Displaying publications 41 - 57 of 57 in total

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  1. Tan PC, Ramasandran G, Sethi N, Razali N, Hamdan M, Kamarudin M
    BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, 2023 Jun 17;23(1):450.
    PMID: 37330467 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-023-05771-7
    BACKGROUND: Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) affects about 2% of pregnancies and is at the severe end of the spectrum of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. HG causes severe maternal distress and results in adverse pregnancy outcomes long after the condition may have dissipated. Although dietary advice is a common tool in management, trial evidence to base the advice on is lacking.

    METHODS: A randomized trial was conducted in a university hospital from May 2019 to December 2020. 128 women at their discharge following hospitalization for HG were randomized: 64 to watermelon and 64 to control arm. Women were randomized to consume watermelon and to heed the advice leaflet or to heed the dietary advice leaflet alone. A personal weighing scale and a weighing protocol were provided to all participants to take home. Primary outcomes were bodyweight change at the end of week 1 and week 2 compared to hospital discharge.

    RESULTS: Weight change (kg) at end of week 1, median[interquartile range] -0.05[-0.775 to + 0.50] vs. -0.5[-1.4 to + 0.1] P = 0.014 and to the end of week 2, + 0.25[-0.65 to + 0.975] vs. -0.5[-1.3 to + 0.2] P = 0.001 for watermelon and control arms respectively. After two weeks, HG symptoms assessed by PUQE-24 (Pregnancy-Unique Quantification of Emesis and Nausea over 24 h), appetite assessed by SNAQ (Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire), wellbeing and satisfaction with allocated intervention NRS (0-10 numerical rating scale) scores, and recommendation of allocated intervention to a friend rate were all significantly better in the watermelon arm. However, rehospitalization for HG and antiemetic usage were not significantly different.

    CONCLUSION: Adding watermelon to the diet after hospital discharge for HG improves bodyweight, HG symptoms, appetite, wellbeing and satisfaction.

    TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered with the center's Medical Ethics Committee (on 21/05/2019; reference number 2019327-7262) and the ISRCTN on 24/05/2019 with trial identification number: ISRCTN96125404 . First participant was recruited on 31/05/ 2019.

  2. Aishah M, Kamarudin M, Hong J, Sethi N, Hamdan M, Tan PC
    Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM, 2024 Apr;6(4):101325.
    PMID: 38447677 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajogmf.2024.101325
    BACKGROUND: Vaginal examination to monitor labor progress is recommended at least every 4 hours, but it can cause pain and embarrassment to women. Trial data are limited on the best intensity for vaginal examination. Vaginal examination is not needed for oxytocin dose titration after an amniotomy has been performed and oxytocin infusion started. The Foley balloon commonly ripens the cervix without strong contractions. Amniotomy and oxytocin infusion are usually required to drive labor.

    OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the first vaginal examination at 8 vs 4 hours after amniotomy-oxytocin after Foley ripening in multiparous labor induction.

    STUDY DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial was conducted from October 2021 to September 2022 at the University Malaya Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Multiparas at term were recruited at admission for labor induction. Participants were randomized to a first routine vaginal examination at 8 or 4 hours after Foley balloon ripening and amniotomy. Titrated oxytocin infusion was routinely commenced after amniotomy to initiate contractions. The 2 primary outcomes were the time from amniotomy to delivery (noninferiority hypothesis) and maternal satisfaction (superiority hypothesis). Data were analyzed using the Student t test, Mann-Whitney U test, and chi-square test (or Fisher exact test), as suitable for the data.

    RESULTS: A total of 204 women were randomized, 102 to each arm. Amniotomy to birth intervals were 4.97±2.47 hours in the 8-hour arm and 5.79±3.17 hours in the 4-hour arm (mean difference, -0.82; 97.5% confidence interval, -1.72 to 0.08; P=.041; Bonferroni correction), which were noninferior within the prespecified 2-hour upper margin, and the maternal satisfaction scores (11-point 0-10 numerical rating scale) with allocated labor care were 9 (interquartile range, 8-9) in the 8-hour arm and 8 (interquartile range, 7-9) in the 4-hour arm (P=.814). In addition, oxytocin infusion to birth interval difference was noninferior within the 97.5% confidence interval (-1.59 to 0.23) margin of 1.3 hours. Of the maternal outcomes, the amniotomy to first vaginal examination intervals were 3.9±1.8 hours in the 8-hour arm and 3.4±1.3 hours in the 4-hour arm (P=.026), and the numbers of vaginal examinations were 2.00 (interquartile range, 2.00-3.00) in the 8-hour arm and 3.00 (interquratile range, 2.00-3.25) in the 4-hour arm (P

