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Fulltext Comparative study of bacteriology in recurrent tonsillitis among children and adults

Loganathan A, Arumainathan UD, Raman R

Singapore Med J, 2006 Apr;47(4):271-5.
PMID: 16572236

Diagnosis and treatment of acute tonsillitis are one of the most common problems seen at an otorhinolaryngology clinic in both adult and paediatric populations. Much has been written about bacteriology of recurrent tonsillitis but it remains a controversial topic. Despite the fact that tonsillitis is so common, consensus seems to be lacking as to the main causative organism and the differences between children and adults. The tonsillar core bacteriology of 233 patients with recurrent tonsillitis who underwent tonsillectomy from January 2000 to June 2003 is presented.
Study site: inpatients, University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Fulltext Foreign body in the middle ear, a hearing aid complication

Shashinder S, Tang IP, Velayutham P, Rahmat O, Loganathan A

Med J Malaysia, 2008 Aug;63(3):267-8.
PMID: 19248709 MyJurnal

A 12-year-old boy with moderate to severe bilateral mixed hearing loss was planned for hearing aid placement. During the process of making ear mould impression, the impression material accidentally entered the right middle ear. Removal of the ear mould impression was possible permeatally under general anaesthesia.
Tick in the ear

Rahmat O, Prepageran N, Loganathan A, Raman R

Ear Nose Throat J, 2006 Dec;85(12):796.
PMID: 17240696
Fulltext Views and experiences of Malaysian older persons about falls and their prevention-A qualitative study

Loganathan A, Ng CJ, Low WY

BMC Geriatr, 2016;16:97.
PMID: 27153989 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-016-0274-6

BACKGROUND: Few studies on falls interventions have been conducted in South East Asia. Despite its population ageing rapidly, the acceptability of interventions among the older population in this region remains variable. This study aims to explore views and experiences regarding falls and their prevention among older persons at high risk of falls.
METHOD: Sixteen individuals aged 60 years and over with at least one fall in the preceding 12 months were recruited from our Primary Care clinics. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews among individuals and focus-groups was conducted. Thematic analyses were conducted on transcriptions of audio-taped interviews using the WeftQDA software. The interviews ceased when data saturation was achieved.
RESULTS: The three themes included older persons' views on falls, help-seeking behaviour and views on falls interventions. Many older persons interviewed did not perceive falls as a serious problem, some reported a stigma surrounding falls, while others felt they had not sustained more serious injuries due to God's grace. Older persons sought traditional medicine and other alternative treatments for pain relief and other fall-related symptoms. Accessibility of healthcare facilities often prevented older persons from receiving physiotherapy or eye tests.
CONCLUSION: The delivery of complex interventions for a multifactorial condition such as falls in the older persons in our setting is inhibited by various cultural barriers, falls perceptions as well as logistic difficulties. Efforts to establish a multi-disciplinary intervention among our older population will need to include strategies to overcome these issues.
KEYWORDS: Accidental falls; Aged; Falls interventions; Falls preventions; Older adults; Qualitative study

Study site: Primary Care Clinics at University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC)
Fulltext Factors influences crude herbs use among patients with chronic diseases attending a government health clinic: a cross-sectional survey

Saw, Y. Y., Rajendran, D., Alicia, L. M. L., Chan, Y. L., Chow, Z. S., Roslan, A. Z., et al.

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(102):52-52.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Crude herbs can be defined as raw plants materials (e.g. leaves, flowers, roots, etc.) which are not being/minimally processed or dried. Globally, particularly in Malaysia, the use of crude herbs has been increasing. The reasons were as an ailment of diseases underlying conditions and for general wellbeing. In this study, our aim was to investigate factors influences crude herbs use among older patients with chronic diseases. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using purposive sampling among patients attended government health clinic
at Klinik Kesihatan Kampar, Perak. Self-designed questionnaires were used to collect data and data was analysed using SPSS software (ver. 23). Results: A total of 441 participants were enrolled in this study, the response rate was 71.35%. Demographic characteristics of patients who consume crude herbs were; female (57.25%), Malays (45.06%), age between 50-59 years old (31.96%), secondary education level (49.1%), and earned income less than RM3000 (93.27%). Female gender was found associated with the use of crude herbs (p < 0.05). Other socio-demographic characteristics, such as age, race, education level, and salary range found not associated with crude herbs (p > 0.05). The common reasons given by patients to use crude herbs were; family influence, effectiveness in reducing sugar, and accessible and cheaper compared to commercialised herbal drugs. The prevalence of crude herbs use,
particularly among ageing patients is alarming. The physicians need to take into account on crude herbs used when prescribing medications. The use of crude herbs can be beneficial but yet can be detrimental if it is consumed while on prescribed medications. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that the survey area needs to broaden to other parts of Malaysia, particularly rural is warranted.
Fulltext Self-Adaptive Filtering Approach for Improved Indoor Localization of a Mobile Node with Zigbee-Based RSSI and Odometry

