Displaying publications 21 - 36 of 36 in total

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  1. Gallagher D, Voronova A, Zander MA, Cancino GI, Bramall A, Krause MP, et al.
    Dev. Cell, 2015 Jan 12;32(1):31-42.
    PMID: 25556659 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2014.11.031
    Ankrd11 is a potential chromatin regulator implicated in neural development and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with no known function in the brain. Here, we show that knockdown of Ankrd11 in developing murine or human cortical neural precursors caused decreased proliferation, reduced neurogenesis, and aberrant neuronal positioning. Similar cellular phenotypes and aberrant ASD-like behaviors were observed in Yoda mice carrying a point mutation in the Ankrd11 HDAC-binding domain. Consistent with a role for Ankrd11 in histone acetylation, Ankrd11 was associated with chromatin and colocalized with HDAC3, and expression and histone acetylation of Ankrd11 target genes were altered in Yoda neural precursors. Moreover, the Ankrd11 knockdown-mediated decrease in precursor proliferation was rescued by inhibiting histone acetyltransferase activity or expressing HDAC3. Thus, Ankrd11 is a crucial chromatin regulator that controls histone acetylation and gene expression during neural development, thereby providing a likely explanation for its association with cognitive dysfunction and ASD.
    Matched MeSH terms: Autistic Disorder/genetics; Autistic Disorder/metabolism; Autistic Disorder/pathology*
  2. Andoy Galvan JA, Ramalingam PN, Patil SS, Bin Shobri MAS, Chinna K, Sahrir MS, et al.
    Heliyon, 2020 Oct;6(10):e05068.
    PMID: 33083595 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05068
    Rising prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the last decades has led research to focus on the diagnosis and identification of factors associated with ASD. This paper sought for possible factors that put children at risk for ASD. In this study, we investigated the association between ASD and parental ages, parental age gaps, birth order and birth delivery method in Malaysian population. In this school-based case control study, 465 children with ASD 464 controls participated. Questionnaires were distributed to the parents of the selected children through the respective principals. Among the tested variables, Caesarean section (OR = 1.63, 95% CI 1.20, 2.20), earlier order of birth in the family (OR = 0.68, 95% CI 0.59, 0.77) and increasing gap in parental ages (OR = 1.04, 95% CI 1.001, 1.07) were significantly associated with ASD. This study concludes that Caesarean section, earlier order of birth in the family and increasing gap in parental age are independent risk factors for developing autism among Malaysian children.
    Matched MeSH terms: Autistic Disorder
  3. Mohamad FH, Has ATC
    J Mol Neurosci, 2019 Feb;67(2):343-351.
    PMID: 30607899 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-018-1246-4
    GABAA receptors are the major inhibitory neurotransmitter receptor in the human brain. The receptors are assembled from combination of protein subunits in pentameric complex which may consist of α1-6, β1-3, γ1-3, ρ1-3, δ, ε, θ, or π subunits. There are a theoretical > 150,000 possible assemblies and arrangements of GABAA subunits, although only a few combinations have been found in human with the most dominant consists of 2α1, 2β2, and 1γ2 in a counterclockwise arrangement as seen from the synaptic cleft. The receptors also possess binding sites for various unrelated substances including benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and anesthetics. The α5-containing GABAARs only make up ≤ 5% of the entire receptor population, but up to 25% of the receptor subtype is located in the crucial learning and memory-associated area of the brain-the hippocampus, which has ignited myriads of hypotheses and theories in regard to its role. As well as exhibiting synaptic phasic inhibition, the α5-containing receptors are also extrasynaptic and mediate tonic inhibition with continuously occurring smaller amplitude. Studies on negative-allosteric modulators for reducing this tonic inhibition have been shown to enhance learning and memory in neurological disorders such as schizophrenia, Down syndrome, and autism with a possible alternative benzodiazepine binding site. Therefore, a few α5 subunit-specific compounds have been developed to address these pharmacological needs. With its small population, the α5-containing receptors could be the key and also the answer for many untreated cognitive dysfunctions and disorders.
