Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 237 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Che Ya SN, Muhamad R, Zakaria R, Mohd Zain N, Ishak A, Hassan II, et al.
    Arch Sex Behav, 2021 Nov 08.
    PMID: 34750771 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-021-02051-3
    Sexuality is currently neglected in the medical care of cancer patients although female sexual dysfunction (FSD) and sexual problems are highly prevalent among breast cancer patients in Malaysia. This paper explores the consequences of breast cancer and its treatment on the sexuality and sexual health of women with breast cancer using a qualitative design and a phenomenological methodology. Fourteen married women with breast cancer who fulfill the criteria for FSD from Kelantan, Malaysia participated in two interviews: in-depth interview and followed by photo-elicitation interview after two weeks duration. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. We identified overlapping themes that can be explained by sexual script theory. Breast cancer treatments disturb the sex response cycle, leading to changes in sexuality, from intimacy in marriage to women preferring physical affection to intercourse. The women struggled with a perceived imperfection about symbol of femininity after noticing changes in their husbands' sexual performance and after experiencing their own sentiments of inadequacy as a wife. Fear and guilt surfaced as part of the journey, accompanied by frustration on the part of the spouse, or him becoming more attentive. This study highlights the problem of breast cancer and its treatment as regards the sexual well-being of patients and their spouses. Hence, recognizing and addressing sexual health will improve the overall experience for survivors.
  2. Quek KF, Low WY, Razack AH, Loh CS
    Med J Malaysia, 2001 Sep;56(3):293-301.
    PMID: 11732073
    Main objective of this study is to validate the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL-20) in the Malaysian population. Reliability and internal consistency were evaluated using the test-retest method and Cronbach's alpha. Responsiveness was expressed as the effect size. Internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach's alpha value = 0.68 to 0.87). Test-retest correlation coefficients and intraclass correlation coefficient were significant (ICC = 0.58 and 0.91) as well as the high degree of sensitivity and specificity. The HRQOL-20 is a reliable, valid and sensitive to clinical changes in the Malaysian urological population.
  3. Taib NA, Yip CH, Low WY
    World J Surg, 2014 Jul;38(7):1676-84.
    PMID: 24280975 DOI: 10.1007/s00268-013-2339-4
    Advanced breast cancer presentation remains a large obstacle in lowering mortality rates in low- and middle-resource countries. This study aims to explore the reasons why women present with breast cancer at an advanced stage.
  4. Tong WT, Low WY, Wong YL, Choong SP, Jegasothy R
    Asia Pac J Public Health, 2014 Sep;26(5):536-45.
    PMID: 24368749 DOI: 10.1177/1010539513514434
    This study explores contraceptive practice and decision making of women who have experienced abortion in Malaysia. In-depth interviews were carried out with 31 women who had abortions. Women in this study did adopt some method of modern contraception prior their abortion episodes. However, challenges to use a method consistently were experiences and fear of side effects, contraceptive failure, partner's influence, lack of confidence, and cost. The decision to adopt contraception was theirs but the types of contraceptive methods to adopt were influenced by their spouses/partners. The women wanted to use modern contraception but were faced with challenges that hampered its use. More proactive contraceptive promotion is needed to educate people on the array of contraceptive methods available and made accessible to them, to correct misconceptions on safety of modern contraception, to increase men's involvement in contraceptive choices, and to encourage consistent contraceptive use to prevent unintended pregnancies.
  5. Ho CC, Tong SF, Low WY, Ng CJ, Khoo EM, Lee VK, et al.
    BJU Int, 2012 Jul;110(2):260-5.
    PMID: 22093057 DOI: 10.1111/j.1464-410X.2011.10755.x
    Study Type - Therapy (RCT). Level of Evidence 1b. What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Testosterone deficiency syndrome can be treated with testosterone replacement in the form of injectable, transdermal, buccal and oral preparations. Long-acting i.m. testosterone undecanoate 1000 mg, which is given at 10-14 week intervals, has been shown to be adequate for sustaining normal testosterone levels in hypogonadal men. This study confirms that long-acting i.m. testosterone undecanoate is effective in improving the health-related quality of life in men with testosterone deficiency syndrome as assessed by the improvement in the Aging Male Symptoms scale. Testosterone treatment can be indicated in men who have poor health-related quality of life resulting from testosterone deficiency syndrome.
  6. Low WY, Tong WT, Wong YL, Jegasothy R, Choong SP
    Asia Pac J Public Health, 2015 Jan;27(1):33-7.
    PMID: 25452590 DOI: 10.1177/1010539514562275
    Malaysia has an abortion law, which permits termination of pregnancy to save a woman's life and to preserve her physical and mental health (Penal Code Section 312, amended in 1989). However, lack of clear interpretation and understanding of the law results in women facing difficulties in accessing abortion information and services. Some health care providers were unaware of the legalities of abortion in Malaysia and influenced by their personal beliefs with regard to provision of abortion services. Accessibility to safer abortion techniques is also an issue. The development of the 2012 Guidelines on Termination of Pregnancy and Guidelines for Management of Sexual and Reproductive Health among Adolescents in Health Clinics by the Ministry of Health, Malaysia, is a step forward toward increasing women's accessibility to safe abortion services in Malaysia. This article provides an account of women's accessibility to abortion in Malaysia and the health sector response in addressing the barriers.
