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- Publication9th International conference on biosience, biochemistry & bioinformatics 2018.(2019)Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 4 (TRPM4) is overexpressed in activated B-cell-like subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (ABC-DLBCL) associated with poor survival. In this study, its functions in the disease and the potency of its inhibitor 9-phenanthrol were investigated. The biological functions associated with TR.PM4 mRNA expression were examined through Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) in ABC-DLBCL cases (n=15). The cytotoxicity of 9-phenanthrol in three ABC-DLBCL cell lines (SUDHL2, OCI-LY3, OCI-LYIO) was tested at six different concentrations (0.0InM, 0.1 nM, InM, lOnM, 25nM, 50nM). GSEA results showed that cell cycle gene sets conferred the highest number of gene sets representing 42% (n=21/50) of the top 50 most significantly enriched gene sets ranked according to false discovery rate (FDR; all 50 gene sets had FDRO.OI), followed by DNA replication (n=8/50; 16%) and RNA processing (n=8/50; 16%), suggesting the roles of TRPM4 in cell cycle progression and cellular division of ABC-DLBCL. In terms of the cytotoxicity effects of 9-phenanthrol, the resulting GI50 for all ABC-DLBCL cell lines ranged from 19nM-41,88nM. In conclusion, TRPM4 is potentially involved in the cell cycle progression and cellular division of ABC-DLBCL cells, and the TRPM4 inhibitor 9-phenanthrol was cytotoxic against ABC-DLBCL cells.
- PublicationA comparison study of awareness on risk factors and warning signs of stroke between nursing and medical students in Universiti Sains Malaysia.(2015)Yazid, Nurfatihah MohdStroke is a clinical syndrome characterized by rapidly developing signs of focal loss of cerebral function with symptoms lasting more than 24 hours or leading to death. There are some risk factors of stroke which were hypertension, high cholesterol, smoking, and lack of exercise, family history of stroke and poor diet. While the warning signs of stroke are slurred speeches, numbness, weakness, headache, vision problems and shortness of breath. Thus, this study is aimed to compare the awareness level on risk factors and warning signs of stroke between nursing and medical student in USM. Moreover, the researcher also wants to compare the actions taken when someone having a stroke nears them, to compare the sources of information of stroke and lastly to compare the association between selected socio-demographic data (gender and educational entry level) on awareness of risk factors and warning signs of stroke between nursing and medical student in USM. There were 184 respondents included in this study. There was a significant difference in mean level of awareness of risk factors of stroke between nursing and medical students in USM (/?<0.05). The researcher concludes the level of awareness for both programs were good but still need to increase their awareness. Thus, educational program can be conducted to increase the level of awareness of risk factors and warning signs of stroke among nursing and medical students in USM.
- PublicationA preliminary study on the bacteriological quality of untreated well water from tawang and Pengkalan Chepa, Kelantan.(2015)Yahaya, NorihanIn Kelantan, an average 69.3% of its population is still depending on the untreated groundwater for drinking and other uses. Untreated groundwater has shown to bring illhealth effects to humans. The aim of the study was to determine the bacteriological quality of untreated well water from the district of Tawang and Pengkalan Chepa. Ninety (90) samples from thirty (30) sampling points were randomly selected from December 2014 until February 2015. Water samples were analysed using the membrane filtration method. The results showed the E. coli count is within the acceptable level (1-10 cfu/100ml). Pengkalan Chepa relatively has an excellent well water quality compared to Tawang. The number of samples that categorised as an acceptable criteria for drinking water at Tawang and Pengkalan Chepa was about 14 (93.33%) and 15 (100%) of 15 samples respectively. Only 1 sample contain E. coli in the range of 10-50 colony counts at Tawang that indicates that water was unacceptable to be used as drinking. Water samples from both study locations are far from grossly polluted and can be used as a safe source of drinking water.
