Thyroid antibodies are closely related to autoimmune thyroid disorders. To date, there are no data on the prevalence of these antibodies among the Malaysian population. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of thyroid antibodies; and the factors associated with thyroid antibodies in the Malaysian adult population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in 5 pre-assigned regions in Peninsular Malaysia. Participants’ sociodemographic profile and medical history were recorded. Physical examinations were done looking for abnormalities of the thyroid gland and signs of thyroid dysfunctions. Fifteen mils of blood were withdrawn and analysed for thyroid function, anti-thyroperoxidase (anti-TPO) and anti-thyroglobulin (anti-TG) antibodies at a central laboratory. RESULTS: Among the total of 2190 respondents, the overall prevalence of positive anti-TPO and anti-TG antibodies were 12.2% and 12.1%, respectively; mainly found in urban and coastal areas. Only 7% to 9% of those with positive anti-TPO or anti-TG antibodies had either hypo-or hyperthyroidism. The predictors for positive anti-TPO antibody were female [adjusted OR 1.7 (95%CI: 1.2–2.4); p=0.001], Indian [adjusted OR 1.9 (95%CI: 1.1–3.1); p=0.020], and having a goitre [adjusted OR 1.8 (95%CI: 1.2–2.8), p=0.004]. The predictors of positive anti-TG antibody was female [adjusted OR 2.3 (95%CI: 1.6–3.3); p
Thyroid disorders are among common medical conditions encountered in clinical practice. However, the disease burden among Malaysian population has not been established. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence of goitre and its associated factors among adult population in Peninsular Malaysia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 5 pre-assigned regions in Peninsular Malaysia. Participants’ sociodemographic profile and medical history were recorded. Physical examinations were done looking for abnormalities of the thyroid gland and signs of thyroid dysfunctions. The diagnosis of goitre was made by palpation and corroborated by the repeat examination by another investigator. The World Health Organization (WHO) goitre grading system was used. Fifteen millilitre of blood were withdrawn and analysed at a central laboratory. Results: Among 2190 respondents, the prevalence of goitre was 9.3%. Goitre was associated with positive anti-thyroperoxidase and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies. Females were at higher risk of goitre (adjusted OR = 2.4; 95% CI 1.6–3.5; p
A retrospective study was carried out to determine the distribution of intraocular pressure in normal patients who came for vision problems at the Optometry Clinic, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Kuala Lumpur Campus, and to determine the differences in intraocular pressure with respect to age, gender and race. The cohort consisted of 148 subjects divided into five groups with age ranged from 10 to 59 years. The inclusion criteria were, subjects had no sistemic or ocular disease, subjects were not taking any medication, visual acuity was 6/6 or better, refractive errors < ±6.00D, astigmatism < 2.00D, anisometropia <2.00D, and mean intraocular pressure measured using the X-PERT tonometer and taken between 9 am to 2 pm. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) showed the mean intraocular pressure without consideration for age, race or gender was 12.6 mmHg (SD ±2.5). There was no significant differences in intraocular pressure between right and left eyes, between different age groups and between different genders. However, the intraocular pressuse for the Chinese was found to be significantly higher than the Malays. It was found that the intraocular pressure of patients who came for vision problems at the Optometry Clinic UKM follows a normal distribution and there was no significant diference found between right and left eyes, between different age groups and genders. Race seemed to contribute to the differences in intraocular pressure. Keywords: Age; clinic population; genders; pressure; intraocular pressure; race
Study site: Optometry clinic, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Hyperparameter tuning is an important process to maximize the performance of any neural network model. This present study proposed the factorial design of experiment for screening and response surface methodology to optimize the hyperparameter of two artificial neural network algorithms. Feed-forward neural network (FFNN) and radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) are applied to predict the permeate flux of palm oil mill effluent. Permeate pump and transmembrane pressure of the submerge membrane bioreactor system are the input variables. Six hyperparameters of the FFNN model including four numerical factors (neuron numbers, learning rate, momentum, and epoch numbers) and two categorical factors (training and activation function) are used in hyperparameter optimization. RBFNN includes two numerical factors such as a number of neurons and spreads. The conventional method (one-variable-at-a-time) is compared in terms of optimization processing time and the accuracy of the model. The result indicates that the optimal hyperparameters obtained by the proposed approach produce good accuracy with a smaller generalization error. The simulation results show an improvement of more than 65% of training performance, with less repetition and processing time. This proposed methodology can be utilized for any type of neural network application to find the optimum levels of different parameters.
