METHODS: A case-control study was conducted by interviewing 350 women who were admitted to the university gynaecological unit for spontaneous abortion and 350 women who delivered normally at the university obstetric unit. Odds ratios, as the estimators of relative risks, were calculated.
RESULTS: The relative risk for spontaneous abortion among women in the age-group 30 to 39 years was 1.61 and among women above 40 years of age was 3.68 when compared to those below 30 years of age. In relation to career women, the relative risk of spontaneous abortion for housewives was 0.45. Ethnic group, parity, subfertility, previous induced abortion, ectopic pregnancy, contraception and menarcheal age did not influence the risk of spontaneous abortion.
CONCLUSION: Increasing age and a woman's career are significant risk factors of spontaneous abortion.
METHODS: Sprague Dawley rats clustered into five groups, normal control (A) and cancer controls were subcutaneously injected with normal saline and 15 mg/kg azoxymethane, respectively, and nourished on 10% tween 20 and fed on 10% tween 20; reference control (C), injected with 15 mg/kg azoxymethane and injected (intraperitoneal) with 35 mg/kg 5-fluorouracil (5-FU); D and E rat groups received a subcutaneous injection of 15 mg/kg azoxymethane and nourished on 30 and 60 mg/kg of PN, respectively.
RESULTS: The acute toxicity trial showed a lack of any abnormal signs or mortality in rats ingested with 250 and 500 mg/kg of PN. The gross morphology of colon tissues revealed significantly lower total colonic aberrant crypt foci incidence in PN-treated rats than that of cancer controls. Histological examination of colon tissues showed increased aberrant crypt foci availability with bizarrely elongated nuclei, stratified cells and higher depletion of the submucosal glands in cancer controls. PN treatment caused positive modulation of apoptotic (Bax and Bcl-2) proteins and inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10). Moreover, rats fed on PN had significantly higher antioxidants (superoxide dismutase) and lower malondialdehyde concentrations in their colon tissue homogenates.
CONCLUSION: The chemoprotective efficiency of PN against azoxymethane-induced aberrant crypt foci is shown by lower aberrant crypt foci values and higher aberrant crypt foci inhibition percentage, possibly through augmentation of genes responsible for apoptotic cascade and inflammations originating from azoxymethane oxidative stress insults.
METHODS: The methodology was based on the search process described in the paper, "Bibliography of clinical research in Malaysia: methods and brief results". The search databases included PubMed, Scopus and several Malaysian journals such as MyJurnal and UKM Journal Repository, by using the following keywords: (heart valve disease OR infective endocarditis OR rheumatic heart disease) and (Malaysia).
RESULTS: In all 94 papers were identified of which 39 papers were selected and reviewed on the basis of their relevance. The local studies contributed to the knowledge and understanding of the epidemiology, aetiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentations, investigations, treatment, and outcomes of heart valve disease in the country.
DISCUSSION: The clinical relevance of the studies performed in the country is discussed along with recommendations for future research.