Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 83 in total

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  1. Wan Muhaizan WM, Ahmad PK, Phang KS, Arni T
    Malays J Pathol, 2006 Dec;28(2):93-9.
    PMID: 18376798 MyJurnal
    This study was carried out to determine the role of p53 and p21 in the pathogenesis of prostatic adenocarcinoma and their association with tumour grade.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology
  2. Shahrizaila N, Samulong S, Tey S, Suan LC, Meng LK, Goh KJ, et al.
    Muscle Nerve, 2014 Feb;49(2):198-201.
    PMID: 23649551 DOI: 10.1002/mus.23892
    Data regarding Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is lacking in Southeast Asian populations. We investigated the frequency of the common genetic mutations in a multiethnic Malaysian cohort.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology*
  3. Lim WS, Cheah WK, Ali N, Han HC, Anthony PV, Chan M, et al.
    Int Psychogeriatr, 2014 Apr;26(4):677-86.
    PMID: 24382159 DOI: 10.1017/S1041610213002445
    Recent studies that describe the multidimensionality of the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) challenge the traditional dual-factor paradigm of personal and role strains (Whitlatch et al., 1991). These studies consistently reported a distinct dimension of worry about caregiver performance (WaP) comprising items 20 and 21.The present study aims to compare WaP against conventional ZBI domains in a predominantly Chinese multi-ethnic Asian population.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology
  4. Benjamin G
    Hum Biol, 2013 Feb-Jun;85(1-3):445-84.
    PMID: 24297237
    The primary focus of this article is on the so-called negritos of Peninsular Malaysia and southern Thailand, but attention is also paid to other parts of Southeast Asia. I present a survey of current views on the "negrito" phenotype--is it single or many? If the phenotype is many (as now seems likely), it must have resulted from parallel evolution in the several different regions where it has been claimed to exist. This would suggest (contrary to certain views that have been expressed on the basis of very partial genetic data) that the phenotype originated recently and by biologically well-authenticated processes from within the neighboring populations. Whole-genome and physical-anthropological research currently support this view. Regardless of whether the negrito phenotype is ancient or recent-and to the extent that it retains any valid biological reality (which is worth questioning)-explanations are still needed for its continued distinctiveness. In the Malay Peninsula, a distinctive "Semang" societal pattern followed by most, but not all, so-called negritos may have been responsible for this by shaping familial, breeding, and demographic patterns to suit the two main modes of environmental appropriation that they have followed, probably for some millennia: nomadic foraging in the forest, and facultative dependence on exchange or labor relations with neighboring populations. The known distribution of "negritos" in the Malay Peninsula is limited to areas within relatively easy reach of archaeologically authenticated premodern transpeninsular trading and portage routes, as well as of other non-negrito, Aslian-speaking populations engaged in swidden farming. This suggests that their continued distinctiveness has resulted from a wish to maintain a complementary advantage vis-à-vis other, less specialized populations. Nevertheless, a significant degree of discordance exists between the associated linguistic, societal-tradition, and biological patterns which suggests that other factors have also been at play.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology*
  5. Shen H, Qi L, Tai ES, Chew SK, Tan CE, Ordovas JM
    Obesity (Silver Spring), 2006 Apr;14(4):656-61.
    PMID: 16741267
    A polymorphism in the promoter region of uncoupling protein 2 gene -866G/A has been associated with its expression levels in adipose tissue, the risk of obesity, and metabolic abnormalities. Our purpose was to examine the associations of -866G/A with body fat and the risk of metabolic syndrome in a random sample of 4018 Asians (1858 men and 2160 women) from three ethnic groups (Chinese, Malay, and Indian). The minor allele frequency of -866G/A polymorphism in South Asians was similar to that in whites. After adjustment for covariates including age, cigarette smoking, and physical activity, the -866A/A genotype was associated with higher waist-to-hip ratio as compared with the wild-type genotype in Chinese and Indian men (p = 0.018 and p = 0.046, respectively). Moreover, Indian men with -866A/A genotype had a significantly increased risk of metabolic syndrome as compared with those homozygous for the wild-type (odds ratio, 2.66; 95% confidence interval, 1.21 to 5.88; p = 0.015). Such a risk was mainly caused by the excess presence of hypertriglyceridemia and central obesity. Our findings indicate that the uncoupling protein 2 gene -866G/A polymorphism may increase the risks of central obesity and metabolic syndrome, with greater effects on Asian men.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology
  6. Hawkins R
    Ann Lab Med, 2013 Mar;33(2):156-8.
    PMID: 23479565 DOI: 10.3343/alm.2013.33.2.156
    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology
  7. Leow AH, Lim YY, Liew WC, Goh KL
    Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 2016 Apr;43(7):831-7.
    PMID: 26847417 DOI: 10.1111/apt.13550
    Marked epidemiological changes in upper gastrointestinal diseases and Helicobacter pylori infection have taken place in the Asian Pacific region. In particular, differences with respect to race in the multiracial Asian population in Malaysia have been important and interesting.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology*
