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Fulltext The epiphytic microbiota of the globally widespread macroalga Cladophora glomerata (Chlorophyta, Cladophorales)

Zulkifly S, Hanshew A, Young EB, Lee P, Graham ME, Graham ME, et al.

Am J Bot, 2012 Sep;99(9):1541-52.
PMID: 22947483 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1200161

The filamentous chlorophyte Cladophora produces abundant nearshore populations in marine and freshwaters worldwide, often dominating periphyton communities and producing nuisance growths under eutrophic conditions. High surface area and environmental persistence foster such high functional and taxonomic diversity of epiphytic microfauna and microalgae that Cladophora has been labeled an ecological engineer. We tested the hypotheses that (1) Cladophora supports a structurally and functionally diverse epiphytic prokaryotic microbiota that influences materials cycling and (2) mutualistic host-microbe interactions occur. Because previous molecular sequencing-based analyses of the microbiota of C. glomerata found as western Lake Michigan beach drift had identified pathogenic associates such as Escherichia coli, we also asked if actively growing lentic C. glomerata harbors known pathogens.
Population data of six Alu insertions in indigenous groups from Sabah, Malaysia

Kee BP, Chua KH, Lee PC, Lian LH

Ann Hum Biol, 2012 Nov-Dec;39(6):505-10.
PMID: 22989108 DOI: 10.3109/03014460.2012.719548

The present study is the first to report the genetic relatedness of indigenous populations of Sabah, Malaysia, using a set of Indel markers (HS4.32, TPA25, APO, PV92, B65 and HS3.23). The primary aim was to assess the genetic relationships among these populations and with populations from other parts of the world by examining the distribution of these markers.
An epidemiological study of developmental dysplasia of the hip in infants in Singapore

Ang KC, Lee EH, Lee PY, Tan KL

Ann Acad Med Singap, 1997 Jul;26(4):456-8.
PMID: 9395810

The incidence of congenital dislocation of the hip (CDH) in Singapore and Malaysia has been reported as being lower than in the West. In our hospital, we have seen an increasing number of congenital hip dislocation as well as dysplastic hips. We undertook a prospective study from December 1989 to December 1994 of 20,000 live births. The neonates were all screened by a consultant neonatologist and the findings were confirmed by a consultant paediatric orthopaedic surgeon. All babies had plain X-rays at 3 months and an acetabular index (AI) of 30 degrees or more was considered dysplastic. All babies with positive signs were followed up for 1 year and again had radiographs taken at 1 year. Comparison of plain X-rays and ultrasound assessment in a subgroup of 130 neonates showed that 64% of patients with AI > 20 degrees had hip dysplasia by ultrasonographic (alpha angle < 60 degrees) The incidence of dysplastic hips was 16.8 per 1000 live births. The overall incidence of neonates with dislocated hips was 4.7 per 1000 live births. The Malays were most affected with an incidence of 5.4 per 1000 live births. The incidence of developmental dysplasia of the hip in Singapore is higher than previously reported, with the Malays having the highest incidence. A significant number of babies with clicking hips have radiological evidence of acetabular dysplasia (AI > 30 degrees). One-third of the babies' hips were still dysplastic at 1 year of age. A well-organised screening programme with experienced examiners has proved to be useful in making early and accurate clinical diagnosis.
The state of lipid control in patients with diabetes in a public health care centre

Wong JS, Tan F, Lee PY

Asia Pac J Public Health, 2007;19(3):16-21.
PMID: 18330400 DOI: 10.1177/101053950701900304

Achieving treatment targets has been difficult in treating diabetic patients. This cross-sectional study describes the lipid profiles of patients with diabetes mellitus at a public primary health care centre in Sarawak, Malaysia. The targets for lipid control were based on the International Diabetes Federation recommendation (2002). 1031 patients (98% Type 2 Diabetes) were studied. Fasting lipid profiles were available in 990 (96%) patients. The mean total cholesterol was 5.3 +/- 1.0 mmol/L, Triglycerides 1.90 +/- 1.26 mmol/L, HDL-C 1.28 +/- 0.33 mmol/L and LDL-C 3.2 +/- 0.9 mmol/L. Overall, 22% of patients achieved the treatment target for LDL-C level < 2.6mmol/L. 67% of patients had HDL-C > 1.1 mmol/L and 42% of patients had a target TG level below 1.5 mmol/L. Of the 40% of patients who received lipid-lowering drug, 17% achieved LDL-C target, 50% had LDL-C 2.6-4.4 mmol/ L and 33% have LDL-C > 4.0 mmol/L. For the remaining 60% not receiving any lipid lowering therapy, 68% had LDL-C between 2.6-4.0 mmol/L and 7% had LDL-C level > 4 mmol/L. Dyslipidemia is still under-treated despite the availability of effective pharmacological agents and the greatly increased risk of cardiovascular diseases in diabetic patients.
How well were asthmatic patients educated about their asthma? A study at the emergency department

