Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 612 in total

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  1. Lo TS, Yusoff FM, Kao CC, Jaili S, Uy Patrimonio MC
    Taiwan J Obstet Gynecol, 2017 Jun;56(3):346-352.
    PMID: 28600046 DOI: 10.1016/j.tjog.2017.04.015
    OBJECTIVE: Transvaginal mesh anterior-posterior (TVM-AP) provides better cure rates in the surgical treatment of vaginal cuff eversion than anterior transvaginal mesh combined with sacrospinous ligament fixation (TVM-A). We determine the outcomes after TVM-A and TVM-AP surgeries in advanced vaginal cuff prolapse.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: The charts of 796 women who underwent pelvic organ prolapse (POP) surgery from July 2006 to January 2012 in Chang Gung Memorial Hospitals were reviewed. We included women who presented with advanced cuff eversion and treated with TVM surgery. Data were analysed after three years post-surgery. Descriptive statistics were used for demographic and perioperative data. The paired-samples t test was used for comparison of preoperative and postoperative continuous data. The outcomes measured were objective cure (POP-Q stage ≤ 1) and subjective cure (negative response to question 2 and 3 on POPDI-6).

    RESULTS: A total of 97 patients was analysed. 61 patients had TVM-A and 36 patients had TVM-AP insertion. Mean follow-up was 52 months. The objective cure rate for TVM-AP was significantly higher than TVM-A, 94.4% versus 80.3%. TVM-AP also showed a higher subjective cure rate (91.7%) though there was no significant difference from TVM-A (p = 0.260). The mesh extrusion rate was low at 3.1% with no major complications seen. In TVM-A the blood loss was lesser and the operation time was shorter.

    CONCLUSION: TVM-AP showed better objective cure rate than TVM-A at 52 months. However, TVM-A is less invasive in comparison with an acceptably good cure rates.

    Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
  2. Wong CKF, Zulperi D, Saidi NB, Vadamalai G
    Trop Life Sci Res, 2021 Mar;32(1):23-45.
    PMID: 33936549 DOI: 10.21315/tlsr2021.32.1.2
    Fusarium wilt of banana cannot be effectively controlled by current control strategies. The most virulent form that caused major losses in the banana production is Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical Race 4 (Foc-TR4). Biocontrol of Foc-TR4 using microbial antagonists offers a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative. A consortium of biocontrol agents (BCAs), Pseudomonas aeruginosa DRB1 and Trichoderma harzianum CBF2 was formulated into pesta granules, talc powder, alginate beads and liquid bioformulations. Previous study indicated bioformulations containing both BCAs successfully reduced the disease severity of Foc-TR4. To date, the biocontrol mechanism and plant growth promoting (PGP) traits of a consortium of BCAs on infected bananas have not been explored. Therefore, the study was undertaken to investigate the effect of a consortium of DRB1 and CBF2 in the growth and biochemical changes of Foc-TR4 infected bananas. Results indicated pesta granules formulation produced bananas with higher biomass (fresh weight: 388.67 g), taller plants (80.95 cm) and larger leaves (length: 39.40 cm, width: 17.70 cm) than other bioformulations. Applying bioformulations generally produced plants with higher chlorophyll (392.59 μg/g FW-699.88 μg/g FW) and carotenoid contents (81.30 μg/g FW-120.01 μg/g FW) compared to pathogen treatment (chlorophyll: 325.96 μg/g FW, carotenoid: 71.98 μg/g FW) which indicated improved vegetative growth. Bioformulation-treated plants showed higher phenolic (49.58-93.85 μg/g FW) and proline contents (54.63 μg/g FW-89.61 μg/g FW) than Foc-TR4 treatment (phenolic: 46.45 μg/g FW, proline: 28.65 μg/g FW). The malondialdehylde (MDA) content was lower in bioformulation treatments (0.49 Nm/g FW-1.19 Nm/g FW) than Foc-TR4 treatment (3.66 Nm/g FW). The biochemical changes revealed that applying bioformulations has induced host defense response by increasing phenolic and proline contents which reduced root damage caused by Foc-TR4 resulting in lower MDA content. In conclusion, applying bioformulations containing microbial consortium is a promising method to improve growth and induce significant biochemical changes in bananas leading to the suppression of Foc-TR4.
    Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
  3. Atan R, Peck L, Prowle J, Licari E, Eastwood GM, Storr M, et al.
    Crit Care Med, 2018 10;46(10):e988-e994.
    PMID: 30074491 DOI: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000003350
    OBJECTIVES: In critically ill patients with acute kidney injury receiving vasopressors, high cytokine levels may sustain the shock state. High cutoff hemofiltration achieves greater cytokine removal in ex vivo and in animal models and may reduce the duration of shock but may also increase albumin losses.

