Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 35 in total

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  1. Hussin A, Md Nor NS, Ibrahim N
    Antiviral Res, 2013 Nov;100(2):306-13.
    PMID: 24055837 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2013.09.008
    Eleven strains of acyclovir (ACV)-resistant herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) were generated from HSV-1 clinical isolates by exposure to ACV. Genotype of the thymidine kinase (TK) and DNA polymerase (pol) genes from these mutants were further analyzed. Genotypic analysis revealed four non-synonymous mutations in TK gene associated with gene polymorphism and two to three non-synonymous mutations in DNA pol gene. Seven and six strains contained at least one resistance-associated mutation at TK and DNA pol gene, respectively. Resistance-associated mutations within the TK gene consisted of 64% of non-synonymous frameshift mutations within the homopolymer region of G's and C's, and 36% of non-synonymous nucleotide substitutions of the conserved gene region (C336Y, R51W and R222H), nucleotide that produced stop codon (L288Stop) and two amino acid substitutions outside the conserved region (E39G & L208F). There were 10 non-synonymous amino acid substitutions located outside the conserved region with the unclear significance to confer resistance observed. Resistance-associated mutations in DNA pol gene include insertion of G at the homopolymer region of G's (794-797) and amino acid substitutions inside (V621S) or outside (H1228D) the conserved region. In silico analysis of the mutated TK (C336Y, R51W and L208F), and DNA pol (V621S and H1228D) suggested structural changes that might alter the stability of these proteins. However, there were several mutations with unclear significance to confer ACV-resistance identified, especially mutations outside the conserved region.
  2. Mohd Nor NS, Jalaludin MY
    PMID: 27257411 DOI: 10.1186/s13633-016-0029-3
    BACKGROUND: 47 XXY/46 XX mosaicism with characteristics suggesting Klinefelter syndrome is very rare and at present, only seven cases have been reported in the literature.

    CASE PRESENTATION: We report an Indian boy diagnosed as variant of Klinefelter syndrome with 47 XXY/46 XX mosaicism at age 12 years. He was noted to have right cryptorchidism and chordae at birth, but did not have surgery for these until age 3 years. During surgery, the right gonad was atrophic and removed. Histology revealed atrophic ovarian tissue. Pelvic ultrasound showed no Mullerian structures. There was however no clinical follow up and he was raised as a boy. At 12 years old he was re-evaluated because of parental concern about his 'female' body habitus. He was slightly overweight, had eunuchoid body habitus with mild gynaecomastia. The right scrotal sac was empty and a 2mls testis was present in the left scrotum. Penile length was 5.2 cm and width 2.0 cm. There was absent pubic or axillary hair. Pronation and supination of his upper limbs were reduced and x-ray of both elbow joints revealed bilateral radioulnar synostosis. The baseline laboratory data were LH

  3. Mohamad Nor NS, Ambak R, Aris T
    BMC Womens Health, 2018 07 19;18(Suppl 1):107.
    PMID: 30066634 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-018-0589-x
    BACKGROUND: The national prevalence of overweight and obesity in Malaysia has been increasing in the past 10 years and many efforts have been implemented by the Malaysian government to combat obesity problem among the Malaysian population. The aim of this paper was to describe the background of the My Body is Fit and Fabulous at home (MyBFF@home) study (Phase II).

    DISCUSSION: The MyBFF@home (Phase II) was a quasi-experimental study and it was conducted among overweight and obese housewives living in the urban areas in Malaysia. In this phase, the study involved a weight loss intervention phase (6 months) and a weight loss maintenance phase (6 months). The intervention group received a standard weight loss intervention package and the control group received group seminars related to women's health. Measurements of weight, height, waist circumference, body composition, fasting blood lipids, dietary intake, physical activity, health literacy, body pain and quality of life were conducted during the study. Overweight and obese housewives from 14 People's Housing/Home Project (PHP) in Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (Klang Valley) were selected as control and intervention group (N = 328). Majority of the participants (76.1%) were from the low socioeconomic group. Data were analysed and presented according to the specific objectives and the needs for the particular topic in the present supplement report.

