MATERIALS AND METHODS: Lecturers and students in the Phase (Year) II programme were asked to fill questionnaires following the second and fourth PBL cases. The two sets of survey responses were compared to see whether the students' and teachers' perceptions had changed over the 5-month period.
RESULTS: Students' responses from both surveys (1 and 2) were similar in that a majority agreed that the PBL tutorials had encouraged the seeking of information (66% and 67%, respectively), had improved understanding (57% and 56%), integration (65% and 70%) and application (50% and 64%) of knowledge. However, the views given in the form of written comments, following their positive responses, were somewhat contradictory. A large number of students (38% and 40%) faced difficulties in getting involved in discussions during the PBL tutorial and a majority (73% and 82%) preferred the normal subject-based tutorials. The reasons given by approximately 20% of the students were that the subject-based tutorials were more efficient for obtaining information and/or that the information had been pre-selected by the lecturers. More than 80% of the lecturers (in both surveys) perceived that the students had identified the appropriate learning objectives and covered the subject matter. The percentage of lecturers who agreed that PBL tutorials encouraged rapport and teamwork amongst students had increased in the second survey, from 70% to 92% and 55% to 83% respectively.
CONCLUSION: Implementing PBL is not simply a matter of developing new teaching materials and new effective ways of presenting them. It requires a paradigm shift, a change in the roles of students and teachers, and time.
METHOD: For this purpose, we employ fractal theory and analyze the variations of fractal dimension of GSR and EEG signals when subjects are exposed to different olfactory stimuli in the form of pleasant odors.
RESULTS: Based on the obtained results, the complexity of GSR signal changes with the complexity of EEG signal in case of different stimuli, where by increasing the molecular complexity of olfactory stimuli, the complexity of EEG and GSR signals increases. The results of statistical analysis showed the significant effect of stimulation on variations of complexity of GSR signal. In addition, based on effect size analysis, fourth odor with greatest molecular complexity had the greatest effect on variations of complexity of EEG and GSR signals.
CONCLUSION: Therefore, it can be said that human skin reaction changes with the variations in the activity of human brain. The result of analysis in this research can be further used to make a model between the activities of human skin and brain that will enable us to predict skin reaction to different stimuli.
METHODS: This retrospective cohort study includes adult patients of two tertiary hospitals in Malaysia. Potential study subjects were identified using pharmacy supply database or novel oral anticoagulant (NOAC) registry. Demographics, clinical data and laboratory test results were extracted from the medical records of the patients or electronic databases. The main outcome measure is the occurrence of a bleeding event. Bleeding events were classified into major bleeding, clinically relevant non-major bleeding, or minor bleeding, according to the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis criteria. We consider clinically relevant non-major bleeding events or major bleeding events as clinically relevant bleeding events. An occurrence of any bleeding event was recorded from the initiation of NOAC therapy until the death of a patient, or the date of permanent discontinuation of NOAC use, or the last day of data collection. The predicted rate of dabigatran-induced bleeding events per 100 patient-years was estimated.
RESULTS: During a median follow-up period of 18 months, 73 patients experienced 90 bleeding events. Among these patients, 25 including 4 fatal cases, experienced major bleeding events. The predicted rate per 100 patient-years of follow-up of any bleeding events was 9.0 [95% CI 6.9 to 11.1]; clinically relevant bleeding events 6.0 [95% CI 4.8 to 8.3], and major bleeding events 3.0 [95% CI 1.9 to 4.2]. The independent risk factor for clinically relevant bleeding events is prior bleeding. While prior bleeding or congestive heart failure is linked with major bleeding events.
CONCLUSIONS: The predicted rate for dabigatran-induced major bleeding episodes is low but these adverse events carry a high fatality risk. Preventive measures should target older patients who have prior bleeding or congestive heart failure. This article is open to POST-PUBLICATION REVIEW. Registered readers (see "For Readers") may comment by clicking on ABSTRACT on the issue's contents page.