    DESIGN: This was a single-center double-blind randomized controlled trial comparing continuous venovenous hemofiltration-high cutoff to continuous venovenous hemofiltration-standard.

    SETTING: Tertiary care hospital in Australia.

    PATIENTS: Vasopressor-dependent patients in acute kidney injury who were admitted to the ICU.

    INTERVENTIONS: Norepinephrine-free time were calculated in critically ill vasopressor-dependent patients in acute kidney injury, randomized to either continuous venovenous hemofiltration-high cutoff or continuous venovenous hemofiltration-standard.

    MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 76 patients were randomized with the following characteristics (continuous venovenous hemofiltration-high cutoff vs continuous venovenous hemofiltration-standard); median age of 65 versus 70 year, percentage of males 47% versus 68%, and median Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation scores of 25 versus 23.5. The median hours of norepinephrine-free time at day 7 were 32 (0-110.8) for continuous venovenous hemofiltration-high cutoff and 56 hours (0-109.3 hr) (p = 0.520) for continuous venovenous hemofiltration-standard. Inhospital mortality was 55.6% with continuous venovenous hemofiltration-high cutoff versus 34.2% with continuous venovenous hemofiltration-standard (adjusted odds ratio, 2.49; 95% CI, 0.81-7.66; p = 0.191). There was no significant difference in time to cessation of norepinephrine (p = 0.358), time to cessation of hemofiltration (p = 0.563), and filter life (p = 0.21). Serum albumin levels (p = 0.192) were similar and the median dose of IV albumin given was 90 grams (20-212 g) for continuous venovenous hemofiltration-high cutoff and 80 grams (15-132 g) for continuous venovenous hemofiltration-standard (p = 0.252).

    CONCLUSIONS: In critically ill patients with acute kidney injury, continuous venovenous hemofiltration-high cutoff did not reduce the duration of vasopressor support or mortality or change albumin levels compared with continuous venovenous hemofiltration-standard.

    Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index*
  4. Hambali NL, Mohd Noh M, Paramasivam S, Chua TH, Hayati F, Payus AO, et al.
    Front Public Health, 2020;8:584552.
    PMID: 33304877 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.584552
    Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is one of the markers of immune system activation indicating existent infection and inflammation. We present here a case of a 55-year-old male COVID-19 patient with an unusual high level of interleukin 6 (IL-6). Further investigation revealed he had hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with underlying hepatitis B. He did not present with respiratory symptoms although a baseline chest x-ray showed changes, and the patient was categorized as Class 3A of COVID-19. Routine investigations proceeded with high-resolution computed tomography and IL-6 to monitor for progression to severe COVID-19. Notably, there was a high IL-6 level but other parameters did not show he was in severe COVID-19. In this report, we conclude that elevated IL-6 level in a COVID-19 patient is not necessarily associated with severe COVID-19.
    Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
  5. Mukari SZS, Ishak WS, Maamor N, Wan Hashim WF
    Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol, 2017 Oct;126(10):697-705.
    PMID: 28845678 DOI: 10.1177/0003489417727547
    OBJECTIVES: Studies in cognitive aging demonstrated inconsistent association between hearing and cognition in older adults. Furthermore, it is still unclear if hearing loss at high frequencies, which is the earliest to be affected, is associated with cognitive functioning. This study aimed to determine the association between global cognitive status and pure tone average (PTA) at 0.5, 1, and 2 kHz (PTA low) and PTA at 4 and 8 kHz (PTA high).

    METHODS: This study involved 307 adults aged 60 years and older. Participants had their hearing and cognition measured using pure tone audiometry and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), respectively.

    RESULTS: Pure tone average (low) accounted for significant but minimal amount of variance in measure of MMSE. Multiple regression analyses were also performed on normal and impaired hearing cohorts and cohorts with younger (60-69 years) and older (≥70 years) groups. The results revealed a significant relationship between PTA (low) and MMSE only in the younger age group. In contrast, no significant relationship was found between PTA (high) and cognition in any of the cohorts.

    CONCLUSION: Pure tone average (low) is significantly but minimally related to measure of general cognitive status. Similar relationship is not observed between high-frequency hearing and cognition. Further research using a more comprehensive cognitive test battery is needed to confirm the lack of association between high-frequency hearing and cognition.

    Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
  6. Kongpakwattana K, Dejthevaporn C, Krairit O, Dilokthornsakul P, Mohan D, Chaiyakunapruk N
    Value Health, 2019 10;22(10):1137-1145.
    PMID: 31563256 DOI: 10.1016/j.jval.2019.04.1937
    BACKGROUND: Although an increase in the burden of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is evident worldwide, knowledge of costs and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) associated with AD in low- and middle-income countries is still lacking.

    OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to collect real-world cost and HRQOL data, and investigate their associations with multiple disease-severity indicators among AD patients in Thailand.

    METHODS: We recruited AD patients aged ≥60 years accompanied by their caregivers at a university-affiliated tertiary hospital. A one-time structured interview was conducted to collect disease-severity indicators, HRQOL, and caregiving information using standardized tools. The hospital's database was used to retrieve healthcare resource utilization occurred over 6 months preceding the interview date. Costs were annualized and stratified based on cognitive status. Generalized linear models were employed to evaluate determinants of costs and HRQOL.

    RESULTS: Among 148 community-dwelling patients, average annual total societal costs of AD care were $8014 (95% confidence interval [CI]: $7295-$8844) per patient. Total costs of patients with severe stage ($9860; 95% CI: $8785-$11 328) were almost twice as high as those of mild stage ($5524; 95% CI: $4649-$6593). The major cost driver was direct medical costs, particularly those incurred by AD prescriptions. Functional status was the strongest determinant for both total costs and patient's HRQOL (P value

    Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index*
  7. Hall DA, Ray J, Watson J, Sharman A, Hutchison J, Harris P, et al.
    Hear Res, 2019 06;377:153-166.
    PMID: 30939361 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2019.03.018
    AUT00063 is an experimental new medicine that has been demonstrated to suppress spontaneous hyperactivity by modulating the action of voltage-gated potassium-channels in central auditory cortical neurons of a rodent model. This neurobiological property makes it a good candidate for treating the central component of subjective tinnitus but this has not yet been tested in humans. The main purpose of the QUIET-1 (QUest In Eliminating Tinnitus) trial was to examine the effect of AUT00063 on the severity of tinnitus symptoms in people with subjective tinnitus. The trial was a randomised, placebo-controlled, observer, physician and participant blinded multi-centre superiority trial with two parallel groups and a primary endpoint of functional impact on tinnitus 28 days after the first drug dosing day. The trial design overcame the scale and logistical challenges of delivering a scientifically robust, statistically powered multi-centre study for subjective tinnitus within the National Health Service in England. The trial was terminated early for futility. Overall, 212 participants consented across 18 sites with 91 participants randomised to groups using age, gender, tinnitus symptom severity and hearing status as minimisation factors. While the pharmacokinetic markers confirm the uptake of AUT00063 in the body, within the expected therapeutic range, with respect to clinical benefit findings indicated that AUT00063 was not effective in alleviating tinnitus symptoms (1.56 point change in Tinnitus Functional Index). In terms of clinical harms, results indicated that a daily dose of 800 mg capsules of AUT00063 taken for 28 days was safe and well tolerated. These findings provide significant advances in the drug development field for hearing sciences, but raise questions about the predictive validity of certain rodent models of noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus, as least for the mechanism evaluated in the present study. Trial Registration: (EudraCT) 2014-002179-27; NCT02315508.
    Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
  8. Cheo SW, Khoo TT, Tan YA, Yeoh WC, Low QJ
    Med J Malaysia, 2020 07;75(4):447-449.
    PMID: 32724015
    Malaria is a parasitic disease that is caused by the Plasmodium parasite. Worldwide, it remains a significant public health problem especially in the Africa region where it contributes to more than 90% of cases and malaria death. However, zoonotic (simian) Plasmodium knowlesi parasite is a widely prevalent cause of malaria in the South East Asian countries. It is known to cause severe human disease due to its 24hour erythrocytic cycles. Thus far, cases of severe falciparum malaria have been reported in asplenic patients. Here, we report a case of severe P.knowlesi malaria in a 51-year-old man who is a postsplenectomy patient.
    Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
  9. Chan SP, Hew FL, Jayaram G, Kumar G, Chang KW, Tay A
    Ann Acad Med Singap, 2001 Jan;30(1):66-70.
    PMID: 11242630
    INTRODUCTION: Although the majority of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism have a relatively asymptomatic benign disorder, there are patients who have a more aggressive disorder.

    CLINICAL PICTURE: We report a case of primary hyperparathyroidism presenting during pregnancy complicated by antepartum haemorrhage and severe prematurity. The diagnosis was made postpartum, when her problems rapidly progressed to result in severe neuromuscular weakness, bilateral pathological hip fractures as well as nephrolithiasis.

    TREATMENT: Surgical parathyroidectomy was performed. The underlying lesion was a large solitary parathyroid adenoma with cystic elements.

