A Review of Studies on Candida Species in Peninsular Malaysia.

Data on the epidemiology and the antifungal susceptibility of Candida species infections in Malaysia is still limited. The study aimed to review and compare studies reporting the prevalence of Candida species and antifungal susceptibility of Candida infections in Peninsular Malaysia. Data from 22 studies published between 2009 and 2018. Data was collected using National Center for Biotechnology Information and Google Scholar using the keywords "Candida and Malaysia." Around 19 Candida species were identified in a total of 35,608 Candida isolates analyzed in these studies. In most studies examined, C. albicans (66.3%) was the predominant species, followed by C. glabrata (11.7%), C. parapsilosis (10.7%), C. tropicalis (9.5%), and C. krusei (1.19%). Vaginal swabs yielded the most isolates, followed by the respiratory system, urine, blood, oral, pus, and other locations. The demographic, racial, and gender data were recorded only in two studies. Totally, eight studies examined 396 isolates for antifungal susceptibility to common antifungal medications. The average antifungal susceptibility of isolates and efficacy of drugs in these studies ranged between 45 and 99% for most common antifungal drugs. Caspofungin had the highest susceptibility at 99%, whereas itraconazole had the lowest at only 45%. Overall, this review provided a comprehensive summary of all the current research on predominant Candida species in Peninsular Malaysia.

Mental Well-Being and Its Associated Factors Among Myanmar Migrant Workers in Penang, Malaysia.

International migration has become a global phenomenon bringing with it complex and interrelated issues related to the physical and mental well-being of the people involved. This study investigated the mental well-being and factors associated with mental health among Myanmar migrant workers (MMW) in Malaysia. The cross-sectional study was conducted in Penang, Malaysia by using the WHO-5 Well-Being Index Scale (WHO-5) and the Mental Health subscale of 36 items in the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Among 192 migrant workers who were understudied, 79.2% had poor mental well-being according to the WHO-5 scale. The duration of stay in Malaysia and without receiving financial aid from their employers despite having a physical illness were significantly associated with poor mental well-being. Mental health support groups should target migrant workers for mental health education and find ways to provide assistance for them. Furthermore, premigration training should be delivered at the country of origin that also provides information on the availability of mental health support in the host country.

Medical students' knowledge and perception toward family planning services: A preliminary intervention study.

INTRODUCTION: Family planning and contraception is the effective strategy to reduce maternal mortality, child mortality, abortion, and unwanted pregnancies. Since the medical students are the future doctors, it is important to have proper knowledge and training on family planning services. This study aimed to explore the effect of teaching-learning process at maternal and child health (MCH) clinics on the students' knowledge, perceptions toward contraception methods, and family planning counselling. METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in the private medical institution in Malaysia. The same questionnaire was used to administer twice, before and after the posting. Moreover, a qualitative question on the issues related to family planning and contraception utilizations in Malaysia was added to the after posting survey. The quantitative data were analyzed using IBM SPSS (version 20) and qualitative data by RQDA software. RESULTS: A total of 146 participants were recruited in this study. Knowledge on contraception method before posting was 5.11 (standard deviation [SD] ±1.36) and after posting was 6.35 (SD ± 1.38) (P < 0.001). Thematic analysis of the students' answer revealed four salient themes, which were as follows: (1) cultural barrier, (2) misconception, (3) inadequate knowledge, and (4) improvement for the health-care services. CONCLUSIONS: The teaching-learning process at the MCH posting has an influence on their perception and upgraded their knowledge. It also reflects the role of primary health-care clinics on medical students' clinical exposure and training on family planning services during their postings.