Assesment of the L1 vertebra shape and size variation for age determination in the Malaysian adult population using geometric morphometric approach.

Introduction: The study of endodontic epidemiology may help in prediction of future needs for dental treatment in a dentate population. The prevalence of endodontically treated teeth in the Malaysian population has never been investigated and their estimates have been based on studies from other countries. This study evaluated the prevalence of endodontically treated teeth in an adult Malaysian population attending a dental school clinic in northern Malaysia. Methods: The sample of this cross-sectional study examined the orthopantograms of 1663 patients in age group 18 to 75 years old, visiting the clinics of AIMST dental institute. A total of 33462 teeth were examined by four calibrated professionals. Any radiographic evidence of presence of radio-opaque material in pulp space was considered as endodontic treatment for the particular tooth. Third molars, supernumerary teeth and faulty radiographs were excluded from the study. Data was recorded with respect to gender, age and ethnicity of the patient and also the type of tooth. It was statistically analysed using Odds ratio, logistic regression and chi-square test. Results: There was a greater prevalence of endodontic treatment in females than males and 31 to 40 years age group. Malay population had higher number of cases of overall endodontically treated teeth, while Indian population showed highest percentage of cases within any ethnic group. Maxillary molars and mandibular molars were most frequently treated teeth, whereas canines showed the lowest prevalence. Findings were more significantly higher for maxillary teeth than mandibular teeth and for left side than right side. Conclusion: The prevalence of endodontically treated teeth in the Malaysian adult population was higher than that observed in epidemiological studies from other countries. This might is considered due to the higher incidence of caries and awareness emerging among the sub-population for preserving natural teeth. The results also concluded the necessity of more educational programs in Endodontics.

The objective of this study was to assess the construct validity of the EQ-5D instrument among the Malaysian population. This was a cross-sectional study conducted among Malaysian adults in three northern states of Malaysia. A pre-developed questionnaire consisting of both the EQ-5D and SF-12 items was used for data collection. Concurrent, convergent, and known group validity of EQ-5D were assessed against SF-12 and several known relationships with participants' demographic and illness characteristics. A total of 596 Malaysians participated in the study. The mean EQ-5D score was 0.93 (SD = 0.13), while the mean physical component score (PCS-12) and mental component score (MCS-12) scores were 48.9 (SD = 7.4) and 49.1 (SD = 8.0), respectively. Participants with a current medical problem had lower PCS-12 and MCS-12 scores and reported more problems with all of the EQ-5D dimensions; they also had lower EQ-5D and EQ-VAS scores (P < 0.05). Convergent validity was supported by a moderately positive correlation between EQ-5D and EQ-VAS with MCS-12 and PCS-12 scores; moreover, the stronger effect sizes between PCS-12 and the physical dimensions of EQ-5D as well as between MCS-12 with anxiety/depression scores further supported the convergent validity of EQ-5D. Responses to the EQ-5D dimensions only supported two of the four known group validity hypotheses of higher quality of life among individuals who are better educated and no medical problem. No association was found between income and gender with EQ-5D score. This study has demonstrated acceptable construct validity of the EQ-5D among the Malaysian population.

ABSTRACTEstimation of stature plays a significant role in establishing personal identity in forensic anthropology. The objective is to derive specific population regression equations to estimate stature from hand and foot measurements in the Malaysian population. A prospective cross-sectional study was done with 400 staffs and students, who were randomly chosen from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC) and ranged from 19 to 60 years old. The subjects comprised 200 males and 200 females (257 Malay, 112 Chinese and 31 Indian). Eleven parameters, such as hand length 1, hand length 2, hand length 3, hand length 4, hand length 5, hand length, palm length, hand breadth, maximum hand breadth, foot breadth and foot length were measured twice by measuring tape and Vernier callipers, and were averaged. Results revealed that the parameters exhibited a significant difference between sexes and ethnic groups (p < 0.05). The relative TEM was 0.7 and 1.37% for intra- and inter-observational analyses, respectively, which were acceptable for measurement accuracy. Paired t-tests showed close approximation between estimated and true stature. Thus, the regressions could be used for stature estimation in the Malaysian population. Further study is needed to evaluate and validate the results for future use.

