Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 32 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Cheah WL, Lee PY, Chang CT, Mohamed HJ, Wong SL
    PMID: 23691641
    Although the association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic syndrome has been previously firmly established, the prevalence of NAFLD and its risk factors in rural communities remains incompletely defined. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with ultrasound-diagnosed NAFLD amongst a rural community in Sarawak. An indigenous village was randomly selected where all adults aged 21 years and above underwent an abdominal ultrasound, biochemical tests and an anthropometric assessment. Respondents with a score > or =8 on an alcohol-use disorders-identification test (AUDIT) indicating harmful or hazardous drinking were excluded. Seventy-seven respondents (46.8% male, mean age 48.4 SD 16.64), met inclusion criteria. The prevalence of ultrasound diagnosed NAFLD was 44.2% (n=34), among them 52.9% had moderate NAFLD. There were no significant age or gender differences between respondents with and without NAFLD, although those with NAFLD were older. Respondents with NAFLD had a significantly higher BMI t,han those without NAFLD (p<0.001). Both male and female respondents with NAFLD had a significantly higher waist circumference than those without NAFLD (p<0.001). Prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia were significantly higher among those with NAFLD. However, there were no significant differences in terms of percentage of unhealthy body fat and muscle, and serum HDL levels. Risk factors independently associated with NAFLD included male gender (odd ratio 0.06; 95% CI 0.008-0.523) and waist circumference (odd ratio 1.2; 95% CI 1.036-1.421). There was a high prevalence of NAFLD and the presence of more severe stages of disease in this indigenous population. Life-style related diseases, such as fatty liver disease, can occur in rural as well as urban populations.
  2. Zulkarnaen M, Tang IP, Wong SL
    Malays J Pathol, 2012 Jun;34(1):53-5.
    PMID: 22870599 MyJurnal
    We present a case of a papillary tumour at the cerebellopontine angle in a 41-year-old man. He presented with left-sided facial and ear pain associated with dizziness, nystagmus and hearing loss. CT scan of the temporal bone showed a destructive tumour at the left cerebellopontine angle. Surgical excision was performed and the diagnosis of the endolymphatic sac tumour was made. Endolymphatic tumour is a low grade adenocarcinoma that originates from the endolymphatic sac. The definitive diagnosis requires a combination of clinical features, radiological finding and pathological correlation.
  3. Mariana AM, Wong SL
    Med J Malaysia, 2011 Dec;66(5):487-90.
    PMID: 22390107 MyJurnal
    The aim of the study was to document the prevalence of learning disability among the children attending the Paediatric Clinic in Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar Seremban. The demographic distribution of these patients; the age of detection of the problem; the associated medical conditions and types of intervention received by these patients were documented. Patients who were between the ages of five to twelve years were included in the study. Learning disability was divided into three categories: speech and articulation problems, academic skills disorder and other categories which included developmental delay. Children with cerebral palsy were excluded from the study. Out of 1320 patients screened, 355 were found to have learning disorders. Majority were Malays, with the male to female ratio of 1.9:1. Most of the patients stayed in Seremban. The learning problem was most commonly detected at the age of 4 years and below. The commonest type of learning disorder was developmental delay, followed by academic skills disorder, speech and academic skills problems and speech disorders. Problems that were detected early were speech problems and developmental delay. Majority of the children had associated medical conditions. Most of the patients received some form of intervention but 11.3% did not attend any intervention program at all. A strategy should be formulated and implemented to help this group of children.

