Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences最新文献

{"title":"Peripherally Inserted Central Venous Catheter-Related Complications in Adult Patients with Haematological Malignancy.","authors":"Kee Wei Lee, Chin Sum Cheong, Gan Gin Gin","doi":"10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Peripherally inserted central venous catheters (PICC) are widely used in patients with haematological malignancies owing to the requirement for prolonged intravenous therapy. However, the growing use of PICCs has resulted in a multitude of complications such as infections and thrombosis, leading to prolonged hospitalisation periods and increased morbidity. This study aimed to determine the incidence of and factors associated with PICC-related complications in patients with haematological malignancies.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This prospective cohort study was conducted at a single academic institution. The inclusion criteria involved all adult patients with haematological malignancies who had newly inserted PICCs. The patients were observed for a minimum duration of 60 days to evaluate the incidence of PICC-related infections and thrombosis, as well as mechanical complications.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 119 PICCs were implanted in 85 patients. Among them, more than half of the patients were diagnosed with lymphoma (55.0%). The median dwell time was 61 days (interquartile range: 98 days). The incidence of PICC-related complications was 58.0% (6.9 per 1,000 catheter-days). Specifically, 43 PICCs (36.1%, 4.3 per 1,000 catheter-days) experienced infective complications, 25 (21.1%, 2.5 per 1,000 catheter-days) encountered mechanical complications and 1 (0.8%, 0.1 per 1,000 catheter-days) exhibited thrombotic complications. Furthermore, an underlying diagnosis of acute leukaemia was significantly associated with a higher incidence of PICC-related infections.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our study revealed higher incidence rates of PICC-related complications in adult patients with haematological malignancies compared to the finding of other studies. Notably, patients with underlying acute leukaemia displayed a higher incidence of PICC-related infections. These findings underscore the importance of implementing appropriate interventions and conducting thorough root cause analyses to effectively mitigate this complication and improve patient outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":47388,"journal":{"name":"Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11057837/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140866263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Analysis on Short-Term Outcomes for Cerebral Protection Treatment in Post Severe Traumatic Brain Injury Patients: A Single Neurosurgical Centre Study.","authors":"Ahmad Fikri Muhammad Mustafa, Laila Ab Mukmin, Mohd Zulfakar Mazlan, Abdul Rahman Izaini Ghani, Wan Mohd Nazaruddin Wan Hassan, Mohamad Hasyizan Hassan","doi":"10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.12","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.12","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability worldwide and cerebral protection (CP) management might determine the outcome of the patient. CP in severe TBI is to protect the brain from further insults, optimise cerebral metabolism and prevent secondary brain injury. This study aimed to analyse the short-term Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) at the intensive care unit (ICU) discharge and a month after ICU discharge of patients post CP and factors associated with the favourable outcome.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This is a prospective cohort study from January 2021 to January 2022. The short-term outcomes of patients were evaluated upon ICU discharge and 1 month after ICU discharge using GOS. Favourable outcome was defined as GOS 4 and 5. Generalised Estimation Equation (GEE) was adopted to conduct bivariate GEE and subsequently multivariate GEE to evaluate the factors associated with favourable outcome at ICU discharge and 1 month after discharge.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 92 patients with severe TBI with GOS of 8 and below admitted to ICU received CP management. Proportion of death is 17% at ICU discharge and 0% after 1 month of ICU discharge. Proportion of favourable outcome is 26.1% at ICU discharge and 61.1% after 1 month of ICU discharge. Among factors evaluated, age (odds ratio [OR] = 0.96; 95% CI: 0.94, 0.99; <i>P</i> = 0.004), duration of CP (OR = 0.41; 95% CI: 0.20, 0.84; <i>P</i> = 0.014) and hyperosmolar therapy (OR = 0.41; CI 95%: 0.21, 0.83; <i>P</i> = 0.013) had significant association.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>CP in younger age, longer duration of CP and patient not receiving hyperosmolar therapy are associated with favourable outcomes. We recommend further clinical trial to assess long term outcome of CP.</p>","PeriodicalId":47388,"journal":{"name":"Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11057832/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140872705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of Education and Experience on Radiographers' Ability to Diagnose Acute Appendicitis: A Survey in Private Malaysian Hospitals.","authors":"M L Dinesh, Mohd Imran Mohd, B R Shasindrau, Daniel Jeyaraman","doi":"10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.16","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.16","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Acute appendicitis is a global surgical emergency. Radiographic modalities usually identify acute appendicitis, although radiographers' competence is questionable. This study examines how clinical radiographers' education and experience affect their ability to identify acute appendicitis using computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasonography (USG) characteristics. The study also aimed to determine which variable strongly influences their knowledge level.