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Fulltext Platelet-rich plasma (PRP): an adjuvant to hasten hamstring muscle recovery. A randomized controlled trial protocol (ISCRTN66528592)

A Hamid MS, Mohamed Ali MR, Yusof A, George J

BMC Musculoskelet Disord, 2012;13:138.
PMID: 22866670 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2474-13-138

Muscle injuries are one of the commonest injuries affecting athletes. It often leads to significant pain and disability causing loss of training and competition time. With current treatment, the duration to return-to-play ranges form six weeks to never, depending on injury severity. Recent researches have suggested that autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection into the injured site may hasten soft tissues healing. To-date, there has been no randomised clinical trials to evaluate the effects of PRP on muscle healing. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of autologous PRP on duration to return-to-play after muscle injury.

Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
Fulltext Association of Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and clinical/severe outcomes of COVID-19 patients

Abdollahzadeh R, Shushizadeh MH, Barazandehrokh M, Choopani S, Azarnezhad A, Paknahad S, et al.

Infect Genet Evol, 2021 Dec;96:105098.
PMID: 34610433 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2021.105098

INTRODUCTION: Growing evidence documented the critical impacts of vitamin D (VD) in the prognosis of COVID-19 patients. The functions of VD are dependent on the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in the VD/VDR signaling pathway. Therefore, we aimed to assess the association of VDR gene polymorphisms with COVID-19 outcomes.
METHODS: In the present study, eight VDR single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in 500 COVID-19 patients in Iran, including 160 asymptomatic, 250 mild/moderate, and 90 severe/critical cases. The association of these polymorphisms with severity, clinical outcomes, and comorbidities were evaluated through the calculation of the Odds ratio (OR).
RESULTS: Interestingly, significant associations were disclosed for some of the SNP-related alleles and/or genotypes in one or more genetic models with different clinical data in COVID-19 patients. Significant association of VDR-SNPs with signs, symptoms, and comorbidities was as follows: ApaI with shortness of breath (P ˂ 0.001) and asthma (P = 0.034) in severe/critical patients (group III); BsmI with chronic renal disease (P = 0.010) in mild/moderate patients (group II); Tru9I with vomiting (P = 0.031), shortness of breath (P = 0.04), and hypertension (P = 0.030); FokI with fever and hypertension (P = 0.027) in severe/critical patients (group III); CDX2 with shortness of breath (P = 0.022), hypertension (P = 0.036), and diabetes (P = 0.042) in severe/critical patients (group III); EcoRV with diabetes (P ˂ 0.001 and P = 0.045 in mild/moderate patients (group II) and severe/critical patients (group III), respectively). However, the association of VDR TaqI and BglI polymorphisms with clinical symptoms and comorbidities in COVID-19 patients was not significant.
CONCLUSION: VDR gene polymorphisms might play critical roles in the vulnerability to infection and severity of COVID-19, probably by altering the risk of comorbidities. However, these results require further validation in larger studies with different ethnicities and geographical regions.

Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
Diastolic dysfunction in patients with liver cirrhosis: A short-term, observational study at a Malaysian hospital

Abdul Aziz KA, Draman N, Wan Isa WYH, Mustaffa N

Med J Malaysia, 2020 07;75(4):396-399.
PMID: 32724001

Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy is a recognised complication of liver cirrhosis and predicts poor outcomes. Detection of diastolic dysfunction, an early indicator of left ventricular dysfunction can help identify those patients at risk of disease progression. In our study we showed that there was a high prevalence of diastolic dysfunction amongst patients with liver cirrhosis at our outpatient clinic, with the majority being Child-Pugh A/low MELD score. Multiple regression analysis indicated that age and sodium levels were significantly associated with the presence of diastolic dysfunction. This further reinforces the importance of dietary sodium restriction amongst patients with liver cirrhosis.

Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
Fulltext Adaptation and validation of the malay version of the Osteoarthritis Knee and Hip Quality of Life Questionnaire among knee osteoarthritis patients

Abdul Kadir A, Mohd Arif MF, Ishak A, Hassan II, Mohd Noor N

Biomed Res Int, 2018;2018:4329751.
PMID: 29955601 DOI: 10.1155/2018/4329751

Objective: To adapt and validate the Malay version of Osteoarthritis Knee and Hip Quality of Life (OAKHQOL) questionnaire.

Design: The OAKHQOL was adapted into Malay version using forward-backward translation methodology. It was then validated in a cross-sectional study of 191 patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Patients completed the OAKHQOL and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) questionnaire. Confirmatory analysis, reliability analysis, and Pearson correlation test were performed.

Results: The new five-factor model of 28 items demonstrated an acceptable level of goodness of fit (comparative fit index = 0.915, Tucker-Lewis index = 0.905, incremental fit index = 0.916, chi-squared/degree of freedom = 1.953, and root mean square error of approximation = 0.071), signifying a fit model. The Cronbach's alpha value and the composite reliability of each construct ranged from 0.865 to 0.933 and 0.819 to 0.921, respectively. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the OAKHQOL and the WOMAC showed adequate criterion validity. Known groups validity showed statistical difference in body mass index in physical activity, mental health, and pain construct. The pain domain was statistically different between the age groups.

Conclusion: The Malay version OAKHQOL questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument to assess health-related quality of life in knee OA patients.

Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
A cross-sectional study of diastolic dysfunction in rheumatoid arthritis and its association with disease activity

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
Fulltext A case-control study on the association between environmental factors and the occurrence of acute leukemia among children in Klang Valley, Malaysia

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
Fulltext Changing survival, memory cell compartment, and T-helper balance of lymphocytes between severe and mild asthma

Abdulamir AS, Hafidh RR, Abubakar F, Abbas KA

BMC Immunol, 2008;9:73.
PMID: 19087256 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2172-9-73

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a complicated network of inflammatory reactions. It is classified into mild, moderate, and severe persistent asthma. The success of asthma therapy relies much on understanding the underlying mechanisms of inflammation at each stage of asthma severity. The aim of this study was to explore the differences in apoptotic potential, CD4/CD8 ratio, memory compartment, and T- helper (Th) 1 and 2 profile of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) in patients with mild intermittent asthma and severe persistent asthma during exacerbation periods.
RESULTS: Four research lines were investigated and compared among mild asthmatics, severe asthmatics, and healthy groups by applying immunocytochemical staining of PBL. Antiapoptotic and proapoptotic proteins with Bcl-2/Bax ratio, CD4, CD8 markers with CD4+/CD8+ ratio, CD45RO+, CD45RA+ markers with memory/naive ratio (CD45RO+/CD45RA+). Th2/Th1 cytokines balance represented by IL-4/IFN-gamma ratio was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for in vitro PBL cytokine synthesis. It was found that Bcl-2/Bax ratio was higher in severe than in mild asthmatics which in turn was higher than in healthy group. And memory/naive ratio of PBL was higher in severe than in mild asthmatics. Moreover, memory cells, CD45RO+ and CD45RO+/CD45RA+ ratio were correlated directly with Bcl-2/Bax, in severe and mild asthma patients. In contrast, CD4+/CD8+ ratio was not changed significantly among healthy group, mild and severe asthmatics. However, CD8+ cells were correlated directly with memory cells, CD45RO+, in severe asthmatics only. Interestingly, the dominant profile of cytokines appeared to change from T helper 2 (Th2) in mild asthmatics to T helper 1 (Th1) in severe asthmatics where the lowest in vitro IL-4/IFN-gamma ratio and highest IFN-gamma were found.
CONCLUSION: It was concluded that the underlying mechanisms of inflammation might vary greatly with asthma stage of severity. Mild intermittent asthma is mainly Th2 allergen-oriented reaction during exacerbations with good level of apoptosis making the inflammation as self-limiting, while in severe persistent asthma, the inflammatory reaction mediated mainly by Th1 cytokines with progressive loss of apoptosis leading to longer exacerbations, largely expanded memory cells, CD45RO+, leading to persistent baseline inflammation.

Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
Different inflammatory mechanisms in lungs of severe and mild asthma: crosstalk of NF-kappa-B, TGFbeta1, Bax, Bcl-2, IL-4 and IgE

Abdulamir AS, Hafidh RR, Abubakar F

Scand J Clin Lab Invest, 2009;69(4):487-95.
PMID: 19347746 DOI: 10.1080/00365510902749131

To examine differences in the apoptotic, inflammatory, allergic and immunological features in the lungs of adults with asthma.

Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
Preoperative high resolution CT and MR imaging in cochlear implantation

Abdullah A, Mahmud MR, Maimunah A, Zulfiqar MA, Saim L, Mazlan R

Ann Acad Med Singap, 2003 Jul;32(4):442-5.
PMID: 12968546

INTRODUCTION: Accurate preoperative imaging of the temporal bone in patients receiving cochlear implants is important. High resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging are the 2 preoperative imaging modalities that provide critical information on abnormalities of the otic capsule, pneumatisation of the mastoid, middle ear abnormalities, cochlear ducts patency and presence of cochlear nerve.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The HRCT and MR imaging in 46 cochlear implant patients in our department were reviewed.
RESULTS: Majority of our patients [34 patients (73.9%)] showed normal HRCT of the temporal bone; 5 (10.9%) patients had labyrinthitis ossificans, 2 (4.3%) had Mondini's abnormality and 2 (4.3%) had middle ear effusion. One patient each had high jugular bulb, hypoplasia of the internal auditory canal and single cochlear cavity, respectively.
CONCLUSION: The above findings contribute significantly to our surgical decisions regarding candidacy for surgery, side selection and surgical technique in cochlear implantation.

Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
Persistence of cognitive deficits following paediatric head injury without professional rehabilitation in rural East Coast Malaysia

Abdullah JM, Kumaraswamy N, Awang N, Ghazali MM, Abdullah MR

Asian J Surg, 2005 Jul;28(3):163-7.
PMID: 16024307

To use data from a prospective, longitudinal study to determine whether psychomotor functions improve spontaneously during the first year following paediatric traumatic brain injury without modern rehabilitation facilities in a rural area of Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
Perception of dental appearance using Index of Treatment Need (Aesthetic Component) assessments

Abdullah MS, Rock WP

Community Dent Health, 2002 Sep;19(3):161-5.
PMID: 12269462

To compare assessments of malocclusion made by an orthodontist with the perceptions of children and their parents.

Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
Fulltext Therapeutic intervention scoring system in medical intensive care

Adam BA, Liam CK, Abdul Wahab AS

Med J Malaysia, 1989 Jun;44(2):134-9.
PMID: 2626120

A scoring system based on therapeutic intervention on critically ill patients called the therapeutic intervention scoring system (TISS) was used to assess the quantity of care provided in a medical intensive care unit. Besides observing the unit census, the severity of illness and the work load were studied. The survival rate was 77 percent. The non-survivors had admission TISS points higher than the survivors and their mean daily TISS was more than 20 points. The survivors at discharge had a mean TISS of five points. The work load showed that a nurse can effectively manage two patients who together may accumulate 24 TISS points per day. TISS points per patient rather than bed occupancy is a better indicator of the nurse's work load. Admission criteria and procedures before death certification are outlined.
Comment in: Delilkan AE. Therapeutic intervention scoring system in medical intensive care. Med J Malaysia. 1989 Dec;44(4):361-2

Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
Fulltext Pilot study on depression among secondary school students in Selangor

Adlina S, Suthahar A, Ramli M, Edariah AB, Soe SA, Mohd Ariff F, et al.