Loganathan A, Ahmad NS, Goh P

Sensors (Basel), 2019 Nov 01;19(21).
PMID: 31683837 DOI: 10.3390/s19214748

This study presents a new technique to improve the indoor localization of a mobile node by utilizing a Zigbee-based received-signal-strength indicator (RSSI) and odometry. As both methods suffer from their own limitations, this work contributes to a novel methodological framework in which coordinates of the mobile node can more accurately be predicted by improving the path-loss propagation model and optimizing the weighting parameter for each localization technique via a convex search. A self-adaptive filtering approach is also proposed which autonomously optimizes the weighting parameter during the target node's translational and rotational motions, thus resulting in an efficient localization scheme with less computational effort. Several real-time experiments consisting of four different trajectories with different number of straight paths and curves were carried out to validate the proposed methods. Both temporal and spatial analyses demonstrate that when odometry data and RSSI values are available, the proposed methods provide significant improvements on localization performance over existing approaches.
Fulltext Parotid duct mucocele

Ong CA, Loganathan A, Prepageran N, Rahmat O, Lingham OR

Med J Malaysia, 2005 Dec;60(5):644-6.
PMID: 16515118

Parotid swelling is a common presentation in ENT clinic. Most of the cases involve pathology of the gland. There are not many reported cases about parotid duct pathology. We describe a case of a large parotid duct mucocele with a calculus. Excision of the mucocele and superficial parotidectomy was performed. The post-operative recovery was uneventful.
Fulltext Aneurysmal bone cyst of the maxilla

Tang IP, Shashinder S, Loganathan A, Anura MM, Zakarya S, Mun KS

Singapore Med J, 2009 Sep;50(9):e326-8.
PMID: 19787162

An aneurysmal bone cyst is a rare bone lesion. Its origin and precise nature remain unknown. It is seen as a locally-destructive, rapidly expandable, benign multicystic mass. We report a 17-year-old boy with an aneurysmal bone cyst of the maxilla, with extensive local involvement and bony destruction that was treated surgically. There was no recurrence noted after four years of follow-up.
Fulltext Barriers faced by healthcare professionals when managing falls in older people in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: a qualitative study

Loganathan A, Ng CJ, Tan MP, Low WY

BMJ Open, 2015 Nov 05;5(11):e008460.
PMID: 26546140 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-008460

OBJECTIVE: To explore the barriers faced by healthcare professionals (HCPs) in managing falls among older people (aged above 60 years) who have a high risk of falling.
RESEARCH DESIGN: The study used a qualitative methodology, comprising 10 in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions. A semistructured topic guide was used to facilitate the interviews, which were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and checked for accuracy. Data were analysed thematically using WeftQDA software.
PARTICIPANTS: 20 HCPs who managed falls in older people.
SETTING: This study was conducted at the Primary Care Clinic in the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Malaysia.
RESULTS: Four categories of barriers emerged-these were related to perceived barriers for older people, HCPs' barriers, lack of caregiver support and healthcare system barriers. HCPs perceived that older people normalised falls, felt stigmatised, were fatalistic, as well as in denial regarding falls-related advice. HCPs themselves trivialised falls and lacked the skills to manage falls. Rehabilitation was impeded by premature decisions to admit older people to nursing homes. Lastly, there was a lack of healthcare providers as well as a dearth of fall education and training on fall prevention for HCPs.
CONCLUSIONS: This study identified barriers that explain poor fall management in older people with a high risk of falls. The lack of structured fall prevention guidelines and insufficient training in fall management made HCPs unable to advise patients on how to prevent falls. The findings of this study warrant evidence-based structured fall prevention intervention targeted to patients as well as to HCPs.
Fulltext Self-management using crude herbs and the health-related quality of life among adult patients with hypertension living in a suburban setting of Malaysia

Joachimdass RJ, Subramaniam K, Sit NW, Lim YM, Teo CH, Ng CJ, et al.

