{"title":"Food Insecurity During COVID-19: A Neglected Priority?","authors":"Muhammad Zulfahmi Haron, Rohana Abdul Jalil","doi":"10.31436/imjm.v22i2.1933","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31436/imjm.v22i2.1933","url":null,"abstract":"The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health and global problem threatening the food security and nutrition of millions of people. While considerable public health resources have focused on combating the COVID-19 pandemic, food and nutrition have received less attention. By 2030, Sustainable Development Goal 2 aims to eradicate hunger and ensure that all people, especially the poor and vulnerable, have year-round access to safe, nutritious, and enough food. Regrettably, the world is falling short of its 2030 target of attaining Zero Hunger, mainly due to this pandemic. We reviewed the prevalence of food insecurity during COVID-19 ranging from 23% to 80% and its consequences including the measures presented in the previous studies to address the issue. Food insecurity has many negative consequences during COVID-19, including disruption of food chains, increased food prices, malnutrition and health consequences, growing social inequities, and bad economic outcomes. We highlighted the need for two main strategies: nutritionsensitive social protection, and food system reform and innovation to address this problem further to build a more robust and resilient food system for the sake of future generations.","PeriodicalId":13474,"journal":{"name":"IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84323609","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nur husna Atan, S. N. Abdullah Suhaimi, R. Awang, N. A. H. Darail
{"title":"Daycare and Inpatient Hemithyroidectomy: A Cost Minimisation and Safety Study-Hospital Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Experience","authors":"Nur husna Atan, S. N. Abdullah Suhaimi, R. Awang, N. A. H. Darail","doi":"10.31436/imjm.v22i1.2171","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31436/imjm.v22i1.2171","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: The duration of daycare surgery (DS) is relatively shorter compared to other types of surgeries. The main objective here is to provide comfort to the patients and family members without compromising safety and quality of medical care for the patients. In addition, there are many proven advantages of DS such as shorter waiting time, earlier return to work, reduced cross-infections, reduced cancellation rates due to emergency cases and cost-effective. Due to the constraints of inpatient operating time and availability of hospital beds, thyroid surgery is performed as DS in our centre. In this study, we analysed the cost-effectiveness and safety between the daycare and inpatient hemithyroidectomy. Methods: This cost minimisation comparative study was conducted in Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Malaysia, from January 2019 to June 2021. The total cost for each hemithyroidectomy for providers and patients were calculated for both groups. Any complications in the surgery for the two groups were documented. Result: Seventy-one patients were recruited: forty-one (57.7%) daycare hemithyroidectomies and thirty (42.3%) inpatient hemithyroidectomies. The cost of daycare hemithyroidectomy were significantly lower than the inpatient hemithyroidectomy with a median percentile of RM1089.00 (IQR= RM 339.48) and RM 1477.10 (IQR = RM 434.02) respectively (p-value <0.001). None of the patients in either group developed any surgical complications. Conclusion: Daycare hemithyroidectomy minimises the cost for providers while still maintaining the safety of the procedure. Therefore, daycare hemithyroidectomy is cost-effective and should be advocated in all tertiary hospitals in Malaysia.","PeriodicalId":13474,"journal":{"name":"IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85460864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rima Anggrena, Nurul Iftida, Amilia Afzan, M. Nazri, V. Velayudham
{"title":"Thymoma with Myasthenia Gravis in Pregnancy: A Case Report","authors":"Rima Anggrena, Nurul Iftida, Amilia Afzan, M. Nazri, V. Velayudham","doi":"10.31436/imjm.v22i1.1924","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31436/imjm.v22i1.1924","url":null,"abstract":"Thymoma is the commonest mediastinal tumour but a rare type of thymic tumour of unknown aetiology. The overall incidence of thymoma is 0.13 per 100,000 persons per year which is even rarer in pregnancy. Until this date, the specific link between thymoma and pregnancy has not been identified. Presentations are also variables and includes chest pain, respiratory insufficiency, superior vena cava syndrome or non-specific symptoms like fever and weight loss. An autoimmune paraneoplastic disease which is often linked with thymoma includes myasthenia gravis (MG), hypogammaglobinaemia, aplastic anaemia and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Here we describe a case of thymoma in pregnancy who had successfully delivered and underwent surgical removal postpartum.\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 ","PeriodicalId":13474,"journal":{"name":"IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84149727","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maryam Riyadh Yaseen Al-Bayati, G. Faisal, Azliana Abd Fuaat, Khairunisa Ahmad Affandi, Batoul Alallam
