Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia

Objective: To evaluate the association between different age groups and body mass index (BMI) and the incidence of breast cancer (BC) among clinically suspected women. Methodology: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Radiology, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, based primarily on hospital records, with a few cases assessed cross-sectionally from May to October 2024. The study included all female patients aged 18 years or older who were clinically diagnosed with breast cancer and had histopathological confirmation, along with complete clinical records, including age, height, weight (for BMI calculation), menopausal status, and cancer stage. All patients and their medical records were assessed according to the inclusion criteria. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 26. Results: The overall mean age of the patients was 44.3 ± 14.8 years, and the mean BMI was 25.9 ± 4.7 kg/m². The most common breast condition was fibrocystic changes (30.0%), followed by breast cancer (25.6%), benign lumps (20.0%), mastitis (15.6%), and intraductal papilloma (8.9%). Analysis revealed a significant association between breast cancer and women aged >40 years, with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.26 (95% CI: 0.08–0.85; p = 0.019). Similarly, BMI showed a significant association, with an odds ratio of 0.12 for overweight/obese women (95% CI: 0.03–0.45; p = 0.001). Conclusion: This study revealed that older age and higher BMI are significantly associated with an increased risk of breast cancer among women presenting with different breast conditions.

The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally transforming labor markets worldwide, presenting both opportunities and challenges. This study examines the impact of AI adoption on Cambodia′s labor market, focusing on job displacement, new employment opportunities, and evolving skill requirements for workers. To explore the dynamics between AI adoption, job displacement, and changing skill demands, this study employed PLS‐SEM analysis on data from 351 respondents, revealing significant workforce reshaping. However, AI has also fostered employment growth in emerging industries. Findings indicate that AI‐driven job displacement disproportionately affects low‐skilled workers, underscoring the need for targeted policy interventions. This study further establishes that job displacement intensifies the demand for new skills, highlighting the need for reskilling and upskilling initiatives. In addition, investments in education and training are crucial for mitigating AI‐induced employment disruptions and enhancing workforce adaptability. These findings contribute to the literature by providing empirical insights from a developing economy, where unique socioeconomic and institutional factors shape the impact of AI. The results have significant implications for policymakers, educators, and business leaders as they formulate strategies to navigate the future of work in the AI era.

Cambodian higher education has experienced noticeable developments over the past few decades, particularly in quantitative terms such as infrastructure improvement and student enrollment. Despite the progress, key challenges, such as skills mismatches, limited research engagement, and political interference, continue to confront the higher education sector. Recognizing the need to address the issues and challenges impeding the quality of education provision and research development in Cambodian higher education, this article proposes three key directions for higher education reform to enhance quality and promote research. The article first discusses key challenges inhibiting the quality of education and the development of research in the sector. It then provides a summary of key recommendations that have been put forward by previous research on higher education and research development in Cambodia. After that, the article proposes three directions for reform, focusing on (a) addressing the issue of fragmented higher education governance, (b) improving teaching and learning approaches and assessment practices, and (c) promoting independent learning and research engagement. The article concludes that Cambodia needs to introduce the much-needed reform to its higher education to improve the sector’s quality and promote research, which are essential for achieving the country’s long-term development vision. Suggestions for future research are also discussed to provide research directions on this important topic.

This qualitative study explores how curriculum quality and personal factors shape TESOL students’ and graduates’ perceptions of their employability. The researcher has adopted a constructivist approach to analyse 37 semi-structured interviews with current students and alumni from a four-year TESOL undergraduate program at a private Cambodian university. The findings reveal that curriculum factors, such as content relevance, the balance between teaching theory and practice, and instructional quality, significantly impacted graduates’ confidence and employability. Practical experiences, including teaching practicum and micro-teaching, were crucial in enhancing self-efficacy and job readiness, while many participants found theoretical courses irrelevant to their careers. Personal factors, such as self-efficacy, motivation, social capital, and resilience, further influenced subjective employability outcomes. Graduates with higher self-confidence were more proactive in pursuing jobs, while strong networks led to faster employment. This study contributes to the TESOL employability literature and offers actionable insights for improving curriculum design, student support, and career services. Recommendations include more practical learning opportunities, better mentorship and networking, and fostering a growth mindset to enhance resilience and adaptability in graduates.

This review article aims to discuss the role of generative artificial intelligence (AI) as a personal tutor, particularly for learning English. Drawing on secondary sources, the article examines the potential of AI tools like Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) to function as personal tutors in English language learning. To achieve its aim, the article explores various functions of generative AI as a personal tutor. It then outlines key benefits of AI as a personal tutor in the context of English language teaching before briefly discussing three case studies of AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Khanmigo, which can be used as a personal tutor for language learning. The article then turns the discussion into several concerns associated with the use of generative AI as a personal tutor. Key concerns were related to academic dishonesty; false information; biased assessment; a lack of quality feedback and interaction; accessibility issues; psychological and social concerns; challenges concerning identity, diversity, and culture; teachers' and students' lack of preparedness; and AI overuse and overreliance. The article concludes with recommendations for policy, practice, and research. Specifically, it is suggested that teachers and students should experiment with AI tools and make use of AI technology to their advantage. Received: 30 June 2024 | Revised: 14 March 2025 | Accepted: 6 May 2025 Conflicts of Interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to this work. Data Availability Statement Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study. Author Contribution Statement Samarnh Pang: Conceptualization, Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing. Engheang Nol: Conceptualization, Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing. Kimkong Heng: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing.

