Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 29 in total

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  1. Tiong, Xun Ting, Nur Sara Shahira Abdullah, Mohamad Adam Bujang, Fatin Ellisya Sapri, Selvasingam Ratnasingam, Chong, Kok Joon, et al.
    MyJurnal
    Objective: A quick assessment tool for screening individuals with depression or anxiety is pertinent in mental-health set up. This study aims to validate the K10 and the K6 to screen patients with non-specific
    psychological distress in a Malaysian population.

    Methods: Translation of the questionnaire was done from English to Malay. Face validity was conducted on patients, and a pilot study was performed to assess the reliability of the K10 questionnaire. Fieldwork was conducted to determine the reliability and validity of the K10 questionnaire based on convenience sampling of healthy individuals and patients diagnosed with psychiatric illness. Malay version for K10 was administered to healthy participants (group without psychological distress) and patients on psychiatric clinic follow up (psychological distress). Data collection was done between August 2016 and September 2016.

    Result: A total of 94 subjects were recruited in the study, of which 32 formed the case group. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for K10
    were 0.837(control) and 0.885 (case), as for K6 were 0.716 (control) and 0.859 (case). The total score of the
    K10 and the K6 clearly differentiated between the control and case groups (p

    Study site: Sarawak General Hospital
  2. Tan CSY, Fong AYY, Jong YH, Ong TK
    Glob Heart, 2018 12;13(4):241-244.
    PMID: 30213574 DOI: 10.1016/j.gheart.2018.08.003
    BACKGROUND: Warfarin is an anticoagulant indicated for patients who had undergone mechanical heart valve(s) replacement (MHVR). In these patients, time in therapeutic range (TTR) is important in predicting the bleeding and thrombotic risks.
    OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe the anticoagulation control of warfarin using TTR in patients with MHVR in a tertiary health care referral Center.
    METHODS: Data were collected retrospectively by reviewing clinical notes of outpatients who attended international normalized ratio (INR) clinics in November 2015. Patients who had MHVR and who took warfarin were included. The data collected were demographics, relevant laboratory investigations, and patients' prior medical history. TTR was calculated using Rosendaal and traditional methods.
    RESULTS: A total of 103 patients with MHVR were recruited. The mean age was 51.72 ± 13.97 years and 46.6% were male. A total of 54.4% had mitral valve replacement (MVR), whereas 26.2% had aortic valve replacement (AVR). The mean TTR calculated using the Rosendaal method was 57.1%. There was no significant difference among patients with AVR, MVR, and both valves (AMVR) in terms of TTR (AVR vs. MVR vs. AMVR, 62.94 ± 23.08, 54.12 ± 21.62, 57.63 ± 17.47; p = 0.213). The average dose of warfarin for all groups was approximately 3 mg/day. Moreover, MVR, AVR, and AMVR patients who had TTR (Rosendaal method) ≤60% were 58.9%, 37.0%, and 45.0%, respectively. Only 4.8% had minor bleeding, whereas none had stroke in the period of TTR determination.
    CONCLUSIONS: Despite a majority of patients having <60% TTR, there were low incidences of bleeding and stroke events in this center. There were no factors found to be associated with INR control in this study.
    Study site: INR clinic, Sarawak Heart Centre, Sarawak General Hospital, Malaysia
  3. Tiong WN, Sim EU, Fong AY, Ong TK
    J Cardiovasc Dis Res, 2013 Mar;4(1):3-6.
    PMID: 24023462 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcdr.2012.08.004
    BACKGROUND: Diagnosing acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains a challenge in patients presenting at early phase of hospitalization. We hypothesized that inflammatory markers of plaque rupture could accurately identifying ACS patients from stable coronary artery diseases (CAD).

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: The serum and peripheral blood gene expression levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and von Willebrand factor (vWF) in multiethnic Malaysian patients (n = 7) admitted with early hospitalization of ACS was evaluated. Nine patients with stable coronary artery disease without previous history of ACS were enrolled as controls.

