Daw Khin Saw Naing

Effects of pesticide use on semen quality among farmers in rural areas of Sabah, Malaysia.

Effects of Pesticide Use on Semen Quality among Farmers in Rural Areas of Sabah, Malaysia: Feroz Hossain, et al. School of Medicine, University Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia

Cardiovascular diseases among patients with schizophrenia.

The presence of comorbid physical illnesses especially, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in schizophrenia is a growing area of concern in recent years. In order to reduce disease burden, to improve quality of life and to provide holistic care, it is important to know about the relationship between schizophrenia and CVD. The objective of this review is to explore the extent of CVD problems, relevant risk factors and potential measures for early diagnosis and prevention of CVD among patients with schizophrenia. Worldwide studies show that patients with schizophrenia have a higher mortality and lower life expectancy than the general population. CVD is the leading cause of increased mortality in schizophrenia. Common CVD risk factors in schizophrenia include metabolic syndrome, sedentary behaviour, tobacco smoking, effects of antipsychotics, long chain omega-3 fatty acid deficiency and shared genetics between CVD and schizophrenia. The potential methods for early detection and prevention of CVD in schizophrenia are also discussed. Though the patients with schizophrenia form a high risk group for CVD, consensus guidelines for early detection and prevention of CVD in schizophrenia are lacking. Comorbidity of CVD in schizophrenia needs more serious attention by clinicians and researchers.

Influencing factors for household water quality improvement in reducing diarrhoea in resource - limited areas

Background and Objectives: Water and sanitation are major public health issues exacerbated by rapid population growth, limited resources, disasters and environmental depletion. This study was undertaken to study the influencing factors for household water quality improvement for reducing diarrhoea in resource-limited areas. Materials and Methods: Data were collected from articles and reviews from relevant randomized controlled trials, new articles, systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children′s Fund (UNICEF) and WELL Resource Centre For Water, Sanitation And Environmental Health. Discussion: Water quality on diarrhoea prevention could be affected by contamination during storage, collection and even at point-of-use. Point-of-use water treatment (household-based) is the most cost-effective method for prevention of diarrhoea. Chemical disinfection, filtration, thermal disinfection, solar disinfection and flocculation and disinfection are five most promising household water treatment methodologies for resource-limited areas. Conclusion: Promoting household water treatment is most essential for preventing diarrhoeal disease. In addition, the water should be of acceptable taste, appropriate for emergency and non-emergency use.

Magnitude of elderly male morbidities in selected hospitals of Northern Borneo, Sabah

Background: As the Malaysian population has reached up to 28.25 million in 2010 and life expectancy of Malaysia has attained up to 71.6 for males and 76.4 for females, a significant increase in elderly morbidity is expected in the coming years. State health department of Sabah, Malaysia, is trying hard to improve the health of its 3.5 million people in Northern Borneo. Kudat and Kota Belud hospitals are covering the medical care needs of about 81,000 and 93,000 populations respectively. Objective: To highlight the hospital burden borne by elderly morbidities in two selected hospitals of Northern Borneo, a review of in-patient records from the above hospitals was done for 2009. All male in-patients aged 60 and above were included. Results: The study revealed the illness pattern of elderly males in two district hospitals. Although hypertension and heart diseases took the highest rank, malaria, tuberculosis and diarrhoea were still found to be a problem for elderly in both hospitals. The male admission for Chronic-obstructive pulmonary disease was significantly higher than female, whereas hospital fatality among male elderly was lower than their female counterparts. Universally, priorities are given to women and children, and hence men’s health is often left out of the focus. Conclusions: This study presented a glimpse of male morbidities among elderly population of Sabah, Malaysia. However, results may not reflect the actual morbidity of elderly males in the community as this study was a hospital based retrospective case review. Thus, we recommend a community based survey.