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The link among ADHD and addiction is increasingly shifting into the focus of scientific study. It becomes obvious that ADHD functions as a risk factor and condition for dependence. Disturbances in psychosocial functioning and the tendency towards substance abuse are highly correlated. Objective: This overview relies on a Medline research. Its objective is to describe the joint characteristics among ADHD and addiction. We especially focus on the neurobiological similarities between both diseases. Results: The results of this literature review support the hypothesis of a close genetic, neurological and phenotypic linkage between ADHD and addiction. Furthermore, ADHD often serves as the source for substance abuse disorders among youths and adults. Conclusions: The increasing clinical meaning of the overlap among ADHD and addiction urgently necessitates for consideration regarding preventive planning.

This paper examines the relationship of various licit/illicit substances and their association with violent behaviors. Methodology: The selection of related articles was searched via various database including google scholar, ovid and sciencedirect search engines. Results: Most of the literatures suggest presence of association of various substance use with violent behavior but no definite causal relationship between them. Conclusion: Further study is needed to determine the extended relationship in between substance use and violence.

Research has shown that there is a need to use materials that are cultural sensitive and context-appropriate in the EFL classroom. It is imperative that teaching materials match with the goals, objectives and philosophy of the programme. This is to ensure that the materials are congruent with the learners’ attitudes, religious beliefs and preferences. Thus, this study aims to find out if there were materials that are not in harmony with Islam. The sampling of this study was taken from 5 textbooks that were being used in an intensive English course. The findings from this study showed that in general the contents of the ELT textbooks could be categorised into three categories of neutral, positive and negative. Additionally, it was also discovered that these themes fall under community knowledge, beliefs and values of the western culture in Byram’s (1993) cultural content checklist. This study has strong implications for the use of ready-made textbooks in the EFL context.

Background: The use of non-medical opioids has reached 60 million in 2021. Methadone-assisted treatment (MAT) is a widely used harm-reduction strategy for opioid addiction. However, methadone can cause cognitive impairment, which can impede treatment., Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between July 1st and July 31, 2023. A total of 114 participants, comprising 76 MAT patients and 38 healthy subjects (controls), were recruited. Sociodemographic questionnaire, DSM-5 and neuropsychiatric cognitive (NUCOG) assessments were used. A general linear model was used to examine cognitive function between the MMT and control groups while controlling for all possible confounders., Results: The MAT group performed significantly lower on the NUCOG total score ( p  < .001) and visuoconstructional ( p  < .001), memory ( p  < .001), executive ( p  = .016), and language ( p  < .001) scores than the control group. No significant differences were found between the groups in terms of the attention score ( p  = .457). Adjusted confounders included age, education level, income, and marital status., Conclusions: Patients on MAT demonstrated cognitive impairment, particularly in the visuoconstructional, memory, executive, and language domains, compared to the control group. However, there are confounding factors that needs to be addressed in order to come with better treatment and intervention strategies.

Study Objectives: This study assessed the current state of sleep medicine accreditation and training in Asia by conducting a comprehensive survey across 29 Asian countries and regions facilitated by the Asian Society of Sleep Medicine to identify existing gaps and provide recommendations for future enhancements., Methods: The Asian Society of Sleep Medicine Education Task Force Committee designed a survey to gather data on accreditation, education, and training standards in sleep medicine, including information on challenges in enhancing education in the field., Results: With an 86% (25 countries/regions) response rate, the survey showed that sleep medicine is recognized as an independent specialty in just 9 countries/regions (36% of the countries/regions surveyed). Ten countries/regions have established sleep medicine training programs, with Japan and Saudi Arabia offering it as a distinct specialty. Significant disparities in training and accreditation standards were identified, with many countries/regions lacking formalized training and practice guidelines. The survey also revealed that most local sleep societies across Asia support the development of an Asian Sleep Medicine Training Curriculum led by the Asian Society of Sleep Medicine. However, several barriers significantly impede the establishment and development of sleep medicine training programs, including the scarcity of trained specialists and technologists and the absence of national accreditation for sleep medicine., Conclusions: The survey highlights the need for standardized sleep medicine training and accreditation across Asia. Developing an Asian Sleep Medicine Training Curriculum and promoting Asian Society of Sleep Medicine accreditation guidelines are key recommendations. Implementing these strategies is essential for advancing sleep medicine as a widely recognized discipline throughout Asia., Citation: BaHammam AS, Al-Abri MA, Abd Rashid R, et al. Mapping the landscape of sleep medicine training across Asia. J Clin Sleep Med . 2024;20(10):1647-1656., (© 2024 American Academy of Sleep Medicine.)

Vulvar malignant melanoma (VMM) is uncommon and poses a significant management challenge. Here, we presented a case of VMM managed by surgery, chemoradiation, and planned for targeted therapy. A 70- year-old woman with underlying diabetes mellitus and hypertension presented with a black-colored exophytic growth around her left vulva for two months. Initial biopsy confirmed malignant melanoma with positive staining for S100, HMB 45, and Melan A. An imaging study showed that the disease was localized to the vulva. She underwent bilateral radical vulvectomy and bilateral inguinofemoral lymph node dissection followed by radiotherapy. She had a locoregional disease recurrence, which was subsequently managed by palliative perineal radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and planned for immunotherapy. Vulvar malignant melanoma is a rare and aggressive tumor, with a poor overall prognosis, and high recurrence rate. Adjuvant chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy may be beneficial for local recurrence and distant metastasis cases. Molecular Analysis has a potential role in targeted therapy to improve the survival and outcome of the patient., (©Copyright: the Author(s).)