Lee PY, Khoo EM

Asia Pac J Public Health, 2004;16(1):45-9.
PMID: 18839867 DOI: 10.1177/101053950401600108

70 patients presented with acute asthma exacerbation requiring nebulised bronchodilator treatment at the emergency department of a teaching hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, were interviewed over a two-week period in July 2001. The results showed that 45 (64%) patients had not been educated on the nature of asthma; 30 (43%) had not been advised on preventive measures or avoidance of triggers; 54 (77%) were not advised about the medications used and their side effects; 42 (60%) patients did not know the difference between reliever and preventive medications; 37 (53%) were unable to recognize features of worsening asthma and 68 (97%) were not told about the danger of non-prescribed self-medication or traditional medications. Only six (9%) patients were using peak flow meters and were taught self-management plans. The multiple regression results suggest that patients who were followed up at teaching hospital based clinics were better educated on asthma. In conclusion, asthmatic patients are still not educated well about their disease. Health care providers need to put more emphasis on asthma education so that the number of emergency room visits can be reduced.
Study site: Emergency department, University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Fulltext Health literacy levels and its determinants among people with asthma in Malaysian primary healthcare settings: a cross-sectional study

Salim H, Shariff Ghazali S, Lee PY, Cheong AT, Harrun NH, Mohamed Isa S, et al.

BMC Public Health, 2021 06 22;21(1):1186.
PMID: 34158013 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-11194-w

BACKGROUND: Limited health literacy among people with asthma is associated with poor adherence to self-management activities, thus poor clinical outcomes. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of health literacy level and its determinants among people with asthma in the Malaysian primary healthcare settings.
METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted among participants aged > 18 years with asthma who attended five primary health clinics in Malaysia. Systematic random sampling was employed with a final sample of 550 participants. The questionnaires included the validated Malay version of Health Literacy Scale (HLS) and asthma control questionnaire (ACQ). Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 25. Multiple logistic regression was performed to determine the determinants for limited health literacy.
RESULTS: The participants mean age of the participants was 48 (SD15.4) years. Most of the participants were women (64%) and of Malay ethnicity (51.1%). Nearly half had a secondary level of education, n = 112, (45.8%). Mean duration of asthma diagnosis is 20.6 (SD 15.9) years. More than half (62.5%) had a family history of asthma. About half (50.9%) had uncontrolled asthma, with 87.3% self-rated themselves as having controlled asthma. About a third (29.1%) received education on of asthma action plan, but only 7.1% of these owned a written version an asthma action plan. Limited health literacy accounts for 60.5% of the participants. The significant determinants for limited health literacy included lower educational attainment (p p = 0.034), p = 0.031) and not receiving asthma action plan education (p
Competitive binding of gangliosides and glycophorin to wheat germ agglutinin

Lee PM, Lee KH

Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 1989 Apr 28;160(2):780-7.
PMID: 2719696

Gangliosides and glycophorin are receptors for wheat germ agglutinin. The competitive binding of these molecules to wheat germ agglutinin is studied by electron spin resonance spectroscopy with spin labels attached to the oligosaccharide chains of gangliosides. Evidence shows that glycophorin is more accessible to wheat germ agglutinin binding than gangliosides. The interactions of gangliosides and glycophorin in liposomes is disrupted on low level binding of WGA.
Immobilization of aminoacylase in polyethyleneimine stabilized calcium alginate beads for L-phenylalanine production

Lee PM, Lee KH, Siaw YS

Biomater Artif Cells Immobilization Biotechnol, 1993;21(4):563-70.
PMID: 8260581

Aminoacylase I (E.C.3.5.1.14) was immobilized by entrapment in calcium alginate beads coated with polyethyleneimine for the production of L-phenylalanine by the hydrolysis of a racemic mixture of N-acetyl-DL-phenylalanine. The operational stability in terms of batch operation and continuous reaction in packed-bed bioreactor were studied. Kinetic constants, Km and Vmax values of free and immobilized enzymes were studied. Polyethyleneimine treatment was found to enhance the operational stability of the enzyme though its activity was substantially reduced. When polyethyleneimine-coated calcium alginate beads were packed into packed bed bioreactor, it was stable for at least 25 days under continuous operation without appreciable loss of activity.
DNA metabarcoding of insects and allies: an evaluation of primers and pipelines