  3. Asmary A, Nurulhuda AS, Hong JGS, Gan F, Adlan AS, Hamdan M, et al.
    Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM, 2023 Aug;5(8):101031.
    PMID: 37244640 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajogmf.2023.101031
    BACKGROUND: The adoption of Enhanced Recovery After Cesarean is increasing, but evidence supporting individual interventions having a specific benefit to Enhanced Recovery After Cesarean is lacking. A key element in Enhanced Recovery After Cesarean is early oral intake. Maternal complications are more frequent in unplanned cesarean delivery. In planned cesarean delivery, immediate full feeding enhances recovery, but the effect of unplanned cesarean delivery during labor is not known.

    OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate immediate oral full feeding vs on-demand oral full feeding after unplanned cesarean delivery in labor on vomiting and maternal satisfaction.

    STUDY DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in a university hospital. The first participant was enrolled on October 20, 2021, the last participant was enrolled on January 14, 2023, and follow-up was completed on January 16, 2023. Women were assessed for full eligibility on arrival at the postnatal ward after their unplanned cesarean delivery. The primary outcomes were vomiting in the first 24 hours (noninferiority hypothesis and 5% noninferiority margin) and maternal satisfaction with their feeding regimen (superiority hypothesis). The secondary outcomes were time to first feed; food and beverage quantum consumed at first feed; nausea, vomiting, and bloating at 30 minutes after first feed, at 8, 16, and 24 hours after the operation, and at hospital discharge; parenteral antiemetic and opiate analgesia use; first breastfeeding and satisfactory breastfeeding, bowel sound, and flatus; second meal; cessation of intravenous fluid; removal of a urinary catheter; urination; ambulation; vomiting during the rest of hospital stay; and serious maternal complications. Data were analyzed using the t test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, Fisher exact test, and repeated measures analysis of variance as appropriate.

    RESULTS: Overall, 501 participants were randomized into immediate or on-demand oral full feeding (sandwich and beverage). Vomiting in the first 24 hours were reported by 5 of 248 participants (2.0%) in the immediate feeding group and 3 of 249 participants (1.2%) in the on-demand feeding group (relative risk, 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 0.4-6.9 [0.48%-8.28%]; P=.50), and the maternal satisfaction scores from 0 to 10 were 8 (6-9) for the immediate feeding group and 8 (6-9) for the on-demand feeding groups (P=.97). The times from cesarean delivery to the first meal were 1.9 hours (1.4-2.7) vs 4.3 hours (2.8-5.6) (P

  4. Mansor M, Chong MC, Chui PL, Hamdan M, Basha MAMK
    Saudi Med J, 2023 Sep;44(9):933-939.
    PMID: 37717967 DOI: 10.15537/smj.2023.44.9.20230228
    OBJECTIVES: To validate and determine the psychometric properties of the Malay version of the endometriosis health profile-30 (EHP-30) by confirmatory factor analysis.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the main city of Malaysia at a tertiary teaching hospital between January to April 2021. A total of 218 women diagnosed with endometriosis symptoms were recruited using the universal sampling method to answer the questionnaire.

    RESULTS: The revised Malay version of the EHP-30 with 28 items demonstrated that the factor loading of the 28 items had an acceptable value range between 0.60-0.90. The model fit was acceptable after the inclusion of 28 items correlated errors of the root mean square of error approximation: 0.072, 90% confidence interval: [0.065-0.080], comparative fit index (0.939), Tucker-Lewis index (0.932), and Chi-square/degrees of Freedom (2.135). The Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.89-0.97. Concurrent validity for the composite reliability was between 0.88-0.96, while the average variance extracted was between 0.65-0.74.

    CONCLUSION: This revised Malay version of the EHP-30 is a reliable and valid tool that can be used for the next study.

  5. Bashirudin SB, Omar SZ, Gan F, Hamdan M, Tan PC
    PMID: 37860619 DOI: 10.1016/j.eurox.2023.100249
    OBJECTIVE: To identify independent predictors for vaginal delivery after induction of labor after one cesarean (IOLAC).

