primary Sjogren’s syndrome (SS) who first presented with pulmonary manifestations and was subsequently diagnosed as Lymphocytic Interstitial Pneumonia (LIP). The patient was extensively investigated and received appropriate treatment modalities.

Introduction: Childhood anxiety is one of the common mental health problems in children. Untreated childhood anxiety will lead to a higher risk of developing mental health problems in adulthood. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between parental emotional styles and family values to anxiety level among primary school children. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a selected primary school in Kelantan, Malaysia. A set of questionnaires consisted of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale–Parents’ Report (RCADS-P 25), the Parental Emotional Style Questionnaire (PESQ), and the Asian Family Characteristics Scale (AFCS) was used for assessing anxiety, parental emotional styles, and family values, respectively. Data were collected via an online survey using Google Form, and were analysed using Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) to determine the factors associated with childhood anxiety. The significance value was set at p < 0.05. Results: A total of 150 parents of primary school children from the selected school was involved in this study. The majority of respondents were females (82.0%), married (94.7%), hold a degree (66.7%), and were working in the government sector (60.0%). Most of the respondents’ child were twelve years old (20.7%) and males (62%). Based on the MLR, emotional dismissing parental style (p = 0.025) and family values (p = 0.016) were significantly associated with anxiety in these children. Conclusion: Emotional dismissing parental style and family values were significant predictors of anxiety in primary school children. Future intervention research on childhood anxiety is needed.

Takayasu arteritis is a chronic inflammation involving large vessels and it often occurs in young women of childbearing age. We described a case of a 29- year- old lady with previous history of proliferative ischemic retinopathy was noted to have low upper limbs blood pressure and weak upper limb pulses postpartumly. An urgent CT angiogram of thorax revealed features suggestive of large vessel vasculitis with involvement of ascending arch, descending aorta and its main branches, corresponding to type II TA . She was diagnosed to have Takayasu arteritis post delivery, and she underwent a successful pregnancy without intrapartum and postpartum complications. High index of suspicion must be given for pregnant patient who have persistent low blood pressure and weak pulse for early detection to avoid severe complications.

This study aims to determine the prevalence of dental anomalies and MSX1 gene 799G>T polymorphism and its association with non-syndromic cleft lip with or without palate (NSCLP) attending Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia. Clinical and radiological assessments on 37 NSCL±P patients and 80 non-cleft children were done to detect dental anomalies. The buccal cells were collected and polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to identify polymorphism. NSCL±P was higher among males (54%) and mostly unilateral cleft lip and palate (51.3%). The prevalence of dental anomalies in morphology in NSCL±P was 18.9% (95% CI: 5.7%, 32.2%) and non-cleft was 6.3% (95% CI: 0.8%, 11.7%). Hypodontia in NSCLP was 75% (95% CI: 61.2%, 90.2%) and non-cleft was 7.5% (95% CI: 1.6%, 13.4%). There was a significant association between NSCLP and anomalies in morphology (P= 0.04; OR=3.5)) and number (P< 0.01; OR= 40). There was an absence of rare 799G>T polymorphism in all NSCL±P and non-cleft children indicating that all samples contain common 799G polymorphism. In conclusion, the prevalence of dental anomalies in morphology and number was significantly higher in NSCL±P compared to non-cleft children. However, it was not significantly associated with MSX1 799G>T polymorphism.