    Study site: Paediatric Clinic in Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar Seremban
  4. Amar HSS, Abdul Hamid M, Wong SL
    PMID: 8653438
    A one year prospective study of perinatal deaths was conducted to test the feasibility of using the Wigglesworth pathophysiological classification in the Malaysian health service. Four regions with high perinatal mortality rates were selected. Deaths were actively identified. Nursing staff were trained to use the classification and every death was reviewed by a clinician. A total of 26,198 births and 482 perinatal deaths were reported. The perinatal mortality rate was 18.4. Only 14 (2.9%) deaths had their Wigglesworth category reclassified. Most deaths were in the normally formed macerated stillbirths (34.4%), asphyxial conditions (26.8%), and immaturity (20.1%) subgroups. The results were compared with data from other countries that used this classification. This study has shown that the Wigglesworth pathophysiological classification can be applied to perinatal deaths in the existing Malaysian health service.
  5. Kek HY, Tan H, Othman MHD, Nyakuma BB, Goh PS, Wong SL, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2023 Dec;30(58):121253-121268.
    PMID: 37979109 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-30912-y
    Understanding particle dispersion characteristics in indoor environments is crucial for revising infection prevention guidelines through optimized engineering control. The secondary wake flow induced by human movements can disrupt the local airflow field, which enhances particle dispersion within indoor spaces. Over the years, researchers have explored the impact of human movement on indoor air quality (IAQ) and identified noteworthy findings. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive review that systematically synthesizes and summarizes the research in this field. This paper aims to fill that gap by providing an overview of the topic and shedding light on emerging areas. Through a systematic review of relevant articles from the Web of Science database, the study findings reveal an emerging trend and current research gaps on the topic titled Impact of Human Movement in Indoor Airflow (HMIA). As an overview, this paper explores the effect of human movement on human microenvironments and particle resuspension in indoor environments. It delves into the currently available methods for assessing the HMIA and proposes the integration of IoT sensors for potential indoor airflow monitoring. The present study also emphasizes incorporating human movement into ventilation studies to achieve more realistic predictions and yield more practical measures. This review advances knowledge and holds significant implications for scientific and public communities. It identifies future research directions and facilitates the development of effective ventilation strategies to enhance indoor environments and safeguard public health.
  6. Tan H, Othman MHD, Chong WT, Kek HY, Wong SL, Nyakuma BB, et al.
    J Environ Manage, 2024 Apr;356:120644.
    PMID: 38522274 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120644
    Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials, mainly consisting of polymers. The use of plastics has increased to over 300 million metric tonnes in recent years, and by 2050, it is expected to grow to 800 million. Presently, a mere 10% of plastic waste is recycled, with approximately 75% ended up in landfills. Inappropriate disposal of plastic waste into the environment poses a threat to human lives and marine species. Therefore, this review article highlights potential routes for converting plastic/microplastic waste into valuable resources to promote a greener and more sustainable environment. The literature review revealed that plastics/microplastics (P/MP) could be recycled or upcycled into various products or materials via several innovative processes. For example, P/MP are recycled and utilized as anodes in lithium-ion (Li-ion) and sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries. The anode in Na-ion batteries comprising PP carbon powder exhibits a high reversible capacity of ∼340 mAh/g at 0.01 A/g current state. In contrast, integrating Fe3O4 and PE into a Li-ion battery yielded an excellent capacity of 1123 mAh/g at 0.5 A/g current state. Additionally, recycled Nylon displayed high physical and mechanical properties necessary for excellent application as 3D printing material. Induction heating is considered a revolutionary pyrolysis technique with improved yield, efficiency, and lower energy utilization. Overall, P/MPs are highlighted as abundant resources for the sustainable production of valuable products and materials such as batteries, nanomaterials, graphene, and membranes for future applications.
  7. Sobri Muda A, Kwah YG, Al-Edrus SA, Wong SL, Norzaini MZ, Viswanathan S
    Neuroradiol J, 2010 Nov;23(4):443-6.
    PMID: 24148636
    We describe a rare case of multiple dilated Virchow-Robin spaces in the brainstem in a patient presenting initially with blepharospasm with subsequent spread to involve the face and neck. On magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), these lesions demonstrated an isointense signal to cerebrospinal fluid on all sequences with no mass effect or enhancement. Although rare, this condition should be considered part of the differential diagnosis when evaluating cystic abnormalities in the brainstem. This is the first reported case of blepharospasm with subsequent orofacial and neck dystonia caused by dilated Virchow-Robin spaces. The imaging findings and differential diagnoses are discussed.
  8. Zainal AI, Wong SL, Pan KL, Wong OL, Tzar MN
    Trop Biomed, 2011 Aug;28(2):444-9.
    PMID: 22041767 MyJurnal
    Fungal osteomyelitis is a rare opportunistic infection. It exhibits some clinical and radiological similarities to several other bone pathologies. A diagnostic delay may result in significant increase in morbidity. We report a case of a 37-year-old man with underlying hypogammaglobulinaemia presented with isolated cryptococcal osteomyelitis of the femur.
  9. Ho JFV, Yaakup H, Low GSH, Wong SL, Tho LM, Tan SB
    Palliat Med, 2020 May;34(5):619-629.
    PMID: 32103707 DOI: 10.1177/0269216320904905
    BACKGROUND: The prevalence of undertreated cancer pain remains high. Suboptimal pain control affects quality of life and results in psychological and emotional distress. Barriers to adequate pain control include fear of opioid dependence and its side effects.