  7. See HY, Mohamed MS, Mohd Noor SN, Low WY
    Account Res, 2019 01;26(1):49-64.
    PMID: 30526066 DOI: 10.1080/08989621.2018.1556646
    The review of clinical trials with human participants in Malaysia is governed by a decentralized control system. The clinical trial protocols are reviewed by 13 registered research ethics committees (RECs) in Malaysia. A governmental body, the National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau, is responsible for the inspection and oversight of these registered RECs to ensure that they comply with the regulatory requirements. However, this study highlights that each REC in Malaysia has a different standard operating procedure and ethical review process. Other procedural challenges identified include inadequate membership, poor mechanism for research monitoring after ethical approval, and insufficient resources. Establishments of a national standard of REC and a central ethics committee are suggested to ensure procedural compliance in the oversight of clinical trials in Malaysia. While there is a growing concern that procedural compliance may not have a direct impact on the protection of human subjects, our key point is that an ethical review system compliant with the national standards could serve as a strong framework to support and enhance the ethical quality of decision-making and judgement. We believe that being aware of how influential procedural compliance can be would help committees improve the ethical quality of their research review.
  8. Lee YK, Ng CJ, Low WY
    J Eval Clin Pract, 2017 Dec;23(6):1281-1288.
    PMID: 28585242 DOI: 10.1111/jep.12777
    RATIONALE, AIMS, AND OBJECTIVES: Patient concerns are often neglected in consultations, especially for chronic diseases where patients and providers fall into the routine of chronic disease management in consultations. One strategy to elicit patient concerns has been to ask patients to complete agenda lists before the consultation. This study aimed to explore the impact of a preconsultation agenda website in addressing patients' unmet needs during chronic disease consultations.
    METHODS: Patients entered their concerns into a website (Values In Shared Interactions Tool (VISIT)). Doctors accessed this information via the electronic medical records before consultations. Individual in-depth interviews were then conducted with patients and doctors on the website's impact on consultations. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically.
    RESULTS: The average age (years) was 65.7 for patients (n = 8) and 35.7 for doctors (n = 7). Patients in the study entered between 1 to 6 items in the website. From postconsultation interviews, we found that the website impacted the consultation in 5 ways: (1) It facilitated patients to communicate their full agenda to doctors; (2) it helped address unmet patient needs as it gave them opportunity to raise other issues besides their chronic condition; (3) it facilitated rapport between doctor and patient; (4) it facilitated doctors to organize their consultation around the concerns the patient had listed; and (5) it disrupted the doctor's usual consultation style if the list of concerns was lengthy.
    CONCLUSIONS: Integrating patient concerns into electronic health records helped to facilitate patient-centred consultations. Doctors found this information useful but felt uneasy if the agenda list was too long or too complex. Areas for future studies include training doctors to manage complex agendas and formal evaluation of the VISIT tool.
    Study site: Primary care clinic, University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  9. Tan HM, Low WY, Tong SF, Hanif J, Appannah G, Lee VKM, et al.
    MyJurnal
    The Aging Male Symptoms Scale (AMS) measures health-related quality of life in aging men. The objective of this paper is to describe the translation and validation of the AMS into Bahasa Melayu (BM). The original English version of the AMS was translated into BM by 2 translators to produce BM1 and BM2, and subsequently harmonized to produce BM3. Two other independent translators, blinded to the English version, back-translated BM3 to yield E2 and E3. All versions (BM1, BM2, BM3, E2, E3) were compared with the English version. The BM pre-final version was produced, and pre-tested in 8 participants. Proportion Agreement, Weighted Kappa, Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient, and verbatim responses were used. The English and the BM versions showed excellent equivalence (weighted Kappa and Spearman Rank Coefficients, ranged from 0.72 to 1.00, and Proportion Agreement values ranged from 75.0% to 100%). In conclusion, the BM version of the AMS was successfully translated and adapted.
  10. Sornpaisarn B, Shield K, Manthey J, Limmade Y, Low WY, Van Thang V, et al.
    Int J Drug Policy, 2020 Jul 22;83:102856.
    PMID: 32711336 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102856