The albumin globulin ratio (A/G ratio) is meant to represent the ratio of alterations in serum proteins, since, in liver disease, globulins (G) rise following serum albumin (SA) decrease. pathophysiological value, its' use has been limited. Alternatively, we have developed an index, the globulin compensation index (GCI) to measure the changes in serum globulins when albumin is decreased. The index is calculated as follows: G - 25 / 35 - SA. The GCI has been tested using retrospective patients' data from the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia. Analysis of the data shows that the GCI may be of potential value in showing the actual serum protein status, especially in cases where globulins are decreased along with albumin. Furthermore, globulin rise in cases with reduced albumin was found in 72.3% of cases of hepatic diseases, whereas this finding occurred in up to 32.3% of cases of non-hepatic, systemic diseases.
INTRODUCTION: The present study aimed to obtain preliminary tympanometric data of young Malay adults and to compare the results between genders.
METHODS: 96 undergraduate students (49 males and 47 females), aged 19-25 (mean and standard deviation 21.14 +/- 1.31) years, participated in this study. Otoscopic examination, pure tone audiometry, qualitative tympanogram and ipsilateral acoustic reflex were measured to ensure a clear ear canal, normal hearing and normal middle ear function, prior to tympanometric measurement. As a result, a total of 154 ears (80 ears from males and 74 ears from females) were selected for further statistical analyses. The tympanometric parameters measured were peak compensated static acoustic admittance (Peak Y(tm)), tympanometric width (TW) and equivalent ear canal volume (V(ea)).
RESULTS: The results showed that the mean Peak Y(tm), V(ea) and TW for males were 0.81 mmhos, 1.48 cubic cm and 113.67 daPa, respectively. The mean Peak Y(tm), V(ea) and TW for females were 0.63 mmhos, 1.12 cubic cm and 98.04 daPa, respectively. Males were found to have significantly higher mean V(ea) and mean Peak Y(tm) than females. However no significant gender difference was observed in the mean TW.
CONCLUSION: The current study suggests that young Malay adults may require gender-specific Peak Y(tm) and V(ea) values when implementing a quantitative approach in tympanogram interpretation.
Autoimmunity associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been well-described as the mechanism of development of thyroid dysfunction following Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) infection and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. However, the occurrence of thyroid eye disease (TED) after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is scarcely described. The postulated mechanisms include immune reactivation, molecular mimicry and the autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA). We report a case of new-onset TED after receiving the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.
The utilization of the chemical laboratory resources at the Hospital Sains Malaysia was evaluated. More than 100,000 test requests received and performed over a 12-month period, were analyzed retrospectively. The analysis conducted included the abnormal results obtained, the degree of duplication of tests, and the extent of test-panel ordering. It was found that a relatively moderate degree of over-ordering was evident. The findings suggested that the main reasons for over-ordering were the use of panel tests of ordering, in addition to a small, yet significant degree of duplication. Strategies for cutting down the test ordering have been reviewed and discussed.
