Psychological effects on self-medication during the pandemic COVID-19 in WP Labuan: A development of questionnaire and pilot-testing.

Introduction: Self-Medication, which is a practice to self-treat using medicine without consulting a medical practitioner or a doctor, is a common practice and the Pandemic Covid-19 may have caused people to resort to self-medication in order to reduce the infectivity of the Covid-19. Objective: To validate and develop an instrument in Bahasa Melayu to assess the psychological distress and self-medication during pandemic Covid-19 in WP Labuan. Methods: A pilot study was conducted among 160 participants in WP Labuan. Reliability testing on internal consistency and content validity was performed on the adapted Covid-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI) as well as domain on knowledge, practice and attitude of self-medication. Result: A panel of seven experts evaluated the research instrument for content validity and it was found to have good content item validity. The CPDI domain showed good internal consistency of Cronbach's Alpha of 0.919. The mean (SD) CPDI score of the respondents in WP Labuan was 32.55 (15.98). 64.2% of the respondents experienced psychological distress. The variable for Area (town/countryside) was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05) to be associated with self-medication during the pandemic. Conclusion: The instrument established sound reliability and validity and therefore, can be an effective tool for assessing psychological distress and self-medication in the Malaysian population.

Psychological Effects on Self-Medication During the Pandemic COVID-19 in WP Labuan: A Development of Questionnaire And Pilot-Testing

Introduction: Self-Medication, which is a practice to self-treat using medicine without consulting a medical practitioner or a doctor, is a common practice and the Pandemic Covid-19 may have caused people to resort to self-medication in order to reduce the infectivity of the Covid-19. Objective: To validate and develop an instrument in Bahasa Melayu to assess the psychological distress and self-medication during pandemic Covid-19 in WP Labuan. Methods: A pilot study was conducted among 160 participants in WP Labuan. Reliability testing on internal consistency and content validity was performed on the adapted Covid-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI) as well as domain on knowledge, practice and attitude of self-medication. Result: A panel of seven experts evaluated the research instrument for content validity and it was found to have good content item validity. The CPDI domain showed good internal consistency of Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.919. The mean (SD) CPDI score of the respondents in WP Labuan was 32.55 (15.98). 64.2% of the respondents experienced psychological distress. The variable for Area (town/countryside) was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05) to be associated with selfmedication during the pandemic. Conclusion: The instrument established sound reliability and validity and therefore, can be an effective tool for assessing psychological distress and self-medication in the Malaysian population. (AU)

Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress Tethered to Cardiovascular Diseases.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a broad term that incorporated a group of conditions that affect the blood vessels and the heart. CVD is a foremost cause of fatalities around the world. Multiple pathophysiological mechanisms are involved in CVD; however, oxidative stress plays a vital role in generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). Oxidative stress occurs when the concentration of oxidants exceeds the potency of antioxidants within the body while producing reactive nitrogen species (RNS). ROS generated by oxidative stress disrupts cell signaling, DNA damage, lipids, and proteins, thereby resulting in inflammation and apoptosis. Mitochondria is the primary source of ROS production within cells. Increased ROS production reduces nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, which elevates vasoconstriction within the arteries and contributes to the development of hypertension. ROS production has also been linked to the development of atherosclerotic plaque. Antioxidants can decrease oxidative stress in the body; however, various therapeutic drugs have been designed to treat oxidative stress damage due to CVD. The present review provides a detailed narrative of the oxidative stress and ROS generation with a primary focus on the oxidative stress biomarker and its association with CVD. We have also discussed the complex relationship between inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in CVD as well as oxidative stress-induced obesity in CVD. Finally, we discussed the role of antioxidants in reducing oxidative stress in CVD.

Temperature dependence of adsorption hysteresis in flexible metal organic frameworks.