    CONCLUSION: Primary hyperparathyroidism is not an innocuous disease and can result in severe morbidity if left untreated.

    Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
  10. Roshan S, Tan SW
    Med J Malaysia, 2020 09;75(5):600-602.
    PMID: 32918437
    Mycoplasma pneumonia is a common cause of respiratory disease and more so in school going children. The spectrum of the manifestations range from haematological, dermatological, neurological, musculoskeletal, renal, cardiac and also gastrointestinal. The treatment approach has varied over time. In this report we would like to share our experience in a case of M.pneumonia with autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA).
    Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
  11. Abdul Rahman HI, Shah SA, Alias H, Ibrahim HM
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2008 Oct-Dec;9(4):649-52.
    PMID: 19256754
    BACKGROUND: In Malaysia, acute leukemia is the most common cancer among children below the age of 15. A case-control study was here conducted for cases from the Klang Valley, Malaysia, who received treatment at the National University of Malaysia Hospital (HUKM) and Kuala Lumpur General Hospital (GHKL). The main objective was to determine any association with environmental factors.

    METHODS: Case subjects were children aged below 15 years and diagnosed with acute leukemia in HUKM and GHKL between January 1, 2001 and May 30, 2007. Control subjects were children aged below 15 years who were diagnosed with any non-cancerous acute illnesses in these hospitals. A total of 128 case subjects and 128 control subjects were enrolled in this study. The information was collected using a structured questionnaire and a global positioning system (GPS) device. All factors were analyzed using unmatched logistic regression.

    RESULTS: The analysis showed that the occurrence of acute leukemia among children was strongly determined by the following factors: family income (odds ratio (OR) 0.19, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.09-0.42), father with higher social contact (OR 7.61, 95% CI: 3.78-15.4), number of elder siblings (OR 0.36, 95% CI: 0.18-0.77), father who smokes (OR 2.78, 95% CI: 1.49-5.16), and the distance of the house from a power line (OR 2.30, 95% CI: 1.18-4.49).