- PublicationA study of drinking water quality in Kota Bharu, Kelantan: a special concern on fluoride content.(2015)Muhammad, Nur ShazlinaFluoride content in drinking water is important for oral health. Appropriate intake of it can help to minimize dental carries (tooth decay) whereas excess of it can lead to other health problems such as dental fluorosis and impaired development of central nervous system (CNS) especially among children. In relation to the fluoride, other main parameters also being measured in order to investigate the relationship that might be present among them. This study was aimed to investigate the level of fluoride content in five water treatment plants (WTP) in district of Kota Bharu, Kelantan. It also aimed to determine the concentration of fluoride content in raw and treated water samples from both surface water and groundwater sources, respectively. In all WTP stations, two sampling points were chosen which are at raw and treated water points. For in-situ analysis, the parameters involved were pH, temperature, free-chlorine and turbidity whereas for ex-situ analysis, the parameters involved were fluoride and ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N). All water samples were taken three times in a week for eight weeks. The result obtained was then compared with standard value of drinking water from Ministry of Health, Malaysia (MOH). All the data entry, analysis, and interpretation were done by using Microsoft Office Excel. All bar charts and linear regression was performed using Microsoft Office Excel where coefficient of determination value (R2) was used to measure the regression line that help to determine the closeness of relationship present between variables. Based on bar charts trend and R2 values, it was found that all measured parameters did not influence the fluoride content in water samples. However, the increase of fluoride level after the water being treated was due to other chemicals such as Calcium Hydroxide and Sodium Carbonate that used for pH fixing purpose was detected. Groundwater was noted the higher level of fluoride compared to surface water. However, all the fluoride level was not even reach the minimum requirement set by MOH which it should be between 0.4 to 0.6 mg/L. For raw water samples, the highest R2 values were recorded in three out of five WTP stations for the same parameters of NH3-N against pH. This supported that there was a relationship present between parameters of NH3-N against pH. For treated water samples, two stations recorded the R2 values more that 50% which are for the parameters of temperature against free chlorine and NH3-N against fluoride. However other station shows lower R2 values for those parameters which it cannot support the present of relationship between the parameters. Thus, further study is needed to improve and support the findings. The usage of treated water was recommended in ensuring the safety of public drinking water and fluoridation process also highly recommended to be done as parts of treatment process in all WTP stations as natural occurrence of fluoride still not enough to reach minimum standard of 0.40 mg/L for public drinking water.
- PublicationA study of fatigue among nurses in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM).(2012)Raseli, Farah Nafeesha MohameThis research was conducted to study on occupational fatigue experienced by nurses in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM). The specific objective was to obtain the prevalence of occupational fatigue among nurses. This research also aimed to find the relationship between fatigue with employment data and also to determine the highest risk factor that cause fatigue. The respondents of the study were consisting of all nurses as a major group in healthcare services in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kelantan. 219 respondents have been selected randomly from ward, clinic and laboratory participated in this study. Questionnaires were used to collect field data and then analyze using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). From the analysis, it was found that prevalence of respondents having high fatigue is 56.4% while as for low fatigue is 43.6% and this showed that the prevalence of respondents having high fatigue is great. The result indicated the existence of correlations between working experience with fatigue represented p-value which is 0.043. Meanwhile, there is no association between work location and fatigue as the p-values are greater than 0.05. The result of this research also shows that no association between working in shift and fatigue. Last part of this study has determined five highest risk factors contributing fatigue which are; nurses shorthanded, work stress, excessive workload, improper sleep habits and high expectations/demands from patients and families.
- PublicationA study on heavy metal contamination of well water at Pasir Mas, kelantan : perspective of water quality index.(2015)Abdullah, Nur LianaWell water is one of the source of the drinking water in Kelantan. The assessment for well water quality is very important in evaluating the suitability of the water for drinking and other domestic purposes. The aims of this study is to determine the heavy metal contamination in the well water in Pasir Mas area. In this study seven parameter water quality such as temperature, DO, pH, COD, BOD, NH3-N and SS were recorded. In addition, heavy metals such as Zn, Fe, Mn and Pb were investigate. In-situ measurement of water quality such as pH, temperature and DO were measured by using YSI portable Multi-probes meter. Ex-situ measurement such as BOD, AN, COD, and SS were carried out in the laboratory. Statistical analysis of One-Way ANOVA test shows that there is no significant different between pH, COD, BOD, Zn, Fe and Pb in all ten stations involved. The concentration of Zn, Fe, Mn and Pb were found in range of 0.02-0.08 mg/1, 0.04-0.29 mg/1, 0.09-0.76 mg/1 and 0.02-0.08 mg/1 respectively. Overall, the Water Quality Index were categorized under class III and it is considered polluted in Pasir Mas area.