Phyllanthus watsonii Airy Shaw is an endemic plant found in Peninsular Malaysia. Although there are numerous reports on the anti cancer properties of other Phyllanthus species, published information on the cytotoxicity of P. watsonii are very limited. The present study was carried out with bioassay-guided fractionation approach to evaluate the cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction capability of the P. watsonii extracts and fractions on human gynecologic (SKOV-3 and Ca Ski) and colon (HT-29) cancer cells. P. watsonii extracts exhibited strong cytotoxicity on all the cancer cells studied with IC(50) values of ≤ 20.0 µg/mL. Hexane extract of P. watsonii was further subjected to bioassay-guided fractionation and yielded 10 fractions (PW-1→PW-10). PW-4→PW-8 portrayed stronger cytotoxic activity and was further subjected to bioassay-guided fractionation and resulted with 8 sub-fractions (PPWH-1→PPWH-8). PPWH-7 possessed greatest cytotoxicity (IC(50) values ranged from 0.66-0.83 µg/mL) and was selective on the cancer cells studied. LC-MS/MS analysis of PPWH-7 revealed the presence of ellagic acid, geranic acid, glochidone, betulin, phyllanthin and sterol glucoside. Marked morphological changes, ladder-like appearance of DNA and increment in caspase-3 activity indicating apoptosis were clearly observed in both human gynecologic and colon cancer cells treated with P. watsonii especially with PPWH-7. The study also indicated that P. watsonii extracts arrested cell cycle at different growth phases in SKOV-3, Ca Ski and HT-29 cells. Cytotoxic and apoptotic potential of the endemic P. watsonii was investigated for the first time by bioassay-guided approach. These results demonstrated that P. watsonii selectively inhibits the growth of SKOV-3, Ca Ski and HT-29 cells through apoptosis induction and cell cycle modulation. Hence, P. watsonii has the potential to be further exploited for the discovery and development of new anti cancer drugs.
Species of Phyllanthus have traditionally been used for hundreds of years for treating many ailments including diabetes, anemia, bronchitis and hepatitis. The present study aims to investigate the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of methanol (PWM), hexane (PWH) and ethyl acetate (PWE) extracts from the leaves of the endemic plant Phyllanthus watsonii Airy Shaw (Phyllanthaceae) on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. We observed that the PWM, PWH and PWE extracts were cytotoxic and selectively inhibited the growth and proliferation of MCF-7 cells compared to untreated control in a dose dependent manner with an IC(50) of 12.7 ± 4.65, 7.9 ± 0.60 and 7.7 ± 0.29 μg/ml, respectively. However, the extracts were not toxic at these concentrations to normal human lung fibroblast MRC-5 cells. Cell death induced by PWM, PWH and PWE extracts were mainly due to apoptosis which was characterized by apoptotic morphological changes and a nuclear DNA fragmentation. Caspase-3 activation following P. watsonii extracts treatment was also evident for apoptotic cell death which was preceded by an S phase cell cycle perturbation. The results suggested that the cytotoxic activity of P. watsonii extracts was related to an early event of cell cycle perturbation and a later event of apoptosis. Hence, P. watsonii displays potential to be further exploited in the discovery and development of new anticancer agents.
Triphenyltin coumarin-3-carboxylate and its coordination complexes with ethanol, triphenylphosphine oxide, triphenylarsine oxide, diphenylcyclopropenone and quinoline N-oxide exhibited high in vitro cytotoxicity (LC(50) values in the range 0.25-3.4 mug/mL) when tested against EBV-DNA positive Raji cells and P-388 leukaemia cells, compared to the standard drug 5-Fluorouracil, which showed LC(50) values of 11 and >50 mug/mL, respectively, against these cells. Additional tests performed on the Raji cells incubated with the quinoline N-oxide complex in the presence of the tumour promoters, TPA and sodium butyrate, revealed that the diffused and restricted protein components of the early antigen complex were suppressed relative to the control containing only the promoters, indicating impaired function of the genes involved as transactivators in the early lytic cycle of the EBV. The failure of the restriction enzymes Eco R1 and Hind III to cleave the extracted DNA from such treated cells in contrast to the control, coupled with the amplification of the BMLF-1 gene by the PCR technique which was realised only with the DNA of the control and not of the treated sample, point to a punitive interaction of the organotin with the nuclear DNA of the Raji cells.
We report a case of an adult who presented with progressive swelling in the right eye with suggestive of intracranial lesion on imaging. Histopathological revealed a lacrimal gland malignant mixed tumour.
