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  1. Suan NAM, Soelar SA, Rani RA, Anuar NA, Aziz KAA, Chan HK, et al.
    Med J Malaysia, 2024 Mar;79(2):222-233.
    PMID: 38553930
    INTRODUCTION: Equitable healthcare delivery is essential and requires resources to be distributed, which include assets and healthcare workers. To date, there is no gold standard for measuring the correct number of physicians to meet healthcare needs. This rapid review aims to explore measurement tools employed to optimise the distribution of hospital physicians, with a focus on ensuring fair resource allocation for equitable healthcare delivery.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature search was performed across PubMed, EMBASE, Emerald Insight and grey literature sources. The key terms used in the search include 'distribution', 'method', and 'physician', focusing on research articles published in English from 2002 to 2022 that described methods or tools to measure hospital-based physicians' distribution. Relevant articles were selected through a two-level screening process and critically appraised. The primary outcome is the measurement tools used to assess the distribution of hospital-based physicians. Study characteristics, tool advantages and limitations were also extracted. The extracted data were synthesised narratively.

    RESULTS: Out of 7,199 identified articles, 13 met the inclusion criteria. Among the selected articles, 12 were from Asia and one from Africa. The review identified eight measurement tools: Gini coefficients and Lorenz curve, Robin Hood index, Theil index, concentration index, Workload Indicator of Staffing Need method, spatial autocorrelation analysis, mixed integer linear programming model and cohortcomponent model. These tools rely on fundamental data concerning population and physician numbers to generate outputs. Additionally, five studies employed a combination of these tools to gain a comprehensive understanding of physician distribution dynamics.

    CONCLUSION: Measurement tools can be used to assess physician distribution according to population needs. Nevertheless, each tool has its own merits and limitations, underscoring the importance of employing a combination of tools. The choice of measuring tool should be tailored to the specific context and research objectives.

  2. Cheong CS, Tengku K Aziz TAH, Anuar NA, Bee PC, Chin EFM, Khairullah S, et al.
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2024 Feb 01;25(2):595-601.
    PMID: 38415546 DOI: 10.31557/APJCP.2024.25.2.595
    BACKGROUND: Multiple myeloma is the third most common hematologic malignancy in Malaysia. The introduction of novel agents over the past decades has improved patient outcome and survival substantially. However, these agents incur significant economic burden, thus leading to limited use in less developed countries. This study aims to report on the real-world treatment pattern and outcome of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients from a resource-constraint setting.

    METHODS: This is a retrospective study on NDMM patients diagnosed between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2022 in a single academic center. Patients' demographic and treatment details were included for analysis of progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

    RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-six NDMM patients with a median age of 64.0 years (ranged from 38 to 87 years old) were included. Bortezomib-containing regimens were the most commonly used induction agent, followed by thalidomide. Almost half of the patients (47.1%) achieved very good partial response (VGPR) or complete remission (CR), while 31.6% achieved partial response (PR). Bortezomib containing regimen was associated with significantly deeper and more rapid response, (p=0.001 and p=0.017, respectively) when compared to other agents. Only 22.8% of these patients proceeded to upfront autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.  The median OS and PFS were 60.0 months and 25.0 months, respectively. Best initial response and upfront autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) were significantly associated with better PFS.

    CONCLUSION: Achieving at least a VGPR significantly associated with better outcome in NDMM patients. In a resource constrain country, we recommend incorporating bortezomib in the induction therapy followed with an upfront ASCT.

