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  1. The lack of relationship between acetylator phenotype and idiopathic systemic lupus erythematosus in a South-east Asian population: a study of Indians, Malays and Malaysian Chinese
    Ong ML, Mant TG, Veerapen K, Fitzgerald D, Wang F, Manivasagar M, et al.
    Br J Rheumatol, 1990 Dec;29(6):462-4.
    PMID: 2257457
    An association of idiopathic systemic lupus erythematosus (ISLE) with genetically determined N-acetylation polymorphism has been suspected from previous studies, mainly on Caucasian populations in which there is an approximate incidence of 50% of slow and rapid acetylators. The present study is of the incidence of ISLE and acetylator status in a mixed population of Malaysia. The results did not support an association between ISLE and acetylator status: the frequencies of slow acetylators in the ISLE patients who were Malaysian Chinese and Malay were 13 and 38% respectively. This did not differ significantly from the respective healthy groups (20 and 29%). The small number of Indians in the survey did not allow a valid comparison, but the figures did suggest a lack of association between ISLE and acetylator status.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
  2. Intestinal fluke infections in Southeast Asia
    Waikagul J
    Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 1991 Dec;22 Suppl:158-62.
    PMID: 1822877
    Twenty-three species of intestinal flukes reported in man in Southeast Asia are assigned to seven families: Echinostomatidae, Fasciolidae, Heterophyidae, Lecithodriidae, Microphallidae, Paramphistomatidae and Plagiorchiidae. The majority of species belongs to the Heterophyidae and Echinostomatidae families. Common species are Fasciolopsis buski, Echinostoma ilocanum, E. malayanum, E. revolutum and Haplorchis yokogawai. The countries where large number of species were reported are Thailand (14 species), Philippines (12 species), Indonesia (8 species) and Malaysia (4 species). Only one species was recognized in Laos, and Vietnam. Several species reported in man in the other regions, were reported in animals in Southeast Asia. It is possible that these are present in humans but have not yet been reported.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
  3. Fulltext The resurgence of tuberculosis
    Lim VK
    Med J Malaysia, 1991 Dec;46(4):298-300.
    PMID: 1840435
    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
  4. Problems and potential of researching epidemiological transition: examples from Southeast Asia
    Phillips DR
    Soc Sci Med, 1991;33(4):395-404.
    PMID: 1948152
    The concept of epidemiological transition is now quite widely recognized, if not so widely accepted. The transition appears to progress at varying speeds and to different extents spatially; it seems that there can be considerable international, regional and local variations in its progress. The paper examines this contention in the case of a number of countries in Southeast Asia, principally Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand. Drawing on evidence from this region, the paper highlights the importance when researching epidemiological transition of the time period under consideration; socio-cultural variations; the nature and quality of data, and spatial scale. It makes some suggestions as to the potential of the concept of epidemiological transition in health care planning and development studies.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
  5. Drugs and AIDS in Southeast-Asia
    Poshyachinda V
    Forensic Sci Int, 1993 Nov;62(1-2):15-28.
    PMID: 8300028
    Opium dependence was indigenous to countries in the Golden Triangle area in south-east Asia (SA). Heroin epidemics developed in most SA countries in the 1960s and early 1970s and remained a significant problem particularly in Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia until now. In contrast, the island countries in SA seemed quite free from opiate abuse. Intravenous injection (IV) of drugs appeared after the heroin epidemic and currently prevails in countries with a significant opiate abuse problem. IV of opium was particularly common in the highly urbanized cities in Vietnam. Most SA countries started HIV seroscreening in IV drug users (IVDU) around the middle of the 1980s. Rapid epidemic spread of HIV infection was observed in 1988-89 in Thailand and Myanmar. The Highest prevalence of more than 80% was reported from a study of IVDUs in Yangon, Myanmar, followed by Thailand at about 40%. Although HIV infected IVDUs were identified at the same time in Malaysia and later in Singapore and the Philippines, there was no evidence of such a rapid and severe epidemic.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
  6. Current status of filariasis in Southeast Asia. Proceedings of the 34th SEAMEO TROPMED regional semiar. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 26-27 June 1992
    Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 1993;24 Suppl 2:1-112.
