Displaying publications 41 - 60 of 737 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Ketter A
    HIV AIDS Policy Law Rev, 2005 Apr;10(1):62-3.
    PMID: 15997473
    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections*
  2. Tan SS, Leong CL, Lee CK
    Med J Malaysia, 2015 Oct;70(5):281-7.
    PMID: 26556116
    BACKGROUND: Co-infection by human immunodeficiency and hepatitis C viruses (HIV/HCV) is common and results in significant morbidity and mortality despite effective antiretroviral therapies (ART).
    METHOD: A retrospective and prospective evaluation of the efficacy and safety of pegylated interferon alfa 2a/2b plus ribavirin (PEG-IFN/RBV) in consecutive HIV/HCV co-infected patients treated in real life clinical practice in Malaysia.
    RESULTS: Forty-five HIV/HCV co-infected patients with a median age (interquartile range, IQR) of 41 years (37; 47) were assessed for treatment with PEG-IFN/RBV. All except one are of male gender and the most common risk behaviour was injecting drug use. At baseline 75.5% was on ART and the median (IQR) CD4 count was 492 cells/μl (376; 621). The HCV genotypes (GT) were 73 % GT3 and 27% GT1. Liver biopsies in forty patients showed 10% had liver cirrhosis and another 50% had significant liver fibrosis. The treatment completion rate was 79.5% with 15.9% dropped out of treatment due to adverse effects (AE) or default and 4.6% due to lack of early virological response. The AE causing premature discontinuations were neuropsychiatric and haematological. The overall sustained virological response (SVR) was 63.6% with a trend towards higher SVR in GT3 compared with GT1 (71.9% vs. 41.7%; p=0.064). In patients with bridging fibrosis plus occasional nodules or cirrhosis on liver biopsy, the SVR was significantly lower at 20% (p=0.030) compared to those with milder fibrosis.
    CONCLUSION: HIV/HCV co-infected patients can be successfully and safely treated with PEG-IFN/RBV achieving high rates of SVR except in cirrhotic patients.

    Study site: co-infection clinics at Sungai Buloh Hospita
    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections*
  3. Ong HC, Quah SH, Low HC
    Med J Malaysia, 1998 Dec;53(4):385-91.
    PMID: 10971982
    The method of backcalculation estimates past HIV infection rates from available AIDS incidence data and an estimate of the incubation period. The method is used on the Malaysian data to model the AIDS epidemic because it makes use of the Malaysian AIDS incidence data which is fairly reliable and is more reflective of the trend of the epidemic as compared to the HIV infection rate recorded. An application is made on the monthly AIDS incidence data in Malaysia from January 1995 until August 1996 released by the Ministry of Health, Malaysia using the backcalculation program from Bacchetti et al and the incubation period distribution from Brookmeyer to generate the current HIV infection rate for Malaysia (until August 1996).
    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections/epidemiology*
  4. Kaldor JM, Sittitrai W, John TJ, Kitamura T
    AIDS, 1994;8 Suppl 2:S1-2.
    PMID: 7857551
    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections/epidemiology*
  5. Roberts T, Sahu S, Malar J, Abdullaev T, Vandevelde W, Pillay YG, et al.
    J Int AIDS Soc, 2021 04;24(4):e25696.
    PMID: 33787058 DOI: 10.1002/jia2.25696
    INTRODUCTION: Until COVID-19, tuberculosis (TB) was the leading infectious disease killer globally, disproportionally affecting people with HIV. The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening the gains made in the fight against both diseases.

    DISCUSSION: Although crucial guidance has been released on how to maintain TB and HIV services during the pandemic, it is acknowledged that what was considered normal service pre-pandemic needs to improve to ensure that we rebuild person-centred, inclusive and quality healthcare services. The threat that the pandemic may reverse gains in the response to TB and HIV may be turned into an opportunity by pivoting to using proven differentiated service delivery approaches and innovative technologies that can be used to maintain care during the pandemic and accelerate improved service delivery in the long term. Models of care should be convenient, supportive and sufficiently differentiated to avoid burdensome clinic visits for medication pick-ups or directly observed treatments. Additionally, the pandemic has highlighted the chronic and short-sighted lack of investment in health systems and the need to prioritize research and development to close the gaps in TB diagnosis, treatment and prevention, especially for children and people with HIV. Most importantly, TB-affected communities and civil society must be supported to lead the planning, implementation and monitoring of TB and HIV services, especially in the time of COVID-19 where services have been disrupted, and to report on legal, policy and gender-related barriers to access experienced by affected people. This will help to ensure that TB services are held accountable by affected communities for delivering equitable access to quality, affordable and non-discriminatory services during and beyond the pandemic.