    CONCLUSION: MyBFF@home is the first and the largest community-based weight loss intervention study which was conducted among overweight and obese housewives in Malaysia. Findings of the study could be used by the policy makers and the researchers to enhance the obesity intervention programme among female adults in Malaysia.

  4. Mohd Nor NS, Lee S, Bacha F, Tfayli H, Arslanian S
    Pediatr Diabetes, 2016 09;17(6):458-65.
    PMID: 26251318 DOI: 10.1111/pedi.12303
    BACKGROUND: There is a need for simple surrogate estimates of insulin sensitivity in epidemiological studies of obese youth because the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp is not feasible on a large scale.

    OBJECTIVE: (i) To examine the triglyceride glucose (TyG) index (Ln[fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting glucose (mg/dL)/2]) and its relationship to in vivo insulin sensitivity in obese adolescents (OB) along the spectrum of glucose tolerance and (ii) to compare TyG index with triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein TG/HDL and 1/fasting insulin (1/IF ), other surrogates of insulin sensitivity.

    PATIENTS AND DESIGN: Cross-sectional data in 225 OB with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), prediabetes (preDM), and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) who had a 3-h hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp and fasting lipid measurement.

    RESULTS: Insulin-stimulated glucose disposal (Rd) declined significantly across the glycemic groups from OB-NGT to OB-preDM to OB-T2DM with a corresponding increase in TyG index (8.3 ± 0.5, 8.6 ± 0.5, 8.9 ± 0.6, p 

  5. Sood M, Mohd Zain Z, Abu NA, Chee SC, Mohd Nor NS
    Med J Malaysia, 2019 02;74(1):40-44.
    PMID: 30846661
    INTRODUCTION: Some anecdotal reports suggest that maternal colonisation with Acinetobacter baumannii during pregnancy is associated with adverse maternal and neonatal effects, including preterm premature rupture of membrane (PPROM). The objective of this study was to compare the maternal and neonatal effects of A. baumannii colonisation in cases with PPROM and those with spontaneous onset of labour at term.

    METHODS: The recruitment of participants' was carried out at Selayang Hospital, Selangor, Malaysia. Vaginal swabs were prospectively taken from 104 patients of PPROM and 111 with spontaneous onset of labour at term. Swabs were also taken from the axillae and ears of their babies. These swabs were cultured to isolate A. baumannii. Maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes were documented.

    RESULTS: Sixteen mothers were A. baumannii positive, eight from each group respectively. None of the cases developed chorioamnionitis or sepsis. Those positive were four cases of PPROM and two babies of term labour. None of the babies developed sepsis.

    CONCLUSIONS: This study does not support the suggestion that A. baumannii colonisation during pregnancy is associated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.

