METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched for studies assessing the diagnostic value of 2D-SWE for thyroid malignancy risk stratification published until December 2016. The retrieved titles and abstracts were screened and evaluated according to the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Studies of Diagnostic Accuracy included in Systematic Review 2 (QUADAS-2) tool. Extracted 2D-SWE diagnostic performance data were meta-analyzed to assess the summary sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.
RESULTS: After stepwise review, 14 studies in which 2D-SWE was used to evaluate 2851 thyroid nodules (1092 malignant, 1759 benign) from 2139 patients were selected for the current study. Study quality on QUADAS-2 assessment was moderate to high. The summary sensitivity, specificity and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 2D-SWE for differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules were 0.66 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.64-0.69), 0.78 (CI: 0.76-0.80), and 0.851 (Q* = 0.85), respectively. The pooled diagnostic odds ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and positive likelihood ratio were 12.73 (CI: 8.80-18.43), 0.31 (CI: 0.22-0.44), and 3.87 (CI: 2.83-5.29), respectively.
CONCLUSION: Diagnostic performance of quantitative 2D-SWE for malignancy risk stratification of thyroid nodules is suboptimal with mediocre sensitivity and specificity, contrary to earlier reports of excellence.
METHODOLOGY: The cytotoxicity of the plant Z. mauritiana was evaluated by brine shrimp lethality test. Antioxidant parameters such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were calculated in the plasma of rats after chronic administration of 400 mg/kg of Z. mauritiana for 6 weeks.
RESULTS: The dichloromethane extract of the plant exhibited significant immunomodulatory activity, with inhibitory concentration 50% of 55.43 ± 7.9. The dichloromethane extracts of the plant showed 70% mortality at concentration 1000 μg/ml. SOD and T-AOC levels were increased while MDA level in the plasma was reduced in the plasma of rats treated with dichloromethane Z. mauritiana.
CONCLUSION: This can be deduced that the root of Z. mauritiana has immunomodulatory, cytotoxic, and antioxidant potential.
SUMMARY: Roots of Z. mauritiana was exhibited immunomodulator, cytotoxic and antioxidant activitiesZ. mauritiana showed potential antioxidant activity in rats Abbreviations used: SOD: Superoxide dismutase; T-AOC: Total antioxidant capacity; MDA: Malondialdehyde; ZMRD: Z. mauritiana root extract of dichloromethane fraction; LD50: Z. mauritiana root extract of methanol fraction ZMRM, lethal dose 50.
SETTING: Fifteen participating cardiology centres contributed to the Malaysian National Cardiovascular Disease Database-Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (NCVD-PCI) registry.
PARTICIPANTS: 28 742 patients from the NCVD-PCI registry who had their first PCI between January 2007 and December 2014 were included. Those without their BMI recorded or BMI <11 kg/m2 or >70 kg/m2 were excluded.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: In-hospital death, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), vascular complications between different BMI groups were examined. Multivariable-adjusted HRs for 1-year mortality after PCI among the BMI groups were also calculated.
RESULTS: The patients were divided into four groups; underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m2), normal BMI (BMI 18.5 to <23 kg/m2), overweight (BMI 23 to <27.5 kg/m2) and obese (BMI ≥27.5 kg/m2). Comparison of their baseline characteristics showed that the obese group was younger, had lower prevalence of smoking but higher prevalence of diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia. There was no difference found in terms of in-hospital death, MACE and vascular complications after PCI. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed that compared with normal BMI group the underweight group had a non-significant difference (HR 1.02, p=0.952), while the overweight group had significantly lower risk of 1-year mortality (HR 0.71, p=0.005). The obese group also showed lower HR but this was non-significant (HR 0.78, p=0.056).
CONCLUSIONS: Using Asian-specific BMI cut-off points, the overweight group in our study population was independently associated with lower risk of 1-year mortality after PCI compared with the normal BMI group.