    CONCLUSIONS: Successfully reaching the related targets of ending TB and AIDS as public health threats by 2030 requires rebuilding of stronger, more inclusive health systems by advancing equitable access to quality TB services, including for people with HIV, both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, services must be rights-based, community-led and community-based, to ensure that no one is left behind.

    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections/therapy*
  6. Valentine J G, Diane C, Chua Y W
    MyJurnal
    Men who have sex with men (MSM) is one of the key populations affected by HIV epidemic with infection rates exceeding five percentages. Due to a strict and prohibitive socio-cultural and legal environment, male-to-male sexual practices are often misunderstood and highly stigmatised, thus creating barriers for MSM to access HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services.
    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections*
  7. Ei KS, Shoesmith WD
    MyJurnal
    In this study parallel scales were constructed to use to measure the levels of HIV-related stigma towards people living with HIV (PLHIV) in populations with different backgrounds in Sabah. The study also explored the components of stigma within the population. We found that there were three principle components of HIV related stigma: “Interpersonal distancing,” “Shame and blame,” and “Positive opinions about PLHIV”. The scales constructed showed adequate internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.69 to 0.85) in all samples. The medical students and people with more knowledge about HIV had significantly lower levels of all three factors of personal stigma. Regarding HIV-related knowledge, the non-medical university students and the rural community group were found to have poor knowledge of HIV transmission and prevention. This scale can be used by researchers or public health officials who wish to study HIV related stigma or to evaluate the impact of stigma interventions in the local context.
    Study site: Universiti Malaysia Sabah; Rural Medical Education Centre, Sikuati, Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia
    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections*
  8. Hiebert L, Azzeri A, Dahlui M, Hecht R, Mohamed R, Hana Shabaruddin F, et al.
    Subst Use Misuse, 2020;55(6):871-877.
    PMID: 31933411 DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2019.1708943
    Background: As hepatitis C elimination efforts are launched, national strategies for screening and treatment scale-up in countries, such as Malaysia, must be designed and implemented. Strategic information, including estimates of the total number of patients chronically-infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the size of key populations, such as people who inject drugs (PWID), is critical to informing these efforts. For Malaysia, the estimate of the PWID population size most frequently reported in global systematic reviews is for the year 2009. Objectives: To support ongoing national HCV planning efforts, we aimed to estimate the national population size of active PWID in Malaysia, for the years 2014 and 2017. Methods: To estimate the PWID population size, we applied standard benchmark-multiplier methodology, frequently used for PWID population size estimation, and extended it by adjusting for cessation of injecting drug use within the benchmark and calculating statistical uncertainty intervals. Results: The estimated active PWID population size was 153,000 (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 136,000-172,000) for 2014 and 156,000 (95% UI: 137,000-188,000) for 2017. Conclusions/importance: This updated estimate of the active PWID population size in Malaysia will help inform effective planning for the scale-up of HCV screening and treatment services. The proposed methodology is applicable to other countries that maintain national HIV registries and have conducted Integrated Biological and Behavioral Surveys among active PWID.
    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections*
  9. Abdulrahman SA, Rampal L, Othman N, Ibrahim F, Hayati KS, Radhakrishnan AP
    Patient Prefer Adherence, 2017;11:1273-1284.
    PMID: 28794617 DOI: 10.2147/PPA.S141609
    BACKGROUND: Inconsistent literature evidence suggests that sociodemographic, economic, and system- and patient-related factors are associated with clinic attendance among the HIV-positive population receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) around the world. We examined the factors that predict outpatient clinic attendance among a cohort of HIV-positive patients initiating ART in Selangor, Malaysia.

    PATIENTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed secondary data on outpatient clinic attendance and sociodemographic, economic, psychosocial, and patient-related factors among 242 adult Malaysian patients initiating ART in Selangor, Malaysia. Study cohort was enrolled in a parent randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Hospital Sungai Buloh Malaysia between January and December 2014, during which peer counseling, medication, and clinic appointment reminders were provided to the intervention group through short message service (SMS) and telephone calls for 24 consecutive weeks. Data on outpatient clinic attendance were extracted from the hospital electronic medical records system, while other patient-level data were extracted from pre-validated Adult AIDS Clinical Trial Group (AACTG) adherence questionnaires in which primary data were collected. Outpatient clinic attendance was categorized into binary outcome - regular attendee and defaulter categories - based on the number of missed scheduled outpatient clinic appointments within a 6-month period. Multivariate regression models were fitted to examine predictors of outpatient clinic attendance using SPSS version 22 and R software.