Leptospermum flavescens Sm. (Myrtaceae), locally known as 'Senna makki' is a smallish tree that is widespread and recorded to naturally occur in the montane regions above 900 m a.s.l from Burma to Australia. Although the species is recorded to be used traditionally to treat various ailments, there is limited data on biological and chemical investigations of L. flavescens. The aim of the present study was to investigate and understand the ability of L. flavescens in inducing cell death in lung cancer cells. The cytotoxic potentials of the extraction yields (methanol, hexane, ethyl acetate and water extracts as wells as a semi pure fraction, LF1) were evaluated against two human non-small cell lung carcinoma cell lines (A549 and NCI-H1299) using the MTT assay. LF1 showed the greatest cytotoxic effect against both cell lines with IC50 values of 7.12 ± 0.07 and 9.62 ± 0.50 μg/ml respectively. LF1 treated cells showed a sub-G1 region in the cell cycle analysis and also caused the presence of apoptotic morphologies in cells stained with acridine orange and ethidium bromide. Treatment with LF1 manifested an apoptotic population in cells that were evaluated using the Annexin V/ propidium iodide assay. Increasing dosage of LF1 caused a rise in the presence of activated caspase-3 enzymes in treated cells. Blockage of cell cycle progression was also observed in LF1-treated cells. These findings suggest that LF1 induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in treated lung cancer cells. Further studies are being conducted to isolate and identify the active compound as well to better understand the mechanism involved in inducing cell death.
Amplification of int-2/FGF-3 gene was investigated by differential polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) in 440 archival primary breast carcinoma tissues. Of these, 23 were comedo ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), 18 were non-comedo DCIS, 41 were comedo DCIS with adjacent invasive ductal carcinomas, 19 were non-comedo DCIS with adjacent invasive ductal carcinomas, 270 were invasive ductal carcinomas, 33 were invasive lobular carcinomas, 21 were colloid carcinomas and 15 were medullary carcinomas. Int-2 was amplified in 22% (96/440) of the primary breast carcinomas. It was shown that int-2 was amplified in 13% (3/23) of the comedo DCIS, 17% (7/41) of the comedo DCIS and 29% (12/41) of the adjacent invasive ductal carcinomas, 26% (71/270) of the invasive ductal carcinomas, 18% (6/33) of the invasive lobular carcinomas, 10% (2/21) of the colloid carcinomas and 13% (2/15) of the medullary carcinomas. In contrast, int-2 was not amplified in non-comedo DCIS and invasive ductal carcinomas with adjacent non-comedo DCIS lesions. A significant association was observed between int-2 amplification in the in situ components and adjacent invasive lesion (P<0.05). All tumors with int-2 amplification in the in situ lesions (7/7) also demonstrated same degree of amplification in the adjacent invasive components. However, 9% (5/53) of the tumors with no amplified int-2 gene in the in situ components showed int-2 amplification in the adjacent invasive lesions. A significant relationship was noted between amplification of int-2 and lymph node metastases (P<0.05) and poorly differentiated tumors (P<0.05) but not with estrogen receptor status (P>0.05) and proliferation index (Ki-67 and PCNA) (P>0.05). In Malaysia, majority of the patients belong to younger age group (<50 years old) but a comparison of the age groups showed that the amplification of int-2 was not statistically associated with patient age (P>0.05). These observations indicate that amplification of int-2 tends to strengthen the view that int-2 may have the potential to be an indicator of poor prognosis regardless of the age of the patient. Moreover, the presence of int-2 amplification in preinvasive, preinvasive and adjacent invasive lesions, and invasive carcinomas suggest that int-2 could be a marker of genetic instability occurring in early and late stages of tumor development.
Despite the importance of carers supporting the lives of people with mental illness, there are limited studies investigating the well-being and needs of Malay carers in multicultural Singapore. The Malays consist of 13.4% of Singapore's population. A mixed methods qualitative dominant research approach was used to explore the well-being and needs of Malay carers in a voluntary welfare organisation. The Kessler-10, Friendship Scale and Carers' and Users' Expectations of Services-Carer version were used to assess the needs and well-being of 17 Malay carers. Findings show that Malay carers experienced poor well-being and had numerous unmet needs. Four main themes were found: (a) Concerns related to relatives with mental illness, (b) Mental health practices related to carers, (c) Holistic support for carers and (d) Preference for greater spiritual support in mental health. Recovery-oriented mental health practice implications are discussed. Spirituality of Malay carers needs to be given greater consideration in recovery-oriented mental health services.