    AIM: To investigate the attitudes and perceptions of morphine use in cancer pain in advanced cancer patients and their caregivers and to examine the influence of caregivers' attitudes and perceptions on patients' acceptance of morphine.

    DESIGN: Qualitative study involving semi-structured individual interviews transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically.

    SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: A total of 18 adult opioid-naïve patients with advanced cancer and 13 caregivers (n = 31) were recruited at a private tertiary hospital via convenience sampling.

    RESULTS: Attitudes and perceptions of morphine were influenced by previous experiences. Prevalent themes were similar in both groups, including perceptions that morphine was a strong analgesic that reduced suffering, but associated with end-stage illness and dependence. Most participants were open to future morphine use for comfort and effective pain control. Trust in doctors' recommendations was also an important factor. However, many preferred morphine as a last resort because of concerns about side effects and dependence, and the perception that morphine was only used at the terminal stage. Caregivers' attitudes toward morphine did not affect patients' acceptance of morphine use.

    CONCLUSION: Most participants were open to future morphine use despite negative perceptions as they prioritized optimal pain control and reduction of suffering. Focused education programs addressing morphine misperceptions might increase patient and caregiver acceptance of opioid analgesics and improve cancer pain control.

  10. Law HL, Wong SL, Tan S
    Singapore Med J, 2013 Feb;54(2):e28-30.
    PMID: 23462838
    Fat embolism to the lungs and brain is an uncommon complication following fractures. Few reports with descriptions of computed tomographic (CT) findings of emboli to the brain or cerebral fat embolism are available. We report a case of cerebral fat embolism following multiple skeletal fractures and present its CT findings here.
  11. Wong SL, Law HL, Tan S
    Malays J Med Sci, 2010 Jul;17(3):61-3.
    PMID: 22135551
    A 6 year-old girl presented with a midline parietal scalp swelling that had been gradually enlarging since birth. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed communication of the cyst with the subarachnoid space through a calvarial defect, with concomitant findings of vertically positioned straight venous sinus and subependymal grey matter heterotopia. A diagnosis of atretic cephalocele was thus made based on these classical imaging findings.
  12. Wong SL, Mohan AJ, Suleiman AB
    Med J Malaysia, 1998 Sep;53(3):245-50.
    PMID: 10968161
    One hundred and twenty specialists from the Ministry of Health, the Universities and the private sector provided information on 4,802 patients seen over a total of two hundred and forty working days. This information was used to classify the patients into four categories based on a disease complexity classification. Each specialist's perception on the appropriateness of utilisation of his expertise was obtained. Complex cases requiring specialist expertise in management made up 69.8%, 73.5% and 19.1% of the cases of the Ministry of Health, University and private sector specialists respectively. Underutilisation was most marked with paediatricians and obstetricians in the private sector. The Specialist Register, the Programme for Accreditation of Hospitals and a National Health Financing Plan can be used to influence positively the case-mix of specialists.
  13. Alshehri AM, Barner JC, Wong SL, Ibrahim KR, Qureshi S
    Int J Health Plann Manage, 2021 May;36(3):945-957.
    PMID: 33711183 DOI: 10.1002/hpm.3147
    BACKGROUND: Muslims with chronic diseases tend to fast during Ramadan, although Islam allows them not to fast. Therefore, understanding their perceptions and how they manage their health, especially as a minority population, is very important.

