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Oily fish, liquid wax esters and keriorrhoea – a review

Authors: Peter Michael Barling, Yi Huan Foong.

ABSTRACT

Keriorrhoea is the involuntarily passing of orange oil per rectum. One of us (PMB) had the misfortune to experience this symptom, together with considerable gastrointestinal disturbances for a prolonged period of time after consumption of a deep sea fish, orange roughy, which is rich in liquid wax esters (LWEs). This paper presents a summary of available evidence concerned with the physiology and pathology of ingestion of LWEs, which can enter the human diet in substantial amounts from consumption of several species of deep-sea fish. LWEs are poorly digested and absorbed by the human body. They generally cause keriorrhoea when ingested deliberately or accidentally. Jojoba oil, which is a plant LWE, together with certain nutritional products (e.g. olestra) and medical (e.g. Orlistat) which are not LWEs may mimic the effects of LWEs, and cause similar gastrointestinal disturbances. This paper discusses the potential effects of LWEs as components of gastrointestinal micelles, and predicts that the orange oil which is leaked from a bout of keriorrhoea may contain considerable volumes of triacylglycerols (TAGs).

Keywords: keriorrhoea; liquid wax esters; orange roughy; escolar; oilfish; lipase; 2-monoglyceride.

Citation: IeJSME 2015 9(1): 21-25

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.9.1.21

Influence of rice and added sugar intakes on fasting plasma glucose and triacylglycerol levels amongst a population sample of Malaysian adults

Authors: Zhi Yee Lee, Joshua Chuan Yung Foo, Mei Qian Lim, Zheng Xian Koh, Wendy Hui Yi Wong, Tony Kock Wai Ng.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: A recently published meta-analysis showed that each additional serving of rice increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) by an alarming 11%. We investigated whether this phenomenon is seen in the Malaysian population by studying the effect of rice intake and added sugar consumption on fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and fasting triacylglycerol (TAG).

Methods: Ninety subjects (60 females, 30 males, aged 30-70 years), adequate to detect a weak-to-moderate Pearson correlation of r=0.26 at a=0.05 and power=0.80, were recruited by convenience sampling from six communities in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Fasting blood samples were collected by finger-prick and analysed for FPG (AccuCek, Roche) and TAG (Accutrend, Roche). Macronutrient intakes, including rice, were obtained by a single interview using a previously-evaluated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and quantitated as grams by the DietPLUS V2 programme. Added sugar intakes by subjects were estimated using an Added Sugar Intake excel programme.

Results: Rice contributed to 85% of dietary carbohydrates, accounting for 41.8 % kcal of the average 1750-kcal diet. Rice intakes or added sugar consumption did not have a significant correlation (p>0.05) with FPG nor fasting TAG. Added sugar consumption, which averaged 44g/person/day (5% kcal) was markedly lower than the 137g/person/day reported elsewhere for the Malaysian population.

Conclusion: High consumption of rice as a risk factor of type 2 DM was not indicated in the present study. Since white rice consumption varied 10-fold in the present subjects, the reduction in daily intake of this staple food represents a feasible option for cutting back on calorie intake for overweight or obese individuals.

Keywords: Rice intake, added sugar, fasting plasma glucose, triacylglycerol.

Citation: IeJSME 2015 9(1): 26-31

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.9.1.26

Patient’s level of satisfaction with nurse-led telephone follow-up after cataract surgery at a private eye specialist centre in Penang

Authors: Swee Geok Lim, Aun Cyi Lim, Xiao Jing Wong.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The prevalence of cataract surgeries ranges from 7 to 12 million cases in 2000, 20 million in 2010 and an estimation of 32 million cataract surgeries annually by the year 2020 worldwide (WHO, 2015). Traditionally, the healthcare providers were only able to give health education before the patient is discharged from the healthcare setting while follow-up can only be done when the patient comes for their follow-up. But most of the patients will remain confused or had forgotten about the post-operative care even after receiving a comprehensive discharge preparation. However, with the advancement of technologies in this modern era, nurse-led telephone follow-up can be considered as a tool to assist healthcare providers in the follow-up care in Malaysia. On the same note, a private
eye specialist organisation with centres throughout Malaysia, had taken the initiative to provide telephone follow-up service for their patients with three main objectives namely, to provide pre- and post-education on cataract surgery, to detect early post cataract surgery complications as well as to minimise anxiety among their patients. However, till date no patient feedback regarding the service was conducted.

