Throughout India and China, South Korea and Taiwan, Pakistan and Malaysia, the same sentiment recurs: "The birth of girl is an occasion for gloom, not cheer, for bitterness, not pleasure." In all these countries "patriarchal traditions and social stigmas" make females the unwanted sex, reports Asiaweek. The tragic result: prenatal gender tests are flourishing. And for many women, if the test indicates a female, they abort. In India, sex tests and abortions are legal, cheap and readily available. Some 1500 sex-tested girls are aborted annually in Bombay alone. In China, abortions are legal, but gender tests strictly forbidden. Says one official: We cannot afford to let people know what sex the fetus is because all the girls would be aborted." Yet the numbers of baby girls in China have been reduced--and illicit gender tests and female infanticide are considered partly to blame. In South Korea, gender tests have been banned and most abortions are illegal, but "clandestine tests" are available, and according to the government some 30,000 pregnancies are terminated annually. The number of aborted females is not known, but birth ratios have shown "an alarming swing towards males" in recent years. Can laws and education change the social attitudes against girls in these Asian countries? Indian activist Vibhuti Patel, a lobbyist for stronger controls over sex-testing, hopes so. She urges a "continuous campaign" to fight the "centuries-old values" that encourages gender tests. Says Patel: Nothing less than the very survival of women is at stake."
"This paper presents a critical evaluation of three widely used tests for sex preferences: sex ratio, parity progression ratio and ordinary least squares [OLS] regression of birth interval. We show that under some appropriate conditions, the sex ratio is a valid test for sex preferences. The methods of parity progression ratio and OLS regression of birth interval fail to deal with right censoring and time varying covariates, which reduce the power of the tests. We suggest the use of hazard estimation to test for sex preferences. We demonstrate the differences among the tests by analyzing the retrospective fertility histories of the Chinese and the Malays in Malaysia. We find that unlike the two conventional methods, the hazard estimation gives clear and strong evidence of sex preferences among the Chinese in Malaysia."
This study uses data from the Second Malaysian Family Life Survey, conducted in 1988, to examine parents' preferences for the sex of their children within each of Malaysia's three ethnic groups. While Malay and Indian parents do not show a consistent sex preference, Chinese parents prefer to have all sons, or a combination of sons and daughters, with more sons than daughters, or at least an equal number of them. Son preference among the Chinese does not seem to be a constraint to fertility decline among that population. Since 1970, Chinese fertility has dropped rapidly; at the same time, Chinese son preference has become more pronounced. Evidence indicates that further reductions in Chinese fertility, through the reduction in sex preference, would be small.
The odontogenic keratocyst has been well documented and extensively studied. It is of particular interest because of its high recurrence rate and aggressive nature. The material for this study consisted of 70 cases of odontogenic keratocysts in predominantly ethnic Chinese patients who were treated from 1981 to 1996. The cases were retrospectively studied to compare characteristics of the lesion in this population with those in previous reports. Most of the patients in this series were 21 to 30 years of age. Association with an impacted mandibular third molar was found in more than 50% of the cases. The recurrence rate was 20% for 35 patients with a follow-up period of at least 5 years. The follow-up period for the whole series ranged from 1 to 16 years. Treatment was surgical enucleation with peripheral ostectomy. There were no significant differences in characteristics with respect to presentation and prognosis between this series and those described in previous publications.
Acute leukemia is more common in males at almost every age, and this fact remains unexplained. A study was carried out in northeast peninsular Malaysia, where the population is predominantly Malay, to examine whether there was a difference in ABO blood group distribution between males and females with acute leukemia (AL). The ABO blood groups of 109 male and 79 female patients with AL (98 ALL, 90 AML) were compared with those of 1019 controls. In the control population, 39.7% were group O. Among males with AL, 39.4% were group O, whereas among females with AL, the proportion was 24.1% (p=0.03). The same trend to a lower proportion of group O among females was seen if the group was divided into adult/pediatric or lymphoblastic/myeloblastic groups, though these differences were not statistically significant. If these findings can be confirmed, they suggest the presence of a "sex-responsive" gene near to the ABO gene locus on chromosome 9, which relatively protects group O women against AL, at least in our population. The existence of such a gene might also partly explain why acute leukemia, and possibly other childhood cancers, are more common in males.
