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Background: High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and monopolar radiofrequency (MRF) are common treatment modalities that have shown significant results in skin tightening. Nevertheless, the novel combination of these two treatments is new to the Malaysian landscape. Thus, this study aims to investigate the safety and efficacy of this novel combination treatment for the Malaysian population. Methods: This retrospective study included data on HIFU and MRF combination therapy for skin tightening collected from an aesthetic clinic in Johor Bahru, Malaysia from June 2018 to May 2021. Efficacy was assessed using the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS) and Glogau classification, while the safety of the treatment was analysed using pain scores and adverse events (AEs). Results: A total of 56 patients with a mean age of 47.7 years old (SD 10.00) were included in this study. The majority of the patients had Fitzpatrick skin types III and IV. Most of the patients were Chinese, followed by Malay, Indian and others. Most patients (96.4%) showed clinically significant improvement in skin tightening after treatment, with 15 patients scoring 1 (very much improved) and 39 scoring 2 (improved). All patients reported transient mild erythema, with no serious AEs, such as burn, swelling, numbness or muscle weakness. Among the patients, 80% reported a pain score of 5, while 10% reported pain scores of 4 and 6. Conclusion: Combining HIFU with MRF therapy improved GAIS scores by 96.4%, indicating a secure and efficient skin-tightening method. Transient erythema was shown to be the most common side effect of this combination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how Malaysian Indian women perceived and internalised domestic violence in Malaysia. Domestic violence is linked to gender issues that have disproportionately affected women compared to men in society. In traditional societies, women were frequently socialised to be subordinate to men in terms of roles, responsibilities and positions. These setbacks have contributed to the domestic violence issue among women. Domestic violence is a prime example of exploitation and discrimination against women in various aspects of their lives. Women have typically been passive and resisting domestic violence experiences to protect their household, male partners, children and society. The data for this study were gathered through in-depth interviews with 24 Malaysian Indian women, who were recruited through the purposive sampling technique. The qualitative data was analysed with Nvivo11 software. Three themes were identified that reflect participants’ perceptions of domestic violence in Malaysia. First, participants saw domestic violence as a normalising aspect of marital life. Second, participants saw domestic violence as a serious problem that affects women and their rights. Third, participants saw domestic violence as a sign of male identity to protect women. This study offers gender perspectives, such as the impact of masculinities, the patriarchal system and unequal power relationships in the household. It also explains the complexities of women’s socialisation in traditional households, as well as enlightening various stakeholders in Malaysia on the perceptions of Malaysian Indian women on domestic violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the clinical features of two sisters with Parkinson's disease (PD) of Indian descent living in Malaysia. Both were homozygous for the known PINK1 mutation p.Leu489Pro (c.1466T>C). The proband, who has been followed up by us over a span of 35 years, had a fairly "classic" clinical presentation for PARK-PINK1, including young onset, a clear response to dopamine replacement therapy, and development of troublesome motor fluctuations and dyskinesias. Her dyskinesias improved substantially with clozapine treatment, which to our knowledge has not specifically been reported for PARK-PINK1; this treatment has been sustained for nearly a decade. The clinical phenotype of the older sister was more akin to later-onset "idiopathic" PD; however, her brain MRI showed abnormal signal in the posterior limb of the internal capsules and the hypothalamus. Our report contributes to the scarce literature on monogenic PD in the Malaysian / Indian population, and further supports the pathogenicity of the PINK1 p.Leu489Pro variant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article brings together a compilation of poems, short stories and novels written by Malaysian Indian writers from 1940 to 2018. These verse and prose forms collected here were all written in English within the last 80 years. In fact, in the contemporary Malaysian literary scene, the number of works by Malaysian Indian writers writing in English, has increased compared to the previous volumes which were primarily dominated by writers such as Cecil Rajendra, K.S. Maniam and M. Shanmughalingam. It is interesting to note that the interest of writing poetry and prose among the younger Malaysian Indian writers is on the rise with publications from younger poets and writers such as Paul GnanaSelvam and Cheryl Ann Fernando. In Malaysia, poetry and prose written by Malaysian Indian writers in English is diversifying with many promising new talents. Departing from the Malaysian Indian diaspora, the emerging themes of these lesser-known writers are more liberal. As such, the main aim of this article is to map out the cartography of Malaysian Indian works in these three genres; poem, short story and novel, and identify the main thematic concerns in the writings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In general, gang can be described as a group of friends with identifiable leadership with certain internal organization that engage in various illegal activities such as crimes and drug trafficking. Although voluminous studies have been conducted in the West regarding gangs and gangsterism but very few studies were actually explored this issue in Malaysia. With this in mind, this study sought to provide some evidence for reasons behind decisions to join gangs as there is a lack of local qualitative research on the phenomenon of gangsterism. This lack is largely due to the vulnerability of people coming forward to share their experiences. The specific aim of this study was to explore demography and sociological factors behind gangsterism among Malaysian Indians. This study utilised a qualitative research design (semistructured interview) based on the inductive approach. Ex-gangsters and police personnel were interviewed individually. Thematic analysis was used to extract main themes and sub-themes. Three demography factors were identified: age, gender, and educational level. Four sociological factors were generated: poor parenting style, family members who were also gangsters, gang culture in the neighborhood, and financial difficulties. Two new factors emerged from the informants: social power and to experience gangster lifestyles. The outcome of this research is useful for proactive crime prevention in the form of evidence-based knowledge about demography and sociological factors behind gangsterism. This paper also briefly discussed intervention, prevention, and suppression strategies that can be used to curb this gangsterism issue effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One way of gauging identity construction in a community is by studying how the community organises itself into associations, the causes these associations fight for and the stands they take on issues pertaining to their communities' interests. The English-educated Indian elite in Malaysia began making efforts in the last quarter of the 19th century to organise themselves into socioeconomic and quasipolitical associations. However, no cohesive ethnic identity was visible even among this English-educated middle class until the mid-forties. The Indians at large remained as fragmented as ever. Ironically, they did not even have a truly national organisation with which they could identify themselves as an ethnic community. This situation began to change with the formation of the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC) in August 1946. The MIC was the first full-fledged political party of the Indian community in Malaysia, and it was formed to defend Indian interests. True to this objective, the MIC played a crucial role in defending the rights of the Indian community during the period soon after the Second World War. With that, the MIC inadvertently paved the way for the transition of Indian identity from being an immigrant community to being rightful citizens of Malaysia. An analysis of the MIC's role in and stance on various issues that affected the community from the time of its inception through the midfifties is imperative for understanding identity construction among Indians in Malaysia. An attempt is made here to study the various phases that the MIC went through during its political struggle as the representative of the Indian community and its influence on the transition of Indian identity from an immigrant community to citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]