  6. Rosli NA, Mazapuspavina MY, Mohd Nor NS
    Clin Pract, 2021 Nov 17;11(4):870-877.
    PMID: 34842633 DOI: 10.3390/clinpract11040102
    Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) is a genetic disorder that leads to cortisol deficiency. However, prolonged neonatal jaundice is a rare presentation of CAH. The pathophysiology of hyperbilirubinemia in CAH is still ill-defined. Plausible causes are related to the synthesis of bile, maturity of the liver and adrenal function. This case reported a neonate who presented with severe prolonged jaundice that lasted for more than a month. A short Synacthen test confirmed diagnosis of CAH. He was started on steroid replacement. He had regular follow-up under paediatric endocrinologist and primary care physician for long-term monitoring and overall health care. This case demonstrates the importance of recognizing the clinical and biochemical features of CAH for early detection and referral. Long-term follow-up and monitoring is necessary due to the risk of complications and side effects of medications. This is the first case of CAH presented with persistent hyperbilirubinemia to be reported from Malaysia. The case describes the difficult workup that has been encountered in the patient's care and management.
  7. Mohd Nor NS, Anuar Zaini A, Jalaludin MY
    J Child Health Care, 2023 Apr 08.
    PMID: 37029637 DOI: 10.1177/13674935231168911
    The study aimed to evaluate diabetes self-care among diabetic children and adolescents and compare with glycaemic control. Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) questionnaire was distributed to patients aged 10-18 years with types 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) at paediatric diabetes clinics in Malaysia. Haemoglobin A1c levels were measured after questionnaire completion. A total of 106 patients completed the questionnaire with a mean age of 13.91 (± SD 2.48) years. Mean haemoglobin A1c and SDSCA score were 9.78 (± SD 2.43)% and 19.09 (± SD 5.81), respectively. Type 1 DM patients had significantly higher haemoglobin A1c (10.11 95% CI [9.62, 10.59] vs 8.38 95% CI [7.13, 9.62]). Total score was higher in type 1 DM although not statistically significant (19.32 95% CI [18.21, 20.43] vs 18.08 95% CI [14.28, 21.87]). Blood glucose testing score was significantly higher in type 1 DM (5.24 95% CI [4.82, 5.66] vs 3.50 95% CI [2.23, 4.77]). There was statistically significant negative correlation between score in diet subcategory and haemoglobin A1c. In conclusion, self-care activities among diabetic children and adolescents are still suboptimal. Self-care activities on blood glucose testing are significantly better in type 1 DM. Diet section correlated well with glycaemic control necessitating further research.
  8. Mohd Nor NS, Al-Khateeb AM, Chua YA, Mohd Kasim NA, Mohd Nawawi H
    BMC Pediatr, 2019 04 11;19(1):106.
    PMID: 30975109 DOI: 10.1186/s12887-019-1474-y
    BACKGROUND: Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is the most common inherited metabolic disease with an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. It is characterised by raised serum levels of total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), leading to premature coronary artery disease. Children with FH are subjected to early and enhanced atherosclerosis, leading to greater risk of coronary events, including premature coronary artery disease. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a pair of monochorionic diamniotic identical twins with a diagnosis of heterozygous FH, resulting from mutations in both LDLR and ABCG8 genes.

    CASE PRESENTATION: This is a rare case of a pair of 8-year-old monochorionic diamniotic identical twin, who on family cascade screening were diagnosed as definite FH, according to the Dutch Lipid Clinic Criteria (DLCC) with a score of 10. There were no lipid stigmata noted. Baseline lipid profiles revealed severe hypercholesterolaemia, (TC = 10.5 mmol/L, 10.6 mmol/L; LDL-c = 8.8 mmol/L, 8.6 mmol/L respectively). Their father is the index case who initially presented with premature CAD, and subsequently diagnosed as FH. Family cascade screening identified clinical FH in other family members including their paternal grandfather who also had premature CAD, and another elder brother, aged 10 years. Genetic analysis by targeted next-generation sequencing using MiSeq platform (Illumina) was performed to detect mutations in LDLR, APOB100, PCSK9, ABCG5, ABCG8, APOE and LDLRAP1 genes. Results revealed that the twin, their elder brother, father and grandfather are heterozygous for a missense mutation (c.530C > T) in LDLR that was previously reported as a pathogenic mutation. In addition, the twin has heterozygous ABCG8 gene mutation (c.55G > C). Their eldest brother aged 12 years and their mother both had normal lipid profiles with absence of LDLR gene mutation.

    CONCLUSION: A rare case of Asian monochorionic diamniotic identical twin, with clinically diagnosed and molecularly confirmed heterozygous FH, due to LDLR and ABCG8 gene mutations have been reported. Childhood FH may not present with the classical physical manifestations including the pathognomonic lipid stigmata as in adults. Therefore, childhood FH can be diagnosed early using a combination of clinical criteria and molecular analyses.

  9. Ahmad Zamri L, Appannah G, Zahari Sham SY, Mansor F, Ambak R, Mohd Nor NS, et al.
    J Obes, 2020;2020:3198326.
    PMID: 32399286 DOI: 10.1155/2020/3198326
    Objectives: To examine the association of weight loss magnitude with changes in cardiometabolic risk markers in overweight and obese women from low socioeconomic areas engaged in a lifestyle intervention.

