Methods: This retrospective study was conducted from January 2014-December 2016 at a tertiary hospital in Malaysia. All neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC) were screened with a two-step protocol using an automated auditory brain response (AABR) and/or Otoacoustic Emission and auditory brain response (ABR). Descriptive analysis was used for the prevalence of HL, degree of HL and number of risk factors per infant.
Results: A total of 2713 babies underwent hearing screening in NICU was enrolled in this study. Two thousand six hundred eight (96%) babies passed the screening test and 214 (4%) babies required further diagnostic test. Only 105 (49%) babies completed diagnostic tests. Out of 105 babies, 40 (38.1%) babies had HL. Mild HL was the commonest HL with 22 (55%), moderate HL was in seven babies (17.5%), severe HL in two babies (5%), and profound HL in nine babies (22.5%). The presence of craniofacial anomalies was the only significant independent risk factor for HL with p<0.05 with an odds ratio of 0.105 CI 95% [0.028-0.389]. Of Babies with the presence of three or more risk factors, 100% of them had HL.There was an increased risk of hearing loss in those with craniofacial anomalies up to 11 times higher compared to those without such anomalies.
Conclusion: The prevalence of HL among the NICU babies was 1.5% and mild HL was the commonest degree of HL (55%).
METHODS: A retrospective review of clinical records of all patients with CT scan evidence of tracheobronchial compression from January 2007 to December 2017 at National Heart Institute. Cardiovascular causes of tracheobronchial compression were divided into three groups; group I: vascular ring/pulmonary artery sling, II: abnormally enlarged or malposition cardiovascular structure due to CHD, III: post-CHD surgery.
RESULTS: Vascular tracheobronchial compression was found in 81 out of 810 (10%) patients who underwent CT scan. Group I lesions were the leading causes of vascular tracheobronchial compression (55.5%), followed by group II (34.6%) and group III (9.9%). The median age of diagnosis in groups I, II, and III were 16.8 months, 3 months, and 15.6 months, respectively. Half of group I patients are manifested with stridor and one-third with recurrent chest infections. Persistent respiratory symptoms, lung atelectasis, or prolonged respiratory support requirement were clues in groups II and III. Higher morbidity and mortality in younger infants with severe obstructive airway symptoms, associated airway abnormalities, and underlying complex cyanotic CHD.
CONCLUSIONS: Vascular ring/pulmonary artery sling and abnormally enlarged or malposition cardiovascular structure were the leading causes of cardiovascular airway compression. A high index of suspicion is needed for early detection due to its non-specific presentation. The outcome often depends on the severity of airway obstruction and complexity of cardiac lesions.
METHODS: The study involved 235 Malaysian subjects who were randomly selected (66 normal weight subjects, 97 overweight, 59 obese subjects, and 13 subjects who were underweight). Serum sDPP4 and active GLP-1 levels were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Also, body mass index kg/m(2) (BMI), lipid profiles, insulin and glucose levels were evaluated. Insulin resistance (IR) was estimated via the homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR).
RESULTS: Serum sDPP4 levels were significantly higher in obese subjects compared to normal weight subjects (p=0.034), whereas serum levels of active GLP-1 were lower (p=0.021). In obese subjects, sDPP4 levels correlated negatively with active GLP-1 levels (r(2)=-0.326, p=0.015). Furthermore, linear regression showed that sDPP4 levels were positively associated with insulin resistance (B=82.28, p=0.023) in obese subjects.
CONCLUSION: Elevated serum sDPP4 levels and reduced GLP-1 levels were observed in obese subjects. In addition, sDPP4 levels correlated negatively with active GLP-1 levels but was positively associated with insulin resistance. This finding provides evidence that sDPP4 and GLP-1 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of obesity, suggesting that sDPP4 may be valuable as an early marker for the augmented risk of obesity and insulin resistance.
CONCLUSION: This review will provide information on the causes and indicators of skin aging as well as examine studies that have used plants to produce anti-aging products.
METHODS: This study consisted of 53 subjects diagnosed with GDM and 43 normal glucose tolerance (NGT) pregnant women. Serum leptin and SLeptinR were measured at 24-28 weeks, prior and after delivery, and post-puerperium.
RESULTS: Lower levels of leptin and SLeptinR were observed in GDM compared to NGT. Leptin [OR 0.97 (95% CI 0.94-1.0)] and SLeptinR [OR 0.86 (95% CI 0.79-0.93]) were inversely associated with GDM. Participants in the lowest tertile for leptin and SLeptinR had a 2.8-fold (95% CI 1.0-7.6) and a 5.7-fold (95% CI 1.9-17.3) higher risk of developing GDM compared with the highest tertile, respectively. These relationships were attenuated after adjustment for covariates. In both the groups, peak leptin was observed at 24-28 weeks, decreasing continuously during pregnancy (p > 0.05) and after delivery (p
METHODS: This randomized trial was conducted from December 2019-June 2020. 234 nulliparas, 34-36 weeks' gestation with self-reported night sleep
EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: The chemical composition of the OCS02® cold water extract was determined, and the antioxidant activities were examined using ferric reducing, DPPH• and O2 •- scavenging assays. Tetrazolium dye (MTT) cytotoxic assay was performed to assess the antiproliferative activity of the extract. Bioactive proteins in the active fraction of the extract were identified using liquid chromatography (LC) and tandem-mass spectrometry (MS/MS).
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The OCS02® extract exhibited strong O2 •- scavenging (expressed as Trolox equivalents (18.4±1.1) mol/g) and potent cytotoxic activities against adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial (A549) cells (IC50=(58.2±6.8) µg/mL). High molecular mass polysaccharides, proteins and protein-polysaccharide complexes could have contributed to the antioxidant and cytotoxic selectivity of the OCS02®. LC-MS/MS analysis identified several potential cytotoxic proteases and an oxalate decarboxylase protein which may exhibit protection effects on kidneys.
NOVELTY AND SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTIONS: The findings demonstrate the potential of OCS02® to be developed into functional food due to its promising superoxide anion radical scavenging capacity, cytotoxic effect and presence of biopharmaceutically active proteins.