Brandon-Mong GJ, Gan HM, Sing KW, Lee PS, Lim PE, Wilson JJ

Bull. Entomol. Res., 2015 Dec;105(6):717-27.
PMID: 26344799 DOI: 10.1017/S0007485315000681

Metabarcoding, the coupling of DNA-based species identification and high-throughput sequencing, offers enormous promise for arthropod biodiversity studies but factors such as cost, speed and ease-of-use of bioinformatic pipelines, crucial for making the leapt from demonstration studies to a real-world application, have not yet been adequately addressed. Here, four published and one newly designed primer sets were tested across a diverse set of 80 arthropod species, representing 11 orders, to establish optimal protocols for Illumina-based metabarcoding of tropical Malaise trap samples. Two primer sets which showed the highest amplification success with individual specimen polymerase chain reaction (PCR, 98%) were used for bulk PCR and Illumina MiSeq sequencing. The sequencing outputs were subjected to both manual and simple metagenomics quality control and filtering pipelines. We obtained acceptable detection rates after bulk PCR and high-throughput sequencing (80-90% of input species) but analyses were complicated by putative heteroplasmic sequences and contamination. The manual pipeline produced similar or better outputs to the simple metagenomics pipeline (1.4 compared with 0.5 expected:unexpected Operational Taxonomic Units). Our study suggests that metabarcoding is slowly becoming as cheap, fast and easy as conventional DNA barcoding, and that Malaise trap metabarcoding may soon fulfill its potential, providing a thermometer for biodiversity.
Chromium(III) sorption enhancement through NTA--modification of biological materials

Low KS, Lee CK, Lee PL

Bull Environ Contam Toxicol, 1997 Mar;58(3):380-6.
PMID: 9008046
The menopausal experience among indigenous women of Sarawak, Malaysia

Syed Alwi SA, Lee PY, Awi I, Mallik PS, Md Haizal MN

Climacteric, 2009 Dec;12(6):548-56.
PMID: 19905907 DOI: 10.3109/13697130902919519

OBJECTIVES:
To document the common menopausal symptoms and quality of life in indigenous women of Sarawak in Malaysia.

METHODS:
A face-to-face interview using the Menopause-specific Quality of Life questionnaire was conducted with 276 indigenous Sarawakian women aged 40-65 years to determine the mean age of menopause and common symptoms (divided into vasomotor, psychosocial, physical and sexual domains) associated with menopause.

RESULTS:
The mean age at menopause of postmenopausal women was 50.78 +/- 2.47 years (range 47.3-58.2 years). The most common symptoms reported were aching in muscles and joints (82.6%), lack of energy (77.5%) and low backache (77.2%). The typical menopausal symptoms of hot flushes, night sweats, sweating and vaginal dryness were experienced by 42.4%, 34.8%, 29.7% and 49.3%, respectively of the women studied. Perimenopausal women (n = 114) experienced the most physical and psychosocial symptoms, while postmenopausal women (n = 102) experienced most sexual symptoms. Perimenopausal and postmenopausal women were reported to suffer more than premenopausal women (p < 0.001) within the four domains of symptoms (vasomotor, psychosocial, physical and sexual).

CONCLUSIONS:
The menopausal symptoms in this study correspond to those in other studies on Asian women but the prevalence of typical and classical menopausal symptoms was lower compared to studies on Caucasian women. The perimenopausal women had the most significant decrease in quality of life, followed by postmenopausal women and premenopausal women. Vasomotor symptoms had a predominant influence on the quality of life.
Experience of hormone replacement therapy among women of Sarawak, Malaysia

Alwi SA, Rubiah ZS, Lee PY, Mallika PS, Haizal MN

Climacteric, 2010 Dec;13(6):553-60.
PMID: 19958163 DOI: 10.3109/13697130903470319

To determine the usage of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and knowledge about HRT among women of Sarawak in Malaysia.
Compound heterozygous mutations in TTC7A cause familial multiple intestinal atresias and severe combined immunodeficiency

Yang W, Lee PP, Thong MK, Ramanujam TM, Shanmugam A, Koh MT, et al.