"Breathing" and "gating" are striking phenomena exhibited by flexible metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in which their pore structures transform upon external stimuli. These effects are often associated with eminent steps and hysteresis in sorption isotherms. Despite significant mechanistic studies, the accurate description of stepped isotherms and hysteresis remains a barrier to the promised applications of flexible MOFs in molecular sieving, storage and sensing. Here, we investigate the temperature dependence of structural transformations in three flexible MOFs and present a new isotherm model to consistently analyse the transition pressures and step widths. The transition pressure reduces exponentially with decreasing temperature as does the degree of hysteresis (c.f. capillary condensation). The MOF structural transition enthalpies range from +6 to +31 kJ·mol-1 revealing that the adsorption-triggered transition is entropically driven. Pressure swing adsorption process simulations based on flexible MOFs that utilise the model reveal how isotherm hysteresis can affect separation performance.

An optimal trapdoor zeolite for exclusive admission of CO2 at industrial carbon capture operating temperatures.

High purity molecular trapdoor chabazite with an optimal Si/Al ratio (1:9) was prepared from fly ash. Gas adsorption isotherms and binary breakthrough experiments show dramatically large selectivities for CO2 over N2 and CH4, which are the highest among physisorbents at operating temperatures suitable for postcombustion carbon capture and natural gas separations.

School-based mass distributions of mebendazole to control soil-transmitted helminthiasis in the Munshiganj and Lakshmipur districts of Bangladesh: an evaluation of the treatment monitoring process and knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the population.

Bangladesh's national deworming program targets school-age children (SAC) through bi-annual school-based distributions of mebendazole. Qualitative and quantitative methods were applied to identify challenges related to treatment monitoring within the Munshiganj and Lakshmipur Districts of Bangladesh. Key stakeholder interviews identified several obstacles for successful treatment monitoring within these districts; ambiguity in defining the target population, variances in the methods used for compiling and reporting treatment data, and a general lack of financial and human resources. A treatment coverage cluster survey revealed that bi-annual primary school-based distributions proved to be an effective strategy in reaching school-attending SAC, with rates between 63.0% and 73.3%. However, the WHO target of regular treatment of at least 75% of SAC has yet to be reached. Particularly low coverage was seen amongst non-school attending children (11.4-14.3%), most likely due to the lack of national policy to effectively target this vulnerable group. Survey findings on water and sanitation coverage were impressive with the majority of households and schools having access to latrines (98.6-99.3%) and safe drinking water (98.2-100%). The challenge now for the Bangladesh control program is to achieve the WHO target of regular treatment of at least 75% of SAC at risk, irrespective of school-enrollment status.

Differential gene expression analysis of a known hepatotoxin, N-acetyl-p-amino-phenol (APAP) as compared to its non-toxic analog, N-acetyl-m-amino-phenol (AMAP) in mouse liver.

Drug-induced hepatotoxicity is one of the most common adverse events associated with drug withdrawal from the market. Elucidating the molecular mechanism of hepatotoxicity is essential to predict the safety of a new molecule. To examine genes involved in hepatotoxicity, we have used oligonucleotide CodeLink Bioarrays and determined the transcriptional profile of mice liver treated with hepatotoxic drug N-acetyl-p-amino-phenol (APAP) as well as its non-toxic analog N-acetyl-m-amino-phenol (AMAP). Out of 20,000 genes analyzed, 896 showed differential expression of > or = 2-fold (648 upregulated and 248 downregulated) within the liver of APAP treated mice as compared to control. In comparison to AMAP treated mice, 62 genes were upregulated and 70 genes were downregulated in mice liver after APAP treatment. Functional classification of these differentially expressed genes identified genes associated with stress response, cell cycle, growth inhibition, cell death, structural components, cell signaling and inflammation. Gene expression profile was further correlated with biochemical analysis and histopathological lesions. These data show that gene expression profiling would help in better understanding the molecular basis of drug-induced hepatotoxicity that will lead to rational development of safer drugs, particularly in pre-clinical stages.