  3. Sulaiman NY, Anuar NA, Arshad N, Cheong CS, Liong CC, Khairullah S, et al.
    Indian J Hematol Blood Transfus, 2024 Jan;40(1):97-102.
    PMID: 38312192 DOI: 10.1007/s12288-023-01655-0
    Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is one of the common complications which can lead to significant morbidity and mortality in patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). As the seroprevalence of CMV infection in Malaysia is high, this study aims to determine the prevalence of CMV infection in patients post HSCT and to evaluate the associated risk factors. Patients who underwent allogeneic HSCT in adult ward from 2008 to 2020 at a tertiary teaching hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were studied retrospectively. They were followed up for a minimum of 100 days post-HSCT to determine the incidence of CMV infection. CMV infection was defined according to CMV Drug Development Forum 2014. Risk factors such as type of transplant, serostatus of donor and patients, age, gender, race, presence of graft versus host disease (GVHD) and underlying disease were included for analysis. A total of 112 patients were included. Forty (35.7%) patients had CMV infection with median of onset recorded as 40 days (range 13-95 days). Only haplo-identical HSCT and presence of GVHD were identified as significant risk factors. Patients who had CMV infection had a lower median survival time although this was not statistically significant. The CMV infection rate was comparable with previous reports in Asia and as expected, higher than the western countries. Therefore, vigilant monitoring of CMV infection should be implemented especially in patients who had haplo-identical HSCT and acute GVHD.
  4. Mohd Noor NH, Che Anuar NA, Saidin NIS, Iberahim S, Abdullah AH
    Cureus, 2023 Dec;15(12):e51355.
    PMID: 38292964 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.51355
    Protein S (PS) deficiency is widely recognized for its connection to venous thromboembolism risk. However, the relation between PS deficiency and arterial thrombotic events (ATEs) remains uncertain. Here, we report a patient who experienced an ATE with a family history of PS deficiency. We highlight an attention to the issues related to the management of arterial thrombotic events and discuss the potential use of antiplatelet therapy as a treatment option for a specific group of patients diagnosed with PS deficiency.
  5. Sharudin SN, Salahuddin NA, Md Arepen SA, Md Anuar NA, Hassan NE, Hitam S, et al.
    Cureus, 2023 Oct;15(10):e47078.
    PMID: 38021523 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.47078
    Congenital defect to the foramen of Huschke with a manifestation as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) soft tissue herniation in a radiological study is rare. The patient may present with nonspecific symptoms such as otalgia, mandibular joint pain, tinnitus and conductive hearing loss, and scarcely cervicofacial subcutaneous emphysema. Here, we report a patient presented with cervicofacial subcutaneous emphysema secondary to a congenital defect of the foramen of Huschke. A 45-year-old gentleman presented with right-sided neck swelling and right otalgia with a crackling sound over the right ear upon chewing. Examination shows right-sided fullness with subcutaneous emphysema from the zygoma to the upper neck. Otherwise, it is non-tender with no skin changes, and the facial nerve is intact. Otoendoscopy shows erythematous soft tissue bulging of the anterior wall of the right external auditory canal (EAC) upon closing the mouth and prolapsing upon mouth opening. The right tympanic membrane was intact. Contrast-enhanced computer tomography (CECT) of the neck and temporal region revealed extensive cervicofacial subcutaneous emphysema with a bony defect at the anterior wall of the right EAC, indicating fistulous communication between the right EAC and TMJ. The subcutaneous emphysema resolved on the treatment of the right otitis externa. The patient is subjected to a combined approach of open and endoscopic-assisted repair of the anterior EAC wall defect. TMJ herniation into the anterior EAC is rare; however, the patient presentation may vary. CECT is the gold standard for diagnosing and facilitating treatment options. Treatment choice is based on the patient's condition, including conservative or surgical intervention.
  6. Kevin-Tey WF, Wen WX, Bee PC, Eng HS, Ho KW, Tan SM, et al.
    Hum Immunol, 2023 Mar;84(3):172-185.
    PMID: 36517321 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2022.11.006
    Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) genotype and haplotype frequencies have been reported to vary distinctly between populations, which in turn contributes to variation in the alloreactivity of natural killer (NK) cells. Utilizing the diverse KIR genes to identify suitable transplant donors would prove challenging in multi-ethnic countries, even more in resource-limited countries where KIR genotyping has not been established. In this study, we determined the KIR genotypes from 124 unrelated Malaysians consisting of the Malays, Chinese, Indians, and aboriginal people through polymerase chain reaction sequence-specific primer (PCR-SSP) genotyping and employing an expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm to assign haplotypes based on pre-established reference haplotypes. A total of 27 distinct KIR haplotypes were discerned with higher frequencies of haplotype A (55.2%) than haplotype B (44.8%). The most frequent haplotypes were cA01:tA01 (55.2%), cB01:tB01 (18.1%), and cB02:tA01 (13.3%), while the least frequent haplotypes were cB03:tB01 (1.2%), cB04:tB03 (0.4%), and cB03:tA01 (0.4%). Several haplotypes were identified to be unique to a specific ethnic group. The genotype with the highest frequency was genotype AB (71.8%), followed by AA (19.4%), and BB (8.9%). The Indians exhibited the lowest genotype AA but the highest genotype BB, whereas genotype BB was absent in the aboriginal people. Despite the limitations, the genotype and haplotypes in the Malaysian population were successfully highlighted. The identification of ethnic-specific KIR genotypes and haplotypes provides the first step to utilizing KIR in identifying suitable transplant donors to further improve the transplant outcome in the Malaysian population.
  7. Zulpa AK, Barathan M, Iyadorai T, Chandramathi S, Vellasamy KM, Vadivelu J, et al.
    Trop Biomed, 2021 Jun 01;38(2):180-185.
    PMID: 34172708 DOI: 10.47665/tb.38.2.055
    Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant disease progressed from abnormal production of immature myeloid cells, which is often associated with concurrent infections after diagnosis. It was widely established that infections are the major contributors to mortality in this group due to the prevalency of neutropenia. Gram-negative Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis. This disease had been reported in several neutropenic cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy resulting in severe clinical presentations and high mortalities which is in need of critical attention. Studies show that cytokines are important mediators of melioidosis progression and low neutrophil counts are associated with progression of its severity. However, to date, there are no reports on cytokine production in neutropenic cancer patients who are prone to melioidosis. Hence, here we assessed the cytokine production in neutropenic AML patients by introducing B. pseudomallei to their peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) culture in vitro. We observed that inflammatory response related cytokines namely TNF-α, IFN-γ IL-6 and IL-10 were highly circulated in infected PBMCs suggesting that these cytokines may play important roles in the progression of severity in melioidosis infected neutropenic patients.
  8. Lim JJ, Salowi MA, Adnan TH, Anuar NA, Ngah NF, Choo MM
    Med J Malaysia, 2021 03;76(2):190-198.
    PMID: 33742627
    INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to compare the visual outcomes of phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation (IOL) surgery in patients with and without diabetes mellitus (DM) in Malaysia over a 12-year period and to identify factors that may contribute to poor visual outcome.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data was retrieved from the webbased Malaysian Cataract Surgery Registry (CSR). Perioperative data for cataract surgery performed from 2007- 2018 were analysed. Inclusion criteria were age ≥40 years, phacoemulsification and IOL and senile cataract. Combined surgeries, surgeries performed by trainees and ocular comorbidities were excluded. Post-operative Best-Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA) were compared. Factors affecting poor visual outcomes among those with DM were analysed using multivariate logistic regression to produce adjusted odds ratio (OR) for variables of interest.