PLoS One, 2021;16(9):e0257336.
PMID: 34506588 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257336

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of crude herbs' use in the self-management of hypertension and the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with hypertension.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed among patients with hypertension attending a government health clinic. Socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle modifications, medical history and predictors of crude herbs users were obtained. The diversity of crude herbs used was assessed using a modified international complementary and alternative medicine questionnaire (I-CAM-Q) and the HRQOL was assessed using the SF36 instrument.
RESULTS: Out of the 294 patients recruited, 52.4% were female, 41.5% were Malay and 38.8% were within the 60 to69 age category. The prevalence of crude herbs users was 30.6% and the most common herbs used were pegaga (Centella asiatica), peria (Momordica charantia) and betik (Carica papaya). Using the regression analysis, significantly higher odds of using crude herbs are noted among Malay or Indian patients who have these characteristics: attained secondary education, experienced falls or muscle pain, and had systolic blood pressure of more than 140 mmHg. There was no significant difference in HRQOL domains between the crude herb users and non-users (p>0.05).
CONCLUSION: Besides taking allopathic medications, certain patients with hypertension use crude herbs as a form of self-management. Although patients are adamant about integrating crude herbs as a form of self-management, the effects of doing so have not been properly investigated. This implies that the healthcare staff members need to communicate with the patients regarding the use of crude herbs together with conventional drugs.
Fulltext Implementation of Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics Research and Training Activities for Developing Precision Nutrition Strategies in Malaysia

Dhanapal ACTA, Wuni R, Ventura EF, Chiet TK, Cheah ESG, Loganathan A, et al.

Nutrients, 2022 Dec 01;14(23).
PMID: 36501140 DOI: 10.3390/nu14235108

Nutritional epidemiological studies show a triple burden of malnutrition with disparate prevalence across the coexisting ethnicities in Malaysia. To tackle malnutrition and related conditions in Malaysia, research in the new and evolving field of nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics is essential. As part of the Gene-Nutrient Interactions (GeNuIne) Collaboration, the Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics Research and Training Unit (N2RTU) aims to solve the malnutrition paradox. This review discusses and presents a conceptual framework that shows the pathway to implementing and strengthening precision nutrition strategies in Malaysia. The framework is divided into: (1) Research and (2) Training and Resource Development. The first arm collects data from genetics, genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, gut microbiome, and phenotypic and lifestyle factors to conduct nutrigenetic, nutrigenomic, and nutri-epigenetic studies. The second arm is focused on training and resource development to improve the capacity of the stakeholders (academia, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the food industry) to utilise the findings generated by research in their respective fields. Finally, the N2RTU framework foresees its applications in artificial intelligence and the implementation of precision nutrition through the action of stakeholders.
Fulltext Gene-Diet Interactions on Metabolic Disease-Related Outcomes in Southeast Asian Populations: A Systematic Review

Sekar P, Ventura EF, Dhanapal ACTA, Cheah ESG, Loganathan A, Quen PL, et al.

Nutrients, 2023 Jun 29;15(13).
PMID: 37447274 DOI: 10.3390/nu15132948

Diabetes and obesity are chronic diseases that are a burden to low- and middle-income countries. We conducted this systematic review to understand gene-diet interactions affecting the Southeast Asian population's risk of obesity and diabetes. The literature search was performed on Google Scholar and MEDLINE (PubMed) search engines independently by four reviewers who evaluated the eligibility of articles based on inclusion criteria. Out of 19,031 articles, 20 articles examining gene-diet interactions on obesity and/or diabetes-related traits met the inclusion criteria. Three (Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore) out of eleven Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries have conducted studies on gene-diet interactions on obesity and diabetes. From the 20 selected articles, the most common interactions were observed between macronutrients and genetic risk score (GRS) on metabolic disease-related traits in the Malay, Chinese, and Indian ethnicities. Overall, we identified 29 significant gene-diet interactions in the Southeast Asian population. The results of this systematic review demonstrate ethnic-specific gene-nutrient interactions on metabolic-disease-related traits in the Southeast Asian population. This is the first systematic review to explore gene-diet interactions on obesity and diabetes in the Southeast Asian population and further research using larger sample sizes is required for better understanding and framing nutrigenetic approaches for personalized nutrition.