    STUDY DESIGN: In this retrospective cohort study, the electronic medical record of 19064 women who delivered from January 2018-September 2022 in a university hospital in Malaysia were individually searched to identify cases of IOLAC. Preselected data points on characteristics and the outcome of mode of delivery were retrieved. Bivariate analysis was performed to identify predictor characteristics for the dichotomous outcomes of vaginal delivery vs unplanned cesarean delivery. Variables with crude p 

  6. Kamarudzman N, Omar SZ, Gan F, Hong J, Hamdan M, Tan PC
    Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM, 2023 Nov;5(11):101142.
    PMID: 37643690 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajogmf.2023.101142
    BACKGROUND: Planned 6- vs 12-hour placement of the double-balloon catheter for cervical ripening in labor induction hastens delivery. The Foley catheter is low-priced and typically performs at least as well as the proprietary double-balloon devices in labor induction. Maternal satisfaction with labor induction is usually inversely related to the speed of the process.

    OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare Foley balloon placement for 6 vs 12 hours in the labor induction of multiparas with unfavorable cervixes.

    STUDY DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in a university hospital in Malaysia from January to October of 2022. Eligible multiparous women admitted for induction of labor for various indications were enrolled. Participant inclusion criteria were multiparity (at least 1 previous vaginal delivery of ≥24 weeks' gestation), age ≥18 years, term pregnancy >37 weeks' gestation, singleton pregnancy, cephalic presentation, intact membranes, normal fetal heart rate tracing, no significant contractions (< 2 in 10 minutes), and unfavorable cervix (Bishop score < 6). Participants were randomized after successful Foley balloon insertion for the balloon to be left in place for 6 or 12 hours of passive ripening before removal to check cervical suitability for amniotomy. The primary outcomes were the induction-to-delivery interval and maternal satisfaction with the allocated intervention assessed using a visual numerical rating scale (0-10). Secondary outcomes were derived in part from the core outcome set for trials on induction of labor (Core Outcomes in Women's and Newborn Health [CROWN]). Maternal outcomes were change in first Bishop score after intervention, use of additional method for cervical ripening, time to delivery after balloon removal, mode of delivery, indication for cesarean delivery, duration of oxytocin infusion, blood loss during delivery, presence of third- or fourth-degree perineal tear, maternal infection, use of regional analgesia in labor, length of hospital stay, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, cardiorespiratory arrest, and need for hysterectomy. The secondary neonatal outcomes were Apgar score at 1 and 5 minutes, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission, cord blood pH, neonatal sepsis, birthweight, birth trauma, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, or need for therapeutic hypothermia. Analyses were conducted with the t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, and Fisher exact test, as appropriate.

    RESULTS: A total of 220 women were randomized (110 to each intervention). Regarding the 2 primary outcomes, the induction-to-delivery intervals were a median (interquartile range) of 15.9 (12.0-24.0) and 21.6 (17.3-26.0) hours (P

  7. Nashreen CM, Hamdan M, Hong J, Kamarudin M, Saaid R, Tan PC
    Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand, 2024 Dec;103(12):2475-2484.
    PMID: 39356052 DOI: 10.1111/aogs.14975
    INTRODUCTION: Our objective was to compare the performance of the first vaginal examination at 8 vs 4 h after amniotomy following Foley ripening in nulliparous labor induction.

    MATERIAL AND METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted from June 2021 to January 2022. 210 nulliparas at term for labor induction were randomized: 105 each to first vaginal examination at 8 or 4 h after Foley balloon ripening and amniotomy. Titrated oxytocin infusion was routinely commenced after amniotomy to expedite labor. Primary outcomes were the amniotomy-to-delivery interval (non-inferiority hypothesis) and maternal satisfaction with their allocated labor care (superiority hypothesis) within 24 h after delivery. Analyses performed using t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Chi-squared test as appropriate.

    RESULTS: The amniotomy-to-delivery interval was mean ± standard deviation 8.7 ± 3.4 vs 8.4 ± 3.7, mean difference 0.4 (97.5% CI: -0.7 to 1.5) hours, p = 0.442 within the pre-specified 2-hour non-inferiority margin, and maternal satisfaction score with allocated labor care was median [interquartile range] 8[7.5-10] vs 8[7.0-10], p = 0.248 for 8 vs 4 h arms, respectively. The amniotomy to first vaginal examination intervals was 5.9 ± 2.3 vs 3.6 ± 1.0 h, p 

  8. Ng YL, Segaran S, Yim CCW, Lim BK, Hamdan M, Gan F, et al.
    Am J Obstet Gynecol, 2024 Dec;231(6):651.e1-651.e11.
    PMID: 38521233 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2024.03.018
    BACKGROUND: Contemporary guidance for preoperative feeding allows solids up to 6 hours and clear fluids up to 2 hours before anesthesia. Clinical trial evidence to support this approach for cesarean delivery is lacking. Many medical practitioners continue to follow conservative policies of no intake from midnight to the time of surgery, especially in pregnant women.

    OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the pragmatic approach of permitting free access to water up to the call to dispatch to the operating theater vs fasting from midnight in preoperative oral intake restriction for planned cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia on perioperative vomiting and maternal satisfaction.

    STUDY DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in the obstetrical unit of the University of Malaya Medical Centre from October 2020 to May 2022. A total of 504 participants scheduled for planned cesarean delivery were randomized: 252 undergoing preoperative free access to water up to the call to dispatch to the operating theater (intervention group) and 252 undergoing fasting from midnight (fasting arm). The primary outcomes were perioperative vomiting and maternal satisfaction. Analyses were performed using t test, Mann-Whitney U test, and chi-square test, as appropriate.

    RESULTS: Of note, 9 of 252 patients (3.6%) in the intervention group and 24 of 252 patients (9.5%) in the control group had vomiting at up to 6 hours after completion of cesarean delivery (relative risk, 0.38; 95% confidence interval, 0.18-0.79; P=.007), and the maternal satisfaction scores (0-10 visual numerical rating scale) were 9 (interquartile range, 8-10) in the intervention group and 5 (interquartile range, 3-7) in the control group (P

  9. Yunesh K, Adlan ASA, Wong TY, Gan F, Hamdan M, Tan PC
    Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM, 2025 Feb;7(2):101579.
    PMID: 39674509 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajogmf.2024.101579
    BACKGROUND: Induction of labor after 1 previous cesarean delivery with an unripe cervix have an especially high risk for unplanned cesarean delivery and uterine rupture. Mechanical balloon ripening is often preferred over prostaglandin-based ripening during induction of labor after 1 previous cesarean delivery, because uterine rupture has been associated with prostaglandin use. The transcervical Foley balloon can be dislodged past the ripened cervix and be retained comfortably in the vagina during passive placement. Tugging of the Foley catheter can be a noninvasive and tolerated method for timelier retrieval of the retained balloon; expediting discovery of a ripened cervix would permit an earlier follow-on amniotomy and oxytocin infusion, thereby hastening birth.

    OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of tugging of the Foley balloon for 30 seconds every 3 hours during 12 hours of scheduled placement in comparison with standard care (no tugging) on the induction to birth interval and patient satisfaction.

    STUDY DESIGN: This randomized controlled trial, conducted at a university hospital in Malaysia, recruited participants from April 2023 to March 2024. Eligible participants admitted for Foley balloon induction of labor who had 1 previous cesarean were recruited. After balloon insertion, participants were randomized to tugging or standard care. Following balloon displacement, a vaginal examination was performed to check the cervix. The examination findings then dictated the follow-on management of induction of labor after 1 previous cesarean according to standard practice. The primary outcomes were the induction (Foley insertion) to delivery interval and participants' satisfaction with the birthing process. Secondary outcomes were largely derived from the core outcome set for trials on induction of labor. Based on a superiority hypothesis, it was calculated that a sample size of 126 would be required to detect a 4-hour reduction in the induction-to-delivery interval and a 1.5 point increase in the satisfaction score based on a 0 to 10 numerical rating scale with the level of significance set at 0.05, power at 80%, and a 10% drop out rate. Comparative analyses using an intention-to-treat approach were conducted using t tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, chi square tests, and Fisher exact tests as appropriate.

    RESULTS: A total of 126 participants were randomized with 63 in each trial arm. The induction to birth interval was (mean ± standard deviation) 29.7±9.6 hours for those in the 3-hourly tugging group and 29.8±9.1 hours for those under standard care (P=.950), and maternal satisfaction with the induction of labor after 1 previous cesarean delivery birth process, assessed using a 0 to 10 numerical rating scale, was (median [interquartile range]) 8 [7-9] and 8 [7-9] (P=.936), respectively. The cesarean delivery rate was 37 of 63 (59%) vs 41 of 63 (65%) (P=.238) for those in the tugging group vs standard care, and the main indication for unplanned cesarean delivery was failure to progress with an incidence of 24 of 37 (65%) and 24 of 41 (59%) (P=.914) for tugging vs standard care arms, respectively. Three-hourly tugging also did not shorten the interval from induction to balloon displacement, amniotomy, the start of oxytocin infusion, or the second stage of labor.