    RESULTS: A total of 224 (93%) patients who completed 6-month assessment were included in the model. Out of those, 42 (18.7%) defaulted scheduled clinic attendance at least once. Missed appointments were significantly more prevalent among females (n=10, 37.0%), rural residents (n=10, 38.5%), and bisexual respondents (n=8, 47.1%). Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis showed that Indian ethnicity (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =0.235; 95% CI [0.063-0.869]; P=0.030) and heterosexual orientation (AOR =4.199; 95% CI [1.040-16.957]; P=0.044) were significant predictors of outpatient clinic attendance among HIV-positive patients receiving ART in Malaysia.

    CONCLUSION: Ethnicity and sexual orientation of Malaysian patients may play a significant role in their level of adherence to scheduled clinic appointments. These factors should be considered during collaborative adherence strategy planning at ART initiation.

    Study site: Outpatient clinic, Hospital Sungai Buloh Malaysia
    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections*
  10. Walters SM, Li WP, Saifi R, Azwa I, Syed Omar SF, Collier ZK, et al.
    J Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care, 2022;21:23259582221128512.
    PMID: 36177542 DOI: 10.1177/23259582221128512
    Objective: In Malaysia, HIV is concentrated among key populations who experience barriers to care due to stigma and healthcare discrimination. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased barriers to healthcare. Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a transformative tele-education strategy that could improve HIV prevention and treatment. Methods: Practicing physicians who were aged 18 years or older and had internet access participated in asynchronous online focus groups. Results: Barriers to Project ECHO were conflicting priorities, time constraints, and technology. Facilitators included content and format, dedicated time, asynchronized flexible programming, incentives, and ensuring technology was available. Conclusion: Project ECHO is a promising intervention that can increase physicians' knowledge and skill set in specialty medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interventionists in Malaysia in particular, but also in general, should consider these barriers and facilitators when developing Project ECHO as they may aid in developing a more robust program and increase participation.
    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections*
  11. Toller Erausquin J, Tan RKJ, Uhlich M, Francis JM, Kumar N, Campbell L, et al.
    Clin Infect Dis, 2022 Aug 24;75(1):e991-e999.
    PMID: 35136960 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac102
    BACKGROUND: There is limited evidence to date about changes to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) during the initial wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To address this gap, our team organized a multicountry, cross-sectional online survey as part of a global consortium.

    METHODS: Consortium research teams conducted online surveys in 30 countries. Sampling methods included convenience, online panels, and population-representative. Primary outcomes included sexual behaviors, partner violence, and SRH service use, and we compared 3 months prior to and during policy measures to mitigate COVID-19. We conducted meta-analyses for primary outcomes and graded the certainty of the evidence.

    RESULTS: Among 4546 respondents with casual partners, condom use stayed the same for 3374 (74.4%), and 640 (14.1%) reported a decline. Fewer respondents reported physical or sexual partner violence during COVID-19 measures (1063 of 15 144, 7.0%) compared to before COVID-19 measures (1469 of 15 887, 9.3%). COVID-19 measures impeded access to condoms (933 of 10 790, 8.7%), contraceptives (610 of 8175, 7.5%), and human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted infection (HIV/STI) testing (750 of 1965, 30.7%). Pooled estimates from meta-analysis indicate that during COVID-19 measures, 32.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 23.9%-42.1%) of people needing HIV/STI testing had hindered access, 4.4% (95% CI, 3.4%-5.4%) experienced partner violence, and 5.8% (95% CI, 5.4%-8.2%) decreased casual partner condom use (moderate certainty of evidence for each outcome). Meta-analysis findings were robust in sensitivity analyses that examined country income level, sample size, and sampling strategy.

    CONCLUSIONS: Open science methods are feasible to organize research studies as part of emergency responses. The initial COVID-19 wave impacted SRH behaviors and access to services across diverse global settings.

    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections*
  12. Z S, S S, N A H, S A I
    J Hum Lact, 2023 Nov;39(4):701-710.
    PMID: 37675867 DOI: 10.1177/08903344231195580
    BACKGROUND: With the advancement of antiretroviral therapy scale-up, it is possible for women living with HIV to breastfeed safely. However, this practice has not been adopted in Malaysia. Instead, infants are provided with subsidized human milk substitutes for their first 2 years of life.

    RESEARCH AIM: This study describes the infant feeding experiences of women living with HIV in Malaysia.