  8. Dunn M, Kruspe N, Burenhult N
    Hum Biol, 2013 Feb-Jun;85(1-3):383-400.
    PMID: 24297234
    The Aslian language family, located in the Malay Peninsula and southern Thai Isthmus, consists of four distinct branches comprising some 18 languages. These languages predate the now dominant Malay and Thai. The speakers of Aslian languages exhibit some of the highest degree of phylogenetic and societal diversity present in Mainland Southeast Asia today, among them a foraging tradition particularly associated with locally ancient, Pleistocene genetic lineages. Little advance has been made in our understanding of the linguistic prehistory of this region or how such complexity arose. In this article we present a Bayesian phylogeographic analysis of a large sample of Aslian languages. An explicit geographic model of diffusion is combined with a cognate birth-word death model of lexical evolution to infer the location of the major events of Aslian cladogenesis. The resultant phylogenetic trees are calibrated against dates in the historical and archaeological record to infer a detailed picture of Aslian language history, addressing a number of outstanding questions, including (1) whether the root ancestor of Aslian was spoken in the Malay Peninsula, or whether the family had already divided before entry, and (2) the dynamics of the movement of Aslian languages across the peninsula, with a particular focus on its spread to the indigenous foragers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology*
  9. Gendeh HS, Hashim ND, Mohammad Yunus MR, Gendeh BS, Kosai NR
    ANZ J Surg, 2018 09;88(9):937-938.
    PMID: 27122196 DOI: 10.1111/ans.13624
    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology
  10. Deng L, Hoh BP, Lu D, Fu R, Phipps ME, Li S, et al.
    Hum Genet, 2014 Sep;133(9):1169-85.
    PMID: 24916469 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-014-1459-8
    Peninsular Malaysia is a strategic region which might have played an important role in the initial peopling and subsequent human migrations in Asia. However, the genetic diversity and history of human populations--especially indigenous populations--inhabiting this area remain poorly understood. Here, we conducted a genome-wide study using over 900,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in four major Malaysian ethnic groups (MEGs; Malay, Proto-Malay, Senoi and Negrito), and made comparisons of 17 world-wide populations. Our data revealed that Peninsular Malaysia has greater genetic diversity corresponding to its role as a contact zone of both early and recent human migrations in Asia. However, each single Orang Asli (indigenous) group was less diverse with a smaller effective population size (N(e)) than a European or an East Asian population, indicating a substantial isolation of some duration for these groups. All four MEGs were genetically more similar to Asian populations than to other continental groups, and the divergence time between MEGs and East Asian populations (12,000--6,000 years ago) was also much shorter than that between East Asians and Europeans. Thus, Malaysian Orang Asli groups, despite their significantly different features, may share a common origin with the other Asian groups. Nevertheless, we identified traces of recent gene flow from non-Asians to MEGs. Finally, natural selection signatures were detected in a batch of genes associated with immune response, human height, skin pigmentation, hair and facial morphology and blood pressure in MEGs. Notable examples include SYN3 which is associated with human height in all Orang Asli groups, a height-related gene (PNPT1) and two blood pressure-related genes (CDH13 and PAX5) in Negritos. We conclude that a long isolation period, subsequent gene flow and local adaptations have jointly shaped the genetic architectures of MEGs, and this study provides insight into the peopling and human migration history in Southeast Asia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology
  11. Tham DS, Bremner JG, Hay D
    J Exp Child Psychol, 2017 03;155:128-137.
    PMID: 27965175 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2016.11.006
    The role of experience with other-race faces in the development of the other-race effect was investigated through a cross-cultural comparison between 5- and 6-year-olds and 13- and 14-year-olds raised in a monoracial (British White, n=83) population and a multiracial (Malaysian Chinese, n=68) population. British White children showed an other-race effect to three other-race faces (Chinese, Malay, and African Black) that was stable across age. Malaysian Chinese children showed a recognition deficit for less experienced faces (African Black) but showed a recognition advantage for faces of which they have direct or indirect experience. Interestingly, younger (Malaysian Chinese) children showed no other-race effect for female faces such that they can recognize all female faces regardless of race. These findings point to the importance of early race and gender experiences in reorganizing the face representation to accommodate changes in experience across development.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology*
  12. Chin KF, Mohammad AA, Khoo YY, Krishnasamy T
    Ann R Coll Surg Engl, 2012 Apr;94(3):165-9.
    PMID: 22507719 DOI: 10.1308/003588412X13171221501708
    INTRODUCTION: Most gallbladder carcinoma cases are suspected pre-operatively or intra-operatively. In Malaysia histopathological examination of cholecystectomy specimens has become routine practice. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of routine histological examinations on cholecystectomy specimens from an Asian demographic, which may differ from a Caucasian demographic.