    RESULTS: Serum and peripheral blood mRNA levels of CRP and vWF were significantly higher in ACS compared to control groups (P 

  4. Selvarajah S, Fong AY, Selvaraj G, Haniff J, Uiterwaal CS, Bots ML
    PLoS One, 2012;7(7):e40249.
    PMID: 22815733 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0040249
    Risk stratification in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is important, such that the most resource intensive strategy is used to achieve the greatest clinical benefit. This is essential in developing countries with wide variation in health care facilities, scarce resources and increasing burden of cardiovascular diseases. This study sought to validate the Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk score for STEMI in a multi-ethnic developing country.
  5. Foo DHP, King TL, Lee HC, Santhramogan P, Ganasan V, Fong AYY, et al.
    Hosp Pract (1995), 2021 Apr;49(2):110-118.
    PMID: 33249880 DOI: 10.1080/21548331.2020.1857999
    Sarawak General Hospital, which is the only public access tertiary referral center in Sarawak State for all clinical specialties, was designated a hybrid hospital to treat both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients. During the initial surge of patients admitted with COVID-19, there was also a corresponding increase in health-care workers (HCWs) detected with COVID-19 infection. The latter being isolated, and the large number of staff members that had come into contact with COVID-19 being quarantined from work, placed further strain on the health-care services. The staff mass screening strategy was a policy decision made by the hospital in response to infection among HCWs, and it aimed to reduce in-hospital transmission (particularly among asymptomatic staff), mitigate workforce depletion due to quarantining, and protect the health-care workforce. In this study, we assessed the detection rate of COVID-19 infection from staff mass testing over a five-week period, and described our experience of adopting this surveillance screening strategy alongside ongoing contact tracing and symptomatic screening strategies. Although it was thought that such periodic staff surveillance might be helpful in protecting the health-care workforce within a short period, the long-term implications, especially in settings with limited resources, is significant and therefore explored in this paper. Our findings might provide an evidence-based reference for the future planning of an optimal strategy with the least compromise in care for a larger proportion of non-COVID-19 patients amid efforts against COVID-19 in a large non-COVID-designated hospital with hybrid status.
  6. Lee CY, Liu KT, Lu HT, Mohd Ali R, Fong AYY, Wan Ahmad WA
    PLoS One, 2021;16(2):e0246474.
    PMID: 33556136 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246474
    BACKGROUND: Sex and gender differences in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) have been well studied in the western population. However, limited studies have examined the trends of these differences in a multi-ethnic Asian population.

    OBJECTIVES: To study the trends in sex and gender differences in ACS using the Malaysian NCVD-ACS Registry.

    METHODS: Data from 24 hospitals involving 35,232 ACS patients (79.44% men and 20.56% women) from 1st. Jan 2012 to 31st. Dec 2016 were analysed. Data were collected on demographic characteristics, coronary risk factors, anthropometrics, treatments and outcomes. Analyses were done for ACS as a whole and separately for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), Non-STEMI and unstable angina. These were then compared to published data from March 2006 to February 2010 which included 13,591 ACS patients (75.8% men and 24.2% women).

    RESULTS: Women were older and more likely to have diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, previous heart failure and renal failure than men. Women remained less likely to receive aspirin, beta-blocker, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE-I) and statin. Women were less likely to undergo angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) despite an overall increase. In the STEMI cohort, despite a marked increase in presentation with Killip class IV, women were less likely to received primary PCI or fibrinolysis and had longer median door-to-needle and door-to-balloon time compared to men, although these had improved. Women had higher unadjusted in-hospital, 30-Day and 1-year mortality rates compared to men for the STEMI and NSTEMI cohorts. After multivariate adjustments, 1-year mortality remained significantly higher for women with STEMI (adjusted OR: 1.31 (1.09-1.57), p<0.003) but were no longer significant for NSTEMI cohort.

    CONCLUSION: Women continued to have longer system delays, receive less aggressive pharmacotherapies and invasive treatments with poorer outcome. There is an urgent need for increased effort from all stakeholders if we are to narrow this gap.

  7. Tan XW, Bhave M, Fong AYY, Matsuura E, Kobayashi K, Shen LH, et al.
    Oxid Med Cell Longev, 2018;2018:3136860.
    PMID: 29599895 DOI: 10.1155/2018/3136860
    [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2016/6943053.].
  8. Tan SSN, Koh KT, Tiong LL, Ong TK, Fong AYY
    Pharmacogenomics, 2018 10;19(15):1151-1157.
    PMID: 30191759 DOI: 10.2217/pgs-2018-0082
    AIM: Recurrent thrombotic events still occur despite dual antiplatelet therapy in patient's post percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) could be attributed to high on-treatment platelet reactivity.

    METHODS: A 44-year-old male, who had staged PCI to left anterior descending (LAD) 2 weeks after an anterior MI, with a drug-coated stent was readmitted with new anterior STEMI 35 days later. Coronary angiogram revealed mid-stent thrombus in situ. He had further uncomplicated PCI. Platelet function testing and genotyping showed clopidogrel high on-treatment platelet reactivity and CYP2C19*3/*17 genotype. Ticagrelor was commenced.