    METHODS: From August to October 2021, a nationwide, community-based qualitative study was conducted among women living with HIV and who received care from the Malaysian Ministry of Health. Using purposive sampling, participants who met the inclusion criteria were recruited. Interview and focus group transcripts were coded based on a secondary thematic analysis.

    RESULTS: Six in-depth interviews and five focus group discussions were conducted among 32 participants. Study participants were mostly Malay secondary school graduates in their 30s and 40s. Due to the fear of vertical transmission, which was explained by healthcare providers to the participants, none of the women breastfed their infants. The three primary themes that emerged from analyzing the women's infant feeding experiences were (1) a human milk substitute was the only option and was encouraged; (2) feeding infants with a human milk substitute made the women feel incomplete as mothers; and (3) the women encountered difficulties in obtaining the subsidized human milk substitute.

    CONCLUSION: Women living with HIV in Malaysia have been advised to provide human milk substitutes to their infants in fear of HIV transmission.

    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections*
  13. Goh PH, Luginbuehl T, Swami V
    Arch Sex Behav, 2024 Apr;53(4):1473-1486.
    PMID: 38321341 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-024-02810-y
    Past findings on the association between negative body image and sexual health behaviors have been mixed and mostly derived from Western samples. The aim of the current study was to examine associations between indices of negative body image and sexual health practices that reduce the risk of disease transmission in emerging adults, and whether these associations are moderated by gender. Using an online survey, a convenience sample of 584 Malaysian adults aged 18-30 years (230 men, 354 women) completed measures of satisfaction with overall appearance, body size dissatisfaction, weight satisfaction, height satisfaction, and genital image evaluation. They also reported if they ever had partnered sex, condomless sex, and been screened for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), as well as their lifetime number of penetrative sex partners. Hierarchical logistic and ordinal regression analyses indicated that more positive genital image evaluation, but not the other body image indices, was significantly associated with having had partnered sex and fewer lifetime penetrative sex partners. None of the body image indices were significantly associated with condomless sex. All associations were consistent across men and women. For HIV testing, a significant interaction between genital image evaluation and gender emerged. However, this was reduced to non-significance after controlling for the number of penetrative sex partners. Overall, our findings underline the importance of promoting improved genital image in interventions aimed at increasing positive sexual health behaviors.
    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections*
  14. Nissapatorn V, Lee C, Ithoi I, Yik FM, Abdullah KA
    Malays J Med Sci, 2003 Jan;10(1):60-4.
    PMID: 23365502 MyJurnal
    Tuberculosis is the top agenda among opportunistic diseases and the most leading cause of death in HIV/AIDS patients. A total of 406 AIDS patients were recruited in this retrospective and descriptive study. 123/406 (30.3%) were diagnosed as AIDS-related tuberculosis (TB). Their age range from 17 to 69 years with a mean (±SD) of 37.2 (±9.51. There were significant association between occupation, or mode of HIV transmission and tuberculosis infection (p< 0.05). Pulmonary tuberculosis 104/123 (84.6%) was the most common disease location among TB patients. We found the significant association between the clinical presentations i.e. fever, cough, sputum or hemoptysis and TB patients (p<0.05), moreover, the level of CD4 cell count plays a significant role in association with the disease (p<0.05) in this study.
    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections*
  15. Syed IA, Syed Sulaiman SA, Hassali MA, Thiruchelvum K, Lee CK
    Health Expect, 2015 Dec;18(6):2841-52.
    PMID: 25228140 DOI: 10.1111/hex.12268
    BACKGROUND: Understanding patients' knowledge and belief towards disease could play a vital role from an outcome perspective of disease management and HIV/AIDS patients are not exception to that.

    METHODS: Qualitative methodology was used to explore Malaysian HIV/AIDS patients' perspectives on disease and status disclosure. A semi structured interview guide was used to interview the patients and a saturation point was reached after the 13th interview. All interviews were audio-recorded and subjected to a standard content analysis framework.

    RESULTS: Understandings and beliefs towards HIV/AIDS and Perspective on disease disclosures were two main themes derived from patients' data. Beliefs towards causes and cure emerged as sub-themes under disease understandings while reasons for disclosure and non-disclosure were resulted as main sub-themes under disease disclosure. Majority of patients apprehended HIV/AIDS and its causes to acceptable extent, there were elements of spirituality and lack of education involved with such understandings. Though beliefs existed that knowing status is better than being ignorant, fear of stigma and discrimination, social consequences and family emotions were found important elements linked to disease non-disclosure.

    CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes provided basic information about patients' perceptions towards disease and status disclosure among HIV/AIDS patients which can help in the designing and improvising existing strategies to enhance disease awareness and acceptance and will also serve as baseline data for future research further focusing on this subject.
    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections/etiology; HIV Infections/psychology*; HIV Infections/therapy
  16. Ng KT, Ong LY, Lim SH, Takebe Y, Kamarulzaman A, Tee KK
    PLoS One, 2013;8(6):e67286.
    PMID: 23840653 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067286
    HIV-1 epidemics among men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to expand in developed and developing countries. Although HIV infection in MSM is amongst the highest of the key affected populations in many countries in Southeast Asia, comprehensive molecular epidemiological study of HIV-1 among MSM remains inadequate in the region including in Malaysia. Here, we reported the phylodynamic profiles of HIV-1 genotypes circulating among MSM population in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A total of n = 459 newly-diagnosed treatment-naïve consenting subjects were recruited between March 2006 and August 2012, of whom 87 (18.9%) were self-reported MSM. Transmitted drug resistance mutations were absent in these isolates. Cumulatively, phylogenetic reconstructions of the pro-rt gene (HXB2∶2253-3275) showed that HIV-1 subtype B and CRF01_AE were predominant and contributed to approximately 80% of the total HIV-1 infection among MSM. In addition to numerous unique transmission lineages within these genotypes, twelve monophyletic transmission clusters of different sizes (2-7 MSM sequences, supported by posterior probability value of 1) were identified in Malaysia. Bayesian coalescent analysis estimated that the divergence times for these clusters were mainly dated between 1995 and 2005 with four major transmission clusters radiating at least 12 years ago suggesting that active spread of multiple sub-epidemic clusters occurred during this period. The changes in effective population size of subtype B showed an exponential growth within 5 years between 1988 and 1993, while CRF01_AE lineage exhibited similar expansion between 1993 and 2003. Our study provides the first insight of the phylodynamic profile of HIV-1 subtype B and CRF01_AE circulating among MSM population in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, unravelling the importance of understanding transmission behaviours as well as evolutionary history of HIV-1 in assessing the risk of outbreak or epidemic expansion.
    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections/epidemiology; HIV Infections/transmission; HIV Infections/virology*
  17. Shankar EM, Vignesh R, Ellegård R, Barathan M, Chong YK, Bador MK, et al.
    Pathog Dis, 2014 Mar;70(2):110-8.
    PMID: 24214523 DOI: 10.1111/2049-632X.12108
    Tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection interfere and impact the pathogenesis phenomena of each other. Owing to atypical clinical presentations and diagnostic complications, HIV/TB co-infection continues to be a menace for healthcare providers. Although the increased access to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has led to a reduction in HIV-associated opportunistic infections and mortality, the concurrent management of HIV/TB co-infection remains a challenge owing to adverse effects, complex drug interactions, overlapping toxicities and tuberculosis -associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome. Several hypotheses have been put forward for the exacerbation of tuberculosis by HIV and vice versa supported by immunological studies. Discussion on the mechanisms produced by infectious cofactors with impact on disease pathology could shed light on how to design potential interventions that could decelerate disease progression. With no vaccine for HIV and lack of an effective vaccine for tuberculosis, it is essential to design strategies against HIV-TB co-infection.
    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections/complications*; HIV Infections/drug therapy; HIV Infections/pathology*
  18. Shetty P
    Lancet, 2013 Jun 15;381(9883):2073.
    PMID: 23769222 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61231-3
    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections/complications; HIV Infections/epidemiology; HIV Infections/prevention & control*
  19. Kamarulzaman A
    Lancet, 2013 Jun 15;381(9883):2058-60.
    PMID: 23769216 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61033-8
    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections/ethnology; HIV Infections/epidemiology*; HIV Infections/prevention & control
  20. Ghajarieh AB, Kow KY
    Health Care Women Int, 2011 Apr;32(4):314-27.
    PMID: 21409664 DOI: 10.1080/07399332.2010.532577
    To date, researchers investigating gender in relation to social issues underscore women and appear to sideline men. Focusing on women in studies concerning sociogender issues may exclude not only men from mainstream research, but also those who do not fit into the binary gender system, including gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) people. One area closely related to gender issues is the HIV epidemic. Mainstream discussions of men and other versions of masculinity and femininity including GLBT people in the gender-related studies of the HIV epidemic can decrease the vulnerability of individuals against HIV infections regardless of their biological sex.
    Matched MeSH terms: HIV Infections/epidemiology*; HIV Infections/prevention & control; HIV Infections/psychology*
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links