METHODS: A total of 1844 (780 males and 1064 females) known diabetics aged ≥ 35 years were identified from the South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO) health and demographic surveillance site database.
RESULTS: 41.3% of the sample had poor glycaemic control. Poor glycaemic control was associated with age and ethnicity, with older participants (65+) better controlled than younger adults (45-54), and Malaysian Indians most poorly controlled, followed by Malay and then Chinese participants. Metabolic risk factors were also highly associated with poor glycaemic control.
CONCLUSIONS: There is a critical need for evidence for a better understanding of the mechanisms of the associations between risk factors and glycaemic control.
METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study involving a total of 1204 participants recruited from different areas in Selangor. A face-to-face interview was conducted using the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study questionnaire. The inclusion criteria were Malaysians aged ≥ 60 years who could converse in Bahasa Malaysia.
RESULTS: Among the 637 participants with hypertension, 18% (117) had not been previously screened but were found to have BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg, 21% (136) were undiagnosed, 3% (17) were untreated, 42% (267) were treated with antihypertensive medication but still had high blood pressure, and 16% (100) had hypertension that was controlled with medication. The hypertension care cascade demonstrates that 18% (117) of those with hypertension had never been screened for hypertension; 26% (136/520) of those who were screened never received a diagnosis; 4% (17/384) of those who were diagnosed did not receive treatment; and 73% (267/367) of those who were treated did not reach the threshold for control. The prevalence of total unmet needs was 84% (537/637). Statistically significant determinants of having any unmet need for hypertension care were smoking status and medical history, with adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in the multivariate analysis of 0.5 (95% CI: 0.3-0.9) for being a smoker, 2.8 (95% CI: 1.1-6.9) for having a history of stroke and 1.6 (95% CI: 1.0-2.5) for having a history of diabetes mellitus.
CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of unmet need for hypertension care among the older population in Selangor is 84% (537/637), which is alarmingly high. This study highlights where and how much of the loss of care for hypertension happens in the care cascade and provides insight into the efforts required to improve effective service coverage to manage the increasing burden of hypertension associated with population ageing.
CASE REPORT: We describe a case of a 38 year old lady, who presented with bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy associated with intermittent fever. Nasoendoscopy examination and computed tomography scan of the neck revealed a centrally located mass predominantly at the left posterior nasopharyngeal wall without obliteration of both fossae of Rosenmuller. Typical histopathological features of necrotizing granulomatous lymphadenitis together with the common clinical presentation of cervical lymphadenopathy and nasoendoscopy findings of nasopharyngeal mass conclude the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal tuberculosis. With anti-tuberculous therapy, the cervical lymphadenopathy and nasopharyngeal mass were completely resolved.
CONCLUSION: Nasopharyngeal tuberculosis is an uncommon disease with great diagnostic challenges and with early diagnosis and adequate treatment, NPTB carries a good prognosis with complete disease resolution.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared the morphological differences between vanilla plants irradiated at different lower doses of gamma radiation (10, 30, 40, and 50 Gy). We quantified protein and compared variation from the extracted protein of vanilla shoots regenerated between treatments.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: After 44 weeks, the results showed that the growth of M1V1 (mutation 1 in vegetative cycle 1) plants at 0 Gy (control) is highest compared with other doses of gamma radiation in terms of plant height and the number of shoots. However, the highest measurement for root length is at 10 Gy. The slowest growth rate was obtained from 40 to 50 Gy. Based on the unique band of protein that appears on the SDS-PAGE gel, 10 Gy has three unique bands at loci 0.105 RF, two bands lie at loci between 0.164 RF and 0.234 RF. While 30 Gy is absent two unique bands at loci 0.234 RF compared to 0 Gy. Thus, the dose of gamma rays at 10 Gy gave the highest number of protein fragments, which detected polymorphisms between the control (0 Gy) and the plants treated. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the protein variation in M1V1 of irradiated vanilla plants.