MATERIALS AND METHODS: The EEG signal was used as a brain response signal, which was evoked by two auditory stimuli (Tones and Consonant Vowels stimulus). The study was carried out on Malaysians (Malay and Chinese) with normal hearing and with hearing loss. A ranking process for the subjects' EEG data and the nonlinear features was used to obtain the maximum classification accuracy.
RESULTS: The study formulated the classification of Normal Hearing Ethnicity Index and Sensorineural Hearing Loss Ethnicity Index. These indices classified the human ethnicity according to brain auditory responses by using numerical values of response signal features. Three classification algorithms were used to verify the human ethnicity. Support Vector Machine (SVM) classified the human ethnicity with an accuracy of 90% in the cases of normal hearing and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL); the SVM classified with an accuracy of 84%.
CONCLUSION: The classification indices categorized or separated the human ethnicity in both hearing cases of normal hearing and SNHL with high accuracy. The SVM classifier provided a good accuracy in the classification of the auditory brain responses. The proposed indices might constitute valuable tools for the classification of the brain responses according to the human ethnicity.
METHODS: The Brunei Malay EQ-5D-5L was developed by culturally adapting two existing Malay versions. A total of 154 Bruneians with T2DM completed the questionnaire in two different points of time with one week apart. Known-groups validity of the utility-based EQ-5D-5L index and visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) was evaluated by comparing subgroups of patients known to differ in health status. Test-retest reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) or Cohen's kappa.
RESULTS: As hypothesized, patients known to have 'better' health had higher EQ-5D-5L index scores than those having 'worse' health in all 7 known-groups comparisons. The hypothesized difference in the EQ-VAS scores was observed in only 4 of the 7 known-groups comparisons. Kappa values ranged from 0.206 to 0.446 for the EQ-5D-5L items; the ICC value for the EQ-5D-5L index and EQ-VAS was 0.626 and 0.521, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: The utility-based EQ-5D-5L index appears to be valid and reliable for measuring the health of Brunei patients with T2DM. The validity of the EQ-VAS in Brunei requires further investigation.
METHODS: The key items were generated by a panel of experts and selected according to content validity ratios. The developed scale was initially applied to 50 patients with AE (development cohort) to evaluate its acceptability, reproducibility, internal consistency, and construct validity. Then, the scale was applied to another independent cohort (validation cohort, n = 38).
RESULTS: A new scale consisting of 9 items (seizure, memory dysfunction, psychiatric symptoms, consciousness, language problems, dyskinesia/dystonia, gait instability and ataxia, brainstem dysfunction, and weakness) was developed. Each item was assigned a value of up to 3 points. The total score could therefore range from 0 to 27. We named the scale the Clinical Assessment Scale in Autoimmune Encephalitis (CASE). The new scale showed excellent interobserver (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.97) and intraobserver (ICC = 0.96) reliability for total scores, was highly correlated with modified Rankin scale (r = 0.86, p
MATERIALS AND METHODS: English speaking patients older than 18 years of age with a defi nite diagnosis of MS were included. The self-administered survey material included the adapted HRQoL questionnaire, a validated generic HRQoL questionnaire: the short-form 36 (SF-36), as well as a checklist of 14 symptoms. We assessed the internal and external validity of the adapted MusiQoL.
RESULTS: A total of 81 patients with MS were included in the study. The questionnaire was generally well accepted. In the samples from Malaysia and Singapore, all scales exhibited good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha >0.70). Correlation to SF-36 was generally good, demonstrating high construct validity (P <0.001) in some aspects of the MusiQoL.
CONCLUSION: The Asian adaptation of the English version of the MusiQoL in evaluating HRQoL seems to be a valid, reliable tool with adequate patient acceptability and internal consistency.
METHODS: Out of 105 patients with IHD, 76 completed self-administration of HeartQoL at the clinic followed by at home within a 2-week interval. In retest, patients responded using non-interview methods (phone messaging, email, fax, and post). Phone interviewing was reserved for non-respondents to reminder.
RESULTS: Reliability of HeartQoL was good (intraclass correlation coefficients = 0.78-0.82), was supported in the Bland-Altman plot, and was comparable to five studies on MacNew of similar retest interval (MacNew-English = 0.70-0.75; translated MacNew = 0.72-0.91). Applicability of its standard error of measurement (0.20-0.25) and smallest detectable change (0.55-0.70) will depend on availability of normative data in future.
CONCLUSION: The reliability of HeartQoL is comparable to its parent instrument, the MacNew. The HeartQoL is a potentially reliable core IHD-specific HRQoL instrument in measuring group change.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This cross-sectional study will recruit 459 postpartum mothers during their 4-week postnatal follow-up in five selected public health clinics in Perak from September 2019 to May 2020. Participants will be mothers aged 18 years and above at 4 weeks postdelivery who are able to understand the English and Malay languages. Non-Malaysians and mothers with known diagnosis of psychotic disorders will be excluded from the study. Sociodemographic information and possible risk factors of the participants will be captured via a set of validated questionnaires, postpartum depression (PPD) will be measured using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale questionnaire and general depressive symptoms, anxiety and stress will be measured using the 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. Data analysis will be conducted using SPSS V.25.0 (IBM). Besides descriptive statistics, multivariable regression analyses will be done to identify possible risk factors and their independent associations with depression (PPD and general depressive symptoms, combined and separately), anxiety and stress.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Medical Research Ethics Committee, Ministry of Health Malaysia on 7 August 2019. Results of this study will be reported and shared with the local health stakeholders and disseminated through conference proceedings and journal publications.
REGISTRATION NUMBER: This study is registered in the Malaysian National Medical Research Register with the ID: NMRR-19-868-47647.
Patients and methods: This was a prospective study conducted in Hospital Pulau Pinang, Malaysia, between March 2015 and June 2015. Educational intervention was provided to 96 patients (11 males, 85 females; mean age 52.4±12.9 years; range, 20 to 83 years) who fulfilled the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Questionnaires to assess knowledge of CVD risk were given to patients to be answered before reading the informative leaflet, after one hour of intervention, and during their next follow-up three months from the intervention. Both the informative leaflet and questionnaires were prepared in English and then translated into Malay and Chinese languages to suit the need of local patients.
Results: Our results showed that RA patients had good knowledge at baseline regarding risk of smoking, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia on increasing CVD risk and that exercise would not damage their joints. However, they had low knowledge at baseline regarding the amount of exercise needed for lower CVD risks and risk of CVD with use of anti-inflammatory drugs in RA. Total knowledge score increased significantly from baseline immediately after educational intervention. However, total knowledge score decreased after three months compared to immediate post- intervention phase while it was still significantly higher compared to baseline. The improvement was most obvious for knowledge regarding anti- inflammatory drugs and CVD risk and knowledge regarding the number of flares and CVD risk. Our study did not find any significant association between demographic characteristics and traditional cardiovascular risk factors with knowledge of CVD risk.
Conclusion: Rheumatoid arthritis patients have low knowledge regarding their CVD risk related to their disease. The intervention of providing an informative leaflet effectively improved the knowledge of this group of patients on CVD risk particularly in the field related to RA-specific risk.