Clin Genet, 2015 Dec;88(6):542-9.
PMID: 25534311 DOI: 10.1111/cge.12553

Familial multiple intestinal atresias is an autosomal recessive disease with or without combined immunodeficiency. In the last year, several reports have described mutations in the gene TTC7A as causal to the disease in different populations. However, exact correlation between different genotypes and various phenotypes are not clear. In this study, we report identification of novel compound heterozygous mutations in TTC7A gene in a Malay girl with familial multiple intestinal atresias and severe combined immunodeficiency (MIA-SCID) by whole exome sequencing. We found two mutations in TTC7A: one that destroyed a putative splicing acceptor at the junction of intron 17/exon 18 and one that introduced a stop codon that would truncate the last two amino acids of the encoded protein. Reviewing the recent reports on TTC7A mutations reveals correlation between the position and nature of the mutations with patient survival and clinical manifestations. Examination of public databases also suggests carrier status for healthy individuals, making a case for population screening on this gene, especially in populations with suspected frequent founder mutations.
Fulltext Study Protocol for a Global Survey: Awareness and Preparedness of Hospital Staff Against Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak

Qarawi ATA, Ng SJ, Gad A, Luu MN, Al-Ahdal TMA, Sharma A, et al.

Front Public Health, 2021;9:580427.
PMID: 34277529 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.580427

Background: The outbreak of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by a novel coronavirus (named SARS-CoV-2) has gained attention globally and has been recognized as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization (WHO) due to the rapidly increasing number of deaths and confirmed cases. Health care workers (HCWs) are vulnerable to this crisis as they are the first frontline to receive and manage COVID-19 patients. In this multicenter multinational survey, we aim to assess the level of awareness and preparedness of hospital staff regarding COVID-19 all over the world. Methods: From February to March 2020, the web-based or paper-based survey to gather information about the hospital staff's awareness and preparedness in the participants' countries will be carried out using a structured questionnaire based on the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) checklist and delivered to participants by the local collaborators for each hospital. As of March 2020, we recruited 374 hospitals from 58 countries that could adhere to this protocol as approved by their Institutional Review Boards (IRB) or Ethics Committees (EC). Discussion: The awareness and preparedness of HCWs against COVID-19 are of utmost importance not only to protect themselves from infection, but also to control the virus transmission in healthcare facilities and to manage the disease, especially in the context of manpower lacking and hospital overload during the pandemic. The results of this survey can be used to inform hospitals about the awareness and preparedness of their health staff regarding COVID-19, so appropriate policies and practice guidelines can be implemented to improve their capabilities of facing this crisis and other future pandemic-prone diseases.
Fulltext Association between EGF and VEGF functional polymorphisms and sporadic colorectal cancer in the Malaysian population

Lau TP, Roslani AC, Lian LH, Lee PC, Hilmi I, Goh KL, et al.

Genet. Mol. Res., 2014;13(3):5555-61.
PMID: 25117311 DOI: 10.4238/2014.July.25.9

Growth factors are polypeptides that are critical for the initiation, progression, and metastasis of cancer. Most tumor cells are capable of synthesizing particular growth factors leading to constitutive pathway activation in these cells through autocrine signaling. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a potent mitogenic peptide that exerts direct effects on the proliferation and differentiation of tumor cells in carcinogenesis. By contrast, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is vital for the invasion and metastasis of neoplasms through the formation of new blood vessels from mature endothelial cells. In this study, we investigated the association between functional polymorphisms of both the EGF and VEGF genes and colorectal cancer (CRC) susceptibility. A total of 130 CRC patients and 212 healthy controls were recruited for this case-control study. Genotyping of genetic variants was conducted via real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification with allele-specific TaqMan probes. None of the genotypes of the EGF +61 A>G and VEGF +936 C>T variants was significantly associated with CRC susceptibility among the Malaysian subjects evaluated (P > 0.05). The observed frequency distributions of the EGF +61 A>G polymorphism genotypes showed ethnic heterogeneity, which was not the case for the VEGF +936 C>T genotypes. In conclusion, no positive correlation between these functional polymorphisms and CRC risk was found in this Malaysian population. Studies of the EGF and VEGF genes and CRC susceptibility are scarce, and the results reported thus far differ from one population to another. Hence, more replication studies are warranted before any firm conclusions can be made.
Fulltext NOD2/CARD15 variants in Malaysian patients with sporadic colorectal cancer

Lau TP, Roslani AC, Lian LH, Lee PC, Hilmi I, Goh KL, et al.

Genet. Mol. Res., 2014;13(3):7079-85.
PMID: 24682985 DOI: 10.4238/2014.March.19.3