Ketum use is significantly prevalent amongst individuals in the northern states of Peninsular Malaysia. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and psychosocial correlates of Ketum use in individuals who are in the Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT) Programme at the Hospital Taiping. This is a cross-sectional study conducted in the methadone clinic at the Hospital Taiping. The study instruments used were Subjective Opiate Withdrawal Scale (SOWS), Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) questionnaire, and Kratom Dependence Scale (KDS). A total of 215 subjects were recruited for this study. The prevalence of ketum users was 49.3% ( n = 106). Chinese and Indian ethnicity had a lower tendency to use ketum compared to Malay ethnicity, with OR = 0.386 (95% CI 0.134, 1.113) and 0.119 (95% CI 0.035, 0.408), respectively. Individuals who used other illicit drugs had a higher tendency to use ketum with the adjusted OR = 9.914 (95% CI: 1.109, 88.602). Every one unit increase in SOWS increased the odds of being a ketum user by 1.340 (95% CI: 1.070, 1.677), whereas every one unit increase in duration in the MMT programme reduced the odds of being a ketum user by 0.990 (95% CI: 0.982, 0.998). Ketum use is prevalent amongst those in the MMT programme in this study. The high prevalence of ketum use is of concern and further interventions should be carried out to address this.

Background: Amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS) use brings severe adverse effects to the mental well-being of an individual and it is an essential contributor to the global disease burden. Meanwhile, religiosity and religious coping might improve one's conduct, physical and mental well-being. Hence, this study aims to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression in ATS user and their association with religiosity and religious coping., Methods: It is a cross-sectional study conducted at the Department of Psychological Medicine, Universiti Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to assess anxiety and depression among ATS users. Religiosity and religious coping were measured with Duke University Religious Index and Brief RCOPE., Results: This study involved 215 ATS users. Almost half of the ATS users had either anxiety ( n = 96; 44.6%) or depression ( n = 108; 50.2%), which were associated with polysubstance use or having an existing psychiatric disorder. Subjects with higher religiosity and positive religious coping were less anxious or depressed. However, negative religious coping was significantly associated with anxiety and depression in ATS users., Conclusion: Anxiety and depression are prevalent in ATS users. Integrating religiosity and religious coping into the ATS users' treatment plan helps to improve their mental well-being., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest None., (© Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2020.)

The general population is exposed to bisphenol A (BPA) orally, parenterally, transdermally, and environmentally as a result of the use of BPA in food packaging, plastics, and personal care products. The majority of the population nowadays (91-99%) has detectable levels of BPA inside their body. In this study, we successfully performed an inexpensive, rapid, and simple protein precipitation procedure for extraction of BPA from human plasma, followed by analysis by LC-MS/MS. This method was specifically developed for handling large numbers of samples with minimum cost and volume of sample. The developed method was accurate, precise, and reproducible for quantification of BPA from human plasma samples in the concentration range of 10-2000 ng/mL. The method was performed on samples from 150 healthy volunteers who were enrolled in the study. The mean of observed BPA level was 2.22 ± 9.91 ng/mL. Higher BPA levels were observed for females compare to that of males (p-value = 0.002), the BPA levels were higher in participants 33 years of age and older compared to those less than 33 years of age (p-value = 0.000), then the BPA levels higher in subjects with tap water as source of drinking (p-value = 0.005). This method may be valuable for general risk assessment of BPA for a large and varied population because of its efficiency and economical aspects., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objective: This study was conducted to assess the prevalence, pattern of smoking and sociodemographic factors among Kerinchi residents in Kuala Lumpur, as well as to identify the association between smoking, stress, anxiety and depression. Methods: This study was carried out at four community housing projects in the Lembah Pantai area in Kuala Lumpur. Data was collected between 3 February 2012, and 29 November 2012. Data collectors made house visits and used interviewer administered questionnaires containing questions on demographic data and smoking patterns. Depression anxiety stress scale (DASS) was used to assess psychological symptoms. Alcohol smoking and substance involvement screening tool (ASSIST) scale was used to assess nicotine use. Results: Data from 1989 individuals (833 households) showed the age of respondents ranged from 18 to 89 years and the mean age was 39.12 years. There were 316 smokers indicating the prevalence of smoking was 15.85%, with 35.5% among males and 1.8% among females. Further, 86.6% of smokers were Malay and 87% were Muslims. Divorce was associated with smoking. Unemployment and housewives were less associated with smoking. Depression and anxiety were significantly associated with smoking (OR = 1.347. 95% CI: 1.042-1.741) and (OR = 1.401. 95% CI: 1.095-1.793) respectively. Conclusion: Screening for depression and anxiety should be routinely performed in the primary care setting and in population-based health screening to intervene early in patients who smoke.