Med J Malaysia, 2007 Aug;62(3):218-22.
PMID: 18246911 MyJurnal

A cross sectional descriptive study of 2048 subjects was conducted to determine the prevalence of depression and factors influencing depression among students in secondary school from urban and rural areas in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The children's depression inventory (CDI) developed by Maria Kovacs was used in this study. Students who participated in this study come from two urban schools and three rural schools. It was found that in the yield for scores for five factors were 9.2% have negative mood, 5% have interpersonal problems, 8.3% have ineffectiveness, 9.8% have anhedonia and 10.6% have negative self esteem. Following the interpretive guidelines for the T-scores, it was found that 10.3% of the students were much above average in the depression scale. This study also found that: 1% of students were smoking, 1.6% of students were gum sniffling, 0.9% took drugs, 4.1% took alcohol and 9.9% took things from other people. Females were more depressed than males. The Chinese students were more depressed compared to Indian students. Students whose parents had no formal education or had only primary education were more depressed than students whose parents had secondary, college or university education. Depression increased with increasing number of siblings. Depression contributed to the habit of drug abuse, gum sniffing and stealing but not to smoking and alcohol abuse. Suicidal tendencies were more likely among the depressed students. It is imperative that not only caregivers but also teachers have to be equipped with the knowledge, attitude and skills to assist secondary school children cope with their emotions, handle conflicts and manage stress early so that a more productive society will develop in the future.

Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
Differences in psychological factors, disability and fatigue according to the grade of chronification in non-specific low back pain patients: A cross-sectional study

Adnan R, Van Oosterwijck J, Danneels L, Willems T, Meeus M, Crombez G, et al.

J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil, 2020;33(6):919-930.
PMID: 33016899 DOI: 10.3233/BMR-191548

BACKGROUND: Differences in pain processing, muscle structure and function have been reported in patients with low back pain (LBP) with different grades of pain chronicity.
OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to examine differences in psychological factors, disability and subjective fatigue between subgroups of LBP based on their chronification grade.
METHODS: Twenty-one healthy controls (HC) and 54 LBP patients (categorized based on the grades of chronicity into recurrent LBP (RLBP), non-continuous chronic LBP (CLBP), or continuous (CLBP)) filled out a set of self-reporting questionnaires.
RESULTS: The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI) scores indicated that anxiety, pain severity, pain interference and affective distress were lower in HC and RLBP compared to non-continuous CLBP. Anxiety scores were higher in non-continuous CLBP compared to RLBP, continuous CLBP and HC. The Pain Catastrophizing Scale for Helplessness (PSCH) was higher in non-continuous CLBP compared to HC. The Survey of Pain Attitudes (SOPA) showed no differences in adaptive and maladaptive behaviors across the groups. The Pain Disability Index (PDI) measured a higher disability in both CLBP groups compared to HC. Moreover, the Rolland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) showed higher levels of disability in continuous CLBP compared to non-continuous CLBP, RLBP and HC. The Checklist Individual Strength (CIS) revealed that patients with non-continuous CLBP were affected to a higher extent by severe fatigue compared to continuous CLBP, RLBP and HC (subjective fatigue, concentration and physical activity). For all tests, a significance level of 0.05 was used.
CONCLUSIONS: RLBP patients are more disabled than HC, but have a tendency towards a general positive psychological state of mind. Non-continuous CLBP patients would most likely present a negative psychological mindset, become more disabled and have prolonged fatigue complaints. Finally, the continuous CLBP patients are characterized by more negative attitudes and believes on pain, enhanced disability and interference of pain in their daily lives.

Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
The effectiveness of combined tonsillectomy and anterior palatoplasty in the treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA)

Adzreil B, Wong EHC, Saraiza AB, Raman R, Amin J

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol, 2017 Apr;274(4):2005-2011.
PMID: 27838741 DOI: 10.1007/s00405-016-4382-x

The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is increasing due to a rising rate of obesity. Multiple surgical techniques used to address obstruction at the palatal level have been associated with significant morbidities. Few studies have reported good outcomes of anterior palatoplasty (AP) in mild-to-moderate OSA. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of combining tonsillectomy and anterior palatoplasty in the treatment of snoring and OSA. All patients with snoring and OSA treated with tonsillectomy and anterior palatoplasty were analyzed. The primary outcome was reduction of the apnoea hypopnoea index (AHI) with surgical success criteria; reduction of AHI by ≥50% and AHI ≤10. The secondary outcomes measured were patients' Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and snoring visual analogue scale (VAS) scores. Thirty one patients completed the study, where 19% had mild, 42% moderate, and 39% had severe OSA. The mean surgical success rate was 45% at 3 months and 32% at 1-year post-operatively. There was a significant reduction of ESS and VAS at 3 months and 1-year post-operatively (p

Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
Analysis of foveal avascular zone in colour fundus images for grading of diabetic retinopathy severity

Ahmad Fadzil M, Ngah NF, George TM, Izhar LI, Nugroho H, Adi Nugroho H

Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc, 2010;2010:5632-5.
PMID: 21097305 DOI: 10.1109/IEMBS.2010.5628041

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a sight threatening complication due to diabetes mellitus that affects the retina. At present, the classification of DR is based on the International Clinical Diabetic Retinopathy Disease Severity. In this paper, FAZ enlargement with DR progression is investigated to enable a new and an effective grading protocol DR severity in an observational clinical study. The performance of a computerised DR monitoring and grading system that digitally analyses colour fundus image to measure the enlargement of FAZ and grade DR is evaluated. The range of FAZ area is optimised to accurately determine DR severity stage and progression stages using a Gaussian Bayes classifier. The system achieves high accuracies of above 96%, sensitivities higher than 88% and specificities higher than 96%, in grading of DR severity. In particular, high sensitivity (100%), specificity (>98%) and accuracy (99%) values are obtained for No DR (normal) and Severe NPDR/PDR stages. The system performance indicates that the DR system is suitable for early detection of DR and for effective treatment of severe cases.

Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index*
Analysis of retinal fundus images for grading of diabetic retinopathy severity

Ahmad Fadzil MH, Izhar LI, Nugroho H, Nugroho HA

Med Biol Eng Comput, 2011 Jun;49(6):693-700.
PMID: 21271293 DOI: 10.1007/s11517-011-0734-2

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a sight threatening complication due to diabetes mellitus that affects the retina. In this article, a computerised DR grading system, which digitally analyses retinal fundus image, is used to measure foveal avascular zone. A v-fold cross-validation method is applied to the FINDeRS database to evaluate the performance of the DR system. It is shown that the system achieved sensitivity of >84%, specificity of >97% and accuracy of >95% for all DR stages. At high values of sensitivity (>95%), specificity (>97%) and accuracy (>98%) obtained for No DR and severe NPDR/PDR stages, the computerised DR grading system is suitable for early detection of DR and for effective treatment of severe cases.

Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index*
Objective assessment of psoriasis erythema for PASI scoring

Ahmad Fadzil MH, Ihtatho D, Mohd Affandi A, Hussein SH

J Med Eng Technol, 2009;33(7):516-24.
PMID: 19639508 DOI: 10.1080/07434610902744074

Skin colour is vital information in dermatological diagnosis as it reflects the pathological condition beneath the skin. It is commonly used to indicate the extent of diseases such as psoriasis, which is indicated by the appearance of red plaques. Although there is no cure for psoriasis, there are many treatment modalities to help control the disease. To evaluate treatment efficacy, the current gold standard method, PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index), is used to determine severity of psoriasis lesion. Erythema (redness) is one parameter in PASI and this condition is assessed visually, thus leading to subjective and inconsistent results. Current methods or instruments that assess erythema have limitations, such as being able to measure erythema well for low pigmented skin (fair skin) but not for highly pigmented skin (dark skin) or vice versa. In this work, we proposed an objective assessment of psoriasis erythema for PASI scoring for different (low to highly pigmented) skin types. The colour of psoriasis lesions are initially obtained by using a chromameter giving the values L*, a*, and b* of CIELAB colour space. The L* value is used to classify skin into three categories: low, medium and highly pigmented skin. The lightness difference (DeltaL*), hue difference (Deltah(ab)), chroma (DeltaC*(ab)) between lesions and the surrounding normal skin are calculated and analysed. It is found that the erythema score of a lesion can be distinguished by their Deltah(ab) value within a particular skin type group. References of lesion with different scores are obtained from the selected lesions by two dermatologists. Results based on 38 lesions from 22 patients with various level of skin pigmentation show that PASI erythema score for different skin types i.e. low (fair skin) to highly pigmented (dark skin) skin types can be determined objectively and consistent with dermatology scoring.

Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
Fulltext Quality of Life and Its Associated Factors among Patients with Psoriasis in a Semi-Urban Northeast Malaysia

Ahmad Fuat MS, Mat Yudin Z, Muhammad J, Mohd Zin F

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022 Sep 14;19(18).
PMID: 36141851 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191811578

Psoriasis is a chronic relapsing dermatological disorder that significantly affects the patients' psychosocial well-being and quality of life (QOL). This study aimed to determine the proportion of severely impaired QOL, the factors associated with severely impaired QOL, and its correlation with depression among semi-urban populations on the Northeast Coast of the Peninsular Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 257 patients with psoriasis at the Dermatology Clinic of Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah via a self-administered questionnaire that included sociodemographic profiles, the validated Malay version of the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), and the Malay version of the Beck depression scale. The data were analysed using logistic and linear regression models. About 20.5% of the patients had severely impaired QOL quality of life, while 79.5% of the patients had non-impaired QOL. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the psoriatic severity [Adjusted OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.76, 9.93; p < 0.001] and exposed area [Adjusted OR 2.93, 95% CI: 0.38, 2.29; p = 0.050] had a significant association with severely impaired QOL. Among the patients, 18.7% had a positive result in the screening for depression, which revealed a significant association between QOL and depression scores [r = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.35, 0.56, p < 0.001]. Psoriasis can impair QOL and have a relation with mental health. Regular screening for depression among patients with psoriasis is a beneficial strategy for the early detection of depression, especially in semi-urban areas.

Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index
Fulltext Validation and the associated factors of the Malay version of systemic lupus erythematosus-specific health-related quality of life questionnaires (SLEQoL and LupusQoL)

Ahmad Pouzi NA, Shaharir SS, Mohd Tamil A, Mustafar R, Ahmad Maulana S, Mageswaren E, et al.

PLoS One, 2023;18(5):e0285461.
PMID: 37186611 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285461

OBJECTIVES: To assess the reliability and validity of two disease-specific questionnaires that assess the quality of life (QoL) among patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE); SLEQoL and LupusQoL in Malay language. This study also identified the factors affecting each domain of the questionnaires.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2021 until April 2022, and SLE patients were recruited to complete the SLEQoL, LupusQoL and Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) in Malay language. Disease activity were recorded using the modified SLE Disease Activity Index (M- SLEDAI) and British Isles Lupus Assessment Group 2004 (BILAG-2004) index. Presence of organ damage was determined using the SLICC Damage index. Cronbach's alpha was calculated to determine internal consistency while exploratory factor analysis was done to determine the construct validity. Concurrent validity was evaluated using correlation with SF-36. Multiple linear regression analysis was deployed to determine the factors affecting each domain of SLEQoL and LupusQoL.
RESULTS: A total of 125 subjects were recruited. The Cronbach's α value for the Malay-SLEQoL (M-SLEQoL) and Malay-LupusQOL (M-LupusQoL) was 0.890 and 0.944 respectively. Exploratory factor analysis found formation of similar number of components with the original version of questionnaires and all items have good factor loading of >0.4. Both instruments also had good concurrent validity with SF-36. M-SLEQoL had good correlations with BILAG-2004 and M-SLEDAI scores. Musculoskeletal (MSK) involvement was independently associated with lower M-SLEQoL in physical function, activity and symptom domains. Meanwhile, MSK and NPSLE were associated with fatigue in M-LupusQoL.
CONCLUSION: Both M-SLEQoL and M-LupusQoL are reliable and valid as disease -specific QoL instruments for Malaysian patients. The M-Lupus QoL has better discriminative validity compared to the M-SLEQoL. SLE patients with MSK involvement are at risk of poor QoL in multiple domains including physical function, activity, symptoms and fatigue.

Matched MeSH terms: Severity of Illness Index

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