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common types of cancer in both developed and developing countries. This disease is triggered by and progresses via the sequential accumulation of multiple genetic alterations. In addition, the interaction between low-penetrance genes and environmental factors can also increase the risk of developing CRC. Since inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are one of the predisposing factors for CRC, IBD-related genes might, to a certain extent, be associated with cancer initiation. The nucleotide oligomerization domain 2/caspase activating recruitment domain 15 gene (NOD2/CARD15) is the most well-established gene to be associated with increased susceptibility to Crohn's disease. Thus, various studies have been performed to investigate the potential contribution of this gene to CRC risk. In this study, we aimed to determine the frequency of the Arg702Trp, Gly908Arg, 3020insC, Pro268Ser, and JW1 variants of NOD2/CARD15, and to investigate their association with CRC susceptibility. A total of 130 CRC patients and 212 healthy controls were recruited for this study. Subsequently, real-time polymerase chain reaction with TaqMan was performed for the genotyping of these NOD2/ CARD15 variants. None of the NOD2/CARD15 variants was statistically associated to CRC susceptibility in our Malaysian population. Our findings were remarkably similar to those of other Asian cohorts, which indicated that these NOD2/CARD15 variants exhibit genetic heterogeneity between Caucasian and Asian populations.
Fulltext Investigation of a PAX6 gene mutation in a Malaysian family with congenital aniridia

Lee PC, Lam HH, Ghani SA, Subrayan V, Chua KH

Genet. Mol. Res., 2014;13(2):3553-9.
PMID: 24737507 DOI: 10.4238/2014.March.24.15

Mutations in the PAX6 gene that cause aniridia have been identified in various ethnicities but not in the Malaysian population. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the PAX6 mutation in a Malaysian family with congenital aniridia. In this study, a complete ophthalmic examination was performed on a Dusun ethnic family with aniridia. Genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood of the subjects and screened for the PAX6 gene mutation using polymerase chain reaction amplification high-resolution melting curve analysis (PCR-HRM) followed by confirmation via direct DNA sequencing. A heterozygous G deletion (c.857delG) in exon 7 causing a frame shift in PAX6 was identified in all affected family members. Genotype-phenotype correlation analysis revealed congenital cataract and all affected family members showed a similar spectrum of aniridia with no phenotypic variability but with differences in severity that were age-dependent. In summary, by using a PCR-HRM approach, this study is the first to report a PAX6 mutation in a Malaysian family. This mutation is the cause of the aniridia spectra observed in this family and of congenital cataract.
Fulltext Genetic data for 15 STR loci in a Kadazan-Dusun population from East Malaysia

Kee BP, Lian LH, Lee PC, Lai TX, Chua KH

Genet. Mol. Res., 2011;10(2):739-43.
PMID: 21523653 DOI: 10.4238/vol10-2gmr1064

Allele frequencies of 15 short tandem repeat (STR) loci, namely D5S818, D7S820, D13S317, D16S539, TH01, TPOX, Penta D, Penta E, D3S1358, D8S1179, D18S51, D21S11, CSF1PO, vWA, and FGA, were determined for 154 individuals from the Kadazan-Dusun tribe, an indigenous population of East Malaysia. All loci were amplified by polymerase chain reaction, using the Powerplex 16 system. Alleles were typed using a gene analyzer and the Genemapper ID software. Various statistical parameters were calculated and the combined power of discrimination for the 15 loci in the population was calculated as 0.999999999999999. These loci are thus, informative and can be used effectively in forensic and genetic studies of this indigenous population.
Image analysis by Tchebichef moments

Mukundan R, Ong SH, Lee PA

IEEE Trans Image Process, 2001;10(9):1357-64.
PMID: 18255550 DOI: 10.1109/83.941859

This paper introduces a new set of orthogonal moment functions based on the discrete Tchebichef polynomials. The Tchebichef moments can be effectively used as pattern features in the analysis of two-dimensional images. The implementation of the moments proposed in this paper does not involve any numerical approximation, since the basis set is orthogonal in the discrete domain of the image coordinate space. This property makes Tchebichef moments superior to the conventional orthogonal moments such as Legendre moments and Zernike moments, in terms of preserving the analytical properties needed to ensure information redundancy in a moment set. The paper also details the various computational aspects of Tchebichef moments and demonstrates their feature representation capability using the method of image reconstruction.
Fulltext Inhibitory effect of onion extract on cassava leaf (Manihot esculenta Crantz) polyphenol oxidase

Wong, C. W., Angel Lee, P. L.

International Food Research Journal, 2014;21(2):755-758.
MyJurnal

The inhibitory effect of onion extract on cassava leaf polyphenol oxidase was investigated. The polyphenol oxidase from cassava leaves was strongly inhibited by various anti-browning agents such as L-ascorbic acid and L-cysteine. The percentage of inhibition increased with the increased of anti-browning agents concentrations. The addition of heated onion extract exhibited a stronger inhibitory effect on cassava leaf polyphenol oxidase than the fresh onion extract. The highest percentage of inhibition was exhibited with heated onion extract in the presence of glucose and glycine, which was 87.18%. The onion extract inhibited the cassava leaf polyphenol oxidase non-competitively.

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