{"title":"The Effect of The Topical Application of Eurycoma Longifolia Jack (TA) Root Extract Hydrogel on Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) Expression During Wound Healing in vivo Excisional Wound Model","authors":"Maryam Riyadh Yaseen Al-Bayati, G. Faisal, Azliana Abd Fuaat, Khairunisa Ahmad Affandi, Batoul Alallam","doi":"10.31436/imjm.v22i1.2228","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31436/imjm.v22i1.2228","url":null,"abstract":"INTRODUCTION: Medicinal plants are known for their positive impacts on wound healing by stimulating angiogenesis in the skin. Eurycoma longifolia Jack locally known as Tongkat Ali (TA), is a medicinal plant characterised by anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Excisional wound (15mm × 15mm) in diameter and (2mm) depth was created at the back of 20 male Sprague Dawley rats by incising the marked skin with sterilized surgical scalpel blade then excised the skin by surgical scissors and toothed forceps. The wounded rats were divided into 4 groups, each group contained 5 rats (n=5). Experimental groups were formed as follows: untreated (-ve) control, Hydrocyn® aqua gel (+ve) control, vehicle hydrogel, and TA hydrogel. All the treatments were applied twice daily for 5 days starting on the first day (wounding day). On Day 5 post-wounding, the granulation tissue was harvested from all groups and evaluated by immunohistochemistry assay for Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression. RESULTS: VEGF expression in granulation tissue of rat’s skin treated with TA hydrogel and vehicle hydrogel increased significantly compared to that in the untreated (-ve) control group with p-values of 0.040 and 0.029, respectively. Although there was no significant difference in VEGF expression in granulation tissue of rat’s skin treated with the TA group, Hydrocyn® aqua gel (+ve) control, and vehicle hydrogel groups, our study group showed higher expression of VEGF. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that the topical application of TA hydrogel increased the VEGF expression in granulation tissue of rat’s skin, which is an essential growth factor for wound healing. Thus, there is great potential for TA hydrogel to be an effective wound-healing agent for managing cutaneous wounds.\u0000 ","PeriodicalId":13474,"journal":{"name":"IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77135517","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Urban-Rural Discrepancy of Low Income Women’s Health Outcomes.","authors":"H. Abdul Kadir, Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh","doi":"10.31436/imjm.v21i4.2177","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31436/imjm.v21i4.2177","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Malaysia's rapid economic growth and rising living costs significantly affect the lower-income population, which is defined as individuals earning less than MYR3,855.00 (USD892.26) per month (B40). The study aimed to ascertain the quality of life (QOL), the needs of B40 women living in urban and rural areas, and their health status. Materials and Methods: On the year 2020, a cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 300 respondents from the rural and urban poor were questioned about their needs, health status, and QOL using semi-guided instruments such as the EuroQol 5 Dimension (EQ5D) and Visual Analogue Score (VAS). Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors influencing QOL and health status. Results: A total of 88% of respondents were Malays, 9.3% were Indian, and 2.7% were Chinese. The respondents' mean age was 45 years old. Most of the respondents were stay-at-home mothers (39.7%), employed (39.0%), and had completed secondary school education (61.0%). The average monthly household income was MYR1654.00 (SD845.3). Approximately 58.7% of respondents received subsistence assistance. A total of 47.7% of the respondents suffered chronic medical illness (hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, renal problems, asthma, heart disease and cancer). The respondents obtained services from government-funded clinics or hospitals (86.0%) and private clinics or hospitals (14.0%). Most women sought treatment as inpatients at government hospitals (89.3%), while 10.7% sought care in private hospitals. A total of 94.0% paid for their own treatment, while 6.0% had their employers reimburse them. The respondents did not suggest any insurance benefits, particularly pertinent to the current government. Conclusion: The lack of chronic medical illnesses was one of the most crucial characteristics associated with high QOL and good health status.","PeriodicalId":13474,"journal":{"name":"IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77567033","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Islamic Medical Practice: A Holistic Approach to Patient Care in Sharia-Compliant Hospitals","authors":"Nazri Mohd Yusof","doi":"10.31436/imjm.v22i1.2306","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31436/imjm.v22i1.2306","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13474,"journal":{"name":"IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82510064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Holistic Approach to Combating Non-communicable Diseases in Malaysia","authors":"Assoc Prof Dr Mohd. Hudzari Haji Razali","doi":"10.31436/imjm.v22i1.2305","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31436/imjm.v22i1.2305","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13474,"journal":{"name":"IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81442265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
N. M. Mohd Shukri, Nor Azwani Mohamed Nor, Norashikin Mustafa, Amira Farhana Azizan, Mohamad Ashraf Rostam, Muhamad Sadry Abu Seman, M. R. Ab Hamid, R. N. Romli