    Matched MeSH terms: Autistic Disorder
  4. Rahman MM, Usman OL, Muniyandi RC, Sahran S, Mohamed S, Razak RA
    Brain Sci, 2020 Dec 07;10(12).
    PMID: 33297436 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10120949
    Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), according to DSM-5 in the American Psychiatric Association, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that includes deficits of social communication and social interaction with the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors. Children with ASD have difficulties in joint attention and social reciprocity, using non-verbal and verbal behavior for communication. Due to these deficits, children with autism are often socially isolated. Researchers have emphasized the importance of early identification and early intervention to improve the level of functioning in language, communication, and well-being of children with autism. However, due to limited local assessment tools to diagnose these children, limited speech-language therapy services in rural areas, etc., these children do not get the rehabilitation they need until they get into compulsory schooling at the age of seven years old. Hence, efficient approaches towards early identification and intervention through speedy diagnostic procedures for ASD are required. In recent years, advanced technologies like machine learning have been used to analyze and investigate ASD to improve diagnostic accuracy, time, and quality without complexity. These machine learning methods include artificial neural networks, support vector machines, a priori algorithms, and decision trees, most of which have been applied to datasets connected with autism to construct predictive models. Meanwhile, the selection of features remains an essential task before developing a predictive model for ASD classification. This review mainly investigates and analyzes up-to-date studies on machine learning methods for feature selection and classification of ASD. We recommend methods to enhance machine learning's speedy execution for processing complex data for conceptualization and implementation in ASD diagnostic research. This study can significantly benefit future research in autism using a machine learning approach for feature selection, classification, and processing imbalanced data.
    Matched MeSH terms: Autistic Disorder
  5. Cheah, Pike-See, Mason, John O., Ling, King-Hwa
    MyJurnal
    The human brain is made up of billions of neurons and glial cells which are interconnected and organized into specific patternsof neural circuitry, and hence is arguably the most sophisticated organ in human, both structurally and functionally.Studying the underlying mechanisms responsible for neurologicalor neurodegenerativedisorders and the developmental basis of complex brain diseases such as autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease has proven challenging due to practical and ethical limitations on experiments with human material and the limitationsof existing biological/animal models. Recently,cerebral organoids havebeen proposed as apromisingand revolutionary model for understanding complex brain disorders and preclinical drug screening.
    Matched MeSH terms: Autistic Disorder
  6. Toh, Teck Hock, Wong, See Chang, Muhamad Rais Abdullah
    Int J Public Health Res, 2011;1(2):33-40.
    MyJurnal
    Introduction More school children were referred for learning difficutly (LD), especially after the introduction of LINUS sccreening programme by Ministry of Education Malaysia.
    Aims To study the clinical diagnosis and non-verbal ability of primary-one school children with LD after paediatric assessment, as well as associated behavioural issues and socio-economincal background.
    Methods Assessment findings by Paediatricians and Naglieri Non-Verbal Ability Test®(NNAT®) results of all primary-one school children referred in year 2010 with LD were studied retrospectively.
    Results Ninety-three children were included (62.4% male), and 72.0% of them failed the LINUS screening programme. The commonest diagnoses were Borderline Intellectual Disability (ID, 37.6%) and Mild ID (19.4%). Other diagnoses included Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD, 11.8%), Specific Learning Disability (SLD, 10.8%), Autistic Spectrum Disorder (n = 5) and Severe Language Disorder (n = 3). Mean NNAT scores were 84.6 ± 11.8 (n = 85), of which 9.4% children scored less than 70 (
    Matched MeSH terms: Autistic Disorder
  7. Nikmat AW, Ahmad M, Ng LO, Razali S
    ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry, 2008;9(2):65-72.