    CONCLUSION: Tugging the catheter every 3 hours during scheduled 12-hour Foley balloon placement for induction of labor after 1 previous cesarean delivery did not hasten birth or improve patient satisfaction when compared with standard care.

  10. Hassan MK, Syed Ariffin SH, Ghazali NE, Hamad M, Hamdan M, Hamdi M, et al.
    Sensors (Basel), 2022 May 09;22(9).
    PMID: 35591282 DOI: 10.3390/s22093592
    Recently, there has been an increasing need for new applications and services such as big data, blockchains, vehicle-to-everything (V2X), the Internet of things, 5G, and beyond. Therefore, to maintain quality of service (QoS), accurate network resource planning and forecasting are essential steps for resource allocation. This study proposes a reliable hybrid dynamic bandwidth slice forecasting framework that combines the long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network and local smoothing methods to improve the network forecasting model. Moreover, the proposed framework can dynamically react to all the changes occurring in the data series. Backbone traffic was used to validate the proposed method. As a result, the forecasting accuracy improved significantly with the proposed framework and with minimal data loss from the smoothing process. The results showed that the hybrid moving average LSTM (MLSTM) achieved the most remarkable improvement in the training and testing forecasts, with 28% and 24% for long-term evolution (LTE) time series and with 35% and 32% for the multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) time series, respectively, while robust locally weighted scatter plot smoothing and LSTM (RLWLSTM) achieved the most significant improvement for upstream traffic with 45%; moreover, the dynamic learning framework achieved improvement percentages that can reach up to 100%.
  11. Eskin M, Baydar N, El-Nayal M, Asad N, Noor IM, Rezaeian M, et al.
    Soc Sci Med, 2020 11;265:113390.
    PMID: 33007656 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113390
    OBJECTIVE: The study investigated the associations of religiosity, religious coping and suicide acceptance to suicide ideation and attempts in 7427 young adults affiliating with Islam from 11 Muslim countries.

    METHOD: A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. We used F and χ2 tests and correlation analyses to report descriptive statistics. Multi-group path models with (i) a zero-inflated Poisson distribution and, (ii) a Binomial distribution were used to model the number of occurrences of suicidal ideation, and occurrence of a suicide attempt, respectively.

    RESULTS: Religiosity was negatively associated with acceptability of suicide, but it was positively related to punishment after death across the 11 countries. Religiosity was negatively associated with ever experiencing suicidal ideation, both directly and indirectly through its association with attitudes towards suicide, especially the belief in acceptability of suicide. Neither positive nor negative religious coping were related to suicidal ideation. However, religiosity was negatively related to suicide attempts among those who experienced suicidal ideation at least once. This association was mediated through the belief in acceptability of suicide and religious coping. Negative religious coping was positively associated with suicide attempts probably because it weakened the protective effects of religiosity.

    CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study suggest that the effects of religiosity in the suicidal process operate through attitudes towards suicide. We therefore conclude that clinical assessment as well as research in suicidology may benefit from paying due attention to attitudes towards suicide.

  12. Eskin M, AlBuhairan F, Rezaeian M, Abdel-Khalek AM, Harlak H, El-Nayal M, et al.
    Psychiatr Q, 2019 03;90(1):229-248.
    PMID: 30498939 DOI: 10.1007/s11126-018-9613-4
    There is a scarcity of research on suicidal phenomena in the Muslim world. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating the self-reported prevalence of suicidal thoughts, attempts and motives in 12 Muslim countries. A total of 8417 (54.4% women) university students were surveyed by means of a self-report questionnaire. Overall, 22% of the participants reported suicidal ideation and 8.6% reported attempting suicide. The odds of suicidal thoughts were elevated in Azerbaijan, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, while reduced ORs were recorded in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Malaysia. While odds of suicide attempts were high in Azerbaijan, Palestine and Saudi Arabia reduced odds ratios (OR) were detected in Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia and Tunisia. Taking drugs and using a sharp instrument were the two most frequently used methods to attempt suicide. Only 32.7% of attempts required medical attention. Escape motives were endorsed more than social motives by participants who attempted suicide. Suicidal behaviors were more frequent in women than in men. Compered to men, fewer attempts by women required medical attention. Moreover, our results show that making suicide illegal does not reduce the frequency of suicidal behavior. Results from this comparative study show that suicidal thoughts and attempts are frequent events in young adults in countries where religious scripture explicitly prohibit suicide and the frequencies of nonfatal suicidal behavior show large variation in nations adhering to the same religion.
  13. Eskin M, Baydar N, Harlak H, Hamdan M, Mechri A, Isayeva U, et al.
    J Affect Disord, 2021 11 01;294:366-374.
    PMID: 34315098 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.07.050
    BACKGROUND: Research on suicidality in low to middle-income countries is scarce. We addressed this issue by investigating suicidality in a cross-national college student samples from 11 predominantly low to middle-income majority Muslim countries.

