MyMedR

The use of augmentative and alternative communication by children with developmental disability in the classroom: a case study

Joginder Singh S, Loo ZL

Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol, 2023 Nov;18(8):1281-1289.

PMID: 37017363 DOI: 10.1080/17483107.2023.2196305

PURPOSE: Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems are often introduced to children with disabilities who demonstrate complex communication needs. As attending school is an essential part of these children's lives, it is important that they use their AAC system to communicate in the classroom. This study aimed to describe the nature of the use of AAC by students with developmental disabilities in the classroom.

MATERIALS AND METHOD: This study was conducted in Malaysia. Six students were observed twice each in their classroom and their classroom interactions were video recorded. The video recordings were transcribed and coded for the presence of a communication event, the student's mode of communication and communication function, the communication partner involved, and access to the AAC system.

RESULTS: Contrary to past studies, most students in this study spontaneously initiated interaction almost as many times as they responded. They primarily communicated with gestures and verbalizations/vocalizations despite having been introduced to an AAC system. When students communicated using their AAC system, they mainly interacted with the teachers, and for the function of either behavioral regulation or joint attention. It was found that for 39% of communicative events, the student's aided AAC system was not within arm's reach.

CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the need for efforts to encourage students with complex communication needs to use AAC more frequently in their classroom to be able to communicate more effectively and for a wider range of communicative functions. Speech-language pathologists can work closely with teachers to provide the necessary support to these students.

Fulltext Point-of-Care for Evaluating Antimicrobial Resistance through the Adoption of Functional Materials

Singh S, Numan A, Cinti S

Anal Chem, 2022 Jan 11;94(1):26-40.

PMID: 34802244 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c03856

Gene therapy in dentistry: tool of genetic engineering. Revisited

Gupta K, Singh S, Garg KN

Arch Oral Biol, 2015 Mar;60(3):439-46.

PMID: 25540850 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2014.11.018

Advances in biotechnology have brought gene therapy to the forefront of medical research. The concept of transferring genes to tissues for clinical applications has been discussed nearly half a century, but the ability to manipulate genetic material via recombinant DNA technology has brought this goal to reality. The feasibility of gene transfer was first demonstrated using tumour viruses. This led to development of viral and nonviral methods for the genetic modification of somatic cells. Applications of gene therapy to dental and oral problems illustrate the potential impact of this technology on dentistry. Preclinical trial results regarding the same have been very promising. In this review we will discuss methods, vectors involved, clinical implication in dentistry and scientific issues associated with gene therapy.

Bilateral nontuberculous mycobacterial middle ear infection: a rare case

Tang IP, Singh S, Rajagopalan R

Ear Nose Throat J, 2014 Sep;93(9):390-4.

PMID: 25255345

Nontuberculous Mycobacterium (NTM) middle ear infection is a rare cause of chronic bilateral intermittent otorrhea. We report a rare case of bilateral NTM middle ear infection in which a 55-year-old woman presented with intermittent otorrhea of 40 years' duration. The patient was treated medically with success. We conclude that NTM is a rare but probably under-recognized cause of chronic otitis media. A high index of suspicion is needed for the diagnosis to avoid prolonged morbidity. Treatment includes surgical clearance of infected tissue with appropriate antimycobacterial drugs, which are selected based on culture and sensitivity.

Fulltext The complexity of stromal changes in desmoplastic ameloblastoma

Ramesh V, Singh S, Bailwad S, Kiran K, Agarwal R, Singh A

Ann Med Health Sci Res, 2014 Mar;4(Suppl 1):S14-7.

PMID: 25031898 DOI: 10.4103/2141-9248.131694

Ameloblastoma is usually considered a homogenous neoplasm and is thought of as the most primitive of all odontogenic neoplasms. However, detailed investigations have proven clinicopathological diversity in a significant number of cases, thus mounting the evidence in favor of considering ameloblastoma as a mysterious lesion. The purpose of this article is to report a unique case of desmoplastic ameloblastoma and to throw light on the atypical changes noticed in the stromal component. The findings of this case have served to add interesting parameters to the study of stromal changes associated with this perplexing odontogenic tumor.

Closed reduction techniques in acute anterior shoulder dislocation: modified Milch technique compared with traction-countertraction technique

Singh S, Yong CK, Mariapan S

J Shoulder Elbow Surg, 2012 Dec;21(12):1706-11.

