OBJECTIVES: We aim to ascertain the prevalence and severity of OSA in Asian patients who underwent bariatric surgery and were seen in our center.
SETTING: The study was conducted in our university hospital.
METHODS: Study approval was obtained from our institutional review board for a retrospective chart review. A total of 226 patients were included in this review. OSA was noted as absent or present and graded from mild to severe. The patient population was stratified by body mass index according to the World Health Organization guidelines for Asian population.
RESULTS: The overall sample prevalence of OSA was 80.5%. Of these, 24.3% had mild OSA, 23.9% had moderate OSA, and 32.3% had severe OSA. Only 17.3% have been diagnosed with OSA before bariatric workup. Among men, the prevalence of OSA was 93.7% and 75.5% among women.
CONCLUSION: Based on these findings, Asian patients undergoing bariatric workup should be considered for routine polysomnography to enable treatment of OSA.
METHODS: We enrolled 67 participants allocated into 3 groups to receive virtual reality exposure therapy, standard stress management, or wait-list group. The virtual reality exposure therapy group received a total of a 30-minute exposure to a virtual reality environment over 2 weeks. The standard stress management group received a stress management program once during the study period.
RESULTS: The results showed a heterogeneous sample, whereby a significantly younger, less-working years, and higher anxiety baseline score were found in the virtual reality exposure therapy group compared to standard stress management and wait-list groups. Nonetheless, the virtual reality exposure therapy group showed a reduction in depression, anxiety, and stress score (P < .001). The standard stress management group showed a reduction in anxiety score only (P = .002), whereas no significant changes were observed in the wait-list group. For positive emotion, all 3 groups showed significant improvement.
CONCLUSION: Short-term virtual reality exposure therapy is a feasible intervention for the negative and positive emotions; however, cautious interpretation is needed due to significant heterogeneous sample. Replication of study with comparable groups is recommended.
METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted at baseline (after delivery), 2, 4 and 6 months postpartum. From 638 eligible mothers initially recruited, 420 completed until 6 months. Dependent variable was weight retention, defined as difference between weight at 6 months postpartum and pre-pregnancy weight, and weight retention ≥5kg was considered excessive. Independent variables included socio-demographic, history of pregnancy and delivery, lifestyle, practices and traditional postpartum practices.
RESULTS: Average age was 29.61±4.71years, majority (83.3%) were Malays, 58.8% (low education), 70.0% (employed), 65.2% (middle income family), 33.8% (primiparous) and 66.7% (normal/instrumental delivery). Average gestational weight gain was 12.90±5.18kg. Mean postpartum weight retention was 3.12±4.76kg, 33.8% retaining ≥5kg. Bivariable analysis showed low income, primiparity, gestational weight gain ≥12kg, less active physically, higher energy, protein, carbohydrate and fat intake in diet, never using hot stone compression and not continuing breastfeeding were significantly associated with higher 6 months postpartum weight retention. From multivariable linear regression analysis, less active physically, higher energy intake in diet, gestational weight gain ≥12kg, not continuing breastfeeding 6 months postpartum and never using hot stone compression could explain 55.1% variation in 6 months postpartum weight retention.
CONCLUSION: Women need to control gestational weight gain, remain physically active, reduce energy intake, breastfeed for at least 6 months and use hot stone compression to prevent high postpartum weight retention.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2021 until April 2022, and SLE patients were recruited to complete the SLEQoL, LupusQoL and Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) in Malay language. Disease activity were recorded using the modified SLE Disease Activity Index (M- SLEDAI) and British Isles Lupus Assessment Group 2004 (BILAG-2004) index. Presence of organ damage was determined using the SLICC Damage index. Cronbach's alpha was calculated to determine internal consistency while exploratory factor analysis was done to determine the construct validity. Concurrent validity was evaluated using correlation with SF-36. Multiple linear regression analysis was deployed to determine the factors affecting each domain of SLEQoL and LupusQoL.
RESULTS: A total of 125 subjects were recruited. The Cronbach's α value for the Malay-SLEQoL (M-SLEQoL) and Malay-LupusQOL (M-LupusQoL) was 0.890 and 0.944 respectively. Exploratory factor analysis found formation of similar number of components with the original version of questionnaires and all items have good factor loading of >0.4. Both instruments also had good concurrent validity with SF-36. M-SLEQoL had good correlations with BILAG-2004 and M-SLEDAI scores. Musculoskeletal (MSK) involvement was independently associated with lower M-SLEQoL in physical function, activity and symptom domains. Meanwhile, MSK and NPSLE were associated with fatigue in M-LupusQoL.
CONCLUSION: Both M-SLEQoL and M-LupusQoL are reliable and valid as disease -specific QoL instruments for Malaysian patients. The M-Lupus QoL has better discriminative validity compared to the M-SLEQoL. SLE patients with MSK involvement are at risk of poor QoL in multiple domains including physical function, activity, symptoms and fatigue.
METHODS: Data on 123 obese and overweight housewives in the intervention group from the MyBFF@home study were utilised. A validated Malaysian Malay version of Obesity Weight Loss Quality of Life (OWLQOL) questionnaire was administered at baseline and 6 months after intervention. Descriptive analysis, univariate analysis, paired t-test and multiple logistic regression were performed using SPSS Version 22.