    PMID: 7973936
    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
  7. Distribution of mouse mammary tumor virus in Asian wild mice
    Imai S, Okumoto M, Iwai M, Haga S, Mori N, Miyashita N, et al.
    J Virol, 1994 May;68(5):3437-42.
    PMID: 8151805
    Several groups of wild mice (Mus musculus) were captured from eight different locations in Asia and bred for several generations in a facility free of any laboratory strains of mice carrying mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV). The distribution of endogenous MMTV proviral sequences in the liver tissues of these mice was investigated by using Southern blot hybridizations. Four categories of mice were identified. Mice originating from Bogor, Indonesia (Cas-Bgr); He-mei, Taiwan (Cas-Hmi/1); and Malaysia (Cas-Mal) were found to carry an endogenous MMTV provirus consisting of the env, gag-pol, and long terminal repeat sequences. Mice captured from Kojuri, Republic of Korea (Sub-Kjr); Nagoya, Japan (Mol-nag); and three Chinese provinces, Shanghai (Sub-Shh), Beijing (Sub-Bjn), and Jiayuguang (Sub-Jyg/1), appeared to carry defective proviruses. Some mice originating from He-mei (Cas-Hmi/2) and Jiayuguang (Sub-Jyg/2) were found to be completely free of endogenous MMTV. Interestingly, however, the Sub-Jyg/2 mice, after several generations of inbreeding, were found, unlike all of the other subspecies that we examined in the present study, to develop mammary tumors at a high incidence (80 to 90%) with a short period of latency. Electron microscopic examination of the mammary glands and mammary tumors of these mice revealed the presence of numerous intracytoplasmic A, immature, budding, and mature B particles. Furthermore, the mammary tumors were found to contain MMTV proviral sequences. It seems, therefore, that Sub-Jyg/2 mice carry an exogenous MMTV which contributes to their developing mammary tumors.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
  8. Climacteric and menopause in seven South-east Asian countries
    Boulet MJ, Oddens BJ, Lehert P, Vemer HM, Visser A
    Maturitas, 1994 Oct;19(3):157-76.
    PMID: 7799822
    The menopause is universal, but what about the climacteric? In an attempt to answer this question, a study was conducted in seven south-east Asian countries, namely, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan. Samples of approximately 400 women in each country were questioned about a number of climacteric complaints, incontinence and dyspareunia, consultation of a physician, menopausal status and several background characteristics. Special care was taken to overcome linguistic and cultural problems, and the data collected were kept as objective as possible. From the results obtained we were able to show that the climacteric was indeed experienced in south-east Asian countries, although in a mild form. The prevalence of hot flushes and of sweating was lower than in western countries, but was nevertheless not negligible. The percentages of women who reported the more psychological types of complaint were similar to those in western countries. The occurrence of climacteric complaints affected perceived health status. A physician was consulted for climacteric complaints by 20% of the respondents, although this was most frequently associated with the occurrence of psychological complaints and less so with that of hot flushes and sweating. The median age at menopause (51.09) appeared to be within the ranges observed in western countries. Ethnic background and age at menarche were found to have a significant influence on age at menopause. The study clearly demonstrated that climacteric complaints occur in south-east Asia. The findings suggest, however, that vasomotor-complaint-related distress might be 'translated' into psychological complaints, which are more frequently considered to warrant consulting a physician.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
  9. Comparative analysis of NS3 sequences of temporally separated dengue 3 virus strains isolated from southeast Asia
    Chow VT, Seah CL, Chan YC
    Intervirology, 1994;37(5):252-8.
    PMID: 7698880
    By a combination of PCR and direct-cycle sequencing using consensus primers, we analyzed approximately 400-bp fragments within the NS3 genes of twenty-one dengue virus type 3 strains isolated from five neighboring Southeast Asian countries at different time intervals from 1956 to 1992. The majority of base disparities were silent mutations, with few predicted amino acid substitutions, thus emphasizing the strict conservation of the NS3 gene. Phylogenetic trees constructed on the basis of these nucleotide differences revealed distinct but related clusters of strains from the Philippines, Indonesia, and strains from Singapore and Malaysia of the 1970s and early 1980s, while the Thai cluster was relatively more distant. This genetic relationship was compatible with that proposed by other workers who have studied other dengue 3 virus genes such as E, M and prM. However, we observed that the more recent, epidemic-associated dengue 3 strains from Singapore and Malaysia of the late 1980s and early 1990s were more closely related to the Thai cluster, implying their evolution from the latter, and emphasizing the importance of viral spread via increasing travel within the Southeast Asian area and elsewhere. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the NS3 genes of dengue viruses can serve to advance the understanding of the epidemiology and evolution of these viruses.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
  10. Analysis of Salmonella typhi isolates from Southeast Asia by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis
    Thong KL, Puthucheary S, Yassin RM, Sudarmono P, Padmidewi M, Soewandojo E, et al.