    OBJECTIVE: To examine Muslims' (1) perceptions of fasting exemptions, (2) medication usage behaviour, (3) perceptions of relationships with healthcare providers and (4) factors impacting health management during Ramadan.

    METHOD: This was a qualitative study employing four focus groups (two groups of women and two groups of men). Adult Muslims (aged 18 years or more) with chronic diseases were invited to participate. Participants were asked open-ended questions about their fasting ability, medication usage behaviours, healthcare access and collaboration with providers during Ramadan. Trained researchers conducted the focus groups interviews in both English and Arabic. Each focus group was recorded, and three investigators independently transcribed the data and extracted themes and categories. Coding terminology issues were resolved through discussion.

    RESULTS: Twenty-five Muslims with chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, renal failure and anaemia) participated. The most prominent themes/subthemes were as follows: (1) fasting exemption (e.g., uncontrolled medical conditions), (2) fasting nonexemption (e.g., controlled medical conditions), (3) nonoral medication use during Ramadan, (4) healthcare provider involvement during Ramadan, and (5) factors impacting health management during Ramadan.

    CONCLUSION: Muslim patients perceive fasting as an important religious practice, so they tend to self-modify their medication-taking behaviours. Educating pharmacists and other healthcare providers about Muslim culture, especially their strong desire to fast, may lead to Muslims better managing their medications and viewing pharmacists and other healthcare providers as knowledgeable healthcare providers.

  14. Wong SL, Nyakuma BB, Nordin AH, Lee CT, Ngadi N, Wong KY, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2021 Mar;28(11):13842-13860.
    PMID: 33196996 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-11643-w
    The anthropogenic emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere is recognized as the main contributor to global climate change. To date, scientists have developed various strategies, including CO2 utilization technologies, to reduce global carbon emissions. This paper presents the global scientific landscape of the CO2 utilization research from 1995 to 2019 based on a bibliometric analysis of 1875 publications extracted from Web of Science. The findings indicate a major increase in the number of publications and citations received from 2015 to 2019, denoting a fast-emerging research trend. The dynamics of global CO2 utilization research is partly driven by China's policies and research funding to promote low-carbon economic development. Applied Energy is recognized as a core journal in this research topic. The utilization of CO2 is a multidisciplinary topic that has progressed by multidimensional collaborations at the country and organizations levels, while the formation of co-authorship networks at the individual level is mostly influenced by the authors' affiliations. Keyword co-occurrence analysis reveals a rapid evolution in the CO2 utilization strategies from chemical fixation in carbonates and epoxides to pilot-scale testing of power-to-gas technologies in Europe and the USA. The development of efficient power-to-fuel technologies and biological utilization routes (using microalgae and bacteria) will probably be the next research priorities in CO2 utilization research.
  15. Ibrahim ZA, Chan WH, Wong SL, Ong EJ, Narihan MZ
    J Orthop Surg (Hong Kong), 2014 Dec;22(3):423-6.
    PMID: 25550031
    Extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma (EMC) is aggressive in children. The condition in children differs to that in adults and to skeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma. We report on a 9-year-old girl with EMC in her left thigh. She underwent above-knee amputation. Five months later, a small mass was noted at the right lower lobe of the lung. The patient underwent one course of ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide chemotherapy, followed by resection of the mass and 8 more courses of chemotherapy. At the 2-year follow-up, she was in remission radiologically.
  16. Wong SL, Ibrahim S, Abdul Kadir N, Mohd Salleh S
    Appl Health Econ Health Policy, 2019 10;17(5):641-654.
    PMID: 31093937 DOI: 10.1007/s40258-019-00480-9
    BACKGROUND: High medicines prices are a barrier to medicines access, and their impact is greater in developing countries.

    OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the availability, prices and affordability of medicines in public and private sectors in Malaysia to understand the pharmaceutical environment and guide policy recommendations.

    METHODS: This nationwide cross-sectional study adapted the World Health Organization/Health Action International (WHO/HAI) methodology. A total of 87 premises from both public and private sectors participated in this study. Data on 50 medicines were collected to analyze availability, prices and affordability. Medicine prices were compared against the international reference prices (IRPs), and affordability was assessed by daily income level.

    RESULTS: In the public sector, the average availability of generics (74.8%) was higher than that of the originator brand name products (19.4%). However, in the private sector, the availability of originator brands was higher (52.2%) than generics (49.1%). Procurement prices in the public sector were up to 1.5 times the IRPs, but up to 8.4 times in the private sector. The study also observed large price variation across medicines in the private sector. Median retail mark-ups in private hospitals (generics 166.9%; originators 51.0%) were higher than in retail pharmacies (generics 94.7%; originators 22.4%). Generics were generally affordable, but originator brands were unaffordable.

    CONCLUSION: Current policies on generic medicines need to be strengthened to improve the availability and use of generics in the country. High medicine prices and large price variation in the current free market suggest that coherent pricing policies and regulations are needed to safeguard the accessibility and affordability of medicines for the people.

  17. Wong SL, McLellan R
    J Adolesc, 2024 Feb;96(2):305-321.
    PMID: 37997033 DOI: 10.1002/jad.12276
    INTRODUCTION: Adolescents' social network sites (SNS) use is prominent during the developmental period. Various adolescents' motivations for using  SNS have been reported. However, there is a lack of psychological perspectives in understanding the reasons for adolescents to use SNS. This study explored adolescents' motivation to use SNS, and a comprehensive psychological framework was used to dismantle adolescents' reasons and purposes for using SNS. Adolescents' ways of using SNS were explored to contextualize teens' SNS use.

    METHODS: Semistructured interviews with 18 Malaysian adolescents (Mage  = 15; 50% female; 10 Malay, 5 Chinese, 1 Indian, 1 Other Bumiputera) were conducted. The qualitative data were collected in 2021 in Malaysia through online video calls. Reflexive thematic analysis was the analytic approach.

    RESULTS: Six motivations for using SNS were identified: social interaction, content subscription and exploration, emotional support, participation, distraction, and self-expression. Each of the motivations was explicitly linked with different psychological needs. Adolescents were found to use SNS differently in three aspects: deliberate use (i.e., on purpose of use and time spent on SNS), content-selective, and audience-selective.

    CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that psychological needs are the psychological reasons for adolescents' motivations for using SNS. Adolescence developmental tasks like strong peer identification and identity explorations are parts of the basic and compound psychological needs. Teens are pursuing a sense of self-coherence by using SNS. Adolescents demonstrated to use SNS differently at being deliberate and selective, which is speculated to be a result of the conflict between reflexive and reflective thought processes during SNS use.