    RESULTS & CONCLUSION: This case study is the first reported in Malaysia to document a patient with a CYP2C19*3/*17 genotype presenting with a stent thrombosis after an uncomplicated index PCI procedure.

  9. Chow HB, Lim CT, Ho YH, Cham YL, Fong AYY, Said A, et al.
    Clin Case Rep, 2023 Jun;11(6):e7580.
    PMID: 37351358 DOI: 10.1002/ccr3.7580
    KEY CLINICAL MESSAGE: The high-risk "Shark Fin" electrocardiogram (ECG) pattern has been associated with transmural ischemia but can also result from electrolyte anomalies. Therefore, the decision for invasive coronary catheterization requires a detailed history and dedicated biochemical tests.

    ABSTRACT: Pseudo-infarction ECG pattern resembling "Shark Fin" was demonstrated in a 76-year-old lady with a previous total thyroidectomy who presented with unspecific symptoms. An incidental finding of hypokalemia and hypocalcemia was thought to be related to delayed onset hypoparathyroidism. Potential etiologies like coronary vasospasm and catecholamine-associated myocardial injury were suggested.

  10. Tan XW, Bhave M, Fong AY, Matsuura E, Kobayashi K, Shen LH, et al.
    Oxid Med Cell Longev, 2016;2016:6943053.
    PMID: 27239253 DOI: 10.1155/2016/6943053
    This study was aimed at preliminarily assessing the cytoprotective and antioxidative effects of rice bran extracts (RBEs) from a Sarawak local rice variety (local name: "BJLN") and a commercial rice variety, "MR219," on oxidative stress in rat H9c2(2-1) cardiomyocytes. The cardiomyocytes were incubated with different concentrations of RBE and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), respectively, to identify their respective IC50 values and safe dose ranges. Two nonlethal and close-to-IC50 doses of RBE were selected to evaluate their respective effects on H2O2 induced oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes. Both RBEs showed dose-dependent cytotoxicity effects on cardiomyocytes. H2O2 induction of cardiomyocytes pretreated with RBE further revealed the dose-dependent cytoprotective and antioxidative effects of RBE via an increase in IC50 values of H2O2. Preliminary analyses of induction effects of RBE and H2O2 on cellular antioxidant enzyme, catalase (CAT), also revealed their potential in regulating these activities and expression profile of related gene on oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes. Pretreated cardiomyocytes significantly upregulated the enzymatic activity and expression level of CAT under the exposure of H2O2 induced oxidative stress. This preliminary study has demonstrated the potential antioxidant effects of RBE in alleviating H2O2-mediated oxidative injuries via upregulation in enzymatic activities and expression levels of CAT.
  11. Mejin M, Tiong WN, Lai LY, Tiong LL, Bujang AM, Hwang SS, et al.
    Int J Clin Pharm, 2013 Aug;35(4):621-8.
    PMID: 23661171 DOI: 10.1007/s11096-013-9783-y
    BACKGROUND: Cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) loss-of-function polymorphisms are more common in Asian populations and have been associated with diminished antiplatelet response to clopidogrel. In this era of 'personalised medicine', combining genotyping and phenotyping as a strategy to personalise antiplatelet therapy warrants further exploration.

    OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and impact of CYP2C19*2, *3 and *17 genotypes on clopidogrel responsiveness in a multiethnic Malaysian population planned for percutaneous coronary intervention.

    SETTING: Between October 2010 and March 2011, a total of 118 consecutive patients planned for percutaneous coronary intervention were enrolled in Sarawak General Hospital, Borneo. All patients received at least 75 mg aspirin daily for at least 2 days and 75 mg clopidogrel daily for at least 4 days prior to angiography.

    METHOD: Genotyping for CYP2C19*2 (rs4244285, 681G > A), *3 (rs4986893, 636G > A) and *17 (rs11188072, -3402C > T) alleles were performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment linked polymorphism method. Whole blood ADP-induced platelet aggregation was assessed with multiple electrode platelet aggregometry (MEA) using the Multiplate Analyzer.

    MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The distribution of CYP2C19*2, *3 and *17 among different ethnic groups and the association between genotype, clopidogrel responsiveness and clinical outcome were the main outcome measures.