    J Clin Microbiol, 1995 Jul;33(7):1938-41.
    PMID: 7665677
    Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) revealed that multiple genetic variants of Salmonella typhi are simultaneously present in Southeast Asia and are associated with sporadic cases of typhoid fever and occasional outbreaks. Comparative analysis of PFGE patterns also suggested that considerable genetic diversity exists among S. typhi strains and that some PFGE patterns are shared between isolates obtained from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, implying movement of these strains within these regions of Southeast Asia, where they are endemic.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
  11. Survey of type 6 group variants of hepatitis C virus in Southeast Asia by using a core-based genotyping assay
    Mellor J, Walsh EA, Prescott LE, Jarvis LM, Davidson F, Yap PL, et al.
    J Clin Microbiol, 1996 Feb;34(2):417-23.
    PMID: 8789027
    Previous surveys of the prevalences of genotypes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in different populations have often used genotyping assays based upon analysis of amplified sequences from the 5' noncoding region (5'NCR), such as restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) or hybridization with type-specific probes (e.g., InnoLipa). Although highly conserved, this region contains several type-specific nucleotide polymorphisms that allow major genotypes 1 to 6 to be reliably identified. Recently, however, novel HCV variants found in Vietnam and Thailand that are distantly related to the type 6a genotype (type 6 group) by phylogenetic analysis of coding regions of the genome often have sequences in the 5'NCR that are similar or identical to those of type 1 and could therefore not be identified by an assay of sequences in this region. We developed a new genotyping assay based upon RFLP of sequences amplified from the more variable core region to investigate their distribution elsewhere in southeast (SE) Asia. Among 108 samples from blood donors in seven areas that were identified as type 1 by RFLP in the 5'NCR, type 6 group variants were found in Thailand (7 from 28 samples originally identified as type 1) and Burma (Myanmar) (1 of 3) but were not found in Hong Kong (n = 43), Macau (n = 8), Taiwan (n = 6), Singapore (n = 2), or Malaysia (n = 18). Although this small survey suggests a relatively limited distribution for type 6 group variants in SE Asia, larger studies will be required to explore their distribution in other geographical regions and the extent to which their presence would limit the practical usefulness of 5'NCR-based genotyping assays for clinical or epidemiological purposes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
  12. Current food and nutrition situation in south Asian and south-east Asian countries
    Gopalan C
    Biomed Environ Sci, 1996 Sep;9(2-3):102-16.
    PMID: 8886320
    Food production in the countries of South and South-East Asia has shown a general upward trend during the last decade. Despite the considerable increase in population in many of these countries, food production per capita in 1988-90 was significantly higher as compared to 1979-81 figures, the increase being specially marked in such countries as Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Available daily calorie supply was adequate to meet the requirement. The overall pattern of food production however has shown little change, with cereal production continuing to account for a predominant part of food production. There is no evidence of a significant uptrend with respect to production of pulses, milk, horticultural products, poultry or meat production in most countries. A unique and unfortunate feature of the nutrition situation in South-Asian countries is that the incidence of low birth weight deliveries is as high as 34% (1990), ranging from 25% in Sri Lanka to 50% in Bangladesh (as against less than 7% in the countries of Europe and North America). Even in countries of Africa where the overall food and nutrition situation is worse than in South Asia, the incidence is well below 20%. This is a reflection of the poor state of maternal nutrition in pregnancy. Florid nutritional deficiency diseases have shown a steep decline over the last two decades, but goitre and iron deficiency anaemia continue to be major public health problems, though some headway has been made with regard to the control of the former. Severe forms of growth retardation in children have declined but the majority suffer from mild and moderate forms of growth retardation. Countries of the Region are in varying stages of developmental transition. Among the burgeoning middle classes in some of these countries there are evidences of escalation of degenerative diseases such as diabetes and coronary heart disease. With increasing life expectancy, geriatric nutritional problems will demand increasing attention.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
  13. Geographical genetic structure within the human lung fluke, Paragonimus westermani, detected from DNA sequences
    Blair D, Agatsuma T, Watanobe T, Okamoto M, Ito A
    Parasitology, 1997 Oct;115 ( Pt 4):411-7.
