EQ-5D-5L Valuation for the Malaysian Population.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop an EQ-5D-5L value set reflecting the health preferences of the Malaysian adult population.

Methods: Respondents were sampled with quotas for urbanicity, gender, age, and ethnicity to ensure representativeness of the Malaysian population. The study was conducted using a standardized protocol involving the EuroQol Valuation Technology (EQ-VT) computer-assisted interview system.

Psychometric performance assessment of Malay and Malaysian English version of EQ-5D-5L in the Malaysian population.

Purpose: To determine the psychometric properties and performance of Malay and English versions of the EQ-5D-5L descriptive instrument in the general Malaysian population.

Methods: 1137 members of the Malaysian general public were sampled in this national study. Respondents were recruited by quota sampling of urbanicity, gender, age, and ethnicity.

Exploring strategies to overcome extra-organisational challenges faced by community pharmacies in Sarawak, Malaysia.

Objectives: The aims of this research were to determine extra-organisational challenges (e.g. market competition, governing policies) faced by community pharmacies in Sarawak, the coping strategies employed to deal with these challenges and explore potential legislative changes that can attenuate the intensity of these challenges.

Health Literacy-Related Knowledge, Attitude, and Perceived Barriers: A Cross-sectional Study among Physicians, Pharmacists, and Nurses in Public Hospitals of Penang, Malaysia.

Introduction: Patients' health literacy (HL) has emerged as a critical determinant of health outcomes and becoming one of the core competencies of health-care providers. Therefore, this study aimed to assess among Malaysian physicians, pharmacists, and nurses, their HL-related knowledge, attitude, and perceived barriers, and also to determine the associated factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used to enroll 600 eligible respondents using stratified sampling from 6 public hospitals in Penang, Malaysia.

An Interprofessional Evaluation of Health Literacy Communication Practices of Physicians, Pharmacists, and Nurses at Public Hospitals in Penang, Malaysia.

Background: Health care practitioners carry a tremendous responsibility to differentiate the varying need of information and customized communication according to a patient's health literacy (HL) level.

Objectives: To assess and compare the HL communication practices among physicians, pharmacists, and nurses serving at public hospitals in Penang, Malaysia.

Methods: A pretested, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from study participants of 6 public hospitals using stratified sampling.

The perspective of healthcare providers and patients on health literacy: a systematic review of the quantitative and qualitative studies.

Aim: Health literacy (HL) is a multifaceted concept, thus understanding the perspective of healthcare providers, patients, and the system is vital. This systematic review examines and synthesises the available studies on HL-related knowledge, attitude, practice, and perceived barriers.

Methods: CINAHL and Medline (via EBSCOhost), Google Scholar, PubMed, ProQuest, Sage Journals, and Science Direct were searched.

Improving pediatric liquid medication labeling of the hospital information system in Malaysia: qualitative analysis of pharmacists' perceptions.

Background: Inadequacies of drug labeling have been frequently reported among Malaysian healthcare institutes, in which the Hospital Information System (HIS) is used.

Objective: To identify potential areas to improve the existing labels used for pediatric liquid medications.

Methods: This study was qualitative in nature, whereby focus group discussions (FGDs), face-to-face interviews (FTFIs), and onsite observation were used for data collection.

Antibiotic use in residential aged care facilities.

Background: High infection burden among the residential aged care facility (RACF) population has long been recognised; however, existing infection prevention effort is often limited to infection surveillance activity. There is a scarcity of evidence to guide antimicrobial stewardship in the Australian RACF setting.

Objective: This review summarises the current trends in antibiotic use and multi-drug resistant (MDR) organisms, challenges related to antibiotic prescribing and areas of suboptimal antibiotic prescribing for further improvement, particularly in the Australian RACF setting.

Antimicrobial stewardship in residential aged care facilities: need and readiness assessment.

Background: Information about the feasibility, barriers and facilitators of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) has been scant. Exploring the prevailing perceptions and attitudes of key healthcare providers towards antibiotic prescribing behaviour, antibiotic resistance and AMS in the RACF setting is imperative to guide AMS interventions.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with key RACF healthcare providers until saturation of themes occurred.