    MyJurnal
    Objective: To investigate the prevalence of parental stress and psychological wellbeing among parents with autistic children and their associations with dimensions of support system.
    Methods: This is a preliminary cross sectional study which randomly selected parents with clinically diagnosed autistic children. Those parents who attended psycho-education session on management of autistic children at Health Psychology Unit were randomly selected to enroll in the study. Psychological wellbeing, parental stress and dimensions of support system were assessed by using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) and the Provision Social Relation (PSR), respectively.
    Results: Of 52 parents with autistic children (34 female and 18 male), about 90.4% of parents had significant parenting stress, and 53.8% of parents showed clinical disturbance in psychological wellbeing. Gender (t=1.67, p=0.02) and occupation (F=4.78, p=0.01) showed statistically significant association with psychological wellbeing. No association found between other socio-demographic factors, parental stress and psychological wellbeing with dimensions of support system among parents with autistic children.
    Conclusion: Parents with autistic children have high prevalence of stress and psychological disturbances. Interactions of various factors need to be acknowledged and considered in order to reduce the burden of parents with autistic children.
    Matched MeSH terms: Autistic Disorder
  8. Eow SY, Gan WY, Lim PY, Awang H, Mohd Shariff Z
    Res Dev Disabil, 2020 May;100:103632.
    PMID: 32179381 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103632
    BACKGROUND: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) of different levels of symptom severity may exhibit a wide range of behaviours and characteristics. There is a limited nutrition-related study on children with ASD of different severity in Malaysia.

    AIMS: This cross-sectional study aims to determine the association between sociodemographic factors, parental factors, and lifestyle factors with autism severity in children with ASD.

    METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A total of 224 children with ASD were included in this study. Their mothers completed a self-administered questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics, autism severity, parenting style, parental feeding practices, parenting stress, child's sleep habits and eating behaviours.

    OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: As high as 78.1 % of the children with ASD demonstrated a high level of autism severity. Multiple linear regression showed that father's employment status (B = 6.970, 95 % CI = 3.172, 10.768, p 

    Matched MeSH terms: Autistic Disorder/physiopathology*
  9. Tan EH, Yusoff AA, Abdullah JM, Razak SA
    J Pediatr Neurosci, 2012 May;7(2):123-5.
    PMID: 23248692 DOI: 10.4103/1817-1745.102575
    In this report, we describe a 15-year-old Malaysian male patient with a de novo SCN1A mutation who experienced prolonged febrile seizures after his first seizure at 6 months of age. This boy had generalized tonic clonic seizure (GTCS) which occurred with and without fever. Sequencing analysis of voltage-gated sodium channel a1-subunit gene, SCN1A, confirmed a homozygous A to G change at nucleotide 5197 (c.5197A > G) in exon 26 resulting in amino acid substitution of asparagines to aspartate at codon 1733 of sodium channel. The mutation identified in this patient is located in the pore-forming loop of SCN1A and this case report suggests missense mutation in pore-forming loop causes generalized epilepsy with febrile seizure plus (GEFS+) with clinically more severe neurologic phenotype including intellectual disabilities (mental retardation and autism features) and neuropsychiatric disease (anxiety disorder).