Analysis of case records of 46 patients with peripheral odontogenic fibroma (1967-95) diagnosed in the Division of Stomatology, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, disclosed a relatively young age of onset (mean, 32.2 years; range 5 months-64 years; peak incidence second decade of life), a slight female preponderance (M:F ratio 1:1.3), no racial predilection, a slight bias towards location in the mandible (52%) and a wide histomorphological range. All cases were treated by simple excision. Follow-up records were generally not available, so we do not know what the recurrence rate is.
BACKGROUND: Men in the United States undergoing renal replacement therapy are more likely than women to receive a kidney transplant. However, the ability to pay may, in part, be responsible for this finding.
OBJECTIVE: To compare adult male and female transplantation rates in a setting in which equal access to medical treatment is assumed.
METHODS: Using data from the Canadian Organ Replacement Register, the rate of first transplantations was computed for the 20, 131 men and the 13,458 women aged 20 years or older who initiated renal replacement therapy between January 1, 1981, and December 31, 1996. Poisson regression analysis was used to estimate the male-female transplantation rate ratio, adjusting for age, race, province, calendar period, underlying disease leading to renal failure, and dialytic modality. Actuarial survival methods were used to compare transplantation probability for covariable-matched cohorts of men and women.
RESULTS: Men experienced 20% greater covariable-adjusted kidney transplantation rates relative to women (rate ratio, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-1.27). The sex disparity was stronger for cadaveric transplants (rate ratio, 1.23) compared with those from living donors (rate ratio, 1.10). The 5-year probability of receiving a transplant was 47% for men and 39% for women within covariable-matched cohorts (Psex disparity in transplantation rates increased with increasing age. The sex effect was weaker among whites and Oriental persons (Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Filipino, Malaysian, Indonesian, and Korean) and stronger among blacks, Asian Indians (Indian, Pakistani, and Sri Lankan), and North American Indians (aboriginal).
CONCLUSION: Since survival probability and quality of life are superior for patients who undergo transplantation relative to those who undergo dialysis, an increased effort should be made to distribute kidneys available for transplantation more equitably by sex among patients undergoing renal replacement therapy.
During a 24-month period, 21 children with acute bacterial meningitis were identified and studied. The majority of the children was from low socio-economic group and the male:female sex ratio was equal. Seventeen children (81%) were aged twelve months or below. In 15 (71.5%) of the children. Haemophilus influenzae type b was recovered, while Streptococcus pneumoniae was isolated from 4 children. Neisseria spp and Salmonella spp were identified respectively in each of the other two cases. The case fatality was four (19.0%) with nine others (42%) exhibiting neurological sequelae. Except for the Salmonella spp strain that was resistant to the cephalosporin, the rest of the bacterial species were sensitive to the commonly used antibiotics. As Haemophilus influenzae type b is still the most prevalent cause of acute bacterial meningitis, it is therefore strongly recommended that the national immunisation programme in this country should include the vaccine for it in our effort to minimise the mortality and morbidity caused by this organism.
A relTospective study was conducted in Hospital Kuala Lumpur, May, 2001.49 (12.1%) of 406 AIDS patients were diagnosed as opportunistic infections related to the central nervous system. The sex ratio (M:F) was 7.2. The median age was 34 years. The predominant age group for male as same as female was 25-34 years.The majority of the study subjects were Chinese (79.6%), married (49%), unemployed (42.9%) and heterosexuals (95.9%) as the risk behavior related to HlV infection. The most frequent clinical manifestations was headache (71.4%). At the time of diagnosis, the greater number of patients 39 (79.6%) had CD4 count < 200 celVcumm. Outcome of acute therapy the patients had a complete (85.7%), treatment continued (10.3%), and transfer to other hospital (2.00/0). Toxoplasmic encephalitis (7.6%) and cryptococcosis (3.9%) were the frequent cause of focal intracerebral lesions and meningitis in these patients respectively. Oral candidiasis (32.7%) was the most common among other opportunistic infections in this study. KEYWORDS: AIDS, Opportunistic infections. central nervous system, clinical manifestations, outcome.
