Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the major malignancies in the world. In Malaysia, CRC isfast becoming the commonest cause of cancer death. Its etiology is complex, involving both environmental andgenetic factors. This study looked at the profile and outcome of five-year follow-up of patients with CRC. Materials and Methods: Retrospective case review study done on CRC patients at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia MedicalCentre (UKMMC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Patients’ socio-demographic characteristics, modalities oftreatment, cancer characteristics and outcome at 5-year follow up were extracted from the case records. Results:A total of 107 case records of patients were analyzed. Peak age of CRC presentation was 40-69 years (71.1%).Male to female ratio was 1.2:1 with Chinese predominance (52.3%). Anaemia and its related symptoms includingper rectal bleeding was the commonest clinical presentation. The median duration of clinical presentation was13 weeks (IQR 21.8). More than two-thirds presented as non-emergency cases (69.2%). Most patients presentedwith Dukes C stage(40.2%). The overall 5-year survival rate was 40% with local recurrence rate of 19.6%.Metastasis after curative-intend treatment (surgery with adjuvant therapy) developed in 26% of patients. Lowerrecurrence (p = 0.016, OR = 0.205) and metastatic disease (p = 0.02, OR = 0.24) found among the Chinesepatients. Almost half of the patients defaulted follow up care (43%), most often within the first year of treatment(22.4%) and the Chinese were the least likely to default (p= 0.04, OR = 0.45). Conclusion: Socio-demographicprofile of CRC patients in UKMMC is comparable to Asia pacific region. Apparent delay in seeking treatmentgives rise to poor overall survival and local recurrence rates.

Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with multiple medical and psychosocial impacts. Current evidence on individuals at risk of developing OSA in Malaysia particularly at primary care setting is scarce. This study aimed to determine the magnitude of patients at risk of developing OSA attended an suburban primary care clinic and associated factors in southern Malaysia. Methodology: This was a cross sectional study of adults≥ 18-year old using systematic random sampling. Berlin Questionnaire was used to determine the risk of developing OSA. Respondent’s socio-demographic characteristics and clinical parameters including body mass index, weight, blood pressure, neck and waist circumference were obtained. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Results: Out of 160 participants, 65.6% were females with the median (IQR) age of 55.6 (27.75) years and 81.9% were obese. Self-reported hypertension and diabetes was 55.6% and 35.60% respectively. One-fifths (19.4%) had high risk of developing OSA. Regarding symptoms described in the Berlin questionnaire, 37.5% reported snoring and 10.6% had excessive daytime sleepiness. The risk of developing OSA is associated with gender (p= 0.008), neck circumference (p= 0.010) and diastolic blood pressure (p= 0.015). Multivariate logistic regression found the only factor significantly associated with at high risk of developing OSA is diastolic blood pressure (p= 0.031).

Leg cramps (LCs) are common in pregnancy and may affect pregnant mothers’ quality of life (QoL). However, studies to show this impact are still lacking. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the association of LCs with QoL among pregnant mothers. The magnitude and characteristics of LCs were assessed too. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a government health clinic in Hulu Langat, Selangor involving 99 mothers in their second or third trimesters, recruited through convenience sampling between March and April 2018. This study used a developed bilingual (Bahasa Malaysia and English) self-administered questionnaire on leg cramps proϐile, as well as the bilingual self-administered SF-12v2, to assess their QoL. About 71.7% experienced LCs during this pregnancy. About half experienced LCs once to twice a week and 63.4% had moderately painful LCs. Only 26.7% had severely painful LCs and 12.7% had the next-day soreness in all or most of the time. Gestational age (P=0.001) and booking Body Mass Index (BMI) (p=0.022) were signiϐicantly associated with LCs, but not their QoL (p=0.712 for PCS and p=0.118 for MCS). Generally, LCs were common among these pregnant mothers. However, LCs appear to be brief, infrequent, and mild which did not signiϐicantly affect their QoL. Nevertheless, LCs should not be disregarded, as a subgroup of them experienced severe LCs with the next day soreness who may need further assessment and treatment.

This paper reviews the recent insurance and takaful coverage for diabetics in Malaysia. Also, this study reported insurance and takaful operators offer diabetes plan available in the market. A comprehensive review of the insurance and takaful literature was conducted and content comparisons based on research focus dan context were evaluated. It was found that only three insurance companies in Malaysia offer protection plans for diabetics while no takaful operator offers the coverage. Diabetes protection plan for the low-income group is proposed to be covered under the micro-insurance or micro-takaful, with a sum covered between RM10,000 to RM100,000 and low monthly contribution. Furthermore, as this paper concentrates on insurance and takaful coverage for diabetes protection in Malaysia, the possibility that other relevant works do appear elsewhere in a different platform is not denied. The paper will be useful to researchers, professionals and others concerned with micro-insurance or micro-takaful products to understand the importance of diabetes plan. Other than revealing ambiguities, gaps and contradictions in the literature, this paper provides information and guidance for other researchers wishing to embark on research on insurance and takaful diabetes coverage protection.