    Methods: Analyses were performed on 243 women (mean body mass index 31.27 ± 4.14 kg/m2) who completed a 12-month lifestyle intervention in low socioeconomic communities in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to compare changes of cardiometabolic risk factors across weight change categories (2% gain, ±2% maintain, >2 to <5% loss, and 5 to 20% loss) within intervention and control group.

    Results: A graded association for changes in waist circumference, fasting insulin, and total cholesterol (p=0.002, for all variables) across the weight change categories were observed within the intervention group at six months postintervention. Participants who lost 5 to 20% of weight had the greatest improvements in those risk markers (-5.67 cm CI: -7.98 to -3.36, -4.27 μU/mL CI: -7.35, -1.19, and -0.59 mmol/L CI: -.99, -0.19, respectively) compared to those who did not. Those who lost >2% to <5% weight reduced more waist circumference (-4.24 cm CI: -5.44 to -3.04) and fasting insulin (-0.36 μU/mL CI: -1.95 to 1.24) than those who maintained or gained weight. No significant association was detected in changes of risk markers across the weight change categories within the control group except for waist circumference and adiponectin.

    Conclusion: Weight loss of >2 to <5% obtained through lifestyle intervention may represent a reasonable initial weight loss target for women in the low socioeconomic community as it led to improvements in selected risk markers, particularly of diabetes risk.

  10. Cheah YK, Azahadi M, Mohamad Nor NS, Phang SN, Abd Manaf NH
    Obes Res Clin Pract, 2020 08 09;14(5):428-436.
    PMID: 32782176 DOI: 10.1016/j.orcp.2020.07.008
    The objective of the present study is to examine sociodemographic factors associated with consumption of confectionery among obese and non-obese adults in Malaysia. Secondary analysis of the Malaysian Adult Nutrition Survey (MANS) 2014 was performed. The survey was conducted in urban and rural areas in the 14 states of Malaysia, including the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. Adults aged 18 years and above (n = 2696) were interviewed. The dependent variable was the total servings of confectionery consumed per week. An ordered logistic regression model was used to examine the associated sociodemographic factors in the decision of people to consume 0, 1-2, 3-5 and ≥6 servings of confectionery. Marginal effects of sociodemographic variables on confectionery consumption were calculated. Analyses stratified by bodyweight group were conducted. The results showed that income, education, gender, ethnicity, and employment status were significantly associated with consumption of confectionery. In particular, income, education, gender, ethnicity and employment status affected confectionery consumption, but not the other way around. However, no relationship was evidenced between age, marital status, household location and confectionery consumption. In conclusion, sociodemographic factors were related to consumption of confectionery. Policies aimed at discouraging consumption of confectionery should focus primarily on high income earners, well-educated individuals and Bumiputera.
  11. Nor Azizah A, Mohd Nor F, Mohamad M, Zainal Abidin AS, Ariza A, Mohd Nor NS, et al.
    Med J Malaysia, 2016 Jun;71(3):117-21.
    PMID: 27495884 MyJurnal
    Bacteremia continues to be one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality despite the existence of numerous antimicrobial agents. this study aimed to provide a Malaysian perspective on paediatric community-acquired bacteraemia based on the documentation of epidemiology and antimicrobial profile of the isolated pathogens.
  12. Mohd Nor NS, Saimin H, Rahman T, Abdul Razak S, Mohd Nasir N, Ismail Z, et al.
    J Obes, 2018;2018:8508549.
    PMID: 29785305 DOI: 10.1155/2018/8508549
    Objective: There is limited data comparing prothrombogenic or fibrinolysis biomarkers (tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1)) simultaneously in subjects with Metabolic Syndrome (MS), simple central obesity without MS (COB) and normal controls (NC). We investigated the concentrations of fibrinolysis biomarkers in subjects with MS, COB and NC.

    Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 503 drug naive subjects (163 males, aged 30-65 years old (mean age ± SD = 47.4 ± 8.3 years)) divided into MS, COB and NC groups. COB was defined as central obesity (waist circumference (WC) males ≥90 cm, females ≥80 cm) in the absence of MS according to the International Diabetes Federation 2006. Fasting blood levels of tPA and PAI-1were analyzed.

