MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 400 women from registered non-government organisations (NGOs) in Malaysia who voluntarily answered questionnaires distributed through Google form via emails. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test and one-way ANOVA test.
RESULTS: Four hundred respondents participated in this study. The mean age was 40.42 years old (SD=12.566). The mean score for the studied population was 4.96 (SEM 0.124). Only 58 (14.5%) respondents obtained a score of eight or more, and 235 (58.8%) respondents scored between 4 and 7. The rest of 107 (26.7%) respondents scored 3 and less. There were statistically significant differences in the mean score for level of awareness between marital statuses, menopausal status, number of children and occupation. There were only 273 (68%) respondents who will seek treatment if they experience symptoms of POP. The most frequent reasons for not seeking treatment were unawareness of the availability of medical treatment for POP (69 %).
CONCLUSION: Majority of the respondents have an inadequate level of awareness on POP. Although more than half of the respondents will seek treatment if they experience symptoms of POP, concerns raised by those who chose not to seek treatment should be addressed by a more effective public awareness programme. This includes the unawareness of the availability of medical treatment and the embarrassment to see medical practitioners.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to analyze the multiphase pulsatile blood flow in the left coronary artery tree with stenosis.
METHODS: The 3D left coronary artery model was reconstructed using 2D computerized tomography (CT) scan images. The Red Blood Cell (RBC) and varying hemodynamic parameters for single and multiphase blood flow conditions were analyzed.
RESULTS: Results asserted that the multiphase blood flow modeling has a maximum velocity of 1.017 m/s and1.339 m/s at the stenosed region during the systolic and diastolic phases respectively. The increase in Wall Shear Stress (WSS) observed at the stenosed region during the diastole phase as compared during the systolic phase. It was also observed that the highest Oscillatory Shear Index (OSI) regions are found in the downstream area of stenosis and across the bifurcations. The increase in RBCs velocity from 0.45 m/s to 0.6 m/s across the stenosis was also noticed.
CONCLUSION: The computational multiphase blood flow analysis improves the understanding and accuracy of the complex flow conditions of blood elements (RBC and Plasma) and provides the progression of the disease development in the coronary arteries. This study helps to enhance the diagnosis of the blocked (stenosed) arteries more precisely compared to the single-phase blood flow modeling.
METHODS: This review article discusses the experimental and computational methods in the study of HUA. The discussion includes computational fluid dynamics approach and steps involved in the modeling used to investigate the flow characteristics of HUA. From inception to May 2020, databases of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, BioMed Central, and Web of Science have been utilized to conduct a thorough investigation of the literature. There had been no language restrictions in publication and study design of the database searches. A total of 117 articles relevant to the topic under investigation were thoroughly and critically reviewed to give a clear information about the subject. The article summarizes the review in the form of method of studying the HUA, CFD approach in HUA, and the application of CFD for predicting HUA obstacle, including the type of CFD commercial software are used in this research area.
RESULTS: This review found that the human upper airway was well studied through the application of computational fluid dynamics, which had considerably enhanced the understanding of flow in HUA. In addition, it assisted in making strategic and reasonable decision regarding the adoption of treatment methods in clinical settings. The literature suggests that most studies were related to HUA simulation that considerably focused on the aspects of fluid dynamics. However, there is a literature gap in obtaining information on the effects of fluid-structure interaction (FSI). The application of FSI in HUA is still limited in the literature; as such, this could be a potential area for future researchers. Furthermore, majority of researchers present the findings of their work through the mechanism of airflow, such as that of velocity, pressure, and shear stress. This includes the use of Navier-Stokes equation via CFD to help visualize the actual mechanism of the airflow. The above-mentioned technique expresses the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) in its result to demonstrate the real mechanism of the airflow. Apart from that, key result such as wall shear stress (WSS) can be revealed via turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) and turbulent energy dissipation (TED), where it can be suggestive of wall injury and collapsibility tissue to the HUA.
METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study that conducted genome-wide copy number analysis using CytoScan 750K array on salivary samples from Malay subjects with NSCL/P with or without hypodontia aged 7-13 years. To confirm the significant results, simple logistic regression was employed to conduct statistical data analysis using SPSS software.
RESULTS: The results indicated the most common recurrent copy neutral LOH (cnLOH) observed at 1p33-1p32.3, 1q32.2-1q42.13 and 6p12.1-6p11.1 loci in 8 (13%), 4 (7%), and 3 (5%) of the NSCL/P subjects, respectively. The cnLOHs at 1p33-1p32.3 (D1S197), 1q32.2-1q42.13 (D1S160), and 6p12.1-6p11.1 (D1S1661) were identified observed in NSCL/P and noncleft children using microsatellite analysis markers as a validation analysis. The regions affected by the cnLOHs at 1p33-1p32.3, 1q32.2-1q42.13, and 6p12.1-6p11.1 loci contained selected genes, namely FAF1, WNT3A and BMP5, respectively. There was a significant association between the D1S197 (1p33-32.3) markers containing the FAF1 gene among NSCL/P subjects with or without hypodontia compared with the noncleft subjects (p-value = 0.023).
CONCLUSION: The results supported the finding that the genetic aberration on 1p33-32.3 significantly contributed to the development of NSCL/P with or without hypodontia. These results have an exciting prospect in the promising field of individualized preventive oral health care.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional study on nonsyndromic CL±P and noncleft patients.
SETTING: Reconstructive clinic and outpatient dental clinic, Hospital Universiti Sains, Malaysia.
PATIENTS: Blood samples of 96 nonsyndromic CL±P and 96 noncleft subjects.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Prevalence and association of mutations in TGFβ3 and Jagged2 genes with nonsyndromic CL±P.
RESULTS: Most of the nonsyndromic CL±P patients (53.1%) had left unilateral CLP. There were slightly more females (56.6%) compared with males. The prevalence of the mutations in the TGFβ3 gene was 17.7 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.5, 24.5) and in the Jagged2 gene was 12.5% (95% CI: 5.5, 18.5), which was higher compared with the noncleft group. For the TGFβ3 gene, there was no mutation in the coding region in either of the groups. All variants were single nucleotide polymorphisms located within the intronic flanking region. Two variants were identified (g.15812T>G and g.15966A>G) in both nonsyndromic CL±P and noncleft patients. However, the association was not significant (P > .05). Three variants (g.19779C>T, g.19547G>A, and g.19712C>T) were identified in the Jagged2 gene among nonsyndromic CL±P and noncleft patients. Only g.19712C>T showed a significant association with nonsyndromic CL±P patients (P = .039).
CONCLUSION: g.19712C>T might play a crucial role in the development of cleft lip and palate. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the mutation found within intron 13 of the Jagged2 gene among nonsyndromic CL±P Malay patients.