Objective: SLE is an autoimmune disease which affects multiple organ system. Clinical and immunological expression of the disease have been widely studied and variations occur in different ethnic groups. Here in this study, we have analyzed the clinical manifestations and immunological features of Malaysian patients with Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and compared them with SLE population from some of the Asian countries. Study design: A total of 134 Malaysian patients attending the SLE Clinic of The National University Hospital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur and who satisfy the revised ACR (American College of Rheumatology) criteria for the classification of SLE were enrolled into the study. Data on the demography, clinical and immunological features were obtained from medical records. Materials and Methods: The female to male ratio in the study cohort was 10:1 and consisted of the Malay, Chinese and Indian races. Past clinical and immunological features were entered into a prepared questionnaire. At study entry patients were seen by a rheumatologist for assessment of present clinical condition and blood obtained for immunological tests (Antinuclear, antids DNA, antiSm, antiU1RNP, antiSSA(Ro), antiSSB(La), anticardiolipin (IgG and IgM) antibodies and complements C3 and C4). Chi-square, Fisher's exact test and Mann Whitney U Test were used to analyze data. Results: Clinical features expressed at disease presentation in order of frequency was mucocutaneous (72%), followed by musculoskeletal (58%) and renal involvement (45%) which was also similar during the course of the disease (90%, 72% and 64% respectively). A high prevalence of antiSSB (La) antibodies was found (48%). Conclusion: This study provides the literature on the clinical and immunological features of Malaysian SLE patients and further shows the different spectrum of disease profile when compared to other ethnic groups. The roles of racial and genetic factors are suggested.
The objective of this study was to determine the socio-demography (age, race and gender) of a group of Malaysian patients who were diagnosed as suffering from oral lichen planus (OLP). The occurrence of malignancy was also investigated. A total of 77 clinical and biopsy records of patients with OLP were studied. Females were affected more than males, with the female to male ratio being 2:1. Middle-aged Indian and Chinese females tend to be affected by OLP when compared with the rest of the population. Only 19 patients returned for further follow-up. One adult Indian female with a six-year history of lichenoid reaction showed the presence of malignancy.
This study was conducted to determine the effect of ethnicity on maternal, placental and neonatal parameters. Maternal, placental, and the newborn parameters were corrected for gestational age. The male:female sex ratio was 1:1.03. One hundred and forty-four freshly delivered placentae from 55 Malaysian, 51 Chinese, and 38 Indian normal healthy patients were collected and standard stereological methods used to estimate the placental parameters. Pearson's correlation, Spearman's correlation and 1-way ANOVA were used to test significance of differences. Placental surface area, placental weight and placental volume of Indians were lower than Malays (P< 0.05). Placental weight correlated significantly with neonatal length (r=0.527), birthweight (r=0.665), head circumference (r=0.371) and booking weight (r=0.193) while placental volume correlated with neonatal length (r=0.588), birthweight (r=0.688), head circumference (r=0.384), parity (r=0.202) and booking weight (r=0.219) at P< 0.05. Indian babies weight and length were less than Chinese and Malay babies (P< 0.05) while booking weight of Indian mothers was less than those of Chinese mothers (P< 0.05). Even after being corrected for booking weight, placental parameters of Indian patients were still significantly less than Malays and Chinese (P< 0.05).
Sex determination of livestock is performed to achieve the objectives of livestock breeding programmes. Techniques for sex determination have evolved from karyotyping to detecting Y-specific antigens and recently to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which appears to be the most sensitive, accurate, rapid and reliable method to date. In this study, a PCR-based sex determination method for potential application in goat breeding programmes was developed. Primers were designed to amplify a portion of the X amelogenin gene (Aml-X) on the X chromosome to give a 300 bp product and Sry gene on the Y chromosome to give a 116 bp product. PCR optimization was performed using DNA template extracted from a whole blood sample of Jermasia goats (German Fawn x Katjang) of both sexes. It was possible to identify the sex chromosomes by amplifying both male- and female-specific genes simultaneously in a duplex reaction with males yielding two bands and females yielding one band. The Aml-X primer set, which served as an internal control primer, did not interfere with amplification of the Y-specific sequence even when a low amount of DNA (1 ng) was used. The duplex reaction subjected to a blind test showed 100% (14/14) concordance, proving its accuracy and reliability. The primer sets used were found to be highly specific and were suitable for gender selection of goats.