    Results: MS and COB had significantly higher concentration of all biomarkers compared to NC. The MS group had significantly higher concentration of tPA and PAI-1 compared to COB. WC and HDL-c had significant correlation with all biomarkers (tPA p < 0.001, PAI-1 p < 0.001). Fasting plasma glucose and diastolic blood pressure were independent predictors after correcting for confounding factors.

    Conclusion: Central obesity with or without MS both demonstrated enhanced prothrombogenesis. This suggests that simple obesity possibly increases the risk of coronary artery disease in part, via increased susceptibility to thrombogenesis.

  13. Abdul Aziz NS, Shahar S, Ambak R, Mohamad Nor NS, Jamil AT, Aris T
    BMC Womens Health, 2018 07 19;18(Suppl 1):115.
    PMID: 30066631 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-018-0600-6
    BACKGROUND: Obesity is a risk factor for co-morbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis and cardiovascular diseases. However, it is unclear if the presence of co-morbidities has any effect on the magnitude of body composition changes following weight reduction programmes. Thus, this study aimed to determine changes in body composition among obese housewives with and without co-morbidities after they participated in a weight loss intervention.

    METHODS: This is a follow-up study among 84 obese housewives without co-morbidities aged 18 to 59 years old who previously participated as a control group (delayed intervention, G1) in the My Body is Fit and Fabulous at Home (MyBFF@home) Phase II. Baseline data were obtained from 12 month data collection for this group. A new group of 42 obese housewives with co-morbidities (G2) were also recruited. Both groups received a 6 month intervention (July-December 2015) consisting of dietary counselling, physical activity (PA) and self-monitoring tools (PA diary, food diary and pedometer). Study parameters included weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure and body compositions. Body compositions were measured using a bioelectrical impedance analysis device, Inbody 720. Descriptive and repeated measures ANOVA analyses were performed using SPSS 21.

    RESULTS: There were reductions in mean body fat, fat mass and visceral fat area, particularly among obese women without co-morbidities. There were also decreases fat and skeletal muscle from baseline to month six with mean difference - 0.12 (95% CI: -0.38, 0.14) and visceral fat area from month three to month six with mean difference - 9.22 (- 17.87, - 0.56) for G1. G2 showed a decreasing pattern of skeletal muscle from baseline to month six with mean difference - 0.01(95% CI: -0.38, 0.37). There was a significant difference for group effect of visceral fat area (p 

  14. Cheong SM, Mohamad Nor NS, Ahmad MH, Manickam M, Ambak R, Shahrir SN, et al.
    BMC Womens Health, 2018 07 19;18(Suppl 1):99.
    PMID: 30066659 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-018-0596-y
    BACKGROUND: Health literacy (HL) consists of different components and associates with several health outcomes, including obesity. It is linked to an individual's knowledge, motivation, competencies, behavior, and application to everyday life. The present study aimed to determine the change of HL scores and to investigate the difference of intervention outcomes at the weight loss (WL) intervention and WL maintenance phase between the HL groups.

    METHODS: A total of 322 participants from the MyBFF@home study completed the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) test at baseline. However, only data from 209 participants who completed the NVS test from baseline to WL intervention were used to determine the HL groups. Change of the NVS scores from baseline to WL intervention phase was categorized into two groups: those with HL improvement (increased 0.1 score and above) and those without HL improvement (no change or decreased 0.1 score and more). Independent variables in this study were change of energy intake, nutrient intake, physical activity, anthropometry measurements, and body composition measurements between baseline and WL intervention as well as between WL intervention and WL maintenance. An Independent sample t-test was used in the statistical analysis.

    RESULTS: In general, both intervention and control participants have low HL. The study revealed that the intervention group increased the NVS mean score from baseline (1.19 scores) to the end of the WL maintenance phase (1.51 scores) compared to the control group. There was no significant difference in sociodemographic characteristics between the group with HL improvement and the group without HL improvement at baseline. Most of the dietary intake measurements at WL intervention were significantly different between the two HL groups among intervention participants. Physical activity and body composition did not differ significantly between the two HL groups among both intervention and control groups.

