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@#Introduction: Postnatal is a transition process for the mother back to her non-pregnancy state and involves the changes in hormones level. During the postnatal period, many health issues need to be addressed for both mother and newborn. One of the upsetting health issues for the mother due to the increasing trend is postnatal depression and if it is not identified and treated early, it may cause further complicated problems not only to the mother but also to the baby, family, and local community. With this issue, the Ministry of Health Malaysia has taken a few initiatives to encourage the postnatal mother to also practice the non-medical approaches or traditional postnatal care (TPC) as a self-care for the prevention of postnatal depression. Aim: To systematically identify and review studies examining the influence of TPC on postnatal mothers. Design & Data Sources: A systematic search strategy on the research trend for the period between the years 2013 to 2020 through the Scopus database, Science Direct, and PubMed database. Methods: This review has identified 7 journal articles based on the preferred reporting items for the systematic reviews (PRISMA) framework. Results: There are many methods of TPC, such as traditional postnatal body massage, herbal consumption, herbal bath, body steaming, and body wrapping based on own culture and beliefs. Besides the TPC preparation and techniques, some studies also describe the effects of TPC on a mother’s health and wellness. Conclusion: TPC shows encouraging health trends, and it helps to enhance the well-being and good health of postpartum mothers.
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Background: The pattern of contact sensitisation should be monitored in order to detect the changing trend of sensitising allergens. We aim to evaluate contact sensitisation in adults suspected to have allergic contact dermatitis. Methods: This is a five-year retrospective review on contact sensitisation in adults patch-tested with the European Standard and extended series between 2011 and 2015 in the Department of Dermatology, Hospital Kuala Lumpur. Results: There were 689 adults (M:F= 1:2.04; mean age 40.5 years) who were patch-tested. The majority (175, 25.4%) were white collar workers and 118 (17.1%) were healthcare workers. The provisional diagnoses of patients included contact dermatitis (80.8%); endogenous eczema (7.9%); hand eczema (3.2%); hand and foot eczema (3.5%); foot eczema (1.4%) and photodermatitis (1.2%). The allergens selected for testing were based on past and present history of exposure. Almost all (688, 99.8%) were patch-tested with the European standard allergens and 466 (67.6%) were tested with the extended series. About three quarter (528, 76.6%) developed at least one positive reaction. The top five most frequent reactions were to nickel sulphate (35.3%); potassium dichromate (16.5%); methylchloroisothiazolinone (12.9%), fragrance mix I (12.6%), and cobalt chloride (10.2%). The commonest sensitisations identified in the extended series were palladium chloride (23/105, 21.9%), stannous chloride (18/85, 21.2%), miconazole (7/44, 15.9%), gold(I)sodium thiosulfate (16/105, 15.2%) and thimerosal (29/202, 14.4%). Conclusion: Contact sensitisation was detected in 76.6% of adults patch-tested. Nickel sulphate was found to be the most frequently sensitising allergen. The rising prevalence of methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone sensitization poses significant concern.
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Dermatitis, ContactABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: It is estimated that 4 million persons are suffering from HIV infection/AIDS in India. A family health awareness campaign (FHAC) has been implemented under the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) to scale up HIV/AIDS awareness in vulnerable groups. METHODS: A community based study was conducted in April 2001 to find the impact of FHAC and IEC activities in 12 villages and slums with a population of 1-1.5 lakhs in Chandigarh. Information was collected from 643 persons in the age group of 15-49 years, 323 in the pre-intervention phase and 320 in the post-intervention phase. RESULTS: Awareness about AIDS increased from 58.2% to 70% (p The major sources of information were the mass media and friends. Knowledge regarding the mode of spread also increased after the campaign. Knowledge regarding prevention of AIDS by using condoms increased from 42% to 61.2%; having a single partner, from 59% to 72.3%; using safe blood, from 14.9% to 29%; and sterile needles/syringes, from 18.1% to 33.9%. Over 90% of respondents consider AIDS a dangerous disease. CONCLUSION: Community based intervention such as FHAC and IEC activities were successful in enhancing the awareness among underprivileged groups. Since a large section of the population still remained unaware, regular efforts must be made to achieve universal awareness about AIDS.