PMID: 22819577 DOI: 10.1016/j.jse.2012.04.004

To perform closed manual reduction of acute anterior shoulder dislocation using the traction-countertraction technique requires sedation (TCTS) and the participation of 2 people. We studied the modified Milch (MM) technique, a positional reductive maneuver that requires 1 operator, without patient sedation or analgesia.

Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses: a rare case

Tang IP, Singh S, Krishnan G, Looi LM

J Laryngol Otol, 2012 Dec;126(12):1284-6.

PMID: 23084156 DOI: 10.1017/S0022215112002435

We report a rare case of small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses with intracranial extension, and discuss the management of this rare tumour.

A comparison of Malaysian and Australian speech-language pathologists' practices with children with developmental disabilities who are pre-symbolic

Joginder Singh S, Iacono T, Gray KM

Int J Speech Lang Pathol, 2011 Oct;13(5):389-98.

PMID: 21888557 DOI: 10.3109/17549507.2011.603429

The aim of this study was to explore the assessment, intervention, and family-centred practices of Malaysian and Australian speech-language pathologists (SLPs) when working with children with developmental disabilities who are pre-symbolic. A questionnaire was developed for the study, which was completed by 65 SLPs from Malaysia and 157 SLPs from Australia. Data reduction techniques were used prior to comparison of responses across questionnaire items. Results indicated that SLPs relied mostly on informal assessments. Malaysian and Australian SLPs differed significantly in terms of obtaining information from outside the clinic to inform assessment. When providing intervention, SLPs focused mostly on improving children's pre-verbal skills. A third of Australian SLPs listed the introduction of some form of symbolic communication as an early intervention goal, compared to only a small percentage of Malaysian SLPs. Regarding family involvement, SLPs most often involved mothers, with fathers and siblings being involved to a lesser extent. Overall, it appeared that practices of Malaysian SLPs had been influenced by developments in research, although there were some areas of service delivery that continued to rely on traditional models. Factors leading to similarities and differences in practice of SLPs from both countries as well as clinical and research implications of the study are discussed.

Migratory foreign body in the neck

Sreetharan SS, Prepageran N, Singh S

Asian J Surg, 2005 Apr;28(2):136-8.

PMID: 15851369

Oesophageal penetration and migration of foreign bodies are fairly rare occurrences. Most reported cases in the literature involve fish bones, which are eventually found in the lateral neck soft tissue or thyroid lobule. We present a case of a migrating fish bone in an elderly female which was found embedded in her right sternocleidomastoid muscle. The fish bone was successfully removed via neck exploration. Appropriate literature is reviewed.

Complete sequence analyses of enterovirus 71 strains from fatal and non-fatal cases of the hand, foot and mouth disease outbreak in Singapore (2000)

Singh S, Poh CL, Chow VT

Microbiol. Immunol., 2002;46(11):801-8.

PMID: 12516778

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is a major aetiological agent of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). In recent years, several outbreaks in East Asia were associated with neurological complications and numerous deaths. An outbreak in Singapore in October 2000 afflicted thousands of children, resulting in four fatal cases from three of whom EV71 was isolated. The genomes of two representative EV71 strains isolated from a fatal case and a surviving patient were completely sequenced, and their nucleotide and amino acid sequences compared with known EV71 strains. The two outbreak strains were classified under genogroup B, together with those previously isolated in Singapore, Malaysia and Japan. Comparative sequence analysis of the two Singapore strains revealed 99% nucleotide similarity, while their deduced amino acid sequences were almost identical except for residue 1506 in the 3A non-structural region. Given that the outbreak involved closely related genetic variants of EV71, the broad spectrum of disease severity may be attributed to critical factors such as varying viral inoculation doses or differing host immune responses following infection, but is less likely to be due to the emergence of EV71 strains with heightened virulence.

HIV infection in females dependent on drugs

Wai BH, Singh S, Varma SL

Addiction, 1996 Mar;91(3):435-8.

PMID: 8867206

One hundred and seventy-one drug-dependent females in a drug rehabilitation centre were studied to estimate the prevalence of HIV infection among them. Twenty-four (14%) were positive on the Western Blot test. The presence of HIV infection was significantly correlated with syphilis (p < 0.03) and age (p < 0.001); 83% of those who were HIV positive were intravenous drug users. The need for harm reduction programmes to prevent spread of HIV infection among injecting drug users is stressed.

Fulltext Leprosy in children

Jayalakshmi P, Tong M, Singh S, Ganesapillai T

Int. J. Lepr. Other Mycobact. Dis., 1997 Mar;65(1):95-7.