    METHODS: The sample consisted of 7427 college students (56% female) who reported to be affiliated with Islam. Data on self-construal, social support, negative life-events, acceptability of suicide, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts were collected with self-administered questionnaires.

    RESULTS: Acceptability of suicide and the experience of negative life-events were positively, and perceived social support was negatively associated with suicidal ideation. Interdependent self-construal was negatively related to the acceptability of suicide and positively associated with perceived social support, implying a negative indirect effect on suicidal ideation although its direct effect was positive. The number of negative life-events was the strongest positive predictor of ever attempting suicide. The interdependent self-construal moderated the association of negative life-events with suicide attempts.

    LIMITATIONS: Cross-sectional and self-report nature of the study were its major limitations. Participants may have suppressed their responses about suicide because of religious and legal reasons.

    CONCLUSION: Remarkable similarities across 11 country samples emerged in the linkages between cultural and interpersonal factors with suicidality. Our findings highlight the value of a nuanced approach to suicidality, that can recognize the differences in the processes associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, as well as the need to consider the interplay of a broad range of personal, interpersonal, and cultural influences.

  14. Yen CF, Hamdan M, Hengrasmee P, Huang Z, Jeong K, Dao LA, et al.
    Int J Gynaecol Obstet, 2023 Dec;163(3):720-732.
    PMID: 37837343 DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.15142
    Endometriosis should be diagnosed as early as possible in the continuum of care; but substantial delays of approximately 6-8 years between symptom onset and endometriosis diagnosis have been widely reported. With the purpose of improving the prompt diagnosis of endometriosis, the Asia-Pacific Endometriosis Expert Panel (APEX) sought to address the reasons for diagnostic delays across the region, and formulate a multi-pronged approach to overcoming these challenges. In the first instance, clinical diagnosis is preferable to surgical diagnosis, in order to facilitate earlier empirical treatment and minimize the negative sequelae of undiagnosed/untreated disease. There should be a high clinical index of suspicion in women presenting with cyclical symptoms, including those involving extrapelvic organs. Diagnostic delays in Asia-Pacific countries are attributable to a variety of patient, physician, and healthcare factors, including poor awareness, normalization/trivialization of pain, individual/cultural attitudes toward menstruation, default use of symptom-suppressing treatments, misdiagnosis, and a lack of diagnostic resourcing or adequate referral pathways in some areas. Suggested initiatives to reduce diagnostic delays are geared toward improving public awareness, improving clinical diagnostic skills, streamlining multidisciplinary care pathways for timely referral, updating and implementing diagnostic guidelines, lobbying policymakers and insurance companies for endometriosis support, and increasing efforts to bridge data gaps and perform further research in this field. Formulating specific action plans and gathering traction are the responsibility of individual countries within local parameters. The APEX group advocates for any initiatives and policies that support the unmet needs of women with endometriosis, to improve patient experience and outcomes.
  15. Tai YT, Khoo JK, Lim QH, Lim LL, Paramasivam SS, Ratnasingam J, et al.
    PLoS One, 2025;20(1):e0316837.
    PMID: 39761286 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0316837
    Gestational Weight Gain (GWG) modulates pregnancy outcomes and long-term offspring metabolic health. The 2009 Institute of Medicine (IOM) GWG recommendations have largely been validated in Caucasian and mono-ethnic East Asian cohorts. Asians are at higher metabolic risk at a lower body mass index (BMI), and this has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to identify lower BMI cut-offs for risk evaluation amongst Asians. This prospective observational cohort study aimed to determine if 2009 IOM GWG thresholds are applicable in a contemporary multi-ethnic South-East Asian cohort. We recruited 875 mothers from an urban Malaysian tertiary clinic during screening for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) from 2014-2021. Data collected included measures of insulin-sensitivity, total GWG (maternal weight at delivery-self-reported pre-gravid weight), and neonatal anthropometrics (birthweight and skinfold-thickness measured with Harpenden calipers). BMI was stratified by Caucasian (overweight ≥25kg/m2, obese ≥30kg/m2) as well as Asian (overweight ≥23kg/m2, obese ≥27.5kg/ m2) cut-offs, and patients categorized by 2009 IOM GWG reference ranges. The cohort comprised 67% Malay-, 