    Background Factors and policies which potentially explain the changes in alcohol consumption and related harms from 2010 to 2017 in 11 middle-income countries in the South-East Asian region (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam) were examined. Methods Using secondary data from UN agencies, we analyzed trends in alcohol consumption, alcohol-attributable deaths and the burden of disease. Results Starting from a level of consumption significantly below the global average-especially among the Muslim-majority countries (Maldives, Indonesia, and Malaysia)-the majority of the countries in this region had markedly increased their alcohol consumption along with the economic development they experienced between 2010 and 2017. In fact, five middle-income countries in this region (Vietnam, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Timor-Leste) were in the top 12 countries globally based on absolute increases in adult alcohol per capita consumption (APC). The Philippines and Malaysia were the exceptions, as they had reduced their APC over this period. The majority of South-East Asian countries had parallel increasing trends in the age-standardized alcohol-attributable deaths and DALYs since 2010, in contrast to global trends. While all countries put some alcohol control policies in place, there were differences in the number and strength of the policies applied, commensurate with trends in consumption. In particular, three of the countries which were most successful in reducing consumption and harm (Malaysia, Philippines, and Sri Lanka) applied more effective tax methods based on specific taxation alone or in combination with another taxation method, applying higher taxation rates and regularly increasing them over time. Conclusion To achieve the global target and the Sustainable Development Goal in reducing alcohol consumption worldwide, middle-income countries, especially lower-middle-income countries, should employ stricter alcohol control policies, and apply an appropriate excise tax on alcohol products with regular increases to reflect inflation.
  11. Gayatri RW, Katmawanti S, Wardani HE, Low WY
    Enferm Clin, 2021 04;31 Suppl 2:S311-S315.
    PMID: 33849188 DOI: 10.1016/j.enfcli.2020.09.019
    The purpose of this study is to develop an interactive service for people with DM and design a product specifically for the Android operating system. This study employs a research and development (R&D) design. The research phase consisted of a situation analysis, data collection, product design, expert validation, product revision, product tryout, and final revision. The research instrument was a questionnaire. Data analysis involved descriptive quantitative in percentage form. The results of the validation from the Android application experts, which focused on display quality, technical concerns, audio, and video quality, were found at 93.75% (very acceptable). In addition, the results of the validity assessment from the material experts, including general health experts and nutritionists, reached 98.08% (very acceptable) and 86.54% (very feasible), respectively. Based on the results of expert validation, the application design is categorized as very acceptable for development as a DM interactive service product.
  12. Yew KC, Tan QR, Lim PC, Low WY, Lee CY
    Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol, 2024 Mar;397(3):1421-1431.
    PMID: 37728622 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-023-02716-x
    Direct-acting antivirals (DAA) have become the treatment of choice for hepatitis C. Nevertheless, efficacy of DAA in preventing hepatitis C complications remains uncertain. We evaluated the impact of DAA on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurrence and recurrence, all-cause mortality, liver decompensation and liver transplantation as compared to non-DAA treated hepatitis C and the association to baseline liver status. A systematic search for articles from March 1993 to March 2022 was conducted using three electronic databases. Randomized, case-control and cohort studies with comparison to non-DAA treatment and reporting at least one outcome were included. Meta-analysis and sub-group meta-analysis based on baseline liver status were performed. Of 1497 articles retrieved, 19 studies were included, comprising of 266,310 patients (56.07% male). DAA reduced HCC occurrence significantly in non-cirrhosis (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.69-0.92) and cirrhosis (RR 0.39, 95% CI 0.24-0.64) but not in decompensated cirrhosis. DAA treatment lowered HCC recurrence (RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.55-0.92) especially in patients with baseline HCC and waiting for liver transplant. DAA also reduced all-cause mortality (RR 0.43, 95% CI 0.23-0.78) and liver decompensation (RR 0.52, 95% CI 0.33-0.83) significantly. However, DAA did not prevent liver transplantation. The study highlighted the importance of early DAA initiation in hepatitis C treatment for benefits beyond sustained virological response. DAA therapy prevented HCC particularly in non-cirrhosis and compensated cirrhosis groups indicating benefits in preventing further worsening of liver status. Starting DAA early also reduced HCC recurrence, liver decompensation, and all-cause mortality.
  13. Chong CW, Alkatheeri AHS, Ali N, Tay ZH, Lee YL, Paramasivam SJ, et al.
    Gut Pathog, 2020;12:14.
    PMID: 32175011 DOI: 10.1186/s13099-020-00352-x
    Background: The rise of nature-based ecotourism in the past decade has introduced unprecedented challenges in managing the increasing interaction between humans and animals. The potential transmission of antibiotic resistant microbes between humans and non-human primate populations is a concern due to their genetic similarity. Malaysia is well known for hotspots of wildlife diversity where non-human primates like monkeys and orangutans have become popular tourist attractions. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of antimicrobial resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus species, and other Enterobacteriaceae in the faeces of human (HS) and two non-human primates (NHP) in Malaysia, the Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis, MF) and Silvered leaf monkey (Trachypithecus cristatus, TC). In addition, the faecal bacterial composition was profiled to evaluate the potential association between antibiotic resistant profiles and composition of gut microbiota.