Objective: The research objective for this study was to determine patient’s level of satisfaction with the nurse-led telephone follow-up after cataract surgery at a private eye specialist centre in Penang.

Method: A cross sectional quantitative descriptive study design was used to study ninety post cataract patients in a private hospital, Penang through universal sampling method. A validated self-developed questionnaire based on the three main objectives of the telephone follow-up service was used for this study.

Results: Overall, the level of patient’s satisfaction with nurse-led telephone follow-up after cataract surgery at a private eye specialist centre in Penang was high (49.9±4.85) especially for the health education provided (4.18 ±0.21) followed by the effort to detect early complications (4.16 ±0.12) and to minimise patients’ anxiety level (4.16 ±0.12).

Keywords: cataract surgery, level of satisfaction, nurse-led telephone follow-up, patient.

Citation: IeJSME 2018 12(2): 4-13

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.12.2.4

Nurses’ perceptions of self-efficacy in cardiopulmonary resuscitation at a private hospital in Selangor

Authors: Siew Eng Ho and Sok Ching Tee.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Nurses are obligated to respond competently in the event of cardiac arrest. Nurses could be hesitant to intervene due to low self-efficacy in their ability to manage cardiac arrest patients.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the level of nurses’ perceived self-efficacy in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur.

Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 112 respondents who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. A 19 item questionnaire on Resuscitation Self-Efficacy Scale (RSES) was adapted and scored using a 5-point Likert scale.

Results: The total mean score and standard deviation of perceived self-efficacy score in resuscitation was (M = 77.68; SD ± 11.77) which indicated a high degree of self-efficacy among nurses. There were significant differences between respondents’ age groups with (t = -2.520; p = 0.013), unit of working (t = -4.086; p = 0.001), real experiences in resuscitation (t = 2.532; p = 0.013), and the number of participations in resuscitation (t=-6.668; p=0.001) and nurses perceived self-efficacy in CPR. There were also significant differences between respondents’ years of working experience with (F = 7.286; p =0.001) and types of last resuscitation training (F= 7.088; p = 0.001). However, there was no significant difference between the nurses’ time of their last resuscitation training (F = 1.225; p = 0.298) and the nurses perceived self-efficacy in CPR.

Conclusion: In conclusion, nurses were deemed to possess a high sense of self-efficacy in CPR. This study concluded that nurses’ age groups, years of working experience, unit of working, real experiences in resuscitation and the number of participations in resuscitation and types of last resuscitation training are factors contributing towards self-efficacy in CPR performances. However, the time of last resuscitation training reported no significant difference towards nurses’ perceived self-efficacy in CPR. Therefore, repetitive CPR and ACLS certification training are pivotal in order to strengthen nurse’s self-efficacy in resuscitation and team collaboration through training in this private hospital.

Keywords: Nurses, perception, self-efficacy, cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Citation: IeJSME 2018 12(2): 14-21

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.12.2.14

Impact factor and other citation metrics: The impact on scholarly writing

Authors: Pei Kuan Lai, Sivalingam Nalliah, Cheong Lieng Teng, Nicole Lee Ping Chen.

ABSTRACT

The impact factor (IF) of a journal, first proposed by Garfield has evolved over the years as an evaluation tool for comparing scholarly journals. Over the past few decades, the utilization of IF has extended beyond the tool for acquisition of journals in libraries and proxy for quality and importance of published journals. Nowadays, IF has been widely used as a surrogate for article quality, assessment of individual researcher’s achievement, criteria to secure tenure and job promotion, as well as evaluation tool for the application of research grant or funding. This review addresses the historical perspective of IF and its evolution, the controversial issues leading to the manipulation by journal editors or authors, and followed by some of the interventions to overcome the manipulations and controversies. IF itself has many drawbacks and shortcomings worth addressing as they will lead to bias as a citation index. The scientific community should pay attention to call for a better citation metric which will prove to be an improved yardstick of science. This paper also covers on other citation metrics and their emerging usages as parameter for evaluation of scientific publication quality.