- PublicationA study on the effect of arterial stiffness, ocular perfusion pressure and genetics on the severity and progression of glaucoma.(2015)Tajuddin, Liza Sharmini AhmadInadequate blood supply to the optic nerve head (ONH) has been implicated for glaucomatous damage based on the vascular theory of glaucoma. Ocular perfusion pre^ure (OPP) is the balance of systemic blood pressure and intraocular pressure (IOP). OPP is believecf play an important role in maintaining the function of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL). Low OPP is believed to cause further damage to the RNFL. There was significant association of low OPP with severity of glaucoma in this study. However, there was no association with progression of glaucoma.Ocular perfusion may also be affected by the stiffness of the vessels and endothelial dysfunction. There was significant association of endothelial dysfunction with severity of glaucoma. Systemic arterial stiffness seem not to affect the severity of glaucoma. Susceptibility genetic markers for glaucoma in Malay patients were also identified. ABCC5 was found to significantly associated with PACG in Malay patients. There was several markers that reached genome wide association significant in Malay patients with POAG.
- PublicationA study on the protective effects of calcium channel blockers against anoxic brain damage(1999)Introduction It is now widely accepted that a rapid neuronal influx of Ca2+ following cerebral ischaemia! hypoxia is intimately connected with the cascade of events- including activation of enzymes which give rise to the production of reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide, thereby leading to free-radical induced damage -which reseult in neuronal injury and death. It is also known that a burst of free radical generation I occurs during re-oxygenation of the tissues following a period,ofischaernialhypoxia as also a prolonged purturbation of the membrane functions continues after the perfusion/oxygenation has been restored, which leads to continued accumulnnon of calcium intracellularly ; resulting ultimately in delayed damage and death of the neurone. Estimation of lipid peroxidation products proviqes a reliable estimate of free radical induced damage to tissues, and has been widely used for this purpose.
- PublicationAcute effects of exercise on mood in female students.(2009-04)Mamat, Noor HapizahThe present study was about the acute effects of aerobic dance exercise on mood changes in female university students. It is a field study that involved volunteers who joint the aerobic dance exercise class. Based on previous research, subjects should show positive mental health (an increase in vigor and a decrease in all negative mood subscales; anger, tension, depression, confusion and fatigue) after the exercise. Participants were 16 female students (21.75 ± 0.71 years). They completed the Brunei of Mood Scale (BRUMS) 15 minutes before and immediately after exercise. The aerobic dance exercise session lasted for about 60 minutes including the warm-up, main session and cool-down. The results indicated that the negatives mood subscales of anger (1.88 versus 1.19), tension (0.94 versus 0.44), depression (2.13 versus 0.94), confusion (1.63 versus 0.25) and fatigue (4.19 versus 3.81) were lower, while vigor (positive mood) was higher (7.88 versus 9.81) after the exercise session. However, the changes were only statistically significant for vigor (p = 0.016, eta2 = 0.328) and confusion (p = 0.040, eta2 = 0.252). On the other hand, the results also resembled the Iceberg Profile and may be classified as positive mental health. Findings lend support to the notion that the exercis~ is ~~sociated with ' ~ improved mood. Thus, the aerobic dance exercise can be V,S~d to maintain and regulate positive mental health.
- PublicationAdsorption of malic acid in aqueous solution by amberlite xad-4.(2009)Sani, Nor Diyana MdThe adsorption of malic acid onto XAD-4 was studied. The effect of shaking time, pH, temperature, concentration of malic acid and amount of adsorbent on the adsorption of malic acid was investigated by batch process. It was found that the adsorption process works best at lower pH (pH 2.0) and shaking time of 75 min. The equilibrium data could be described well by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms but the best fit is the Freundlich model based on the higher correlation coefficient (R2 ) value. Thermodynamic parameters such as enthalpy change (l1H 0 ), free energy change (l1Go) and entropy change (l1So) were calculated. The results showe that the adsorption is endothermic, spontaneous and entropy driven respectively.