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study surveyed radiographers with a four-part self-administered questionnaire containing demographic information and eight knowledge-based questions about the appearance of acute appendicitis in MRI, CT and USG, separately. Before distribution, the questionnaire was validated and checked the reliability.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Clinical radiographers' knowledge about using MRI to diagnose acute appendicitis was strongly affected by education and experience (η² = 0.13 and 0.14; <i>P</i> < 0.05), with bachelor's degree holders scoring higher regardless of experience. Radiographers with more than 5 years of experience knew more about CT and USG features to identify acute appendicitis (η² = 0.40 and 0.27; <i>P</i> < 0.05). Radiographers with a bachelor's degree and greater experience had higher overall knowledge of MRI, CT and USG to diagnose acute appendicitis (η² = 0.51 and 0.11; <i>P</i> < 0.05). With adjusted <i>R</i>² = 54% (<i>F</i> [2, 44] = 27.94; <i>P</i> < 0.001), education and experience highly predicted the overall knowledge level.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study found gaps in radiographers' knowledge of the radiographic appearance of acute appendicitis. Clinical radiographers' education level and years of experience substantially affect their knowledge level. In addition, experience is a good predictor than education level for overall knowledge level. Therefore, the study emphasises the importance of continuing education and training for radiographers to diagnose acute appendicitis quickly and accurately.</p>","PeriodicalId":47388,"journal":{"name":"Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11057835/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140873063","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Molecular Analysis and Ex Vivo Infectivity of Seronegative Occult Hepatitis C Virus: A Study in Single Haemodialysis Centre.","authors":"Siti Nurul Fazlin Abdul Rahman, Hairul Aini Hamzah, Mohammed Imad A Mustafa Mahmud, Noraihan Mat Harun","doi":"10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>In occult hepatitis C virus infection (OCI), hepatitis C virus ribonucleic acid (HCV RNA) is detectable in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) but is not evident in serum or plasma. Understanding of OCI in patients with seronegative anti-HCV antibodies is limited.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this study, six HCV isolates from haemodialysis (HD) patients with seronegative OCI were identified by molecular assays and phylogenetic analysis. The virus infectivity was assessed ex vivo using a primary naïve PBMC culture system. HCV isolates obtained from the PBMCs of 10 patients with chronic HCV infection (CCI) were characterised concurrently and used as positive controls in the cell culture.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Sequence analysis of the 5' untranslated region (UTR) and non-structural 5B (NS5B) region revealed that HCV genotype 3 was the most prevalent virus type in both the OCI and CCI groups. One of the occult HCV isolates was identified as a mixed type. The mean viral load (log₁₀ RNA copies/106 cells) in the PBMC samples of the OCI group (M = 3.4, SD = 0.7) was lower than that of the CCI group (M = 4.6, SD = 1.7). Upon culture, de novo OCI-HCV replicates were detected in five out of six naïve PBMC cultures. Analysis of the replicates showed a single guanine addition in the domain III of 5'-UTR but the overall molecular structure was retained.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Seronegative OCI is an active form of infection that replicates at a low level in PBMCs. Seronegative OCI may share the same route of transmission as CCI. The retained viral competency may have an implication for its persistence.</p>","PeriodicalId":47388,"journal":{"name":"Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11057825/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140868563","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigating the Effects of Level-Specific CE-Chirp on Auditory Brainstem Response Waves in Normal Hearing Infants.","authors":"Norashikin Chahed, Ahmad Aidil Arafat Dzulkarnain, Saiful Adli Jamaluddin","doi":"10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Auditory brainstem response (ABR) to the level-specific (LS) CE-Chirp has been reported to provide optimum neural synchrony along cochlear partitions, theoretically improving ABR waveform resolution. Despite this promising finding, limited studies have been conducted to contrast the results between LS CE-Chirp and Click stimuli. The current study aimed to compare the results of ABR between the two stimuli (Click and LS CE-Chirp).</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Sixty-seven normal-hearing infants, both with and without risk factors, aged less than 7 months old, participated in this study. The ABR test was conducted at 70 dBnHL using 33.3 stimulus repetition rates with both Click and LS CE-Chirp stimuli. The signal averaging was stopped at a maximum fixed signal average of 2,500 sweeps. Data were statistically compared between the two stimuli using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The waves I and V ABRs elicited by LS CE-Chirp exhibited significantly larger amplitudes than the Click stimulus. However, the amplitude of wave III and absolute latencies were similar in both stimuli at a supra-threshold level.