    METHODS: A retrospective study was performed of all histopathology reports for cholecystectomies (laparoscopic and open) undertaken over a period of 12 years (1997-2008) in a single teaching hospital.

    RESULTS: A total of 1,375 gallbladder specimens were sent for histopathological analysis, with 7 (0.5%) being reported as malignant while only three (0.2%) were found to contain primary gallbladder carcinoma. Other premalignant findings included two specimens with dysplastic changes of the mucosa and one tubulovillous adenoma with a dysplastic epithelium. From the ten malignant and premalignant specimens, seven were diagnosed pre-operatively, two were suspected intra-operatively and one was diagnosed with dysplastic changes on the histopathology report post-operatively.

    CONCLUSIONS: This study supports earlier research carried out in the UK and the demographic difference does not affect the impact of the histology examination on cholecystectomy specimens in diagnosing this disease. A selective policy is recommended in Malaysia.

    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology
  13. Park S, Hatim Sulaiman A, Srisurapanont M, Chang SM, Liu CY, Bautista D, et al.
    Psychiatry Res, 2015 Aug 30;228(3):277-82.
    PMID: 26160206 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.06.032
    We investigated the associations between negative life events, social support, depressive and hostile symptoms, and suicide risk according to gender in multinational Asian patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). A total of 547 outpatients with MDD (352 women and 195 men, mean age of 39.58±13.21 years) were recruited in China, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Taiwan. All patients were assessed with the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, the Symptoms Checklist 90-Revised, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the List of Threatening Experiences. Negative life events, social support, depressive symptoms, and hostility were all significantly associated with suicidality in female MDD patients. However, only depressive symptoms and hostility were significantly associated with suicidality in male patients. Depression severity and hostility only partially mediated the association of negative life events and poor social support with suicidality in female patients. In contrast, hostility fully mediated the association of negative life events and poor social support with suicidality in male patients. Our results highlight the need of in-depth assessment of suicide risk for depressed female patients who report a number of negative life events and poor social supports, even if they do not show severe psychopathology.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology
  14. Lal S, Madhavan M, Heng CK
    Ann. Hum. Genet., 2005 Nov;69(Pt 6):639-44.
    PMID: 16266403
    Mitochondria are eukaryotic cytoplasmic organelles responsible for oxidative phosphorylation. The C to A nucleotide transversion in the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (MT-ND2) coding region of mitochondrial DNA has been reported to be associated with plasma lipid levels, adult onset diseases and longevity. We have examined the role of this polymorphism in relation to plasma lipid levels and age in a total of 713 healthy individuals belonging to 3 ethnic groups in Singapore. The frequency of the A allele was significantly higher (p < 0.05) among the Chinese (0.15) in comparison to the Malays (0.05) and Indians (0.02). No significant difference in the frequency of the allele was observed between healthy and coronary artery disease subjects, and between age-stratified subjects. We found that the polymorphism is significantly associated in an ethnic- and gender-specific manner with plasma apoB levels in the Chinese males (p < 0.05). This is the first epidemiological report of the mt5178 C > A polymorphism and its association with plasma lipid levels in Asian populations outside Japan.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology
  15. Siak J, Jansen A, Waduthantri S, Teoh CS, Jap A, Chee SP
    Ocul Immunol Inflamm, 2017;25(sup1):S81-S93.
    PMID: 27419535 DOI: 10.1080/09273948.2016.1188968
    PURPOSE: To describe the pattern of uveitis among Chinese, Malays, and Indians at a tertiary referral institution in Singapore.