- PublicationAnalysis of total coliform and escherichia coli (e. coli) in freshwater and marine bivalves.(2015)Norli, Mohamad Syahmi IskandarBivalve molluscs commonly associated with many foodborne disease outbreaks. Total coliform and E. coli are always being used as microbial indicator to determine fecal pollution level in bivalves and water quality status. The objective of this study is to analyze the presence of total coliform and Escherichia coli in selected freshwater bivalves and marine bivalves. In this study, two freshwater bivalves: blood cockle (Anadara granosa) and Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) were selected while two marine bivalves involved in this study were oysters (Crassostrea spp.) and carpet clam (Paphia textile}. Microbiological analyses conducted through were conventional rapid test method by using 3M Petri film E. co/z'/Coliform Count Plate. All samples were analyzed in term of raw or fresh sample and cooked with different time interval. Results of these analyses showed that all raw samples were contaminated with total coliform and E. coli. Total coliform and E. coli were also found in lightly cooked bivalves (5 and 10 minutes cooking time) and not in fully cooked bivalves (15 and 20 minutes cooking time) except for Anadara granosa and Paphia textile. Corbicula fluminea identified as most contaminated bivalves as compared to other samples. In conclusion, raw and lightly cooked bivalves are highly contaminated with pathogenic bacteria and unsafe for human consumption. In order to reduce and eliminate number of bacteria, bivalves must be cooked thoroughly with proper cooking temperature and method.
- PublicationAnti-inflammatory activity of centella asiatica.(2012)Centella asiatica (C.asiatica) is a member of a tropical plant family, traditionally used as anti-inflammation and for wound healing. Macrophage plays a primary role in innate macrophage cells stimulated with the plant extracts was initially investigated by MTT cell proliferation assay and the anti-inflammatory activity of C.asiatica was determined by measuring its effect on the H2O2 and NO production by the stimulated macrophage cells. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test. The result showed that the methanolic leaves extract of the plant enhances the highest proliferation of the J774A. 1 macrophage cell at 150 pg/mL. It was also found that the extract has a significant anti-inflammatory effect in terms of cell proliferation, suppressing NO and H2O2 production in concentration-dependent manner as compared to the control groups.
- PublicationAssessment of knowledge and attitude towards hpv and hpv vaccination among students at Institut Pendidikan Guru (IPG) Kampus Kota Bharu.(2015)Mansor, Noor AsyikinHuman Papillomavirus (HPV) is a major factor for cervical cancer. The cervical cancer was ranked as the second most common cancer that occurs among women worldwide. The routine HPV vaccination to combat the disease is not widely available in most developing countries. However, in Malaysia there was an initiative that taken to reduce the spread of HPV infection which is by offered free HPV vaccination to 13 years old females. The most effective ways to implement this by organizing a national school based vaccination program. Teachers are groups that may have good influence in the success of the program therefore important to provide information on them. The purpose of this study to assess the knowledge and attitude towards HPV and HPV vaccination among students at Institut Pendidikan Guru (IPG) Kampus Kota Bharu which was involving students that going to be teachers in the future. This research was done to determine mean difference between selected demographic data with mean knowledge score as well as the mean difference between levels of knowledge with mean attitudes score towards HPV vaccination. This cross sectional study was carried out to 89 participants who selected through convenience sampling at IPG Kampus Kota Bharu. Both male and females students that was a first year students were included in this study. Self administered questions was distributed which consists of 3 parts. Part A is a demographic data, Part B is a Knowledge on HPV and HPV vaccine while Part C is assessing Attitudes towards HPV vaccination. The data obtained was analyzed by using SPSS version 21.0 by using One Way Anova statistical test to determine the mean difference of the variable involved. This study showed that the level of knowledge is 41.6% of them have poor knowledge levels while there was only 11.2% had good knowledge and the remaining had an average knowledge with 47.2%. However, there were 43.8% of participants had a positive attitude. The demographic data (parents’ educational level) found to have significant mean difference with mean knowledge score with p value= 0.030 and 0.042 for mother and father education level respectively. Furthermore, there was also a significant mean difference between the level of knowledge with mean attitude score with p value= 0.001. As a result of the findings although they have low levels of knowledge but majority of them have positive attitude regarding HPV vaccination. This positive attitude will lead to intention to get HPV vaccination and they need to be provided with health education and adequate information regarding HPV infection, HPV vaccine and HPV vaccination to make sure an effective prevention to reduce the burden of cervical cancer incidence.