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>LS CE-Chirp has the advantage of larger amplitudes than the ABR from Click at the supra-threshold level (70 dBnHL) in normal-hearing infants.</p>","PeriodicalId":47388,"journal":{"name":"Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11057821/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140854170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Autonomy, Resilience and Life Satisfaction among Badminton Paralympians.","authors":"Poh Li Lau, Siew Li Goh, Emily Kui Ling Lau, Kuan Garry, Yee Cheng Kueh, Ngan Ling Wong","doi":"10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.15","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.15","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>People with disabilities are marginalised in mainstream culture and they also experience increased restrictions in a variety of areas, such as sport. The barriers they encounter may adversely affect their life satisfaction, especially if they have a low perceived sense of autonomy and resilience. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between autonomy, resilience and life satisfaction in para-badminton athletes and the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between autonomy and life satisfaction.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were collected from 137 para-badminton athletes (male: 65.0% and female: 35.0%). Self-reported measures were used to assess the participants' autonomy, resilience and life satisfaction levels.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A structural equation model analysis was performed; the model had sufficient fit indices (comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.94, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.06, standardised root mean square residual [SRMR] = 0.07). The findings showed that autonomy had a significant effect on resilience (<i>β</i> = 0.32, <i>P</i> = 0.001). Further, resilience had a significant effect on life satisfaction (<i>β</i> = 0.19, <i>P</i> = 0.011) and significantly mediated the effect of autonomy on life satisfaction (<i>β</i> = 021, <i>P</i> = 0.033).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study revealed that autonomy fosters resilience among athletes, in turn allowing them to achieve greater life satisfaction. Therefore, society and sport communities should actively seek ways to improve the autonomy and resilience levels of athletes with disabilities.</p>","PeriodicalId":47388,"journal":{"name":"Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11057830/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140865780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Detection of Macrolide-Resistant <i>Streptococcus pneumoniae</i> Genes and Its Clinical Outcomes in a Tertiary Teaching Hospital in Malaysia.","authors":"Wan Norliyana Wan Mahmud, Siti Asma' Hassan, Zaidah Abd Rahman, Wan Nor Amilah Wan Abdul Wahab, Nabilah Ismail","doi":"10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.17","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.17","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong><i>Streptococcus pneumoniae</i> is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. The dramatic increase in in-vitro resistance of antimicrobial agents, particularly beta-lactams and macrolides, makes pneumococcal infections difficult to treat. The aim of this study was to describe the drug resistance rate, assess the prevalence of macrolide-resistant genes and review the clinical complications of pneumococcal infections among patients presented to Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kelantan, Malaysia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. All <i>S. pneumoniae</i> isolates collected from clinical specimens within a 1-year period were subjected to selected antimicrobial susceptibility testing using E-test strips. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis was conducted to detect macrolide-resistant determinants. The patient's clinical data were obtained from clinical notes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 113 patients with a positive growth of <i>S. pneumoniae</i> were included in the study. The most common predisposing factors among them were bronchopulmonary diseases (15.9%). The penicillin-resistant rate was 7.1%, with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging between 0.012 μg/mL and >32 μg/mL, and the erythromycin-resistant rate was 26.5%, with a MIC range of 0.03 μg/mL-> 256 μg/mL. Most of the erythromycin-resistant isolates were found to have the <i>mef</i>(A) gene (50.4%) and the <i>erm</i>(B) gene (20%); 16.7% had a combination of genes <i>mef</i>(A) and <i>erm</i>(B), and 13.3% had none of the two genes. Community-acquired pneumonia is the predominant type of pneumococcal infection. There was no significant association between the presence of macrolide resistance determinants and mortality (<i>P</i> = 0.837) or complications (<i>P</i> > 0.999 for empyema and cardiac complication; <i>P</i> = 0.135 for subdural abscess).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The majority of erythromycin-resistant isolates were found to have the <i>mef</i>(A) gene, followed by the <i>erm</i>(B) gene and a combination of genes <i>mef</i>(A) and <i>erm</i>(B).</p>","PeriodicalId":47388,"journal":{"name":"Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11057836/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140854164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of Sample Type on D-Dimer Screening.","authors":"Ellies Tunjung Sari Maulidyanti, Nur Vita Purwaningsih, Ainutajriani Ainutajriani, Rahma Widyastuti","doi":"10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.13","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.13","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The quality of laboratory test results depends on various factors, including sample type selection. Blood samples, such as whole blood, plasma and serum are commonly used for most clinical laboratory examinations. D-dimer parameters are frequently analysed in haematology laboratories and serve as biomarkers for coagulation activation and fibrinolysis. This study aimed to assess the impact of using different sample types on the quality of D-dimer test results.