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  1. Fulltext Schizophrenia in Malaysian families: A study on factors associated with quality of life of primary family caregivers
    ZamZam R, Midin M, Hooi LS, Yi EJ, Ahmad SN, Azman SF, et al.
    Int J Ment Health Syst, 2011 Jun 08;5(1):16.
    PMID: 21651770 DOI: 10.1186/1752-4458-5-16
    BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia is a chronic illness which brings detrimental effects in the caregivers' health. This study was aimed at highlighting the socio-demographic, clinical and psychosocial factors associated with the subjective Quality of Life (QOL) of Malaysian of primary family caregivers of subjects with schizophrenia attending an urban tertiary care outpatient clinic in Malaysia.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed to study patient, caregiver and illness factors associated with the QOL among 117 individuals involved with caregiving for schizophrenia patients. The study used WHOQOL-BREF to assess caregivers' QOL and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) to assess the severity of patients' symptoms. Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) assessed the stress level due to life events.

    RESULTS: The mean scores of WHOQOL-BREF in physical, psychological, social and environmental domains were 66.62 (14.36), 61.32 (15.52), 62.77 (17.33), 64.02 (14.86) consecutively. From multiple regression analysis, factors found to be significantly associated with higher QOL were higher educational level among caregivers in social and environmental domains; caregivers not having medical problem/s in physical and psychological domains; later onset and longer illness duration of illness in social domains; patients not attending day care program in environmental domain; lower BPRS score in physical and environmental domains. SRRS score of caregivers was also found to have a significant negative correlation with QOL in environmental and psychological domains. Other factors were not significantly associated with QOL.

    CONCLUSION: Caregivers with more social advantages such as higher educational level and physically healthier and dealing with less severe illness had significantly higher QOL in various aspects. Supporting the caregivers in some of these modifiable factors in clinical practice is important to achieve their higher level QOL.

  2. Fulltext IgG avidity assay: a tool for excluding acute toxoplasmosis in prolonged IgM titer sera from pregnant women
    Emelia O, Rahana AR, Mohamad Firdaus A, Cheng HS, Nursyairah MS, Fatinah AS, et al.
    Trop Biomed, 2014 Dec;31(4):633-40.
    PMID: 25776588 MyJurnal
    An accurate diagnosis for toxoplasmosis is crucial for pregnant women as this infection may lead to severe sequelae in the fetus. The value of IgG avidity assay as a tool to determine acute and chronic toxoplasmosis during pregnancy was evaluated in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC). In this study, 281 serum samples from 281 pregnant women in various trimesters were collected. These samples were assayed using specific anti-Toxoplasma IgM and IgG antibodies, followed by IgG avidity test. The overall seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women was 35.2% (33.5% for anti-Toxoplasma IgG and 1.8% for both anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies). Of 5 (1.8%) serum samples positive for IgM ELISA, 4 had high-avidity antibodies, suggesting past infection and one sample with borderline avidity index. Two samples with low avidity were from IgM negative serum samples. The IgG avidity assay exhibited an excellent specificity of 97.6% and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 95.6%. The study also demonstrated no significant correlation between avidity indexes of the sera with IgG (r=0.12, p=0.24) and IgM (r=-0.00, p=0.98), suggesting the complementary needs of the two tests for a better diagnosis outcome. These findings highlight the usefulness of IgG avidity assay in excluding a recently acquired toxoplasmosis infection in IgM-positive serum sample.
  3. Fulltext Seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibody in patients with schizophrenia
    Emelia O, Amal RN, Ruzanna ZZ, Shahida H, Azzubair Z, Tan KS, et al.
    Trop Biomed, 2012 Mar;29(1):151-9.
    PMID: 22543615 MyJurnal
    Schizophrenia is a pervasive neuropsychiatric disease of unknown cause. Previous studies have reported that toxoplasmosis may be a possible cause of schizophrenia. To ascertain possible relationship between Toxoplasma gondii and schizophrenia, a cross sectional study, employing an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to study the seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii IgG antibody in schizophrenic patients. Furthermore, demographic data analysis from schizophrenic patients were analysed to associate toxoplasmosis with schizophrenia. A total of 288 serum samples from schizophrenic patients (n=144) and psychiatrically healthy volunteers (n=144) were recruited in this study. Interestingly, a significant result in the serointensity rate of anti-T. gondii IgG antibody (> 60 IU/mL) in schizophrenic patients (61.1%) was demonstrated as compared to psychiatrically healthy volunteers (40.8%) (X² = 4.236, p < 0.050). However, there was no significant difference between the seropositivity rate of anti-T. gondii IgG antibody between the two groups. Analysis from demographic data revealed that the seropositivity rate of anti-T. gondii IgG antibody in schizophrenic patients was significantly associated with age group of more than 40 years old (p=0.007) and between ethnic (p=0.046). Nevertheless, no significant association between seropositivity rate of anti-T. gondii IgG antibody with gender (p=0.897), duration of illness (p=0.344) and family history of schizophrenia (p=0.282) in these patients. Thus, this finding is essential as a preliminary data in Malaysia to establish the association between T. gondii and schizophrenia.
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