Bioassay-guided isolation of the active hexane fractions of Curcuma zedoaria led to the identification of five pure compounds, namely, curzerenone (1), neocurdione (2), curdione (3), alismol (4), and zederone (5) and a mixture of sterols, namely, campesterol (6), stigmasterol (7), and β -sitosterol (8). Alismol has never been reported to be present in Curcuma zedoaria. All isolated compounds except (3) were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against MCF-7, Ca Ski, and HCT-116 cancer cell lines and noncancer human fibroblast cell line (MRC-5) using neutral red cytotoxicity assay. Curzerenone and alismol significantly inhibited cell proliferation in human cancer cell lines MCF-7, Ca Ski, and HCT-116 in a dose-dependent manner. Cytological observations by an inverted phase contrast microscope and Hoechst 33342/PI dual-staining assay showed typical apoptotic morphology of cancer cells upon treatment with curzerenone and alismol. Both compounds induce apoptosis through the activation of caspase-3. It can thus be suggested that curzerenone and alismol are modulated by apoptosis via caspase-3 signalling pathway. The findings of the present study support the use of Curcuma zedoaria rhizomes in traditional medicine for the treatment of cancer-related diseases. Thus, two naturally occurring sesquiterpenoids, curzerenone and alismol, hold great promise for use in chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic strategies.
Gynura bicolor (Compositae) is a popular vegetable in Asia and believed to confer a wide range of benefits including anti-cancer. Our previous findings showed that the ethyl acetate extract of G. bicolor possessed cytotoxicity and induced apoptotic and necrotic cell death in human colon carcinoma cells (HCT 116). A combination of column chromatography had been used to purify chemical constituents from the ethyl acetate and water extract of G. bicolor leaves. Eight chemical constituents 5-p-trans-coumaroylquinic acid (I), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (II), rutin (III), kampferol-3-O-rutinoside (IV), 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (V), kampferol-3-O-glucoside (VI), guanosine (VII) and chlorogenic acid (VIII) were isolated from G. bicolor grown in Malaysia. To our best knowledge, all chemical constituents were isolated for the first time from G. bicolor leaves except rutin (III). 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (V), guanosine (VII) and chlorogenic acid (VIII) demonstrated selective cytotoxicity (selective index>3) against HCT 116 cancer cells compared to CCD-18Co human normal colon cells.
Diverse plants species in the forest remain under-utilised and they are mainly consumed only by local people. However, increasing issues in food security prompted the present study, which explores the nutritional and antioxidant aspects of Malaysian under-utilised vegetables. The studied vegetables were Paku Nyai (Stenochlaena palustris), Cemperai (Champereia manillana), Maman Pasir (Cleome viscose), Dudung (Erechtites valerianifolia) and Semambuk (Ardisia pendula).
Reconfigurable ring filter based on single-side-access ring topology is presented. Using capacitive tuning elements, the electrical length of the ring can be manipulated to shift the nominal center frequency to a desired position. A synthesis is developed to determine the values of the capacitive elements. To show the advantage of the synthesis, it is applied to the reconfigurable filter design using RF lumped capacitors. The concept is further explored by introducing varactor-diodes to continuously tune the center frequency of the ring filter. For demonstration, two prototypes of reconfigurable ring filters are realized using microstrip technology, simulated, and measured to validate the proposed concept. The reconfigured filter using lumped elements is successfully reconfigured from 2 GHz to 984.4 MHz and miniaturized by 71% compared to the filter directly designed at the same reconfigured frequency, while, for the filter using varactor-diodes, the frequency is chosen from 1.10 GHz to 1.38 GHz spreading over 280 MHz frequency range. Both designs are found to be compact with acceptable insertion loss and high selectivity.