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>An observational analytical method was used. D-dimer examination was performed using the fluorescent lateral flow immunoassay method. The study sample consisted of 26 participants aged between 18 years old and 22 years old who had no blood disorders. Whole blood and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) plasma samples were used for the examination of D-dimer levels.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>D-dimer levels in 26 participants using whole blood samples had a mean value of 0.23 mg/L (230 ng/mL), while plasma samples yielded a mean value of 0.14 mg/L (140 ng/mL). D-dimer levels obtained from whole blood samples were higher than plasma samples but remained within the normal range of 0 mg/L-0.5 mg/L (0 ng/mL-500 ng/mL).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The results showed that whole blood samples were more practical than plasma samples. Nevertheless, plasma samples gave results within the normal range of D-dimer values.</p>","PeriodicalId":47388,"journal":{"name":"Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11057822/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140871969","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Healthcare Facilities and Medical Tourism Across the World: A Bibliometric Analysis.","authors":"Abdul Latief, Maria Ulfa","doi":"10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study aimed to review the literature on healthcare facilities and medical tourism from a range of nations that have established medical tourism sectors and assess the effect of healthcare facilities on medical tourism. A bibliometric study of the Scopus database was carried out by using the search terms '(Facility AND of AND healthcare) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (health AND tourism) AND medical tourism' for the years 2012-2022. A qualitative evaluation of the literature was then performed to find and locate 92 articles. VOSviewer and NVivo 12 Plus were employed for data analysis. The findings indicated that the following trending subject keywords were used during the period in question: health (rate 1.97), medicine (rate 1.91), tourism (rate 1.70), care (rate 0.83), facilities (rate 0.64) and healthcare (rate 0.61). Furthermore, this research identified four distinct clusters: i) medical tourism, ii) healthcare quality, iii) healthcare system and iv) health services. The study found that healthcare facilities, as actors that have a role in the development of medical tourism, have not been sufficiently explored, even though there is evidence that they play a role in the growth of the sector. This result is in line with Heung's argument, which makes the same point.</p>","PeriodicalId":47388,"journal":{"name":"Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11057838/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140872942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sun Exposure and Usage of Sun Protection: Knowledge, Perception and Practice among University Students.","authors":"Sadeel A Shanshal, Shahad M Khaleel, Sawsan H Hammoodi","doi":"10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.19","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.19","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Exposure to the sun is vital for the body but is associated with problem ranging from pigmentation to cancer. Therefore, knowledge about protective measures is critical. This study aims to assess undergraduate students' knowledge, perception and practices towards the adverse effects of sun exposure and the usage of sun-protective measures.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted between 1 September 2022 and 20 September 2022 using a web-based questionnaire. Undergraduate students from medical and non-medical colleges in Iraqi universities participated in this study. Descriptive and inferential statistics and logistic regression were performed to analyse the data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 655 students participated in this study. The knowledge level of more than one-half of the students (53%) was inadequate. Approximately three-quarters of the study sample used sunscreens products. Skin type was the main factor in choosing the appropriate sunscreen product. Media and advice from specialists were the main factors affecting participants' usage of sunscreens. Gender (females), college (medical), year(s) of study (sixth), residence (urban), daily sun exposure (1 h-3 h) and less-than-normal vitamin D levels were found to be significantly associated with better knowledge (<i>P</i>-value < 0.05). Age, gender, being a student in medical colleges and not knowing vitamin D levels were found to be significant predictors of participants' knowledge.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The low level of knowledge reported among the participants' calls for more attention from health authorities in educating the public about the harmful effects of sun exposure and the importance of adopting protective measures.</p>","PeriodicalId":47388,"journal":{"name":"Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11057839/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140862700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}