- PublicationAssessment of nutritional status, abdominal obesity and level of physical activity among shift working female nurses in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia.(2013)Ming, Maria Wong SiawObesity is a global major health problem including Malaysia with the increasing of prevalence in abdominal obesity. The objective of this study was to assess nutritional status, abdominal obesity and level of physical activity among nurses working in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kelantan. This crosssectional study was conducted among 190 female nurses aged from 21 to 55 years old, who were systematically sampled from all wards by using the name list. Respondents were interviewed on sociodemographic characteristics, breakfast habit, sleep duration and night shift, dietary pattern and their level of physical activity. Weight, height, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio and body fat percentage were measured, recorded and calculated. The mean BMI was 24.8 ± 5.1 and about half of the respondents (48.9%) were having normal body mass index (BMI), 43.3% were overweight and obese and 7.9% were underweight. Out of respondents, 78.0% had normal waist circumference whereas 62.6% had normal waist-to-hip ratio. In term of body fat, 48.9% had normal body fat percentage while 45.8% had high body fat percentage. All sociodemographic variables did not show any association with abdominal obesity except age (p=0.001). Further analaysis of simple linear regression showed, age, salary per month and number of children did have linear relationship and were predictors for abdominal obesity. Findings showed risk of abdominal obesity tend to increase with age among adult female nurses. Duration of sleep, night shift frequency, breakfast habit and physical activity level also did not show any significant association or linear relationship with abdominal obesity. In term of dietary pattern, sugar and white rice consumption was top two highest food items daily and 74.2% were breakfast skipper, but no association with abdominal obesity was found. In conclusion, larger sample size in different hospital setting with more homogenous sample in term of age should be considered in future study to identify the factors that are associated with the abdominal obesity.
- PublicationAssociation between breakfast consumption with obesity and physical activity level among adolescents in urban schools of Kota Bharu, Kelantan.(2013)Manggis, MackendyOverweight or obesity is the fifth leading risk of death in the world, with their severity and prevalence increases among children and adolescents. This crosssectional study aimed to determine the association between breakfast consumption habit with obesity and physical activity level among adolescents in urban schools of Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) and a breakfast consumption questionnaire were administered on 200 students of Form 1 and Form 4 in two randomly selected schools. Anthropometric measurements were taken for body weight classification. This study found prevalence for overweight and obesity was 20.5%, where the percentage was higher among females (23.1%). It was also found that 76.5% of the respondent skipped breakfast at least once in a week, and more males (78.3%) skipped breakfast compared to females (75.2%). Only 3% of the respondents were highly active physically, 40% of the respondents were moderately active and 57% were the least active. Mean physical activity score was significantly higher among males (t = 6.58, p - 0.02). This study found no significant association between breakfast consumption and body mass index status and no significant difference of median BMI between breakfast skippers and non-skippers (Z = -0.17, p = 0.87). Similarly, no significant association was found between breakfast consumption and physical activity level. Mean physical activity score was not significantly different between breakfast skippers and non-skippers. In conclusion, awareness about the essential of breakfast eating and physical activity should be disseminated among this age group to prevent some related chronic diseases later in life.
