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Published: 30 June 2024
In this issue: Letter
Short Communications
Original Research Articles
Supplementary
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Micronutrients such as multivitamins are essential for the metabolism and utilisation of macronutrients. ESPEN guidelines reinstate the necessity to deliver multivitamins daily in PN [2].… Read More »Multivitamin Product Shortage: Experience in a Tertiary Referral Hospital in Malaysia
Abstract Background: Quality use of medicines (QUM) entails the appropriate utilization of medications, ensuring their safety and effectiveness. Objective: This study aims to investigate the… Read More »Knowledge of Quality Use of Medicine Among Rural Communities Involved in KPT Prihatin Komuniti Sejahtera (KRIS) Health Clinic: A Pilot Study
In Malaysia, the prevalence of diabetes is highest in Western Pacific region affecting around 1 in every 5 adults. Diabetes management is often complex and diabetes knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) are vital to make appropriate adjustments in daily lifestyles. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the level of KAP and its associated socio-demographic and disease-related factors among diabetes patients in Labuan Federal Territory, Malaysia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 121 Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients in the Health Clinic of Labuan Federal Territory from November 2021 to January 2022. Patients ≥18 years old who can understand English or Malay and on regular treatment in the clinic were recruited via convenience sampling method to assess their KAP level via a validated self-administered KAP questionnaire. Results: On average, the participants have poor knowledge level, attitude level, yet good practice level towards diabetes. Significant moderate correlation was observed between knowledge and attitude (r=0.454; P<0.001), knowledge and practice (r=0.463; P<0.001) as well as attitude and practice (r=0.402; P<0.001). In addition, knowledge, attitude and practice towards DM are significantly associated with other variables such as educational level, monthly income, attended DM program and occupation. Conclusion: Diabetes patients in Labuan have poor knowledge towards DM, poor attitude towards DM and good DM practice. As diabetes education is paramount to better self-care among patients, diabetes programs that are suited to the local setting or culture is needed to empower patients with adequate knowledge for its management.
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection poses a significant global health threat, with limited treatment options. Objective: This study explores the potential of flavonoids, terpenoid, and triterpenoid compounds derived from Centella asiatica to inhibit the CHIKV nsP2 protease, a crucial enzyme in viral replication. Method: Through computational modelling, we demonstrate the inhibitory activity of these compounds against the nsP2 protease, highlighting their potential as therapeutic agents against CHIKV. Results: The results indicate that flavonoid derivatives from Centella asiatica, including castilliferol and castillicetin, exhibit lower binding energy values (-10 and -9.9, respectively) compared to the FDA drug emetine. Additionally, these flavonoid derivatives demonstrate specific inhibition of Lys1045 and Lys1239, active sites of the CHIKV nsP2 protease. Pharmacokinetic predictions provide valuable insights into the compounds’ absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. This indicated that castilliferol and castillicetin fulfil Lipinski’s rule parameters in terms of physicochemical and ADMET properties.
Skincare encompasses a diverse range of products and procedures tailored to individual needs due to the varying skin types among people. The market is flooded with myriad products and not every product is suitable for everyone due to its content such as fragrances and preservatives which cause adverse reactions such as allergies and headaches. Additionally, the prevalence of counterfeit products has risen with the power of the Internet, reflecting the importance of equipping the public with the skills to select appropriate skincare products effectively. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge of the public on facial skincare products as well as their level of awareness regarding facial skincare products. Method: This is a quantitative cross-sectional study that involved the distribution of an online questionnaire via Google Forms from December 2022 to February 2023. The self-developed questionnaire consisted of three parts that collected information regarding participants’ sociodemographic, knowledge and awareness on facial skincare products which is then categorized according to Bloom’s cutoff. Results: Only 127 respondents (32.99%) scored more than 80% in Section B, indicating a high level of knowledge on facial skincare products while 205 respondents (53.25%) scored between 60% to 79% and 53 respondents (13.77%) scored less than 60%, indicating that they had moderate and low level of knowledge respectively. Meanwhile, 284 respondents (73.77%) had a high level of awareness on facial skincare products as they scored more than 80% in Section C while 87 respondents (22.60%) scored between 60% to 79% and 14 respondents (3.64%) scored less than 60%, indicating that they had moderate and low level of awareness respectively. Conclusion: The knowledge of the respondents regarding facial skincare products was moderate based on a mean score of 14.33 (71.65%) while their level of awareness was high based on a mean score of 23.38 (83.51%).
