The forensic DNA profiling technique has tremendously contributed to forensic human identification, an important aspect in forensic investigations. In instances whereby comparison samples are unavailable, utilization of short tandem repeats of X chromosome (X-STRs) may prove useful to resolve complex kinship investigations involving missing persons and mass disasters. Despite such evidential values, the use of X-STRs during investigations remains scarce in many Southeast Asian countries including Malaysia, requiring concerted efforts for establishing forensic statistical support for its diverse populations (especially the admixture populations), standardizing core loci and procedure, improving the knowledge among practitioners as well as developing suitable standard operating procedure for incorporating X-STRs analysis in the overall DNA profiling framework. Hence, this review paper aims to highlight the developments, applications and population data of X-STRs, as well as its challenges and future insights for forensic casework.

Background: Lengthy instruments for assessing personality traits may not be applicable in certain research settings. In situations where time is scarce, a briefer measurement is preferable. However, the reliability of a briefer measurement of the Big Five Inventory (BFI) among firefighters in Malaysia has not been reported. This study aimed to investigate the reliability and model fit of the Malay version of the BFI with 13 items (BFI-13) and 10 items (BFI-10) among Malaysian firefighters. Methods: A cross-sectional study using cluster sampling was conducted in a state in Malaysia. Each respondent completed BFI-10 and BFI-13 using an online survey with a 1-month interval between each response. Reliability testing was evaluated using internal consistency and a 2-week interval test-retest. The model fit of these two BFI questionnaires was evaluated via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results: A total of 124 firefighters participated in the study, with a zero-dropout rate. The Malay version of BFI-13 exhibited higher reliability by displaying good internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha of 0.919, 0.838, 0.871 and 0.896 for the domains conscientiousness, neuroticism, agreeableness and extraversion, respectively, and acceptable test-retest reliability with moderate to good intraclass correlation (0.588–0.806). The CFA model also indicated that BFI-13 has a better model fit (comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.993; Tucker-Lewis index [TLI] = 0.991; standardised root mean squared residual [SRMR] = 0.029; root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.035). Conclusion: The Malay version of BFI-13 is reliable and applicable enough to be supplementarily used in surveys among Malaysian firefighters. By using a brief personality assessment, it will reduce the cognitive and emotional burden on respondents.

This study aimed to determine prevalence and to identify factors associated with Low Back Pain (LBP) among medical students in a public university in Selangor, Malaysia. This is cross sectional study among undergraduate medical students in a public university in Selangor, Malaysia, conducted from May until June 2019 using a universal sampling via online questionnaire. The prevalence of ever having LBP since studying in medical school was 64.5% while the prevalence of having LBP is the past 12 months was 54.0%. Having current LB is associated with body mass index (p=0.031) and there was no significant difference between gender, pre vs clinical years, average sitting and standing hours, ways of carrying daily items and perceived stress scale. The prevalence of LBP among medical students in this medical school is high with obesity as a significant risk factor. Early personal and environmental intervention will be of benefit to the students.

Introduction: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to deteriorate economic and health system globally. Globally including Malaysia, the government strives relentlessly through public health measures to contain the transmission of COVID-19 and prevent a continuous exponential rise of cases. As a pandemic consequence, many families were affected which in need of humanitarian aid in getting access to appropriate nutritious foods. Children became more vulnerable and were at a greater risk of malnutrition because of the disruptions in food system and change in lifestyle habits. Objective: The aim of this article is to review the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on children’s nutrition and identify targeted measures primarily for vulnerable children to combat the nutrition crisis. Method: PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect were searched from December 2019 to February 2021. The search terms include “impact” AND “COVID-19” AND “children” AND “nutrition”. A narrative review was written based on the articles found. Results: A total of 15 articles were found to be of relevant. Reviewed articles revealed that children’s nutrition was disproportionately affected by the pandemic due to food insecurity, affected financial resources, changes in dietary patterns and lack of access to healthcare facilities, increasing their vulnerability to childhood malnutrition. On-going initiatives include food basket and food bank programs, social protection programs and the deployment of community health workers to remote areas. Mass media played an important role as a continuous effort to help spread awareness on the importance of maintaining nutritious food intake during the pandemic. Conclusion: It is crucial to recognize the effects of the pandemic on children’s nutrition and the effectiveness of the current initiatives that has been done. This will aid public health authorities in restructuring future nutritional policies in anticipation of future pandemics.