English essay writing is a key productive skill that plays a critical role in students’ academic achievement, in both national and international examinations. In Cambodia, many students, especially high school students, struggle with the English subject, often resulting in poor performance or failure in national exams. This article aims to discuss the key challenges Cambodian students face in writing English essays and proposes strategies to enhance their performance in essay writing. Based on a review of secondary sources, the article identifies several major challenges, including students’ poor English backgrounds from the lower levels, their lack of understanding of essay organizational structures, their limited English vocabulary, their difficulties with English grammar, and their negative attitudes toward essay writing. The article offers some suggestions to improve students’ performance in English essay writing, focusing on the role of key stakeholder collaboration in supporting students to perform well in essay writing. The article concludes with implications and suggestions for future research to advance our understanding of the ongoing challenges facing Cambodian students and suggestions to improve the situation.

Abstract The influence of parenting on children’s socioemotional development at age 4 years was investigated using data from the 2015 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort. A total of 4010 children (50.6% male; mean age=45.5 months, SD=2.6; 72.4% White, 27.4% Black, 0.2% others) and their mothers (mean age=31.4 years, SD=6.6) took part in the study. Parenting was assessed via the Parental and Family Adjustment Scale and three observational tasks. Child mental health was assessed using the emotional symptoms, conduct problems, and hyperactivity/inattention subscales of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Adjusted models showed that poor parental consistency, use of coercive parenting, and poor parent-child interactions were significantly associated with all three child outcomes.

Background. Competency-Based Education (CBE) has become a pivotal approach in reforming Indonesia's educational landscape to align with global standards and workforce demands. Despite its potential, the implementation of CBE in Indonesia faces numerous challenges ranging from policy inconsistencies to limited institutional readiness. Purpose. This study aims to analyze the current policy framework and practical applications of CBE in Indonesia, identifying key obstacles and exploring potential future directions.Method. Employing a qualitative research design, data were collected through document analysis and semi-structured interviews with policymakers, educators, and curriculum experts.Results. The findings reveal a gap between policy formulation and classroom practices, constrained by insufficient teacher training, inadequate assessment systems, and fragmented coordination among stakeholders. However, the study also highlights emerging opportunities, including increasing political will, technological integration, and regional initiatives to localize CBE models.Conclusion. The research concludes that while CBE in Indonesia remains at a developmental stage, its future prospects are promising, provided that strategic interventions are undertaken to address systemic barriers. Strengthening institutional capacity and fostering cross-sector collaboration are imperative to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of CBE implementation.

Background: The molecular and epidemiological landscape of C. difficile infection (CDI) has evolved markedly in the last decade; however, limited information is available contrasting differences between adult and pediatric populations. We describe a multicenter study evaluating healthcare-associated (HA) and community-associated (CA) adult and pediatric-CDI identified in the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program (CNISP) network from 2015 to 2022. Methods: Hospitalized patients with CDI were identified from up to 84 hospitals between 2015–2022 using standardized case definitions. Cases were confirmed by PCR, cultured, and further characterized using ribotyping and E-test. We used two-tailed tests for significance (p≤0.05). Results: Of 30,817 cases reported, 29,245 were adult cases [HA-CDI (73.2%), CA-CDI (26.8%)] and 1,572 were pediatric cases [HA-CDI (77.7%), CA-CDI (22.3%)]. From 2015 to 2022, HA-CDI rates decreased 19.7% (p=0.007) and 29.4% (p=0.004) in adult and pediatric populations, respectively (Figure 1). CA-CDI rates remained relatively stable in the adult population (p=0.797), while decreasing 60.7% in the pediatric population (p=0.013). Median ages of adult and pediatric patients were 70 (interquartile range (IQR), 58–80) and seven (IQR, 3–13) years, respectively. Thirty-day all-cause mortality was significantly higher among adult vs. Pediatric CDI patients (11.0% vs 1.4%, p < 0.0001). No significant differences in other severe outcomes were found. Ribotyping and susceptibility data were available for 4,620 samples: 3,558 adult (77.0%) and 1,062 pediatric (23.0%). The predominant adult and pediatric ribotypes (RT) were 106 (12.2/16.2%), 027 (11.4/3.2%), and 014 (8.8/8.2%). Overall, RT027 prevalence significantly decreased from 17.9% in 2015 to 3.2% in 2022 (p=0.003), while RT106 increased from 8.5% to 14.4%. Resistance rates among adult and pediatric isolates were similar for all antimicrobials tested except moxifloxacin (16.2% vs. 6.2%, p < 0.0001, respectively). Adult moxifloxacin resistance decreased from 30% to 6.3% from 2015 to 2022 (p=0.006). Adults with moxifloxacin-resistant CDI were older (median: 74 vs. 69 years, p < 0.001) and had higher thirty-day all-cause mortality (13% vs. 9.8%, p=0.041) and recurrence (10% vs. 5.7%, p < 0.001) compared to those with moxifloxacin non-resistant CDI, while these trends were not observed in pediatric patients. Among RT027 strains, moxifloxacin resistance decreased from 91.0% in 2015 to 7.1% in 2022. There was one metronidazole-resistant pediatric sample in 2018 and no resistance to vancomycin or tigecycline in either population. Conclusion: We have found differences in the epidemiological and molecular characteristics of adult and pediatric CDI, with higher thirty-day all-cause mortality among adults. Overall, RT106 has replaced RT027 as the predominant ribotype with a concomitant decrease in fluoroquinolone resistance.