{"title":"A Systematic Review of Maternal Dietary Intake and its Association with Childhood Stunting","authors":"N. M. Mohd Shukri, Nor Azwani Mohamed Nor, Norashikin Mustafa, Amira Farhana Azizan, Mohamad Ashraf Rostam, Muhamad Sadry Abu Seman, M. R. Ab Hamid, R. N. Romli","doi":"10.31436/imjm.v22i1.2141","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31436/imjm.v22i1.2141","url":null,"abstract":"The first 1,000 days of a child’s life is a critical period of development in preventing childhood stunting. Despite various intervention programs, the global prevalence remains high. Maternal nutrition during pregnancy and exclusive breastfeeding plays an important role in infant development; thus, a systematic review of the relationship between maternal dietary intake and childhood stunting was conducted. The Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar electronic databases were used. Articles related to maternal nutrition and supplement intake with children's anthropometry data were included. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria and seven were included after quality assessment. The studies were reviewed thematically as the statistical analysis was not possible due to data heterogeneity. The Appraisal Tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS) and Critical Appraisal Skills Program tools were used to assess the quality of the included studies. The findings demonstrated that pregnant women need to eat a diverse diet with the inclusion of at least five food groups to fulfill the nutritional requirement. Daily protein intake between 0.8 and 1.1g/kg body weight is recommended for positive birth weight and height outcomes. Supplementation of vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, zinc, vitamin D, and calcium, was also shown to improve pregnancy outcomes. However, future studies should consider confounding factors such as hygiene level and clean water availability to determine the transparent effect of nutrition on childhood stunting. More longitudinal studies are required to ascertain the relationship between maternal dietary intake and childhood stunting, especially in Malaysia.","PeriodicalId":13474,"journal":{"name":"IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89203323","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Z. Yudin, Nur Syafiqa Amri, Rosnani Zakaria, N. Mohamad, W. A. Wan Ahmed
{"title":"A Huge Ovarian Cyst: Why is it Missed?","authors":"Z. Yudin, Nur Syafiqa Amri, Rosnani Zakaria, N. Mohamad, W. A. Wan Ahmed","doi":"10.31436/imjm.v22i1.1901","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31436/imjm.v22i1.1901","url":null,"abstract":"A 15-year-old girl presented with progressive abdominal distention for four months duration. An initial assessment by primary care and gynaecological teams concluded that the ascites as the cause based on the clinical and initial ultra sonographic findings. However, an abdominal radiography revealed that a huge mature cystic teratoma as the actual cause of the presenting issue. Despite being a rare incidence, this case report highlighted why a high index of suspicion of ovarian pathology in large abdominal fluid accumulation in the paediatric population should be raised. The case report also highlighted the value of abdominal radiography, particularly in a primary care setting facility in differentiating intra-abdominal mass and ascites, especially when the massive volume of ovarian mass hampered the ultrasound findings. Though it is not specific, it may improve accuracy of initial diagnosis leading to an appropriate investigation with timely referral to the appropriate department. The unusual component of this case was the ‘pseudoascites' presentation and the literature on the detail of distinction between the two conditions from the primary aspect point.\u0000 ","PeriodicalId":13474,"journal":{"name":"IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90175681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
R. Ahmad, Azizan Mohd Isa, M. R. A Rashid, N. Yusoff, Lokman Mohd Tahir, M. Huda, Rahmiwati Marsinun
{"title":"Prevalence of Anxiety and Depression among Caregivers of Cancer Patients A Case Study in a Public Hospital in Malaysia","authors":"R. Ahmad, Azizan Mohd Isa, M. R. A Rashid, N. Yusoff, Lokman Mohd Tahir, M. Huda, Rahmiwati Marsinun","doi":"10.31436/imjm.v22i1.2146","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31436/imjm.v22i1.2146","url":null,"abstract":"INTRODUCTION: Anxiety and depression are common mental illnesses among cancer caregivers. Most caregivers often sacrifice a lot of time, energy and their own physical and emotional needs. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A cross sectional study was conducted among 156 caregivers of cancer patients who were providing treatment and moral support to cancer patients at the Oncology clinic of Sultan Ismail Hospital (SIH), Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) was used to assess the depression and anxiety levels among the respondents. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 17.0 software. The P value of less than 0.5 was taken a significant. RESULTS: In general, there was moderate relationship between cancer caregivers and patients in term of emotional, care and patient treatment, but in some circumstances, caregivers were also exposed to risk during care period of cancer patients. There was a significant relationship with moderate correlation between factors of taking care of emotion of patients (p<0.05, r=0.403), their diseases (p<0.05, r=0.456) and treatment (p<0.05, r=0.600) with the level of anxiety. There was a strong correlation between caring and anxiety in the item of lack of attention on patient demand (p< 0.05, r=0.91) and not angry to patient (p<0.83). CONCLUSION: The awareness regarding the anxiety and depression among caregivers need to be increased among health professionals such as physicians and nurses. Although the interventions are aimed to help the patients, but this can also cause anxiety and depression to caregivers.\u0000 ","PeriodicalId":13474,"journal":{"name":"IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86683277","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}