    RESULTS: The highest prevalence of poor metabolisers (carriers of at least one copy of the *2 or *3 allele) was among the Chinese (53.7 %), followed by the Malays (26.9 %), Ibans (16.4 %) and other races (3.0 %). Poor metabolisers (PMs) had the highest mean MEA (303.6 AU*min), followed by normal metabolisers (NMs) with 270.5 AU*min and extensive metabolisers (EMs) with 264.1 AU*min (p = 0.518). Among poor responders to clopidogrel, 65.2 % were PMs and NMs, respectively, whereas none were EMs (p = 0.350). Two cardiac-related deaths were reported.

    CONCLUSION: There was a diverse inter-ethnic difference in the distribution of CYP2C19 polymorphism. The findings of this study echo that of other studies where genotype appears to have a limited impact on clopidogrel responsiveness and clinical outcome in low-risk patients.

  12. Fong AYY, Tiong LL, Tan SSN, Geruka D, Apil GG, Choo CW, et al.
    Clin Appl Thromb Hemost, 2020 12 8;26:1076029620972473.
    PMID: 33284050 DOI: 10.1177/1076029620972473
    Routine coagulation tests do not enable rapid, accurate determination of direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) therapy. The ecarin clotting assay (ECA), performed on the ClotPro viscoelastic testing device, may enable sensitive and specific detection of dabigatran. We assessed the association between trough plasma dabigatran concentration and clotting time (CT) in the ClotPro ECA, in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Each patient provided a single venous blood sample, ∼1 hour before dabigatran dosing. The study included 118 patients, of whom 64 were receiving dabigatran 110 mg twice daily and 54 were receiving 150 mg twice daily. ECA CT was moderately correlated with trough plasma dabigatran concentration (r = 0.80, p < 0.001). Slight trends toward increased plasma dabigatran concentration and prolonged ECA CT were apparent with 150 mg versus the 110 mg dose (differences not statistically significant). Individuals with creatinine clearance below 50 mL/minute had significantly higher plasma dabigatran concentrations and significantly prolonged ECA CT versus those with creatinine clearance ≥50 mL/minute. In conclusion, this preliminary study has demonstrated that CT in the ClotPro ECA reflects the plasma concentration of dabigatran in patients with NVAF. The ECA could potentially be used to assess the impact of dabigatran on a patient's coagulation status.
  13. Ng Tsai HO, Goh JJN, Aw JWX, Lin Y, Fong AYY, Tiong LL, et al.
    J Thromb Thrombolysis, 2018 Nov;46(4):541-548.
    PMID: 30155672 DOI: 10.1007/s11239-018-1726-y
    The objectives of this study are to compare steady-state trough (Cmin,ss) and peak (Cmax,ss) concentrations of rivaroxaban between Asians and Caucasians and to evaluate the relationship between rivaroxaban concentrations and prothrombin time/international normalized ratio (PT/INR). Recruited patients were advised on the time to take rivaroxaban. Cmin,ss and PT/INR were taken when patients arrived. Cmax,ss and PT/INR were drawn between 2 and 4 h later after the patient took rivaroxaban with food. Thirty patients were included in the analyses: 57% (n = 17) males and 43% (n = 13) females, 77% (n = 23) on 20 mg and 23% (n = 7) on 15 mg. Median PTtrough and PTpeak are moderately correlated with Cmin,ss (r2 = 0.43) and Cmax,ss (r2 = 0.49), respectively. Patients on 15 mg have lower Cmin,ss and Cmax,ss versus Caucasians [12 ng/ml vs. 57 ng/ml (Cmin,ss); 87 ng/ml vs. 229 ng/ml (Cmax,ss), p 
  14. Tiong WN, Fong AY, Sim EU, Chan HC, Ong TK, Chang BC, et al.
    Heart Asia, 2012;4(1):146-50.
    PMID: 27326052 DOI: 10.1136/heartasia-2012-010131
    Interleukin-6 (IL6; proinflammatory marker), von Willebrand Factor (vWF; endothelial dysfunction marker) and P-selectin (platelet activation marker), may play important roles in defining the pathogenesis of vulnerable plaques in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This study aims to investigate the expression and relationship of these markers in early phases of ACS in a young and multiethnic Malaysian population.
  15. Kasim S, Amir Rudin PNF, Malek S, Ibrahim KS, Wan Ahmad WA, Fong AYY, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2024 May 29;14(1):12378.
    PMID: 38811643 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61151-x
    The accurate prediction of in-hospital mortality in Asian women after ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) remains a crucial issue in medical research. Existing models frequently neglect this demographic's particular attributes, resulting in poor treatment outcomes. This study aims to improve the prediction of in-hospital mortality in multi-ethnic Asian women with STEMI by employing both base and ensemble machine learning (ML) models. We centred on the development of demographic-specific models using data from the Malaysian National Cardiovascular Disease Database spanning 2006 to 2016. Through a careful iterative feature selection approach that included feature importance and sequential backward elimination, significant variables such as systolic blood pressure, Killip class, fasting blood glucose, beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE), and oral hypoglycemic medications were identified. The findings of our study revealed that ML models with selected features outperformed the conventional Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) Risk score, with area under the curve (AUC) ranging from 0.60 to 0.93 versus TIMI's AUC of 0.81. Remarkably, our best-performing ensemble ML model was surpassed by the base ML model, support vector machine (SVM) Linear with SVM selected features (AUC: 0.93, CI: 0.89-0.98 versus AUC: 0.91, CI: 0.87-0.96). Furthermore, the women-specific model outperformed a non-gender-specific STEMI model (AUC: 0.92, CI: 0.87-0.97). Our findings demonstrate the value of women-specific ML models over standard approaches, emphasizing the importance of continued testing and validation to improve clinical care for women with STEMI.
  16. Lee CY, Hairi NN, Wan Ahmad WA, Ismail O, Liew HB, Zambahari R, et al.
    PLoS One, 2013;8(8):e72382.
    PMID: 24015238 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072382
    To assess whether gender differences exist in the clinical presentation, angiographic severity, management and outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).
  17. Ling HS, Chung BK, Chua PF, Gan KX, Ho WL, Ong EYL, et al.
    BMC Cardiovasc Disord, 2020 12 07;20(1):511.
    PMID: 33287705 DOI: 10.1186/s12872-020-01793-7
    BACKGROUND: Data on clinical characteristics of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) in Malaysia especially in East Malaysia is lacking.

