METHODS: An ethnographic investigation using purposive sampling to increase subject diversity was used to explore the range of beliefs about kinship and inheritance using Chinese-Australians as a case. Participants comprised a sample of 15 Chinese-Australians who had been recruited through several community-based organizations.
RESULTS: The level of acculturation does not correlate with holding beliefs about inheritance, kinship, and causes of hereditary cancer that are based on "Western" biomedical or traditional concepts. Mismatch between beliefs may exist within families that can impact participation in cancer genetic testing. Family history taking that underpins the surveillance, management, and referral to genetic counseling where there is a strong family history of breast, ovarian, or colorectal cancer can also be impacted unless recognition is made of the patrilineal concept of kinship prevalent in this Chinese-Australian community.
CONCLUSION: This community-based study confirmed and validated views and beliefs on inheritance and kinship and inherited cancer attributed to senior family members by Chinese-Australians who attended cancer genetic counseling. Barriers to communication can occur where there may be incompatibility within the family between "Western" and traditional beliefs. The findings were used to develop strategies for culturally competent cancer genetic counseling with Australian-Chinese patients. These include nonjudgmental incorporation of their belief systems into the genetic counseling process and avoidance of stereotyping. They have also influenced the development of genetics education materials to optimize family history taking.
METHOD: A total of 382 Malaysian adults completed a Malay translation of the SPQ. Confirmatory factory analysis was used to examine the fit of 3- and 4-factor solutions for the higher-order dimensionality of the SPQ. Ethnic invariance for the best-fitting model was tested at the configural, metric, and scalar levels, and a multivariate analysis of variance was used to examine sex and ethnicity differences in domain scores.
RESULTS: The 4-factor model provided a better fit to the data than did the 3-factor model. The 4-factor model also demonstrated partial measurement invariance across ethnic groups. Latent mean comparisons for sex and ethnicity revealed a number of significant differences for both factors, but effect sizes were small.
DISCUSSION: The 4-factor structure of the SPQ received confirmatory support and can be used in Malay-speaking populations.
Methods: A targeted GWAS was used to investigate whether ten candidate genes with known roles in corneal development were associated with CCT in two Singaporean populations. The single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within a 500 kb interval encompassing each candidate were analyzed, and in light of the resulting data, members of the Wnt pathway were subsequently screened using similar methodology.
Results: Variants within the 500 kb interval encompassing three candidate genes, DKK1 (rs1896368, p=1.32×10-3), DKK2 (rs17510449, p=7.34×10-4), and FOXO1 (rs7326616, p=1.56×10-4 and rs4943785, p=1.19×10-3), were statistically significantly associated with CCT in the Singapore Indian population. DKK2 was statistically significantly associated with CCT in a separate Singapore Malaysian population (rs10015200, p=2.26×10-3). Analysis of Wnt signaling pathway genes in each population demonstrated that TCF7L2 (rs3814573, p=1.18×10-3), RYK (rs6763231, p=1.12×10-3 and rs4854785, p=1.11×10-3), and FZD8 (rs640827, p=5.17×10-4) were statistically significantly associated with CCT.
Conclusions: The targeted GWAS identified four genes (DKK1, DKK2, RYK, and FZD8) with novel associations with CCT and confirmed known associations with two genes, FOXO1 and TCF7L2. All six participate in the Wnt pathway, supporting a broader role for Wnt signaling in regulating the thickness of the cornea. In parallel, this study demonstrated that a hypothesis-driven candidate gene approach can identify associations in existing GWAS data sets.
METHODS: Nine vulnerable young people from low-income backgrounds were recruited from a non-government social enterprise and partner organisations in Peninsular Malaysia. Participants completed a battery of social recovery assessment tools (including time use, unusual experiences, self-schematic beliefs and values). Time for completion and completion rates were used as indices of feasibility. Acceptability was examined using qualitative interviews in which participants were asked to reflect on the experience of completing the assessment tools. Following a deductive approach, the themes were examined for fit with previous UK qualitative accounts of social recovery assessments.
RESULTS: Feasibility was indicated by relatively efficient completion time and high completion rates. Qualitative interviews highlighted the perceived benefits of social recovery assessments, such as providing psychoeducation, aiding in self-reflection and stimulating goal setting, in line with findings from UK youth samples.
CONCLUSIONS: We provide preliminary evidence for the feasibility and acceptability of social recovery assessment tools in a low-resource context, comparing the experiential process of engaging young Malaysian participants in social recovery assessments with prior accounts from a UK sample. We also suggest that respondents may derive some personal and psychoeducational benefits from participating in assessments (e.g. of their time use and mental health) within a social recovery framework.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This observational study was conducted on attendants who accompanied patients (n = 400) visiting various outpatient departments of the General Hospital and two peripheral clinics in Melaka between August and October 2007. The participants answered a questionnaire (Malay and English versions) which included demographic profile, awareness of eye donation, knowledge regarding facts of eye donation, and willingness to donate eyes. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was performed at 5% level of significance.
RESULTS: Awareness of eye donation was observed in 276 (69%) participants. Multivariate analysis showed that awareness was more among females when compared to males (P = 0.009). Of the 276 participants who were aware of eye donation, only 34.42% were willing to donate eyes. Willingness was more among the Indian race (P = 0.02) and males (P = 0.02). Educational status did not influence the willingness to donate eyes.
CONCLUSIONS: Although majority of participants were aware of eye donation, willingness to donate eyes was poor.