    CONCLUSION: There was an improvement of HL during the WL intervention and WL maintenance phase in intervention participants compared to control participants. HL shows positive impacts on dietary intake behavior among intervention participants. New research is suggested to explore the relationship between HL and weight loss behaviors in future obesity intervention studies.

  15. Mohd Nor NS, Fong CY, Rahmat K, Vanessa Lee WM, Zaini AA, Jalaludin MY
    Eur Endocrinol, 2018 Apr;14(1):59-61.
    PMID: 29922355 DOI: 10.17925/EE.2018.14.1.59
    Cerebral oedema is the most common neurological complication of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). However, ischaemic and haemorrhagic brain injury has been reported infrequently. A 10-year old girl who was previously well presented with severe DKA. She was tachycardic with poor peripheral perfusion but normotensive. However, two fast boluses totalling 40 ml/kg normal saline were given. She was transferred to another hospital where she was intubated due to drowsiness. Rehydration fluid (maintenance and 48-hour correction for 7.5% dehydration) was started followed by insulin infusion. She was extubated within 24 hours of admission. Her ketosis resolved soon after and subcutaneous insulin was started. However, about 48 hours after admission, her Glasgow Coma Scale score dropped to 11/15 (E4M5V2) with expressive aphasia and upper motor neuron signs. One dose of mannitol was given. Her symptoms improved gradually and at 26-month follow-up she had a near-complete recovery with only minimal left lower limb weakness. Serial magnetic resonance imaging brain scans showed vascular ischaemic injury at the frontal-parietal watershed regions with haemorrhagic transformation. This case reiterates the importance of monitoring the neurological status of patient's with DKA closely for possible neurological complications including an ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke.
  16. Zainal Abidin Z, Zainuren ZA, Noor E, Mohd Nor NS, Mohd Saffian S, Abdul Halim R
    Aust Dent J, 2021 03;66 Suppl 1:S15-S26.
    PMID: 33864280 DOI: 10.1111/adj.12845
    Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complex metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycaemia resulted from defects in insulin secretion or action, or both. Various studies have reported on the bidirectional relationship between DM and periodontal disease. A systematic search of the literature was performed in several databases, EBSCO Medline Complete, PubMed, Science Direct and a manual search for articles from 2000 until 2019. Literature that fulfilled the inclusion criteria were identified, and data measuring plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), clinical attachment loss (CAL) and periodontal probing depth (PPD) were extracted and subjected to Random-effects meta-analysis. From 947 titles and abstracts screened, 11 articles were included for meta-analysis. It was found that PI, GI, CAL and PPD were significantly higher in DM children than in non-DM children according to the Standardized Mean different (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) (SMD 0.54, 95% CI 0.20-0.87, P = 0.002; SMD 0.63, 95% CI 0.39-0.87, P 
  17. Sodri NI, Mohamed-Yassin MS, Mohd Nor NS, Ismail IA
    Am J Case Rep, 2021 Nov 01;22:e934216.
    PMID: 34723934 DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.934216
    BACKGROUND Rickets is the deficiency in mineralization of the bone associated with lack of sunlight exposure and inadequate dietary calcium and/or vitamin D in children. Important efforts to eradicate rickets include appropriate sunlight exposure advice and fortification of food and milk with vitamin D. However, there is a growing concern that the current Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic will increase the incidence of rickets due to inadequate sunlight exposure resulting from movement restriction measures imposed by governments across the world. CASE REPORT A 22-month-old girl presented to our primary care clinic in Selangor, Malaysia with abnormal gait and bowing of the legs during the COVID-19 pandemic. She had a history of inadequate sun exposure as she lived in an apartment and there was a Movement Control Order in place because of the pandemic. Calcium intake was also poor as she could not tolerate formula milk and did not consume any other dairy products. Investigations revealed severe hypocalcemia and low vitamin D level. She was diagnosed with nutritional rickets and was referred for admission to correct the hypocalcemia. She was subsequently discharged with oral calcium and vitamin D supplementation. Her calcium and vitamin D levels improved and at her 6-month review, her bilateral bowed legs had improved significantly. CONCLUSIONS This case highlights the importance of having a high degree of suspicion for vitamin D deficiency and rickets in young children growing up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health messages on preventing the spread of COVID-19 should also be interlaced with messages addressing the possible effects of our new norms such as inadequate sunlight exposure.
  18. Abulehia H, Mohd Nor NS, Sheikh Abdul Kadir SH, Abdul Aziz M, Zulkifli S
    Sci Rep, 2023 Jun 08;13(1):9322.
    PMID: 37291156 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36043-1
    Bisphenol A (BPA) is a plasticiser used in the manufacturing of many products and its effects on human health remain controversial. Up till now, BPA involvement in metabolic syndrome risk and development is still not fully understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of prenatal BPA exposure with postnatal trans-fat diet intake on metabolic parameters and pancreatic tissue histology. Eighteen pregnant rats were divided into control (CTL), vehicle tween 80 (VHC), and BPA (5 mg/kg/day) from gestational day (GD) 2 until GD 21, then their weaning rat's offspring were fed with normal diet (ND) or trans-fat diet (TFD) from postnatal week (PNW) 3 until PNW 14. The rats were then sacrificed and the blood (biochemical analysis) and pancreatic tissues (histological analysis) were collected. Glucose, insulin, and lipid profile were measured. The study has shown that there was no significant difference between groups with regard to glucose, insulin, and lipid profiles (p > 0.05). All pancreatic tissues showed normal architecture with irregular islets of Langerhans in TFD intake groups compared to offspring that consumed ND. Furthermore, the pancreatic histomorphometry was also affected whereby the study findings revealed that there was a significant increase in the mean number of pancreatic islets in rats from BPA-TFD group (5.987 ± 0.3159 islets/field, p = 0.0022) compared to those fed with ND and BPA non-exposed. In addition, the results have found that prenatal BPA exposure resulted in a significant decrease in the pancreatic islets diameter of the BPA-ND group (183.3 ± 23.28 µm, p = 0.0022) compared to all other groups. In conclusion, prenatal BPA exposure with postnatal TFD in the offspring may affect glucose homeostasis and pancreatic islets in adulthood, and the effect may be more aggravated in late adulthood.
  19. Mohd Kasim NA, Mohd Nor NS, Wen MT, Syed Kamaruddin SKA, Sheikh Abdul Kadir SH
    Malays J Pathol, 2023 Aug;45(2):293-296.
    PMID: 37658539
    INTRODUCTION: A 1-year-old Malay girl presented with pallor, failure to thrive and hepatosplenomegaly. Her blood was sent for thalassaemia screening and it was incidentally found that her blood appeared lipaemic.