- PublicationAssociation between peripheral white blood cell count and autologous skin flap healing rate in rabbits.(2015)Husni, NorazlinaSuccessful skin flap survival depends on the rate of healing process, which can be related to the roles of white blood cells (WBC). Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between WBC count and autologous skin flap healing rate in rabbits. A total of four New Zealand White rabbits, aged between 9 to 15 months, were used in this study. All rabbits underwent autologous skin flap surgery at the ventral abdomen. A total of 3 ml of peripheral blood were collected from the central ear artery on day 0 (before surgery), day 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 post-operation. The WBC count and manual WBC differential count were measured using Mythic 18 Vet Analyzer and Wright’s stain, respectively. The skin flap healing rates were determined by mean percentage of necrosis area at day 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 post-operation. The results showed that the post-operative mean percentage of necrosis area was not significantly associated with the mean of WBC count. However, there was a decrease in the percentage of necrosis area and the WBC count showed normalization pattern on post-operative day 10. These changes could suggest successful wound healing process. This study showed that the pattern of WBC count changes could be used to evaluate the progress of wound healing in autologous skin flap surgery.
- PublicationAssociation of caesarean and vaginal delivery on breastfeeding practices among postpartum women at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM).(2015)Teng, Lum PeiThroughout literature, several studies have found caesarean delivery had negative impacts on breastfeeding. However, the results of previous studies on investigating the association of delivery methods on initiation and duration of breastfeeding were still inconsistent. This cross-sectional study was conducted with the objective to study the association of caesarean and vaginal delivery on breastfeeding practice among postpartum women who delivered their babies at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM). Timing of breastfeeding initiation and maternal intention towards breastfeeding continuation after discharged were assessed as the breastfeeding outcomes in this study. A total of 240 postpartum women (aged 18 to 45 years) participated in this study. Data was collected during an interview section by using an interviewadministered questionnaire in 2 Topaz postnatal ward between March and April 2015. The questionnaire was used to collect the data on maternal socio-demographics, types of delivery method, parity, breastfeeding practices and their reproductive health status. The association between the independent and dependent variable was analaysed by using Pearson chi-square test and Fisher exact test. Majority of the study participants was Malay (98.8%) followed by Chinese (0.8%) and Indian (0.4%). 34.6% of women undergone caesarean birth whereas 65.4% of women undergone vaginal birth. All women in this study initiated breastfeeding during hospital stay. 66.3% of them initiated breastfeeding within 30 minutes after birth whereas 33.8% of women initiated breastfeeding after 30 minutes of birth. Majority of women (99.2%) had intention to continue their breastfeeding after discharged. 94.5% of them had intention to breastfeed their child until six months to two years. Mode of delivery was found significantly associated with timing of breastfeeding initiation (p<0.001). Mothers with caesarean delivery (CD) (78.3%) were more likely to initiate their breastfeeding after 30 minutes of birth than women with vaginal delivery (VD) (10.2%). However, no association was found between mode of delivery and maternal intention to continue breastfeeding after discharged (p - 0.546). The findings revealed that caesarean section was a determinant factor for early initiation of breastfeeding among this study population. Supports and assistances are needed from hospital staffs or health professional in improving breastfeeding initiation among mothers with caesarean birth.
- PublicationAssociations between dietary, lifestyle behavioural practices and quality of life among malay survivors of breast cancer in Kelantan.(2015)Ping, Rebecca Wong LehUnderstanding the dietary and lifestyle practices among survivors of breast cancer are important in order to improve the general health and wellbeing, and quality of life. However, little is known about the effects of diet and lifestyle practices after diagnosis on breast cancer survival. Therefore, the main aim of the present study was to determine the dietary and lifestyle practices and its impact on the quality of life among 92 Malay survivors of breast cancer living in Kelantan. Pre-piloted questionnaire was used to assess the socio-economic status, dietary and lifestyle-related behavioural practices, whereas quality of life (QoL) of the participants were assessed using validated Malay-version of the the EORTC QLQ-C30 and its breast cancer module BR23. Nutrient intake of the participants was assessed using semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) of 15 food groups commonly consumed foods in Kelantan. The mean age of the participants were 49.8 ±8.1, with the mean body mass index (BMI) of 26.2 ± 4.9. More than half of them (53.2%) were classified as overweight