    PMID: 9364568
    Nucleotide sequences were obtained for the second internal transcribed spacer of the ribosomal gene repeat and for part of the mitochondrial-cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene from geographical isolates of Paragonimus westermani from Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, peninsular Malaysia and Thailand. Sequences were obtained from several other species of Paragonimus for comparative purposes. Two groups were recognized within P. westermani: an NE group (China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan) which was relatively uniform and included both diploid and triploid forms, and a southern group (Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines), members of which were genetically distant from one another. According to both ITS2 and COI data, genetic distances among P. westermani isolates equalled or exceeded those between some distinct species of Paragonimus. The ITS2 sequences were conserved relative to COI sequences. Substitutions among the latter may be approaching saturation within the genus Paragonimus.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
  14. Progress toward poliomyelitis eradication -- Western Pacific Region, January 1, 1996-September 27, 1997
    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
    MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, 1997 Nov 28;46(47):1113-7.
    PMID: 9393657
    In 1988, the World Health Assembly adopted the goal of global poliomyelitis eradication by 2000, which was endorsed in each of the six regions of the World Health Organization (WHO). In the Western Pacific Region (WPR), where the last known case of polio associated with isolation of wild poliovirus occurred in March 1997, the reported number of cases decreased from 5963 in 1990 to 197 in 1996. This report documents progress toward polio eradication in WPR from January 1, 1996, through September 27, 1997, in countries where polio is endemic (Cambodia, China, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, and Vietnam) or recently was endemic (Malaysia and Mongolia) and describes the routine and supplemental vaccination activities necessary to interrupt wild poliovirus transmission in the region.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
  15. Fulltext Hepatitis A virus: declining seroprevalence in children and adolescents in Southeast Asia
    Kunasol P, Cooksley G, Chan VF, Isahak I, John J, Loleka S, et al.
    Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 1998 Jun;29(2):255-62.
    PMID: 9886108
    The prevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in a country largely reflects its standards of hygiene and socioeconomic conditions. Countries which undergo socioeconomic development show major change in HAV prevalence from high to low endemicity, and this is largely reflected in patterns of age-related seroprevalence. This paper presents age-related HAV seroprevalence patterns of SE Asian countries, and highlights how these patterns have changed over recent decades. Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia have experienced a decline in childhood and adolescent HAV seroprevalence, typical of countries which undergo socioeconomic development. By contrast, India has remained a country of high endemicity, with almost universal seroconversion in childhood. The Philippines and Vietnam show age-related seroprevalence patterns typical of high to moderate endemicity, while Indonesia shows significant regional variation in HAV seroprevalence. Populations within countries which exhibit major improvements in endemicity and age related HAV seroprevalence patterns are at risk of HAV epidemics, and a paradoxical increase in incidence tends to occur as seroconversion shifts from children to adults. The residents of these countries, a significant number of whom are at-risk, would benefit from a program of vaccination, as would non-infected individuals visiting high-risk areas.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
  16. Fulltext Emerging infectious diseases--Southeast Asia
    Lam SK
    Emerg Infect Dis, 1998 Apr-Jun;4(2):145-7.
    PMID: 9621184
    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
  17. Sexually transmitted disease (STD) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in South East Asia
    Ismail R
    Clin Dermatol, 1999 5 20;17(2):127-35; discussion 105-6.
    PMID: 10330595 DOI: 10.1016/s0738-081x(99)00005-x
    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
  18. Risk factors for early death in acute ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage: A prospective hospital-based study in Asia. Asian Acute Stroke Advisory Panel
    Wong KS
    Stroke, 1999 Nov;30(11):2326-30.