    Matched MeSH terms: Autistic Disorder
  10. Wan Fara Adila Wan Ahmad Kaspi, Kartini Ilias, Amir Muhriz Abdul Latiff, Mohd Zaid Daud
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: The number of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) keeps increasing every year. ASD is a neurodevelopmental disability that affects social communication and social interaction. They also demon-strate restricted, repetitive pattern of behaviour, interest or activities (RRB) that shows at an early developmental age. Due to this characteristic, ASD children are facing difficulties in social skills aspect such as eye contact, expression, and making friends. Studying and reciting the Quran are often used in Malaysia to ameliorate the symptoms, but there is no specific study in Malaysia that demonstrates the impact of these renditions on ASD’s children’s social skills. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect selected Qur’anic verses recitation on the social skills of the children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Methods: This study will use the quasi-experimental research design. This study will be held at IDEAS Autism Centre, Rawang. The purposive sampling technique will be used and 14 ASD Muslim children aged 4-6 years old will be chosen. The ASD children will be divided into an experimental and control group. The experimental group will be listening to selected Qur’anic verses before the intervention. The Social Responsiveness Scale- Second Edition (SRS-2) will be used to assess the response. The scale consists of a 65-item questionnaire, with a 4-point Likert-scale. Results: The expected result for this study is the ASD children in the experimental group will have lower Total-scores of SRS-2 compared to control group. Conclusion: Listening to Qur’anic recitation provides a cost-effective complementary therapy to improve social skills among Muslim ASD children. Information from this study also can be used as a stepping stone in developing the teaching module to ASD children.
    Matched MeSH terms: Autistic Disorder
  11. Deena Clare Thomas, Julie C M, Helda A H, Nurhani Nadiah B, Ranita M
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, com- munication and behavioral challenges. According to the 2017 survey by the Ministry of Health Malaysia, children between the ages of 18 to 26 months showed ASD occurs approximately 1.6 in1000 children. In Sabah, 400 autistic children had been registered under Sabah Autism Society (SAS). The increasing prevalence of ASD had become a major concern not only to the parents but to the community. A correct understanding and perception about ASD are crucial especially to the nursing profession as they must be able to educate caregiver on how to manage patients with ASD. Methods: This is a quantitative study using a cross-sectional approach. The respondents are all nursing students in Sabah. The type of sampling is purposive, which is using snowball sampling methods. Research instruments were developed and distributed to all nursing colleges in Sabah. Results: A total of 115 students responded. The majority of age is within range of 18–20 years old and female students. Fifty percents (50%) respondents perceived that of autism is a socio-emotional and neuro-developmental disorder with a non-verbal behaviors’ impairment, curable disorder with proper treatment. More than fifty percent (50%) disagree that autistic child does not want friends and equivalent stand on the statement about autistic child can live independently. Ninety five percent (90%) agree that social media plays an important platform to deliver facts about autism, and health care provider remains as a key role to increase the level of awareness to the community. Conclusion: Results of this study revealed that nursing students in Sabah have a good awareness and perception towards autistic disorder. Nursing students in Sabah agree that social media plays a vital part to increase the level of awareness and perception.
    Matched MeSH terms: Autistic Disorder
  12. Ilias K, Cornish K, Kummar AS, Park MS, Golden KJ
    Front Psychol, 2018;9:280.
    PMID: 29686632 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00280
    Background: This paper aimed to review the literature on the factors associated with parenting stress and resilience among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the South East Asia (SEA) region. Methods: An extensive search of articles in multiple online databases (PsycNET, ProQuest, PudMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) resulted in 28 papers that met the inclusion criteria (i.e., conducted in the SEA region, specific to ASD only, published in a peer-reviewed journal, full text in English). Studies found were conducted in the following countries: Brunei, n = 1; Indonesia, n = 2; Malaysia, n = 12; Philippines, n = 5; Singapore, n = 5, Thailand, n = 2; and Vietnam, n = 1, but none from Cambodia, East Timor, Laos, and Myanmar were identified. Results: Across the studies, six main factors were found to be associated with parenting stress: social support, severity of autism symptoms, financial difficulty, parents' perception and understanding toward ASD, parents' anxiety and worries about their child's future, and religious beliefs. These six factors could also be categorized as either a source of parenting stress or a coping strategy/resilience mechanism that may attenuate parenting stress. Conclusion: The findings suggest that greater support services in Western countries may underlie the cultural differences observed in the SEA region. Limitations in the current review were identified. The limited number of studies yielded from the search suggests a need for expanded research on ASD and parenting stress, coping, and resilience in the SEA region especially in Cambodia, East Timor, Laos, and Myanmar. The identified stress and resilience factors may serve as sociocultural markers for clinicians, psychologists, and other professionals to consider when supporting parents of children with ASD.