RESULTS: Mean body mass index (BMI) was 31.5 kg/m2 (SD:4.13), with 51 participants classified as overweight (41.5%) while 72 were obese (58.5%). About 72% of the housewives experienced weight reduction (62% reduced weight less than 5% and 11% reduced weight more than 5% of their baseline weight). There was a significant improvement in HRQOL with a pre-intervention total mean score of 59.82 (SD: 26.60) and post-intervention of 66.13 (SD: 22.82), p-value
METHODS: This study addressed communities of urban and rural Malaysia, including adults aged between 35 and 70 years old at the baseline recruitment. A series of standardised questionnaires were used to assess legume intake, history of comorbidities and socio-demographic information. Resting blood pressure measurements and physical examinations were performed to collect blood pressure and anthropometric data. Bivariate analysis was completed to determine the association between legume intake, socio-demographic characteristics and CVD prevalence. Moderation analysis was used to quantify the moderation effect of minimum daily legume intake on the relationship between BMI and CVD prevalence.
RESULTS: This study found that those who consume less than 3 servings of legumes per day benefit from protective effects against CVD risk (POR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.37 - 0.85). Moderation analysis of a minimum of three servings/day for the relationship between BMI and CVD prevalence showed significant effects. The group that benefited the most from this effect was those with a BMI in the range of 26 to 34 kg/m2.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides new insights into the recommendation for legume intake according to the relationship between BMI and the prevalence of CVD in Malaysian adults. This study recommends that those with a BMI of 26 to 34 kg/m2 should consume at least 3 servings of legumes per day to reduce the risk of CVD. Further prospective research is warranted to affirm these findings throughout the Malaysian population.
METHODOLOGY: This study was a part of the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study carried out among adults aged between 35 to 70 years old residing in urban and rural Malaysian communities. A standardised questionnaire was used to assess the socio-demographic information and physical activity level of respondents who provided written informed consent to participate in this study. HGS was measured using Jamar's dynamometer. A total of 3,446 healthy adults of Malay ethnic were included in this study. Descriptive data were used to derive the normative reference values for HGS using means and standard deviations stratified by age and gender. The predictors of HGS were determined using a general linear model (GLM).
RESULTS: Mean HGS ranged from 38.48 (± 9.40) kg for the dominant hand of men aged 35-40 years to 16.53 (± 5.69) kg for the non-dominant hand of women aged 61-70 years. The ANOVA indicated that there was a significant descending trend of HGS as age increased for both genders (p
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the adult population aged 35-70 residing in rural and urban areas in Malaysia. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the short form Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) questionnaire. Logistic regression models were fitted to identify the associated factors related to depressive symptoms.
RESULTS: About 3.7 % (95 % CI: 2.33-4.83) of the respondents reported having depressive symptoms. Younger adults aged 35-40 years old (AOR: 3.087; 95 % CI: 2.021-4.717), females (AOR: 2.318; 95 % CI: 1.669-3.219), widows and divorcees (AOR: 2.294; 95 % CI: 1.085-4.848), smokers (AOR: 1.843; 95 % CI: 1.334-2.545) and alcohol consumers (AOR: 1.843; 95 % CI: 1.264-2.688) showed a higher odds compared to their other counterparts. Underweight individuals (AOR: 1.899; 95 % CI: 1.177-3.065) and those diagnosed either with hypertension (AOR: 1.442; 95 % CI: 1.11-1.873), diabetes (AOR: 1.554; 95 % CI: 1.133-2.13), angina (AOR: 2.73; 95 % CI: 1.596-4.67), COPD (AOR: 4.187; 95 % CI: 1.528-11.472) or asthma (AOR: 1.906; 95 % CI: 1.309-2.774) were more likely to have depressive symptoms. Additionally, individuals with difficulty trusting people (AOR: 1.477; 95 % CI: 1.024-2.13) and those reported to experience either home or work-related stress (AOR: 2.584; 95 % CI: 2.003-3.331) were more prone to have depressive symptoms.
CONCLUSION: In this broad population-based study, about 3.7 % (95 % CI: 2.33-4.83) of respondents reported having depressive symptoms. Timely and well targeted collaborative intervention on the identified risk factors by the relevant authorities, would mitigate their effect on the quality of life and retard the progression into depression, especially among younger adults.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving 7585 adults was performed covering the rural and urban areas. Respondents with systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 120-139 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 80-89 mmHg were categorized as prehypertensive, and hypertensive categorization was used for respondents with an SBP of ≥140 mmHg and/or DBP of ≥90 mmHg.
RESULTS: Respondents reported to have prehypertension and hypertension were 40.7% and 38.0%, respectively. Those residing in a rural area, older age, male, family history of hypertension, and overweight or obese were associated with higher odds of prehypertension and hypertension. Unique to hypertension, the factors included low educational level (AOR: 1.349; 95% CI: 1.146, 1.588), unemployment (1.350; 1.16, 1.572), comorbidity of diabetes (1.474; 1.178, 1.844), and inadequate fruit consumption (1.253; 1.094, 1.436).
CONCLUSIONS: As the prehypertensive state may affect the prevalence of hypertension, proactive strategies are needed to increase early detection of the disease among specific group of those residing in a rural area, older age, male, family history of hypertension, and overweight or obese.