The onus of proof in criminal cases is beyond any reasonable doubt, and the issue on the lack of complete internal validation data can be manipulated when it comes to justifying the validity and reliability of the X-chromosomal short tandem repeats analysis for court representation. Therefore, this research evaluated the efficiency of the optimized 60% reduced volumes for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification using the Qiagen Investigator® Argus X-12 QS Kit, as well as the capillary electrophoresis (CE) sample preparation for blood samples on Flinder's Technology Associates (FTA) cards. Good-quality DNA profile (3000–12,000 RFU) from the purified blood sample on FTA card (1.2 mm) were obtained using the optimized PCR (10.0 μL of PCR reaction volume and 21 cycles) and CE (9.0 μL Hi-Di™ Formamide and 0.3 μL DNA Size Standard 550 [BTO] and 27 s injection time) conditions. The analytical and stochastic thresholds were 100 and 200 RFU, respectively. Hence, the internal validation data supported the use of the optimized 60% reduced PCR amplification reaction volume of the Qiagen Investigator® Argus X-12 QS Kit as well as the CE sample preparation for producing reliable DNA profiles that comply with the quality assurance standards for forensic DNA testing laboratories, while optimizing the analytical cost.

The utilization of X-chromosome short tandem repeats (X-STRs) for human identification particularly in resolving complex kinship cases has been advocated. Since, forensic statistical parameters vary among different populations, and because the X-STRs population data representing the diverse population of Peninsular Malaysia remain unavailable, the specific attempt reported here for the Malays (n = 224) and Chinese (n = 201) populations appears forensically relevant to support the evidential value of the 12 X-STRs markers for human identification in Malaysia. Results derived from the Qiagen Investigator® Argus X-12 kit revealed that DXS10135 as the most polymorphic locus with high genetic diversity, polymorphic information content, heterozygosity as well as power of exclusion. Based on allele frequencies, the combined power of discrimination as well as the mean exclusion chance (MECKrüger, MECKishida, MECDesmarais and MECDesmaraisDuo) values for the Malays and Chinese were individually ≥0.999995532964908. As for the combined power of discrimination as well as the mean exclusion chance (MECKrüger, MECKishida, MECDesmarais and MECDesmaraisDuo) calculated based on haplotype frequencies, the values were ≥0.9999986410567 for the Malays and Chinese populations. In addition, results from the genetic distance, neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree and principal component analysis revealed close biogeographical distributions of the studied populations with other South East Asian populations. Hence, the utilization of the X-STRs data for identifying individuals among the Malays and Chinese populations in Peninsular Malaysia for forensic application appears as highly supported.

Background/Aims: Date palm, Phoenix dactylifera, is mentioned 27 times in the Holy Quran and is considered a prophetic food. Islamic scripture together with Jewish and Christian holy texts refers to date palm fruit as having many beneficial effects on health including medicinal properties. This study aims to characterize scientific studies on date palm fruit relating to human health in published scientific literature. Methods: Five major scientific databases of published literature were searched for papers relating to the effects of date palm on human health. A scientometric analysis was then performed on the studies obtained. Results: Analysis of 270 relevant papers revealed a lack of human subject studies despite numerous papers reporting beneficial nutritional properties and promising results from animal studies. Saudi Arabia leads global research output on this topic. Conclusion: Further research should be supported to advance knowledge useful to local populations, especially in Islamic countries where the widely accessible date palm fruit can confer many potential health benefits.

The introduction of the COVID-19 vaccines has led to an immense sense of relief for the global population. However, since the introduction of these vaccines, there have been several reports related to the side effects. A young woman presented to her primary care doctor with a vesicular rash three days after the BNT162b2 messenger RNA (mRNA) Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which was preceded by a low-grade fever for one day. Our case report highlights the challenges in diagnosing a vesicular rash post the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. Identifying the cause of a vesicular rash following vaccination has remained a challenge among primary care practitioners.