    PMID: 10548666
    BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In Asia, there has been no international study to investigate the risk factors for early death in patients with ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage.

    METHODS: We conducted a prospective study of consecutive patients with acute stroke who were admitted to 36 participating hospitals in China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. With the use of a simple identical data sheet, we recorded the demographics and cardiovascular risk factors of each patient. Early death was defined as death on discharge from the acute hospital.

    RESULTS: We enrolled 2403 patients with ischemic stroke and 783 patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. Among patients with ischemic stroke, previous use of antiplatelet drugs (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0. 30 to 0.95) and relatively young age group 56 to 75 years (OR 0.65; 95% CI 0.42 to 1.00) were protective factors; atrial fibrillation (OR 2.23; 95% CI 1.40 to 3.57), ischemic heart disease (OR 2.03; 95% CI 1.37 to 3.05), diabetes (OR 1.52; 95% CI 1.04 to 2.22), and ex-smoker status (OR 2.18; 95% CI 1.18 to 4.05) were risk factors for early death. Among patients with intracerebral hemorrhage, hypertension (OR 0.56; 95% CI 0.38 to 0.82) and young age group 56 to 75 years old (OR 0.55; 95% CI 0.34 to 0.87) were associated with lower death rate, whereas diabetes (OR 1.74; 95% CI 1.01 to 2.98) was a risk factor for early death.

    CONCLUSIONS: In Asian patients with stroke, previous use of antiplatelet drugs nearly halved the risk of early death in patients with ischemic stroke, whereas atrial fibrillation, ischemic heart disease, diabetes, and ex-smoker status were risk factors for early death. Among patients with intracerebral hemorrhage, diabetes was associated with early death, whereas young age group and hypertension were associated with lower death rates, though no clear explanation for the hypertension association could be discerned from the data available.

    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
  19. Hepatitis A shifting epidemiology in South-East Asia and China
    Barzaga BN
    Vaccine, 2000 Feb 18;18 Suppl 1:S61-4.
    PMID: 10683551
    A review of the epidemiology of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection over the last 20 years shows shifting patterns in the prevalence of antibodies to HAV (anti-HAV) throughout South-East Asia and China. A number of countries have shifted from high to moderate and from moderate to low endemicity, with a corresponding increase in the age of exposure from childhood to early adulthood. The changes have resulted from improvements in hygiene, sanitation and the quality of drinking water, reflecting improvements in living standards and socioeconomic progress. In general in the late 1970s and early 1980s, 85-95% of the population of developing countries like the Philippines, Korea, China and Thailand were anti-HAV-positive by age 10-15 years, compared with only about 50% in the more affluent countries like Malaysia and Singapore. In the early 1990s, 85-95% of the population were immune by age 30-40 years in the Philippines, Korea, China and Thailand, and by 50 years of age and above in Malaysia and Singapore. Similar trends were noted in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. Exposure to HAV at a later age may be associated with an increase in hepatitis A morbidity and a greater propensity for outbreaks.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
  20. Fulltext Adult immunization--a neglected issue in Southeast Asia
    Isahak I, Steering Committee for Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases in Asia
    Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 2000 Mar;31(1):173-84.
    PMID: 11023089
    Adult immunization is a neglected and underpublicised issue in Southeast Asia. Vaccine-preventable diseases cause unnecessary morbidity and mortality among adults in the region, while inadequate immunization results in unnecessary costs, including those associated with hospitalization, treatment, and loss of income. Childhood vaccination coverage is high for the EPI diseases of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis; however, unvaccinated, undervaccinated, and aging adults with waning immunity remain at risk from infection and may benefit from vaccination. Catch-up immunization is advisable for adults seronegative for hepatitis B virus, while immunization against the hepatitis A and varicella viruses may benefit those who remain susceptible. Among older adults, immunization against influenza and pneumococcal infections is likely to be beneficial in reducing morbidity and mortality. Certain vaccinations are also recommended for specific groups, such as rubella for women of child-bearing age, typhoid for those travelling to high-endemicity areas, and several vaccines for high-risk occupational groups such as health care workers. This paper presents an overview of a number of vaccine-preventable diseases which occur in adults, and highlights the importance of immunization to protect those at risk of infection.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asia, Southeastern/epidemiology
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