Tocotrienol-rich vitamin E from palm oil (Tocovid) has been shown to ameliorate diabetes through its superior antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, and anti-inflammatory properties in diabetic rats. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Tocovid on diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes. Baseline parameters of potential subjects such as HbA1c, blood pressure, Advanced Glycation Endproduct (AGE), soluble receptor for AGE (sRAGE), Nε-Carboxymethyllysine (Nε-CML), and Cystatin C were assessed for possible correlation with diabetic nephropathy. Only subjects with diabetic nephropathy or urine microalbuminuria-positive defined as Urine Albumin to Creatinine Ratio (UACR) >10 mg/mmol were recruited into a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. The intervention group (n = 22) received Tocovid 200 mg twice a day while the control group (n = 23) received placebo twice a day for 8 weeks. Changes in Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), blood pressure, serum biomarkers and renal parameters such as UACR, serum creatinine, and estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) were compared between the two groups. It was found that serum Nε-CML significantly correlated to the severity of microalbuminuria. For every 1 ng/mL increase in serum Nε-CML, the odds of diabetic nephropathy increased by 1.476 times. Tocovid, compared to placebo, significantly reduced serum creatinine but not eGFR, UACR, HbA1c, blood pressure, and serum biomarkers. In conclusion, serum Nε-CML is a potential biomarker for diabetic nephropathy. Treatment with Tocovid significantly reduced serum creatinine; therefore Tocovid may be a useful addition to the current treatment for diabetic nephropathy.
Randomised control trials have sought to seek to improve mechanical ventilation treatment. However, few trials to date have shown clinical significance. It is hypothesised that aside from effective treatment, the outcome metrics and sample sizes of the trial also affect the significance, and thus impact trial design. In this study, a Monte-Carlo simulation method was developed and used to investigate several outcome metrics of ventilation treatment, including 1) length of mechanical ventilation (LoMV); 2) Ventilator Free Days (VFD); and 3) LoMV-28, a combination of the other metrics. As these metrics have highly skewed distributions, it also investigated the impact of imposing clinically relevant exclusion criteria on study power to enable better design for significance. Data from invasively ventilated patients from a single intensive care unit were used in this analysis to demonstrate the method. Use of LoMV as an outcome metric required 160 patients/arm to reach 80% power with a clinically expected intervention difference of 25% LoMV if clinically relevant exclusion criteria were applied to the cohort, but 400 patients/arm if they were not. However, only 130 patients/arm would be required for the same statistical significance at the same intervention difference if VFD was used. A Monte-Carlo simulation approach using local cohort data combined with objective patient selection criteria can yield better design of ventilation studies to desired power and significance, with fewer patients per arm than traditional trial design methods, which in turn reduces patient risk. Outcome metrics, such as VFD, should be used when a difference in mortality is also expected between the two cohorts. Finally, the non-parametric approach taken is readily generalisable to a range of trial types where outcome data is similarly skewed.
410 cases of psoriasis [282 males (68%) and 127 females (31%)] were interviewed and examined to study the nail changes. The prevalence of nail changes was 78.0% (males = females). Common changes were pitting (67.5%) and onycholysis (67.2%). Dystrophy of varying degrees occurred in 35.0%, subungual hyperkeratosis in 24.7%, discoloration in 18.4%, loss of nails in 2.8% and pustulation in 1.3%. Pitting and onycholysis was the most common combination (45.6%). Nail changes were significantly more common in patients who have moderate to severe psoriasis as compared with patients with mild psoriasis; in patients who have psoriasis for greater than 5 years as compared with patients who have psoriasis for less than 5 years; and in patients older than age 50 as compared with those aged less than 50. A definite correlation was found between the prevalence of nail changes and the presence of scalp and periungual psoriasis, and the presence of joint involvement.
Women with a positive family history of breast cancer are greatly predisposed to breast cancer development. From January 2007 to December 2016, 1101 patients with a histologically confirmed breast cancer were divided into two groups: patients with and without a positive family history of breast cancer. Variables including age at presentation, ethnicity, tumor size, age at menarche, age at menopause, oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), alcohol intake, smoking, body mass index (BMI), diabetes mellitus, parity, and breastfeeding were recorded. One hundred and fifty-nine out of 1101 (14.4%) of the patients had a family history of breast cancer. There was no significant difference in the incidence of breast cancer among Malays, Chinese, and Indians. Both patient groups presented at a mean age of about 60 years (+FH 60; -FH 61.2 P-value = .218). Significantly higher prevalence of history of benign breast disease (11.3%, P .018), nulliparity (13.2%, P .014), tumor size at presentation of more than 5 cm (47.3%, P 0.001), and bilateral site presentation (3.1%, P 0.029) were noted among respondents with a positive family history of breast cancer compared to those with a negative family history of breast cancer. The odds of having a tumor size larger than 5cm at presentation were almost two times higher in patients with a positive family history as compared to those without a family history (adjusted OR = 1.786, 95% CI 1.211-2.484) (P-value .003). Women in Malaysia, despite having a positive family history of breast cancer, still present late at a mean age of 60 with a large tumor size of more than 5 cm, reflecting a lack of awareness. Breastfeeding does not protect women with a family history from developing breast cancer.
Mechanical ventilation (MV) provides respiratory support for critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Waveform data output by the ventilator provides valuable physiological and diagnostic information. However, existing systems do not provide full access to this information nor allow for real-time, non-invasive data collection. Therefore, large amounts of data are lost and analysis is limited to short samples of breathing cycles. This study presents a data acquisition device for acquiring and monitoring patient ventilation waveform data. Acquired data can be exported to other systems, allowing users to further analyse data and develop further clinically useful parameters. These parameters, together with other ventilatory information, can help personalise and guide MV treatment. The device is designed to be easily replicable, low-cost, and scalable according to the number of patient beds. Validation was carried out by assessing system performance and stability over prolonged periods of 7 days of continuous use. The device provides a platform for future integration of machine-learning or model-based modules, potentially allowing real-time, proactive, patient-specific MV guidance and decision support to improve the quality and productivity of care and outcomes.