METHODS: The study population included all women diagnosed with uterine cancer in Sarawak, Malaysia between January 1996 and December 2015. Data on demographic and clinical characteristics were obtained from the Sarawak Cancer Registry. The crude incidence rate, age-standardized incidence rate (ASR), and incidence risk ratios (IRR) were calculated. Joinpoint regression analyses were performed to assess trends in incidence rates.
RESULTS: A total of 811 women were diagnosed with primary uterine cancer during the study period. The overall crude incidence rate for uterine cancer in Sarawak for the period 1996-2015 was 3.7 per 100,000. The ASR was 4.4 per 100,000 with a 95% CI (4.1-4.8). The ASR in 2011-2015 is 1.6 times higher than the ASR of uterine cancer in 1996-2000. Higher incidence rates were observed in women aged 40-59 years and those aged 60 years and above. Chinese women had the highest ASR, followed by Malay and Iban women. Joinpoint regression analyses showed a significant increase in cases of uterine cancer among all ethnic groups and age groups.
CONCLUSION: The incidence of primary uterine cancer in Sarawak, Malaysia, has increased over the past 20 years, with higher incidence rates observed in older age groups and among Chinese women. The findings suggest the need for continued efforts to improve the prevention, early detection, and treatment of uterine cancer in Sarawak.
METHOD: This was a pilot, assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial. The intervention group received a guided video and was briefed to perform the exercise twice a week for two weeks while the waitlist control group only received the video upon completion of the study. The subjects were assessed at three-time points (T0: Baseline, T1: 2 weeks after the intervention, T2: 4 weeks after intervention), using the Neurological Disorders Depression Index (NDDI-E), General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-31) and Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS).
RESULTS: Twenty patients were recruited, with 10 in the intervention and waitlist-control groups. Compared with the waitlist-control group, participants in the intervention group showed significant improvement in NDDI-E at T1 (p = 0.022) but not at T2 (p = 0.056) and greater improvement in GAD-7 at T1 and T2 but not statistically significant. The QOLIE-31 overall score in the intervention group has significantly improved at T1 (p = 0.036) and T2 (p = 0.031) compared to the waitlist-control group. For MAAS, the intervention group also had an increased score at T2 (p = 0.025).
CONCLUSION: The 20-minute mindfulness breathing exercise has an immediate effect in improving depression and quality of life among people with epilepsy.
OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to investigate neuroprotective properties of PS against Aβ-induced neurotoxicity and to evaluate its potential mechanism of action.
METHODS: Neuroprotective effects of hexane (HXN), dichloromethane (DCM), ethyl acetate (EA) and methanol (MEOH) extracts from leaves (L) and roots (R) of PS against Aβ-induced neurotoxicity were investigated in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. Cells were pre-treated with PS for 24 h followed by 24 h of induction with Aβ. The neuroprotective effects of PS were studied using cell viability and cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) assays. The levels of extracellular Aβ and tau proteins phosphorylated at threonine 231 (pT231) were determined. Gene and protein expressions were assessed using qRT-PCR analyses and western blot analyses, respectively.
RESULTS: Hexane extracts of PS (LHXN and RHXN) protected SH-SY5Y cells against Aβ-induced neurotoxicity, and decreased levels of extracellular Aβ and phosphorylated tau (pT231). Although extracts of PS inhibited Aβ-induced ROS production, it was unlikely that neuroprotective effects were simply due to the anti-oxidant capacity of PS. Further, mechanistic study suggested that the neuroprotective effects of PS might be due to its capability to regulate amyloidogenesis through the downregulation of BACE and APP.
CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that hexane extracts of PS confer neuroprotection against Aβ- induced neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells by attenuating amyloidogenesis and tau hyperphosphorylation. Due to its neuroprotective properties, PS might be a potential therapeutic agent for Alzheimer's disease.
METHODS AND RESULTS: Blood pressures, fasting lipid profile and fasting glucose were measured, and DASH score was computed based on a 22-item food frequency questionnaire. Older individuals, women, those not consuming alcohol and those undertaking regular physical activity were more likely to have higher DASH scores. In the Malaysian cohort, while total DASH score was not significantly associated with cardio-metabolic risk factors after adjusting for confounders, significant associations were observed for intake of green vegetable [0.011, standard error (SE): 0.004], and red and processed meat (-0.009, SE: 0.004) with total cholesterol. In the Philippines cohort, a 5-unit increase in total DASH score was significantly and inversely associated with systolic blood pressure (-1.41, SE: 0.40), diastolic blood pressure (-1.09, SE: 0.28), total cholesterol (-0.015, SE: 0.005), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (-0.025, SE: 0.008), and triglyceride (-0.034, SE: 0.012) after adjusting for socio-demographic and lifestyle groups. Intake of milk and dairy products, red and processed meat, and sugared drinks were found to significantly associated with most risk factors.
CONCLUSIONS: Differential associations of DASH diet and dietary components with cardio-metabolic risk factors by country suggest the need for country-specific tailoring of dietary interventions to improve cardio-metabolic risk profiles.
METHOD: This is a cross-sectional study in the neurology clinic in a tertiary teaching hospital in Kuala Lumpur. The screening tools used were the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (NDDI-E) and the General Anxiety Disorder Form (GAD-7).
RESULTS: Five hundred and eighty-five patients were recruited in this study, and 50.8% of them were male, predominantly Chinese (46.7%), with a mean age of seizure onset of 21.8 ± 16.1 years. The majority had focal seizures (75.0%), and 41.9% had seizure remission. There were 15.5% who scored ≥15 in the NDDI-E, and 17.0% had moderate or severe anxiety (scored ≥10 in the GAD-7). In a regression model to predict the NDDI-E score, the age of seizure onset recorded a higher beta value (β = -0.265, p =