OBJECTIVES: We aim to determine the prevalence, demographic and clinical characteristics of MOG antibody disease (MOGAD) specifically identifying any ethnic variations unique to our local population, with global perspectives.
METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study conducted at the Neurology Department, Kuala Lumpur Hospital from January 2018 to January 2021. Out of 750 CNS IIDDs, seventy-eight consecutive anti-AQP4 antibody negative NMOSD/high risk undifferentiated relapsing or monophasic CNSIIDD subjects were tested for anti-MOG.
RESULTS: Anti-MOG was positive in thirty six out of seventy-eight (%)(46.1%) seronegative patients. The prevalence of MOGAD in our Malaysian population is 0.12 per 100,000 persons with less marked female preponderance of 2:1 and younger age at onset of 23.8 ± 14.4 years. Despite a predominantly ethnic Malay population, a high proportion of our MOGAD patients were Indian (Proportion of Malay:Chinese:Indian:others; 16:9:10:1, prevalence 0.5 per 100,000 population for Indians) with favourable disease course in the most with minor exceptions. Monophasic and relapsing disease course was seen in 11.2% and 88.8% of patients respectively. However, fulminant aggressive disease can occur especially amongst the Chinese and paediatric cohorts. Optic neuritis, NMOSD and ADEM were the commonest presentations at onset and first relapse. EDSS at diagnosis, first relapse, and last follow-up were 4.5±2.5, 3±2.0, and 1.75(range 1-3). Neuroimaging showed large, fluffy, PRES- like supratentorial cortical, periventricular deep white matter ,diencephalon lesions,enhancing anterior optic nerve with or without chiasmal sparring lesions and cervical/cervicothoracic involvement. Area post rema lesions were rare. Threshold steroid levels exist relapsing on withdrawal some fulminantly requiring Immunosuppressants(rituximab) and intravenous immunoglobulins to maintain remission.
CONCLUSION: Malaysian MOGAD profile was similar to its international descriptions of the disease with ethnic selectivity for Indians. Prolonged steroid maintenance is essential to prevent relapses. Fulminant aggressive cases of MOGAD especially amongst Paediatric patients and the Chinese cohort have been reported.
OBJECTIVE: In order to address this issue, we analyzed how leg muscle activity is related to the variations of the path of movement.
METHOD: Since the electromyography (EMG) signal is a feature of muscle activity and the movement path has complex structures, we used entropy analysis in order to link their structures. The Shannon entropy of EMG signal and walking path are computed to relate their information content.
RESULTS: Based on the obtained results, walking on a path with greater information content causes greater information content in the EMG signal which is supported by statistical analysis results. This allowed us to analyze the relation between muscle activity and walking path.
CONCLUSION: The method of analysis employed in this research can be applied to investigate the relation between brain or heart reactions and walking path.
OBJECTIVE: In this research we benefit from fractal analysis to study the effect of complexity of path of movement on the complexity of human brain reaction.
METHODS: For this purpose we calculate the fractal dimension of the electroencephalography (EEG) signal when subjects walk on different paths with different fractal dimensions (complexity).
RESULTS: The results of the analysis show that the complexity of brain activity increases with the increment of complexity of path of movement.
CONCLUSION: The method of analysis employed in this research can also be employed to analyse the reaction of the human heart and respiration when subjects move on paths with different complexities.
OBJECTIVE: In this research, for the first time, we investigate how facial muscle reaction is related to the reaction of the human brain.
METHODS: Since both electromyography (EMG) and electroencephalography (EEG) signals, as the features of muscle and brain activities, contain information, we benefited from the information theory and computed the Shannon entropy of EMG and EEG signals when subjects were exposed to different static visual stimuli with different Shannon entropies (information content).
RESULTS: Based on the obtained results, the variations of the information content of the EMG signal are related to the variations of the information content of the EEG signal and the visual stimuli. Statistical analysis also supported the results indicating that the visual stimuli with greater information content have a greater effect on the variation of the information content of both EEG and EMG signals.
CONCLUSION: This investigation can be further continued to analyze the relationship between facial muscle and brain reactions in case of other types of stimuli.