  18. Nyakuma BB, Mahyon NI, Chiong MS, Rajoo S, Pesiridis A, Wong SL, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2023 Aug;30(39):90522-90546.
    PMID: 37479929 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-28791-4
    The recovery and utilisation of waste heat from flue/exhaust gases (RU/WHFG) could potentially provide sustainable energy while curbing pollutant emissions. Over time, the RU/WHFG research landscape has gained significant traction and yielded innovative technologies, sustainable strategies, and publications. However, critical studies highlighting current advancements, publication trends, research hotspots, major stakeholders, and future research directions on RU/WHFG research remain lacking. Therefore, this paper presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis and literature review of the RU/WHFG research landscape based on publications indexed in Scopus. Results showed that 123 publications and 2191 citations were recovered between 2010 and 2022. Publication trends revealed that the growing interest in RU/WHFG is mainly due to environmental concerns (e.g. pollution, global warming, and climate change), research collaborations, and funding availability. Stakeholder analysis revealed that numerous researchers, affiliations, and countries have actively contributed to the growth and development of RU/WHFG. Lin Fu and Tsinghua University (China) are the most prolific researchers and affiliations, whereas the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and China are the most prolific funder and country, respectively. Funding availability from influential schemes such as NSFC has accounted for China's dominance. Keyword co-occurrence identified three major research hotspots, namely, thermal energy utilisation and management (cluster 1), integrated energy and resource recovery (cluster 2), and system analysis and optimisation (cluster 3). Literature review revealed that researchers are currently focused on maximising thermodynamic/energy efficiency, fuel minimisation, and emission reduction. Despite progress, research gaps remain in low-temperature/low-grade waste heat recovery, utilisation, storage, life cycle, and environmental impact analysis.
  19. Wong SL, Sulaiman N, Ng KM, Lee ZY
    Malays Fam Physician, 2021 Nov 30;16(3):87-96.
    PMID: 34938396 DOI: 10.51866/oa1153
    Introduction: In the primary care setting, proton pump inhibitor (PPI) overutilisation often stems from the failure to discontinue prophylaxis treatment prior to tertiary care discharge and consider step-down therapy following discharge. Long-term PPI use can result in potential drug-related problems and unnecessary drug expenditure. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of pharmacist-structured review in reducing inappropriate PPI prescriptions and estimate the potential cost saving.

    Methods: This non-randomised controlled study was conducted for 16 weeks at 17 government health clinics in Selangor, Malaysia. Eligible patients attending the outpatient pharmacies of intervention clinics were recruited consecutively and their consent was obtained. A structured review of PPIs was performed in which pharmacists identified patient demographics, indications and the length of PPI therapy using a PPI intervention form. Recommendations were discussed with physicians before prescription changes were made and documented. Moreover, standard management was conducted in the control clinics.

    Results: A total of 568 patients with prescriptions containing PPIs were sampled, with a total of 284 patients being placed into the control and intervention groups, respectively. Compared to the control group, inappropriate PPI utilisation in the intervention group significantly decreased from 79.9 to 30.4% (p<0.05). The changes to PPI prescriptions observed in the intervention group included: stop PPI therapy (30.8%), step-down therapy (22.9%), start substitution therapy (15.9%) and no change (30.4%). The physicians' acceptance rate for pharmacist intervention was 67.8%. A 66.1% reduction in monthly PPI pill count and a 72.0% reduction in monthly medication expenditure (RM44.85/patient/year) were observed.

    Conclusion: The pharmacist-structured review was effective in increasing appropriate PPI utilisation and led to substantial cost savings.

  20. Wong SL, Nyakuma BB, Wong KY, Lee CT, Lee TH, Lee CH
    Mar Pollut Bull, 2020 Sep;158:111432.
    PMID: 32753215 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111432
    This paper presents the research landscape on microplastics and nanoplastics (M/NPs) in global food webs based on a bibliometric analysis of 330 publications published in 2009-2019 extracted from Web of Science. The publications increased tremendously since 2013. Marine Pollution Bulletin is one of the top productive journals for this topic. The publication landscape related to M/NPs in global food webs, as interdisciplinary research, is highly dependent on the funding availability. The high productivities of England, China, USA and European countries are attributed to the funding from the agencies at regional or national levels. Keyword analysis reveals the shift of research hotspots from investigations on M/NPs absorbed by various organisms in the ecosystems to studies on the trophic transfer of M/NPs and sorbed contaminants in the food webs and their associated adverse impacts. Funding agencies play important roles in leading the future development of this topic.
Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

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

External Links