    Matched MeSH terms: Autistic Disorder
  13. Zaki, R.A., Roffeei, S.N., Hazwan, A.E., Musa, N.
    JUMMEC, 2018;21(2):38-44.
    MyJurnal
    Objective: The study was designed to determine the risk perception of the public population in Kota Kinabalu towards childhood immunisation.
    Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study where self-administered questionnaires were distributed to the public in Kota Kinabalu. The respondents who consented were 18 years old and older. The illiterate persons and the foreigners were excluded. The calculated sample size was 400. Only 313 samples collected were suitable for analysis using SPSS v21.0.
    Results: Fever, pain swelling and allergic reaction were correctly identified as risks of immunisation. Autism, mental retardation and even death could also result from vaccination. Of the total respondents, 76.7% agreed with the practice of childhood vaccination, 70.0% thought that childhood vaccinations were safe and effective and 58.1% felt that its benefit outweighed the risk. Other than that, 32.0% refused childhood vaccination from fear of its risks, and this fear was the main reason for the refusal of childhood vaccination. Age, marital status, race and income were the factors which influenced parental willingness to vaccinate their children (p<0.05).
    Conclusions: Most participants understood the risks of childhood vaccination, but few agreed to the practice of childhood immunisation for herd immunity. Public health campaigns are needed, to increase the understanding and acceptance of childhood vaccination especially in the rural community.
    Keywords: Childhood Immunisation, Parental Risk, Perception, Public Acceptance
    Matched MeSH terms: Autistic Disorder
  14. Rasool M, Malik A, Qureshi MS, Manan A, Pushparaj PN, Asif M, et al.
    PMID: 24864161 DOI: 10.1155/2014/979730
    Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by protein aggregates and inflammation as well as oxidative stress in the central nervous system (CNS). Multiple biological processes are linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as depletion or insufficient synthesis of neurotransmitters, oxidative stress, abnormal ubiquitination. Furthermore, damaging of blood brain barrier (BBB) in the CNS also leads to various CNS-related diseases. Even though synthetic drugs are used for the management of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, autism, and many other chronic illnesses, they are not without side effects. The attentions of researchers have been inclined towards the phytochemicals, many of which have minimal side effects. Phytochemicals are promising therapeutic agents because many phytochemicals have anti-inflammatory, antioxidative as well as anticholinesterase activities. Various drugs of either synthetic or natural origin applied in the treatment of brain disorders need to cross the BBB before they can be used. This paper covers various researches related to phytochemicals used in the management of neurodegenerative disorders.
    Matched MeSH terms: Autistic Disorder
  15. Chen BC, McGown IN, Thong MK, Pitt J, Yunus ZM, Khoo TB, et al.
    J Inherit Metab Dis, 2010 Dec;33 Suppl 3:S159-62.
    PMID: 20177786 DOI: 10.1007/s10545-010-9056-z
    Most cases of adenylosuccinate lyase (ADSL OMIM 103050) deficiency reported to date are confined to the various European ethnic groups. We report on the first Malaysian case of ADSL deficiency, which appears also to be the first reported Asian case. The case was diagnosed among a cohort of 450 patients with clinical features of psychomotor retardation, global developmental delay, seizures, microcephaly and/or autistic behaviour. The patient presented with frequent convulsions and severe myoclonic jerk within the first few days of life and severe psychomotor retardation. The high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) profile of the urine revealed the characteristic biochemical markers of succinyladenosine (S-Ado) and succinyl-aminoimidazole carboximide riboside (SAICAr). The urinary S-Ado/SAICAr ratio was found to be 1.02 (type I ADSL deficiency). The patient was compound heterozygous for two novel mutations, c.445C > G (p.R149G) and c.774_778insG (p.A260GfsX24).
    Matched MeSH terms: Autistic Disorder
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