    CASE REPORT: Primary and secondary causes of hyperlipidaemia were investigated. Her blood was sent for fasting lipid profile, thyroid function test (TFT), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), liver function test (LFT), renal profile (RP) and HIV screening. Lipaemic interference was removed by high-speed centrifugation. She is a product of non-consanguineous marriage. She is staying together with her stepfather who is HIV positive. Her mother's infective status was negative with no dyslipidaemic features and a normal lipid profile. Lipid profile of her biological father was not known. No other lipid stigmata such as eruptive xanthoma or lipaemia retinalis was seen in the patient. Haemoglobin analysis showed Hb E-Beta thalassaemia major. Her triglycerides was 9.05 mmol/L with normal total cholesterol, 2.85 mmol/L and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), 0.26 mmol/L. Calculated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) was invalid as triglycerides was >4.5 mmol/L. TFT, RP, FPG, LFT were normal and HIV status was negative. She was transfused with 10 ml/kg packed cell and her blood post transfusion appeared non lipaemic.

    CONCLUSION: Primary hypertriglyceridaemia was excluded based on insignificant family history of dyslipidaemia. Secondary causes of hypertriglyceridaemia were ruled out based on unremarkable laboratory investigations. Thus, we conclude that this patient is having hypertriglyceridaemia thalassaemia syndrome (HTS) which is a rare disorder with unknown pathogenesis. Further research may be required to explore this unknown association.

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