What inhibits "speaking up" for patient safety among healthcare workers? A cross-sectional study in Malaysia.

Background: In healthcare, "speaking up" refers to when healthcare workers raise concerns regarding patient safety through questions, sharing information, or expressing their opinion to prevent harmful incidents and ensure patient safety. Conversely, withholding voice is an act of not raising concerns, which could be beneficial in certain situations. Factors associated with speaking up and withholding voices are not fully understood, especially in strong authoritarian societies, such as Malaysia.

Highly Sensitive and Selective Sol-Gel Spin-Coated Composite TiO-PANI Thin Films for EGFET-pH Sensor.

A highly selective and sensitive EGFET-pH sensor based on composite TiO-PANI had been developed in this work. A sol-gel titanium dioxide (TiO) and the composite of TiO with semiconducting polyaniline (PANI) were deposited using a simple spin-coating method on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate. The films have been explored as a sensing electrode (SE) of extended gate field-effect transistor (EGFET) for pH applications in the range of pH 2 to 12.

Genetic variations in methotrexate metabolic pathway genes influence methotrexate responses in rheumatoid arthritis patients in Malaysia.

Methotrexate (MTX) is the most widely used disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Many studies have attempted to understand the genetic risk factors that affect the therapeutic outcomes in RA patients treated with MTX. Unlike other studies that focus on the populations of Caucasians, Indian and east Asian countries, this study investigated the impacts of six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are hypothesized to affect the outcomes of MTX treatment in Malaysian RA patients.

Transit time flow measurement and outcome in coronary artery bypass grafting for surgeon and trainee.

Background: Trainees need to operate under appropriate supervision to become competent. Transit time flow measurement (TTFM) is useful in detecting intraoperative graft failures during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). This study aims to compare the intra- and postoperative outcomes, including TTFM, of isolated CABG performed by a single consultant versus trainees and to determine the relationship between the pulsatility index (PI) and postoperative outcomes.

The Development and Validation of Job Satisfaction Questionnaire for Health Workforce.

Background: This study aims to develop and validate a job satisfaction questionnaire (JS-Q) for health workforce who are employed by a healthcare institution.

Methods: The study consists of six phases which begins with eliciting a conceptual understanding of the subject matter which is then followed by questions development, designing the overall structure and format of the questionnaire, assessing both its content validity and face validity, conducting a pilot study and finally a field test. A sample of study respondents who were permanent hospital staff above 18 years of age had been recruited from three government hospitals in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.

Self-medication of antibiotics: investigating practice among university students at the Malaysian National Defence University.

Self-medication of drugs to alleviate symptoms is a common global behavior, helping relieve burdens on health services, but many drugs eg, antibiotics are prescription-only. Self-medication of antibiotics (SMA) is an irrational use of drugs, contributing to microbial resistance increasing health care costs and higher mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to assess SMA among university students.

A cross-sectional study evaluating the knowledge and beliefs about, and the use of antibiotics amongst Malaysian university students.

Background: The introduction of antibiotics into modern medicine has changed clinical care by saving millions of lives. However, misuse of antibiotics has led to their benefits being overshadowed by the development of antimicrobial resistance.

Aims Of Study: This study aimed to assess university students' knowledge and beliefs about and their use of antibiotics.

Acute pulmonary thromboembolism in a case of fatal child abuse.

Child abuse is a worldwide problem. The four major types of abuse include physical abuse, child neglect, psychological maltreatment and sexual violence. We describe a fatal case of child abuse which presented with numerous old and recent soft tissue injuries all over the body.

Professionalism perspectives among medical students of a novel medical graduate school in Malaysia.