    RESULTS: Total number of cases between 2007-2018 was 442,858, of whom 179,210 qualified for our analysis. DM group consisted of 72,087 cases (40.2%). There were 94.5% cases in DM group and 95.0Ź from non-DM group who achieved BCVA ≥6/12 (p<0.001). Among patients with DM, advanced age (70-79 years old, OR: 2.54, 95% Confidence Interva, 95%CI: 1.91, 3.40; 80-89 years old, OR: 5.50, 95%CI: 4.02, 7.51), ≥90 years, OR: 9.77, 95%CI: 4.18, 22.81), poor preoperative presenting visual acuity [<6/18-6/60] (OR: 2.40, 95%CI: 1.84, 3.14) and <6/60-3/60 (OR: 3.00, 95%CI: 2.24, 4.02), <3/60 (OR 3.63, 95%CI: 2.77, 4.74)], presence of intraoperative complication (OR 2.24, 95%CI: 1.86, 2.71) and presence of postoperative complication (OR 5.21, 95%CI: 2.97, 9.16) were significant factors for poor visual outcome.

    CONCLUSIONS: Visual outcomes following phacoemulsification with IOL implantation surgery among cases with DM were poorer compared to cases without DM. Risk factors for poor visual outcomes among cases with DM were identified.

  9. Anuar NA, Tey KWF, Ng SC, Teh AKH, Abdul Rahman MHF, Chong BP, et al.
    Int J Clin Pract, 2021 Mar;75(3):e13823.
    PMID: 33202073 DOI: 10.1111/ijcp.13823
    AIM: To retrospectively report the clinical outcomes of non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) patients post high dose therapy (HDT) with autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplant (AHSCT) and determine whether upfront transplant, which is a first-line consolidative treatment with induction chemotherapy, would be a feasible modality in a resource-limited country.

    METHODS: The medical records for NHL patients who had undergone HDT followed by AHSCT from October 1997 to November 2016 from two hospitals in Klang Valley, Malaysia were obtained from the medical record database and analysed retrospectively through statistical analysis.

    RESULTS: A total of 148 patients were retrospectively identified post-AHSCT, where the majority of whom had B cell lymphoma (53.4%). Majority of patients (88.5%) were in complete remission before AHSCT. The overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) at 3 years were 68.9% and 60.8%, respectively. The major cause of death was disease progression at 73.9%, while transplant-related mortality was 15.2%, with a median follow-up period of 179.5 weeks.

    CONCLUSION: Our study illustrates the promising outcomes of HDT with AHSCT in NHL patients in a resource-limited country. We recommend larger studies to be conducted in the future with a longer duration of follow-up to validate our findings.

  10. Saidon N, Anuar NA, Meng CK, Chuan OT, Mui TS, Gin GG, et al.
    Blood Cell Ther, 2020 Aug 25;3(3):44-47.
    PMID: 36714175 DOI: 10.31547/bct-2019-017
    Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is now widely practiced worldwide. It has the potential to cure many hematological diseases, such as acute leukemia and thalassemia. As an emerging country, Malaysia has made advancements despite many challenges. HSCT has evolved rapidly since the first pediatric allogeneic HSCT case in 1987. The first adult HSCT was performed 5 years later in 1993. Currently, a total of 13 hospitals offer HSCT services throughout Malaysia. These include private healthcare services, substantially funded government hospitals governed by the Ministry of Health, and partially funded teaching hospitals governed by the Ministry of Education. Until 2015, 1,987 allogeneic and 1,648 autologous HSCT procedures were performed. This article narrates the history and development of HSCT in Malaysia and briefly discusses the challenging issues in this area.
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