    METHODS: This is a prospective observational study in Sarawak General Hospital, Medical Department, from October 2017 to September 2018. Patients with primary admission diagnosis of ADHF were recruited and followed up for 90 days. Data on patient's characteristics, precipitating factors, medications and short-term clinical outcomes were recorded.

    RESULTS: Majority of the patients were classified in lower socioeconomic group and the mean age was 59 years old. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidaemia were the common underlying comorbidities. Heart failure with ischemic aetiology was the commonest ADHF admission precipitating factor. 48.6% of patients were having preserved ejection fraction HF and the median NT-ProBNP level was 4230 pg/mL. Prescription rate of the evidence-based heart failure medication was low. The in-patient mortality and the average length of hospital stay were 7.5% and 5 days respectively. 43% of patients required either ICU care or advanced cardiopulmonary support. The 30-day, 90-day mortality and readmission rate were 13.1%, 11.2%, 16.8% and 14% respectively.

    CONCLUSION: Comparing with the HF data from West and Asia Pacific, the short-term mortality and readmission rate were high among the ADHF patients in our study cohort. Maladaptation to evidence-based HF prescription and the higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in younger patients were among the possible issues to be addressed to improve the HF outcome in regions with similar socioeconomic background.

  18. Shafiq M, Fong AYY, Tai ES, Nang EEK, Wee HL, Adam J, et al.
    Int J Epidemiol, 2018 10 01;47(5):1399-1400g.
    PMID: 30165399 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyy168
  19. Yeo JJP, Yeo LS, Tan SSN, Delailah DDRA, Lee SWH, Hu ATH, et al.
    Hypertens Res, 2024 Feb;47(2):352-357.
    PMID: 37673957 DOI: 10.1038/s41440-023-01418-4
    Resistant hypertension is a well-recognised clinical challenge. However, the definition and epidemiology of true resistant hypertension (RH) are less understood, especially in Asia. This cross-sectional study examined the prevalence of RH referred from primary care clinics based on various guidelines. RH was defined as blood pressure (BP) being above the threshold using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring despite adequate lifestyle measures and optimal treatment with ≥3 medications at maximally tolerated doses. Between one in four (n = 94, 24.0% using Malaysian guidelines) and up to two-thirds (n = 249, 63.7% using 2018 American guidelines) of adults referred for uncontrolled hypertension met the criteria of true RH. Of those with RH, a further one-quarter (n = 26, 26.6%) were deemed to have refractory hypertension (elevated BP despite treatment with at least 5 antihypertensive medications). Adults with RH were generally younger, more likely to be male, had a higher BMI and were more likely to have gout, CKD, and angina compared to those with controlled hypertension. The prevalence of RH amongst Asian adults with poor hypertension control is high. A concerted effort is needed to reduce the high burden of RH, especially among this population.
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