Antibiotic prescribing practice in residential aged care facilities--health care providers' perspectives.

Objective: To explore organisational workflow and workplace culture influencing antibiotic prescribing behaviour from the perspective of key health care providers working in residential aged care facilities (RACFs).

Design, Setting And Participants: Qualitative approach using semistructured interviews, focus groups and onsite observation between 8 January 2013 and 2 July 2013. Nursing staff, general practitioners and pharmacists servicing residents at 12 high-level care RACFs in Victoria were recruited.

Prevalence of multidrug-resistant organisms and risk factors for carriage in long-term care facilities: a nested case-control study.

Background: Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are a potentially important reservoir of multidrug-resistant (MDR) organisms; however, limited data exist.

Methods: A point-prevalence study was conducted in four co-located LTCFs in Australia. Nasal and rectal swabs were cultured for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and MDR Gram-negative bacilli (GNB).

Community-onset bloodstream infection with multidrug-resistant organisms: a matched case-control study.

Background: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) organisms have been increasingly reported at hospital admission. Recognising the magnitude, trend and predictors for MDR organisms in community-onset bloodstream infections (COBSI) is crucial for guiding empiric antibiotic prescribing.

Methods: Positive blood culture isolates recovered from patients presenting to the emergency department during a ten-year period (1st Jan 2002-31st Dec 2011) were assessed.

Reducing inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in the residential care setting: current perspectives.

Residential aged care facilities are increasingly identified as having a high burden of infection, resulting in subsequent antibiotic use, compounded by the complexity of patient demographics and medical care. Of particular concern is the recent emergence of multidrug-resistant organisms among this vulnerable population. Accordingly, antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs have started to be introduced into the residential aged care facilities setting to promote judicious antimicrobial use.

Surveillance of infection burden in residential aged care facilities.

Objectives: To explore the burden of illness associated with infectious syndromes and to measure the associated use of antimicrobials in residential aged care facilities (RACFs).

Design, Setting And Subjects: Retrospective analysis of data for January 2006 to December 2010 from an infection surveillance system covering residents of four co-located RACFs, with a total of 150 residential care beds, in Melbourne, Victoria.

Main Outcome Measures: Number of episodes and incidence of health care-associated infection (HCAI); rate of antimicrobial use; prescribing concordance with McGeer criteria for infection; frequency of clinical specimen collection.

Accumulation of transferrin in Caco-2 cells: a possible mechanism of intestinal transferrin absorption.

Transferrin receptor (TfR)-mediated endocytosis and transcytosis in enterocyte-like Caco-2 cells was investigated in order to elucidate the transport mechanism of orally administered Tf-fusion proteins. Cellular uptake and pulse chase studies were performed in Caco-2, MCF-7 and bladder carcinoma (5637) cells using 125I-labeled Tf (125I-Tf). Co-localization studies of Rab 11 and FITC-Tf endocytosed at either the apical or basolateral membrane were performed in polarized Caco-2 cells grown on Transwells, using confocal laser scanning microscopy (LSM510, Zeiss).

Comparison of monomeric and oligomeric transferrin as potential carrier in oral delivery of protein drugs.

Oligomeric transferrin (Tf) was used to investigate the effect that cross-linking of transferrin receptors (TfR) has on intracellular trafficking of the Tf-TfR complex and to determine whether or not the Tf-oligomer would be a better carrier than monomeric Tf for the oral delivery of protein drugs. The intracellular retention and transcytosis of the Tf-oligomer was determined by performing pulse chase studies on enterocyte-like Caco-2 cells. The intracellular retention of the Tf-oligomer was 2-fold higher than that of monomeric Tf while there was no significant difference in transcytosis.

Transferrin-oligomers as potential carriers in anticancer drug delivery.

Purpose: To investigate if the cross-linking of transferrin receptor (TfR) induced by Tf-oligomers alters the endocytosis of receptor-ligand complexes in cultured tumor cells and hence increases intracellular drug release.

Methods: An average of 3.5 Tf molecules per aggregate were cross-linked either by using homobifunctional linker (1, 11-bis-maleimidotetraethyleneglycol) [Tf(3.