and obese. Dietary practices after diagnosis of cancer showed that majority of the participants (65.2%) were generally consumed snacks at least once in a day and majority were preferred to consume food prepared in frying method (62.0%). The use of nutrition food label among these participants was low, whereby majority of the participants were never or rarely read the nutrition label contained in foods packaging. The median duration of time spent on vigorous activity by the participants was only 0.3 hours/day [95 % Cis: 0.3-0.6], where 0.5 hours/day [95 % Cis: 0.4-0.7] was spent on light activity. Analysis of habitual physical activity (PA) and sedentarybased activity practices showed that almost two-thirds of the participants (69.6%) were engaged in moderate PA levels with only 28.3% of them were physically active. Pearson correlation analysis showed there was significant difference between BMI with QOL subscales of physical functioning (r=-0.336; p<0.01) and lower body image (r=-0.237; p<0.05). Further analysis was conducted to examine the differences between nutrients profile and survival status among these participants, it showed that there was a significant difference in essential nutrients intake between breast cancer survival years, in which participants with higher survival status of > 5 had significantly higher intake of dietary protein (p<0.005), carbohydrate (p<0.05), calories (p<0.05), total fiber (p<0.05), essential omega-6 fatty acids (p<0.05), calcium (p<0.005), iron (p<0.05) and vitamin C (p<0.05) compared with those with shorter survival years of less than 5 y. In conclusion, majority of these participants were still practicing unhealthy dietary and lifestyle practices, despite being diagnosed with breast cancer. Majority of them were preferred to consume foods high in fat, and nutrition concern such as the use of nutrition label of packaged food consumed among them was also low. Continuous efforts and strategies of healthy eating and active lifestyle practices should be promoted among survivor of cancers in order to maintain optimal health and general well-being of these populations.
- PublicationAwareness on work stress among public express bus drivers at Terminal Bus Melaka Sentral.(2012)Hwang, Fung ChewBus drivers are one of several occupational groups who have reported disproportionately high levels of occupational stress. The aims of the research were to study the level of awareness on work stress among public express bus drivers in Melaka and to find the relation between age, education and working experience with awareness level on work stress. A descriptive study on 80 express bus drivers at terminal bus Melaka Sentral was done using a questionnaire. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package Social Science (SPSS) version 19.0. Majority of the respondents had high level of knowledge on work stress which is 48 (60%) followed by moderate level (32.5%) and only six (7.5%) of the respondents had limited knowledge. Majority of the respondents had positive attitude towards work stress which is 76 (95%). Only 5% of the bus drivers had good practice on work stress. The rest of the respondents (40%) fall in the group of average, followed by the most respondents had bad practice on work stress which is 55%. There is statistically significant relationship between awareness on work stress and education level (p=0.000). There is a significant relationship between awareness on work stress and working experience (p=0.012) too. However, there is no significant between awareness on work stress and age group (p=0.515). In conclusion, the level of awareness on work stress among the express bus drivers in Melaka was high due to their high knowledge level and good practice level on work stress.
- PublicationCharacterization of EBT3 radiochromic film for precise measurement of output factors in stereotactic radiosurgery.(2015)Alam, Nur Zarifha ZainolRadiochromic film become a demanding tool in a work of characterizing dosimetric properties in small field stereotactic radiosurgery. The aim of this project is to perform a comparative study in measuring output factor using EBT3 radiochromic film and PTW PinPoint Ion Chamber. Output factor measurements using EBT3 films and PTW PinPoint Ion Chamber were performed using 6MV photon beam from medical linear accelerator .The measurements was done in solid water phantom and CNMC Model 74-320 water phantom. Measurements were done at dmax (1.5cm ) depth inside water phantom and 100 cm source surface distance. Results: Percentage difference of measured output factor with EBT3 Gafchromic film and PTW Ion PinPoint Chamber was approximately 10-11%. Analysis on dose response for EBT3 and EBT2 gives difference approximately 4% in magnitude. The result obtained for scanning orientation study show minimal difference in output factors for different side orientation which differs by less than 2%. Variations for all doses were found to be less than 0.16 (net difference of optical density) for 4°C and 28°C but 0.026 for 37°C. Net optical density for the films stored in 37°C recorded huge difference in relative standard deviation which approximately only 4% compared to 4°C and 28°C which are 34-37% but still represents linear relationship with dose. EBT3 is suitable for measurements of output factor in stereotactic radiosurgery and can be use on validation of dose when high spatial resolution is required for clinical practice.