    CONCLUSIONS: Some socioeconomic, demographic, and environmental factors are strong predictors of the occurrence of acute leukemia among children in Klang Valley, Malaysia. In terms of environmental factors, it is recommended that future housing areas should be developed at least 200 m away from power lines.
    Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
  12. Alders EE, Hentzen A, Tan CT
    Headache, 1996 Jun;36(6):379-84.
    PMID: 8707557 DOI: 10.1046/j.1526-4610.1996.3606379.x
    This community study on headache in Malaysia was based on IHS diagnostic criteria and showed the last-year prevalence of migraine was 9.0%. Migraine with aura accounted for only 10.6% of the migrainous population. The last-year prevalence of tension headache was 26.5% (94.4% episodic, 5.6% chronic) and 28.2% for other types of headache. No case of cluster headache was found. Almost two thirds of the migraine subjects graded their headaches as severe, while almost 60% of the tension headache subjects and almost 70% of the other headache subjects graded their headaches as mild. Overall, there was higher prevalence in females for migraine and tension headache, and in males for the other types of headache. The prevalence of headache was lower among those younger than 15 and older than 65 years of age. No significant differences were found in the prevalence of headache among the different racial groups nor among the urban versus the rural population. All the headache types shared the same triggering factors suggesting that different physiological characteristics are responsible for the type of pain suffered. In the location of this community with its tropical climate, headache was attributed to sun exposure in 51.9% of the migraine subjects, 55.7% of the tension headache subjects, and 36.6% of the group with other headaches.
    Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
  13. Hassan MR, Mustapha NR, Zawawi FM, Earnest BS, Voralu K, Pani SP
    Singapore Med J, 2011 Feb;52(2):86-9.
    PMID: 21373733
    This study was conducted to compare the genotype and markers of disease severity of chronic hepatitis C (CHC), namely viral load, alanine transaminase (ALT) levels and histopathological findings on liver biopsy, in patients with and without end-stage renal disease (ESRD).
    Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
  14. Yap LB, Nguyen ST, Qadir F, Ma SK, Muhammad Z, Koh KW, et al.
    Acta Cardiol, 2016 Jun;71(3):323-30.
    PMID: 27594128 DOI: 10.2143/AC.71.3.3152093
    Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
  15. ul Haq N, Hassali MA, Shafie AA, Saleem F, Aljadhey H
    PMID: 22866752 DOI: 10.1186/1477-7525-10-91
    The study aims to assess Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) among Hepatitis B (HB) patients and to identify significant predictors of the HRQoL in HB patients of Quetta, Pakistan.
    Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
  16. Abdul Muizz AM, Mohd Shahrir MS, Sazliyana S, Oteh M, Shamsul AS, Hussein H
    Int J Rheum Dis, 2011 Feb;14(1):18-30.
    PMID: 21303478 DOI: 10.1111/j.1756-185X.2010.01593.x
    AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients without clinically evident cardiovascular manifestations and to estimate whether there is any correlation between RA disease severity and disability and LV diastolic dysfunction.
    METHODS: The study was a cross-sectional study involving 53 patients (47 female and 6 male) with RA without clinically evident heart disease and 53 healthy subjects (47 female and 6 male) who served as a control group. Both groups were matched for age and sex. Echocardiographic and Doppler studies were conducted in all patients with RA and control subjects.
    RESULTS: Of 17 cardiac parameters assessed, only two were abnormal. None of the specific cardiac diastolic dysfunction parameters were significantly different in RA patients compared to the control group. There was no significant correlation between diastolic function values in RA patients and value of Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS-28) and value of Health Assessment Questionnaires Disability Index (HAQDI). Atrial (A) wave velocity was greater in RA patients compared to the control group (0.71 [0.58-0.83] vs. 0.61 [0.51-0.71]; P < 0.04). However, interventricular relaxation time (IVRT) ([73.08 ± 9.92 vs. 70.74 ± 9.02], P = 0.207), lower E/A ratio (1.27 [1.02-1.56] vs. 1.42 [1.20-1.68], P = 0.102), diastolic dysfunction parameters according to Redfield Classification (25 [47.2%] vs. 27 [50.9%] P = 0.56), diastolic dysfunction using E/A (P = 0.321) and tissue doppler imaging (E/E') (P = 0.148) were not different.
    CONCLUSION: Prevalence of diastolic dysfunction in the rheumatoid arthritis group (47.2%) was not different from controls (50.9%). LV diastolic function had no significant correlation with RA disease severity and duration of disease.
    Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
  17. Shaharir SS, Ghafor AH, Said MS, Kong NC
    Lupus, 2014 Apr;23(4):436-42.
    PMID: 24399814 DOI: 10.1177/0961203313518624
    INTRODUCTION: Renal involvement is the most common serious complication in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
    OBJECTIVE: The objective of this article is to investigate and determine the associated factors of disease damage among lupus nephritis (LN) patients.
    METHODS: Medical records of LN patients who attended regular follow-up for at least one year in the Nephrology/SLE Clinic, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), were reviewed. Their Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR) Damage Index scores were noted. Univariate analysis and multivariable regression analysis were performed to determine the independent factors of disease damage in LN.
    RESULTS: A total of 150 patients were included and their follow-up duration ranged from one to 20 years. Sixty (40%) LN patients had disease damage (SDI ≥1). In the univariate analysis, it was associated with age, longer disease duration, antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), higher maximum daily oral prednisolone dose (mg/day), lower mean C3 and C4, higher chronicity index and global sclerosis on renal biopsies (p < 0.05). Patients who received early (≤3 months after the SLE diagnosis) hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), optimum HCQ dose at 6.5 mg/kg/day and achieved early complete remission (CR) were less likely to have disease damage (p < 0.05). After adjustment for age, gender, disease duration and severity, multivariable regression analysis revealed that a higher maximum daily dose of oral prednisolone was independently associated with disease damage while early HCQ and CR were associated with lower disease damage.
    CONCLUSION: Higher maximum daily prednisolone dose predicted disease damage whereas treatment with early HCQ and early CR had a protective role against disease damage.
    KEYWORDS: Antiphospholipid syndrome; lupus nephritis; systemic lupus erythematosus

    Study site: Nephrology/SLE Clinic, Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (PPUKM)
    Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
  18. Badsha S, Reza AW, Tan KG, Dimyati K
    J Digit Imaging, 2013 Dec;26(6):1107-15.
    PMID: 23515843 DOI: 10.1007/s10278-013-9585-8
    Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is increasing progressively pushing the demand of automatic extraction and classification of severity of diseases. Blood vessel extraction from the fundus image is a vital and challenging task. Therefore, this paper presents a new, computationally simple, and automatic method to extract the retinal blood vessel. The proposed method comprises several basic image processing techniques, namely edge enhancement by standard template, noise removal, thresholding, morphological operation, and object classification. The proposed method has been tested on a set of retinal images. The retinal images were collected from the DRIVE database and we have employed robust performance analysis to evaluate the accuracy. The results obtained from this study reveal that the proposed method offers an average accuracy of about 97 %, sensitivity of 99 %, specificity of 86 %, and predictive value of 98 %, which is superior to various well-known techniques.
    Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
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