    Results: We tested the isolated bacteria using a selection of antibiotics. The results showed that both the number of antibiotic resistant strains and resistance level were higher in humans than NHPs. Overall, the composition of gut microbiome and pattern of antibiotic resistance showed that there was higher similarity between MF and TC, the two NHPs, than with HS. In addition, samples with higher levels of antibiotic resistance showed lower bacterial richness. Homo sapiens had the lowest bacterial diversity and yet it had higher abundance of Bacteroides. In contrast, NHPs displayed higher bacterial richness and greater prevalence of Firmicutes such as Ruminococceae and Oscillospira.

    Conclusion: Higher antibiotic susceptibility in NHPs is likely related to low direct exposure to antibiotics. The lack of resistance may also suggest limited antimicrobial resistance transmission between humans and NHP. Nonetheless, continued monitoring over a long period will help mitigate the risk of anthropozoonosis and zooanthroponosis.

  14. Rai NA, Abdul Aziz MJ, Sahid MR, Husain AR, Anjum W, Low WY
    PLoS One, 2023;18(10):e0291873.
    PMID: 37847692 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291873
    This paper proposes an average current mode controller (ACMC) for a single-phase bridgeless power factor correction (PFC) circuit using a single ended primary inductor converter (SEPIC) via second-order model reduction. The superiority of the proposed controller is PFC accomplished at power up to 350 W with high efficiency via the second-order model reduction. The design and implementation of ACMC on the converter operated with continuous conduction mode (CCM) is explained in detail. ACMC forces input current to follow sinusoidal current reference at different power levels and sustain high power factor (PF). The proposed controller is designed based on the theoretical analysis operation of the circuit. For verification, MATLAB/Simulink simulations are carried out and validation through an experiment test rig for 110-220 Vrms input, 100 Vdc/ 350 W output prototype at 20 kHz switching frequency. It is proven that the proposed controller strategy accomplishes high PF, high efficiency and conformity with the simulation.
  15. Loganathan A, Ng CJ, Tan MP, Low WY
    BMJ Open, 2015 Nov 05;5(11):e008460.
    PMID: 26546140 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-008460
    OBJECTIVE: To explore the barriers faced by healthcare professionals (HCPs) in managing falls among older people (aged above 60 years) who have a high risk of falling.

    RESEARCH DESIGN: The study used a qualitative methodology, comprising 10 in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions. A semistructured topic guide was used to facilitate the interviews, which were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and checked for accuracy. Data were analysed thematically using WeftQDA software.

    PARTICIPANTS: 20 HCPs who managed falls in older people.

    SETTING: This study was conducted at the Primary Care Clinic in the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Malaysia.

    RESULTS: Four categories of barriers emerged-these were related to perceived barriers for older people, HCPs' barriers, lack of caregiver support and healthcare system barriers. HCPs perceived that older people normalised falls, felt stigmatised, were fatalistic, as well as in denial regarding falls-related advice. HCPs themselves trivialised falls and lacked the skills to manage falls. Rehabilitation was impeded by premature decisions to admit older people to nursing homes. Lastly, there was a lack of healthcare providers as well as a dearth of fall education and training on fall prevention for HCPs.

    CONCLUSIONS: This study identified barriers that explain poor fall management in older people with a high risk of falls. The lack of structured fall prevention guidelines and insufficient training in fall management made HCPs unable to advise patients on how to prevent falls. The findings of this study warrant evidence-based structured fall prevention intervention targeted to patients as well as to HCPs.

Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links