PMID: 9207759

Psychiatric morbidity in the first-degree relatives of schizophrenic patients

Varma SL, Zain AM, Singh S

Am. J. Med. Genet., 1997 Feb 21;74(1):7-11.

PMID: 9033998

There is increasing evidence that genetic factors play a role in the etiology of schizophrenic disorders. One thousand eighty-nine first-degree relatives of schizophrenics and 1,137 controls were studied to discover their psychiatric morbidity. Psychiatric morbidity was found in 16.34% of the first-degree relatives (FDR) of schizophrenics (parents, 5.69%; siblings, 7.71%; offspring, 2.94%) as compared to 6.9% in the controls (P < 0.001). Schizophrenia was found in 8.3% of the patient group, which was significantly higher (0.2%) as compared to the controls. Schizoid-schizotypal personality disorder was found in 3.03% of FDRs of the schizophrenic group. Depressive disorder was found in 4.4% and 2.1% in the control and patient group, respectively, which was statistically significant. Morbidity risk of schizophrenia was found in 16.97%, 6.22% and 5.79% of schizophrenia, schizoid-schizotypal personality disorder and depressive disorder, respectively, in the FDR of schizophrenic group.

A defect in DNA topoisomerase II activity in ataxia-telangiectasia cells

Mohamed R, Pal Singh S, Kumar S, Lavin MF

Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 1987 Nov 30;149(1):233-8.

PMID: 2825700

DNA topoisomerase type I and II activities were determined by serial dilution in nuclear extracts from control and ataxia-telangiectasia lymphoblastoid cells. Topoisomerase I activity, assayed by relaxation of supercoiled plasmid DNA, was found to be approximately the same in both cell types. In order to remove interference from topoisomerase I, the activity of topoisomerase II was measured by the unknotting of knotted P4 phage DNA in the presence of ATP. The activity of topoisomerase II was markedly reduced in two ataxia-telangiectasia cell lines, AT2ABR and AT8ABR, compared to controls. This reduction in activity was detected with increasing concentration of protein and in time course experiments at a single protein concentration. A third cell line, AT3ABR, did not have a detectably lower activity of topoisomerase II when assayed under these conditions. The difference in topoisomerase II activity in the ataxia-telangiectasia cell lines examined may reflect to some extent the heterogeneity observed in this syndrome.

Fulltext Soil-transmitted helminthiasis among children in Pulau Ketam, West Malaysia

Kan SP, Singh M, Singh S

Med J Malaysia, 1987 Mar;42(1):40-3.

PMID: 3431501

Only 8.4% of 1,286 Chinese boys and girls from the ages of 5-12 years in Pulau Ketam were infected with soil-transmitted helminths. The majority of these children had single infections with Trichuris or Ascaris alone. Mixed infections made up less than 5% of all infected cases. The worm burdens of infected children were very low. There was no definite pattern of distribution of infection among children of different ages and no differences in the distribution of infection between boys and girls. The main factors for the low prevalence and intensity of infection were the absence of suitable soil for the development and survival of infective helminth stages and the lack of contact with contaminated soil on this island. These two factors acted as very effective barriers to the transmission of soiltransmitted helminths on Pulau Ketam.

A systematic review of depression literacy: Knowledge, help-seeking and stigmatising attitudes among adolescents

Singh S, Zaki RA, Farid NDN

J Adolesc, 2019 07;74:154-172.

PMID: 31216495 DOI: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.06.004

INTRODUCTION: Depression is a common mental health disorder and affects many adolescents worldwide. Depression literacy can improve mental health outcomes. The aim of this study was to collate and analyse the extant evidence on depression literacy among adolescents, with particular focus on tools used to examine depression literacy and the findings on components of depression literacy.

METHODS: Nine electronic databases and 1 grey literature source were searched for studies published in English between January 2006 and December 2018 and involving adolescents aged 10-19 years. We included studies that reported on components of depression literacy such as knowledge, help-seeking and stigmatising attitudes. We excluded qualitative studies. Two independent reviewers verified that the studies met the inclusion criteria, assessed the quality of the studies and extracted their characteristics. The data were descriptively analysed and appraised using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), Cochrane Collaboration's tool and the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies (QATSQ).

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Fifty of the 14,626 references identified met the inclusion criteria. Depression literacy was most commonly (58%) assessed using tools that utilize a vignette-based methodology. A lack of uniformity in reporting of depression literacy was noted. Adolescents were poor at recognising depression, likely to seek help from informal sources and tended to attach stigma to depression. The implications of the findings are discussed and suggestions made for future research.