Keywords: Impact factor, bibliometry, citation metrics.

Citation: IeJSME 2019 13(2): 4-11

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.13.2.4

Developments in the implementation of sugar-sweetened beverage tax in Malaysia – A narrative review

Authors: Sangeetha Shyam, Snigdha Misra, Megan Hueh Zan Chong, Rokiah Don.

ABSTRACT

The high and growing prevalence of obesity in Malaysia is a public health concern. There is a growing effort towards creating an environment that supports healthy lifestyles through instituting appropriate public health policies. The Sweetened Beverages Excise Duty is a recent initiative in this direction that was enforced on July 1st, 2019. In this status update, we trace the developments in the implementation of the tax. This paper collates the preparatory considerations preceding the implementation of the tax, the proposed objectives of the tax, its format as reported in the media. The early sentiments expressed by the stakeholders in the duration leading to the implementation and immediately after (10 days’ post-implementation) the enforcement of the duty are also presented here. This preliminary information will be useful to evaluate the effectiveness of this newly introduced Sweetened Beverages Excise Duty in Malaysia.

Keywords: Sugar tax, obesity, Malaysia, sugar sweetened beverages, policy.

Citation: IeJSME 2019 13(2): 12-22

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.13.2.12

Pre-independence medical journals in British Malaya: A content analysis

Authors: Cheong Lieng Teng, Kean Ghee Lim, Chun Yiing Ang, Soo Yin Chan, Edwin Keat Song Sam, Jason Chee Siang Wee, Yee Chiing Ong.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: This study aims to describe the content of several pre-independence medical journals published in
British Malaya.

Methods: The content of five journals were retrieved from National Library of Singapore e-resources and print collection of the Reference Library, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The content of these journals was classified and descriptive analysis performed.

Results: The five journals identified were Journal of the Straits Medical Association, Journal of the Malaya Branch of the British Medical Association, Malaya Medical Journal, Malayan Medical Journal and Journal of the Malaya Branch of the British Medical Association (new series). A total of 81 issues with 873 articles were retrieved. Almost one-third of articles were concerned with these topics: malaria, mosquito control, beri-beri, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases, helminthiasis, leprosy and cholera. One-fifth of the articles were case reports and 95% of the articles were written by single authors.

Discussion: The content of these journals is a good resource for those who are interested in the history of medicine – it provided substantial details on the state of public health and chronicled the medical writings of medical workers in British Malaya. It illustrates well the introduction of Western medicine to tackle health problems that arose from the interplay of immigration, poor environmental sanitation and economic exploitation.

Keywords: British Malaya; Health care; History of medicine; Journals.

Citation: IeJSME 2019 13(2): 23-26

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.13.2.23

Community awareness and perception of smoking ban at eateries in Pedas, Negeri Sembilan

Authors: Wei Fern Siew, Davasooria Selvamani, Umais Memon, Xiaoxuan Liu, Sze Shian Wee.

ABSTRACT

Malaysia has enforced a nationwide smoking ban to the public at all eateries on the 1st of January 2019. A survey on the awareness and perception towards this ban among adults was carried out in Pedas, Negeri Sembilan. Preliminary findings were assuring. A total of 91.3% (n = 347, N = 380) of the respondents were aware of this ban. Among the respondents, a low percentage of them were smokers, 29.2% (n = 111). A median of 285.5 respondents (75.1%, IQR = 58.25), including the smokers, perceived that this ban brings about health benefits to self and their family when environmental tobacco smoke exposure is curbed.

Keywords: passive smoking; smoke exposure; legislation; adults; rural area.

Citation: IeJSME 2019 13(2): 27-31

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.13.2.27

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