The association between female fetal sex and hyperemesis gravidarum is well established in European and North American populations. The association between female fetuses and severity of hyperemesis remains uncertain. A retrospective study based on case notes review of 166 Asian women hospitalised for hyperemesis was performed. Female fetuses were significantly associated with hyperemesis in our population (P= 0.004, OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.2) as well as associated with severe ketonuria and high urea. When both severe ketonuria and high urea were present at initial hospital admission for hyperemesis, 83% (95% CI 66-93) of the fetuses were female.
We analysed the reproductive parameters of free-ranging female orangutans at Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre (SORC) on Borneo Island, Sabah, Malaysia. Fourteen adult females produced 28 offspring in total between 1967 and 2004. The average censored interbirth interval (IBI) (i.e. offspring was still alive when mother produced a next offspring) was 6 years. This was shorter than censored IBIs reported in the wild but similar to IBIs reported for those in captivity. The nonparametric survival analysis (Kaplan-Meier method) revealed a significantly shorter IBI at SORC compared with wild orangutans in Tanjung Putting. The infant (0-3 years) mortality rate at SORC of 57% was much higher than rates reported both in the wild and captivity. The birth sex-ratio was significantly biassed toward females: 24 of the 27 sex-identified infants were females. The average age at first reproduction was 11.6 years, which is younger than the age in the wild and in captivity. The high infant mortality rate might be caused by human rearing and increased transmission of disease due to frequent proximal encounters with conspecifics around the feeding platforms (FPs). This young age of first reproduction could be because of the uncertainty regarding estimated ages of the female orangutans at SORC. It may also be affected by association with other conspecifics around FPs, which increased the number of encounters of the females with males compared with the number of encounters that would take place in the wild. Provision of FPs, which improves the nutritional condition of the females, caused the shorter IBI. The female-biassed birth sex-ratio can be explained by the Trivers and Willard hypothesis. The female-biassed sex ratio could be caused by the mothers being in poor health, parasite prevalence and/or high social stress (but not food scarcity) due to the frequent encounters with conspecifics around FPs.
Sex ratios are subject to distortion by a range of inherited parasites. Although it has been predicted that the presence of these elements will result in spatial and temporal variation in host sex ratio, testing of this hypothesis has been constrained by availability of historical data. We here determine spatial and temporal variation in sex ratio in a interaction between a butterfly and male-killing Wolbachia bacteria by assaying infection presence in museum specimens, and from this inferring infection prevalence and phenotype in historical populations. Comparison of contemporary and museum samples revealed profound change in four of five populations examined. Two populations become extremely female biased, associated with spread of the male-killer bacterium. One evolved from extremely female biased to a sex ratio near parity, resulting from the infection losing male-killing activity. The final population fluctuated widely in sex ratio, associated with varying frequency of the male killer. We conclude that asynchronous invasion and decline of sex-ratio distorters combines with the evolution of host suppressors to produce a rapidly changing mosaic of sex ratio. As a consequence, the reproductive ecology of the host species is likely to be fundamentally altered over short time scales. Further, the study demonstrates the utility of museum specimens as "silent witnesses" of evolutionary change.
Patterns of mtDNA variation within a species reflect long-term population structure, but may also be influenced by maternally inherited endosymbionts, such as Wolbachia. These bacteria often alter host reproductive biology and can drive particular mtDNA haplotypes through populations. We investigated the impacts of Wolbachia infection and geography on mtDNA variation in the diamondback moth, a major global pest whose geographic distribution reflects both natural processes and transport via human agricultural activities.