Warfarin is a vitamin K antagonist (VKA) with a narrow therapeutic window prescribed to prevent thromboembolic events. Time in therapeutic range (TTR) is the most recognised way to measure anticoagulation quality over time. High TTR correlates with reduced thromboembolic events and low TTR with increased complications. Objective: To evaluate anticoagulation quality for patients receiving warfarin at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Method: A retrospective observational population study was conducted on patients reviewed under the Warfarin Medication Therapy Adherence Clinic (MTAC) from April 2016 to April 2017. Data was collected using a data collection form. Patients who were on warfarin treatment for at least 6 months or at least 5 visits for those newly started with warfarin were included in the study. The primary outcome was the time in therapeutic range (TTR) of 1.8-3.2, calculated using the Rosendaal method. Results: 150 patients on warfarin with 1765 clinic visits were evaluated. Most were male (56%), and the mean age was 61.33±13.47. The prevalent indication observed was nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, which accounted for 110 patients (73.3%) of the total. The overall mean TTR (1.8-3.2) was 80.6±20.2%. The wrong/missed warfarin dose was the main reason the International Normalised Ratio (INR) was out of range (150/851 episodes, 17.6%). Hospitalisation rendered most patients defaulting clinic visits (10/34 episodes, 29.4%) and was predominantly non-warfarin related (27/37 episodes, 19 patients). There was a single episode of major bleeding (1 patient). Conclusion: A high average TTR was achieved in patients taking warfarin at our institution. Wrong/missed doses and inconsistent diet were the main reasons for INR being out of range. However, the primary reason for INR being out of range remains unknown. A total of 37 cases of hospitalisation were reported, and 72.9% of them were non-warfarin related. No mortality was recorded.
Medicines for the treatment of acute and chronic diseases are often stored at home, which may lead to improper storage of medicines and various detrimental effects due to potency reduction. This study aimed to investigate baseline knowledge and the effect of education on the proper storage of medications among the public. Method: A cross-sectional study among 929 Malaysian adults was conducted. It employed both online and face-to-face survey distribution methods. Participants, aged 18 years and above, were recruited from diverse public settings including malls, train stations, and through social media platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook. Data collection involved a questionnaire covering demographic details, current medication storage practices, and knowledge assessment on proper storage methods. An intervention utilizing Ministry of Health guidelines on medication storage was conducted with 255 respondents. Results: The mean number of times a respondent visited a clinic/hospital was 3.4 ± 3.9 times a year, with 3.5 ± 4.5 medicines prescribed per year. Medicines that were usually stored at home were those used for fever (n=813, 87.5%), cream/ointments (n=711, 76.5%), as well as cough (n=625, 67.3%) and pain medications (n=597, 64.3%). Average baseline knowledge scores on medication storage were 7.57 ± 2.012 (maximum score=12, a higher score indicated better knowledge). A written education material was then introduced to 255 respondents. The post-education (n=255) knowledge score significantly increased to an average of 10.67 ± 0.949 (maximum score=12, a higher score indicated better knowledge) (t-test=0.328, p<0.001). Conclusion: Written educational materials were found to be beneficial in improving medication storage knowledge. Pharmacists should actively use written education materials during their practice to improve knowledge of medication storage among the public.
Divergences in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) questionnaire responses may be attributed to multi-ethnic variation. Objective: The aim of this research is to examine the construct validity of the EQ-5D-3L in the context of Sabah, with Kadazan-Dusun constituting the preponderance of transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) cases. Method: Independently or with the help of their careers, TDT patients who had received iron chelators answered a series of questionnaires. Along with the established group validity, test-retest reliability and correlations between HRQOL instruments were ascertained. Results: The study included 332 patients in all, 173 of whom completed the reliability analysis. EQ-5D-3L clarity and comprehension were observed in the majority of patients. The EQ-5D-3L is moderately correlated with the SF-36 and PedsQL. Reliability across domains is moderate to strong, with proxy reporting outperforming self-reporting. Conclusion: The results provide preliminary evidence of the reliability and validity of the EQ-5D-3L in Sabah population.
Background: Due to COVID-19, schools physically shut down in 2020, which led to the implementation of flexible learning in pharmacy education. Objective: The first phase of this study sought to determine the stage where pharmacy schools are from the continuum of pre-emerging to empowering, forming the basis of the creation of the ACTS (Assess, Cope, Transition, Synergize) framework. The second phase determined the stage two years after action plan implementation. Methods: Survey research using an adapted tool was employed. Eighty-seven (87) and fifty-three (53) schools represented by the deans or heads, participated in the first and second phases, respectively, out of 124 schools. Qualitative inputs were used to supplement the discussion of findings. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results: The results in 2020 showed that respondent schools were mostly on the pre-emerging (42.35%) to emerging phase (34.12%), which means that they are initially recognizing the need for deliberate action plans to implement flexible learning options or still beginning to raise awareness to plan for such. In 2022, respondent schools have migrated to engaging (37.74%), extending (35.8%) and empowering (18.9%) stages, which means that schools are already establishing action plans across all stakeholders in the academic community, beginning trial initiatives. Captured also in the re-survey are a) students’ migration from category 2- limited connectivity to category 3- full connectivity (6.9% to 43.4%); b) faculty members on status quo, more on category 2 than category 3 (71.7% and 28.3%) c) faculty development needs are about curriculum enhancement and hybrid modality (25% and 22%) d) schools now use a variety of platforms and Learning Management System (LMS). Conclusion: Moving forward, there is still a need for recovery interventions, revision of the recommending guidelines in 2020, measures of sustainability and embedment of continuous quality improvement (CQI) in the processes, and official guidelines in the implementation of the EPP in the context of the new curriculum.
13th – 14th May 2024 Venue: Ascott Gurney PenangTheme: Drug Discovery and Delivery: Present and Future Editors CONTENTS IC3D001Identification And Characterization Of NSP8 As A… Read More »PROCEEDINGS of International Conference on Drug Discovery and Development 2024