Defining professionalism in this constantly evolving world is not easy. How do you measure degrees of benevolence and compassion? If it is so obvious to our profession, what professionalism is, then why is it so difficult to teach it to medical students and residents? Today's definition of medical professionalism is evolving - from autonomy to accountability, from expert opinion to evidence-based medicine, and from self-interest to teamwork and shared responsibility. However, medical professionalism is defined as the basis for the trust in the patient-physician relationship, caring and compassion, insight, openness, respect for patient dignity, confidentiality, autonomy, presence, altruism, and those qualities that lead to trust-competence, integrity, honesty, morality, and ethical conduct.

Antibiotic prescribing and resistance: knowledge level of medical students of clinical years of University Sultan Zainal Abidin, Malaysia.

The innovation of penicillin by Dr Alexander Fleming in 1928 and its use in clinical practice saved many lives, especially during the Second World War. Tuberculosis still carries a significant public health threat and has re-emerged over the past two decades, even in modern countries where tuberculosis was thought to be eliminated. The World Health Organization defines antimicrobial resistance as the resistance of a microorganism to an antimicrobial drug that was initially effective for treatment of infections caused by the microbe.

Opening of triangular hole in triangular-shaped chemical vapor deposited hexagonal boron nitride crystal.

In-plane heterostructure of monolayer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and graphene is of great interest for its tunable bandgap and other unique properties. Here, we reveal a H2-induced etching process to introduce triangular hole in triangular-shaped chemical vapor deposited individual h-BN crystal. In this study, we synthesized regular triangular-shaped h-BN crystals with the sizes around 2-10 μm on Cu foil by chemical vapor deposition (CVD).

Perceptions of students in different phases of medical education of the educational environment: Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin.

Background: The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) was planned and designed to quantify the educational environment precisely for medical schools and health-related professional schools. DREEM is now considered a valid and reliable tool, which is globally accepted for measuring the medical educational environment. The educational environment encountered by students has an impact on satisfaction with the course of study, perceived sense of well-being, aspirations, and academic achievement.

Penile augmentation with resultant foreign material granuloma and sequalae.

Throughout history, a proportion of men appear to correlate penis size and dimensions directly with physical fitness and sexual prowess. Foreign materials, such as paraffin oil, paraffin balm, mineral oils, and silicone, have been used to promise an improvement in penile shaft contour and dimensions. These materials are injected directly into the penis; inducing granuloma formation to achieve increased penis length and girth.

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among pediatric leukemia patients in Malaysia.

Background: Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in pediatric leukemia patients in Malaysia has not been studied before. This was mainly due to a lack of databases on patients in the past. Many patients abandoned treatment or were lost to follow up.

Prevalence and parental perceptions of complementary and alternative medicine use by children with cancer in a multi-ethnic Southeast Asian population.

Background: The purpose of the current study was to determine the prevalence of use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by children with cancer and to compare the characteristics of CAM users and CAM nonusers.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed at a pediatric oncology center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The parents of 97 children with cancer were interviewed using a structured questionnaire.

Renal autotransplantation after an latrogenic left ureteric injury.

We report a case of renal autotransplantation performed successfully for an iatrogenic ureteric injury with loss of 9 cm of ureteric length. The surgical options available for management of ureteric injuries are discussed, varying from a simple re-anastomosis to the more complex renal autotransplantation.

Clinical features and risk factors for HIV encephalopathy in children.

A prospective cohort study was conducted to determine the incidence of progressive encephalopathy (PE) and its associated clinical manifestations amongst a cohort of HIV infected children attending the HIV/AIDS clinic of the Pediatric Institute, Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Malaysia. Neurological and neurobehavioral assessments were performed in 55 children with HIV over a 24-month study period. Parameters assessed were physical and neurological assessments, CD4 counts, CD4 percentages, RNA viral loads and an IQ assessment at four monthly intervals.

Trial of 17-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (Proluton Depot) in women with long-standing infertility; failure of estrogen positive feedback the following cycle.

In open and double-blind studies 40 women with long-standing unexplained infertility were investigated and treated with 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17HPC, Proluton Depot). In the open study, 16 women with a high index of suspicious abortions were given 500 mg 17HPC imtramuscularly (i.m.