23% Chinese- and 10% Indian-descent mothers with a high prevalence of overweight/obesity (Asian cut-offs 56.9% vs Caucasian 44%). When Asian BMI cut-offs were deployed, excessive GWG incidence increased (34.1% → 40.6%) whilst inadequate GWG declined (30% → 24.8%) (p<0.05). Upon multivariate-analysis (adjusting for age, parity, race, GDM, insulin-sensitivity, baby-gender) excessive GWG categorized with Caucasian BMI cut-offs was significantly associated with increased risk of macrosomia (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 8.65, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07-70.01), Neonatal-Fat-Mass (NFM) >90th centile (aOR 2.14, 95% CI 1.02-4.45) and Sum-of-Skinfold Thickness (SSFT) >90th centile (aOR 3.88, 95% CI 1.77-8.51). Excessive GWG by Asian cut-offs was also associated with increased risk of SSFT >90th centile (aOR 5.75, 95% CI 2.35-14.10). Inadequate GWG by both Caucasian and Asian BMI cut-offs was associated with Small-for-Gestational-Age (SGA) status (aOR 4.30, 95% CI 2.48-7.45 and aOR 3.66, 95% CI 2.13-6.30 respectively). In conclusion, the 2009 IOM GWG recommendations, using either Caucasian or regional Asian BMI cut-offs, are applicable in a contemporary Malay majority South-East Asian cohort in terms of predicting abnormal neonatal adiposity. Importantly, the association with neonatal adiposity is independent of increased maternal insulin resistance characteristic of Asians.
  16. Swami V, Tran US, Stieger S, Aavik T, Ranjbar HA, Adebayo SO, et al.
    Body Image, 2023 Sep;46:449-466.
    PMID: 37582318 DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.07.010
    The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) is a widely used measure of a core facet of the positive body image construct. However, extant research concerning measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across a large number of nations remains limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset - with data collected between 2020 and 2022 - to assess measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated that full scalar invariance was upheld across all nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups, suggesting that the unidimensional BAS-2 model has widespread applicability. There were large differences across nations and languages in latent body appreciation, while differences across gender identities and age groups were negligible-to-small. Additionally, greater body appreciation was significantly associated with higher life satisfaction, being single (versus being married or in a committed relationship), and greater rurality (versus urbanicity). Across a subset of nations where nation-level data were available, greater body appreciation was also significantly associated with greater cultural distance from the United States and greater relative income inequality. These findings suggest that the BAS-2 likely captures a near-universal conceptualisation of the body appreciation construct, which should facilitate further cross-cultural research.
  17. Swami V, Stieger S, Voracek M, Aavik T, Abdollahpour Ranjbar H, Adebayo SO, et al.
    PLoS One, 2025;20(1):e0313107.
    PMID: 39841629 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0313107
    The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) is a widely used self-report measure of subjective well-being, but studies of its measurement invariance across a large number of nations remain limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset-with data collected between 2020 and 2022 -to assess measurement invariance of the SWLS across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups (N = 56,968). All participants completed the SWLS under largely uniform conditions. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated that configural and metric invariance was upheld across all nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups, suggesting that the unidimensional SWLS model has universal applicability. Full scalar invariance was achieved across gender identities and age groups. Based on alignment optimisation methods, partial scalar invariance was achieved across all but three national groups and across all languages represented in the BINS. There were large differences in latent SWLS means across nations and languages, but negligible-to-small differences across gender identities and age groups. Across nations, greater life satisfaction was significantly associated with greater financial security and being in a committed relationship or married. The results of this study suggest that the SWLS largely assesses a common unidimensional construct of life satisfaction irrespective of respondent characteristics (i.e., national group, gender identities, and age group) or survey presentation (i.e., survey language). This has important implications for the assessment of life satisfaction across nations and provides information that will be useful for practitioners aiming to promote subjective well-being internationally.
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