Fulltext Explaining Osteomyelitis and Prosthetic Joint Infections (PJI) in terms of Biofilm - A Review

Singh S, Tan CL, Ahmad AR

Malays Orthop J, 2021 Jul;15(2):1-8.

PMID: 34429815 DOI: 10.5704/MOJ.2107.001

Osteomyelitis is a chronic infection of bones. Eradication of bone infection is usually with antibiotics and debridement, but it is slow and the infection can recur even after many years. It is now established that osteomyelitis is due to biofilm and a better understanding of the process is required. We review the development of biofilm and apply it to osteomyelitis management. The planktonic microbes' response to adverse conditions is the formation of biofilm. Bacterial infections in planktonic forms cause infections that can be controlled with antibiotics and immunisation, however the same microbe when its phenotype becomes biofilm is more resilient. The understanding of how planktonic bacteria convert to biofilm is one of the aims set out for this article.

Ointment tacrolimus for steroid resistant adenoviral nummular keratitis

Jamaluddin Ahmad M, Lott PW, Khaliddin N, Singh S

Med J Malaysia, 2020 07;75(4):461-463.

PMID: 32724020

A 33-year-old man presented with a four-day history of redness and blurring of vision of the right eye. A clinical diagnosis of adenoviral keratitis was made with a differential of microsporidia epithelial keratitis. The patient subsequently developed nummular keratitis which was resistant to topical steroids. He continued to develop multiple recurrences of the condition. Treatment with tacrolimus ointment was started as the patient had an elevated intraocular pressure due to prolonged steroid use. Tacrolimus ointment showed a favourable outcome in the management of recurrent nummular keratitis.

Shisha (waterpipe) smoking initiation among youth in Malaysia and global perspective: a scoping review (2006-2015)

Singh SK, Enzhong L, Reidpath DD, Allotey P

Public Health, 2017 Mar;144:78-85.

PMID: 28274388 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2016.11.022

OBJECTIVE: To explore the initiating factors of waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) among youth.

STUDY DESIGN: The analytic framework for this scoping review was performed using the methodology outlined by Arksey and O'Malley, which includes identification of the research question, study selection, charting the data, collating, summarizing and reporting the results that were primarily guided by the research question; 'what is known about the initiation of shisha smoking among youth?'

METHODS: Electronic databases such as Cochrane, MEDLINE and PsycINFO were used to search for relevant articles. Articles included were all in English and published within the year of 2006 to 2015. Inclusion criteria; i) age range of 10 to 29 years; ii) examined the reasons why youth started or tried WTS; iii) in full text. Therefore, 26 articles were included in this scoping review.

RESULTS: This review has identified and classified the initiating factors of WTS among youth in four subtopics: individual factors, interpersonal influences, cigarettes and alcohol use, and media influences. Individual factors and interpersonal influences played an important role in initiation factors of WTS among youth.

CONCLUSION: This study concludes that public health professionals within the Southeast Asia region need to promote innovative preventive measures through peer-to-peer led interventions that are also easily assessable on social media platforms. The public health messages need to address the misconceptions of risk associated to WTS use.

Polymorphism in emergence of deciduous dentition: A cross-sectional study of Indian children

Kariya P, Tandon S, Singh S, Tewari N

J Investig Clin Dent, 2018 Feb;9(1).

PMID: 28349669 DOI: 10.1111/jicd.12266

AIM: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the timing and sequence of the eruption of deciduous teeth in Indian children.

METHOD: This cross-sectional study focused on children aged 5-36 months. One hospital was randomly selected from four geographic zones of the city. A total of 400 children from each hospital, fulfilling the inclusion criteria, constituted the sample. The examination was carried out by a single, trained examiner. The tooth was recorded as "present" or "absent" on the day of examination. The mean age of emergence was calculated using a probit model. Independent sample t-test was used to assess the statistical significance of differences in the mean age of tooth emergence.

RESULTS: The deciduous mandibular central incisor was the first tooth to erupt in the oral cavity (8.15±1.69 months). Girls showed delayed eruption compared to boys; however, no interarch variation was observed in the mean age of tooth eruption. There was also no difference in the sequence of eruption of deciduous teeth, as reported in other studies.

CONCLUSIONS: The present study establishes a chronological table for the eruption of deciduous teeth in Indian children. There was delayed eruption of deciduous teeth when compared to the reference ranges of Western populations.

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