    METHODS: Charts between January 1997 and December 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Charts between January 2014 and December 2014 were prospectively reviewed.

    RESULTS: A total of 1249 and 148 charts were retrospectively and prospectively reviewed, respectively. The top causes of anterior uveitis (AU) were HLA-B27, idiopathic, and CMV AU. The top known causes of intermediate uveitis were tuberculosis, primary intraocular lymphoma, and sarcoidosis. The top causes of posterior uveitis were CMV retinitis, toxoplasmosis, and dengue maculopathy. The top causes of panuveitis were VKH, idiopathic panuveitis, tuberculosis, and Behçet disease. HLA-B27 and CMV AU were more frequent among Chinese (21% vs 9% (non-Chinese); p<0.001; 10% vs 5% (non-Chinese); p<0.001, respectively). Tuberculous uveitis was more frequent among Malays and Indians (12% (non-Chinese) vs 5% (Chinese), p<0.001).

    CONCLUSIONS: Different uveitis patterns were encountered among patients of different races.

    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology*
  16. Giannakopoulou O, Lin K, Meng X, Su MH, Kuo PH, Peterson RE, et al.
    JAMA Psychiatry, 2021 Nov 01;78(11):1258-1269.
    PMID: 34586374 DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.2099
    IMPORTANCE: Most previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of depression have used data from individuals of European descent. This limits the understanding of the underlying biology of depression and raises questions about the transferability of findings between populations.

    OBJECTIVE: To investigate the genetics of depression among individuals of East Asian and European descent living in different geographic locations, and with different outcome definitions for depression.

    DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Genome-wide association analyses followed by meta-analysis, which included data from 9 cohort and case-control data sets comprising individuals with depression and control individuals of East Asian descent. This study was conducted between January 2019 and May 2021.

    EXPOSURES: Associations of genetic variants with depression risk were assessed using generalized linear mixed models and logistic regression. The results were combined across studies using fixed-effects meta-analyses. These were subsequently also meta-analyzed with the largest published GWAS for depression among individuals of European descent. Additional meta-analyses were carried out separately by outcome definition (clinical depression vs symptom-based depression) and region (East Asian countries vs Western countries) for East Asian ancestry cohorts.

    MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Depression status was defined based on health records and self-report questionnaires.

    RESULTS: There were a total of 194 548 study participants (approximate mean age, 51.3 years; 62.8% women). Participants included 15 771 individuals with depression and 178 777 control individuals of East Asian descent. Five novel associations were identified, including 1 in the meta-analysis for broad depression among those of East Asian descent: rs4656484 (β = -0.018, SE = 0.003, P = 4.43x10-8) at 1q24.1. Another locus at 7p21.2 was associated in a meta-analysis restricted to geographically East Asian studies (β = 0.028, SE = 0.005, P = 6.48x10-9 for rs10240457). The lead variants of these 2 novel loci were not associated with depression risk in European ancestry cohorts (β = -0.003, SE = 0.005, P = .53 for rs4656484 and β = -0.005, SE = 0.004, P = .28 for rs10240457). Only 11% of depression loci previously identified in individuals of European descent reached nominal significance levels in the individuals of East Asian descent. The transancestry genetic correlation between cohorts of East Asian and European descent for clinical depression was r = 0.413 (SE = 0.159). Clinical depression risk was negatively genetically correlated with body mass index in individuals of East Asian descent (r = -0.212, SE = 0.084), contrary to findings for individuals of European descent.

    CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: These results support caution against generalizing findings about depression risk factors across populations and highlight the need to increase the ancestral and geographic diversity of samples with consistent phenotyping.

    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology
  17. Gan YY, Chen CF
    Biochem Genet, 2012 Feb;50(1-2):52-62.
    PMID: 21927815 DOI: 10.1007/s10528-011-9458-0
    Human endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is one isoform of the nitric oxide synthases that are responsible for nitric oxide synthesis from L-arginine. The gene encoding eNOS contains a 27-bp VNTR polymorphism in intron 4. We report here for the first time the presence of a novel allele 3, which was absent in all other populations studied to date, in 1.7% each of Singaporean Indians and Malays. We also detected the presence of a novel genotype 3/5 in 3.4% each of Singaporean Indians and Malays. Allele 6, which was absent in Han Chinese from northern China and Taiwan and was also absent in Indians from the Indian subcontinent, was found in 2.1% of Singaporean Chinese and in 0.3% of Singaporean Indians.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology
  18. Omar R, Wan Abdul WMH, Knight VF
    BMC Public Health, 2019 Jun 13;19(Suppl 4):543.
    PMID: 31196018 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-6865-3
    BACKGROUND: School children are considered a high-risk group for visual impairment because uncorrected refractive errors and problems such as amblyopia can seriously affect their learning abilities and their physical and mental development. There are many studies reporting the prevalence of refractive errors among school children of different ethnic groups in Malaysia, however, studies concerning the prevalence of refractive errors among indigenous or Orang Asli children are very limited. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and causes of visual impairment among Orang Asli children.

    METHODS: One hundred ten Orang Asli children aged 7 to 12 years old in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia were selected. 51% of these children were boys while the remainders were girls. They underwent visual acuity test, cover test, Hirschberg's test, ocular external assessment and ophthalmoscopy. Children who failed the vision screening were then referred for further eye examination.

    RESULTS: Of these 110 Orang Asli children, 46 failed the vision screening and subsequently 45 of them were confirmed to have visual problems (40.9% of the total subjects). The main cause of visual impairment in this study was refractive error (34.5% of the total subjects) where the main refractive error found was hyperopia (28.2%) followed by amblyopia (2.7%), strabismus (1.8%) and ocular abnormalities (1.8%).

    CONCLUSION: Hence, vision screening and a comprehensive eye examination is very important and needs to be done on all Orang Asli children so that any visual problems can be detect at an early stage to avoid the development of learning difficulties among these already disadvantaged children.

    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology
  19. Kho SL, Chua KH, George E, Tan JA
    Genet. Mol. Res., 2013;12(3):2409-15.
    PMID: 23479149 DOI: 10.4238/2013.February.28.4
    Beta-thalassemia is a life-threatening inherited blood disorder. Rapid characterization of β-globin gene mutations is necessary because of the high frequency of Malaysian β-thalassemia carriers. A combination real-time polymerase chain reaction genotyping assay using TaqMan probes was developed to confirm β-globin gene mutations. In this study, primers and probes were designed to specifically identify 8 common β-thalassemia mutations in the Malaysian Malay and Chinese ethnic groups using the Primer Express software. "Blind tests" using DNA samples from healthy individuals and β-thalassemia patients with different genotypes were performed to determine the specificity and sensitivity of this newly designed assay. Our results showed 100% sensitivity and specificity for this novel assay. In conclusion, the TaqMan genotyping assay is a straightforward assay that allows detection of β-globin gene mutations in less than 40 min. The simplicity and reproducibility of the TaqMan genotyping assay permit its use in laboratories as a rapid and cost-effective diagnostic tool for confirmation of common β-thalassemia mutations in Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology
  20. Soh KC, Kua EH, Ng TP
    Int J Geriatr Psychiatry, 2009 Jul;24(7):723-30.
    PMID: 19089846 DOI: 10.1002/gps.2188
    Somatic and other non-affective symptomatology characterizes late life depression and contributes to its under-diagnosis, especially in some ethnic groups.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology
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