Using a geometric morphometric approach, we explored the variation in skull size and skull shape in banded newts (genus Ommatotriton). The genus Ommatotriton is represented by two allopatric, genetically well‐defined species: Ommatotriton ophryticus and O. vittatus. Within each species, two subspecies have been recognised. The samples used in this study cover the geographical and genetic variation within each species. We found statistically significant variation in skull size between species and among populations within species. When corrected for size, there was no significant variation in shape between species. Our results indicate that the variation in skull shape within the genus Ommatotriton is almost entirely due to size‐dependent, allometric shape changes. The exception is the shape of the ventral skull in males. Males of O. ophryticus and O. vittatus significantly diverge in the shape of the ventral cranium. The ventral skull, more precisely the upper jaw and palate, is directly functionally related to feeding. In general, our results indicate that allometry is a significant factor in the morphological variation of banded newts. However, the divergence in the ventral skull shape of males indicates that sexual selection and niche partitioning may have influenced the evolution of skull shape in these newts.

Evaluation of age variation changes in cervical vertebrae: 2-Dimensional (2D) geometric morphometrics approach

Sex estimation using the first lumbar vertebra by geometric morphometric analysis of 3D computed tomography in the Malaysian population.

INTRODUCTION: 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 preassigned 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 antiTG 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&lt;0.001], and having a goitre [adjusted OR 2.0 (95%CI: 1.3–3.4), p=0.001]. Those living in rural areas had 38% lower risk of having positive anti-TG. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of positive anti-TPO and anti-TG antibodies were 12.2% and 12.1%, respectively; were higher among the urban and coastal populations. Those living in rural areas had lower risks of anti-TG antibody.

PurposeThe paper aimed to explore the factors leading to lower rates of whole grain consumption amongst the Malaysian adult population according to the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA) model.Design/methodology/approachThis paper employed a qualitative approach to explore the factors that influence whole grain consumption. Individual interviews were conducted online amongst Malaysian adults aged 18 years and above who purchase groceries and are responsible for food preparation at home. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically using the NVivo version 12 software.FindingsA majority of the respondents (N = 30; mean age = 39.2 years old) were females (n = 19, 63.3%) and lived in urban areas (n = 23, 76.7%). Even though over 86.7% of respondents (n = 26) had consumed whole grain products, a majority of them had inadequate knowledge surrounding whole grains (n = 25, 83.3%). Predominant barriers to whole grain consumption were perceived cost (n = 30, 100%), dislikes towards the sensory aspects of whole grain foods (n = 28, 93.3%), inadequate knowledge in identifying whole grains in foods (n = 25, 83.3%), poor awareness (n = 25, 83.3%), lack of knowledge in preparation of whole grain foods (n = 25, 83.3%), a wide variety of other tasty cuisine alternatives in Malaysia (n = 25, 83.3%), low availability and accessibility of whole grain products (n = 18, 60%), cultural eating behaviours (n = 17, 56.7%) and family influence (n = 16, 53.3%). Besides that, having a longer preparation time, restrictive diets and social influences were minor barriers.Research limitations/implicationsThis study addresses the barriers that should be highlighted in future health educational interventions, and presents a challenge to the food industry to develop whole grain foods which are easily accepted by consumers.Originality/valueThis is the first paper to outline the factors associated with poor consumption of whole grains amongst the Malaysian adult population.

Introduction: Estimation of race plays a significant role in establishing personal identity in forensic anthropology. A cervical vertebra is one of the bones that is least researched in forensic applications. Our study aims to investigate the morphologic variations of the fourth cervical vertebrae (C4) between the different major races in the adult Malaysian population using a three-dimensional (3D) geometric morphometrics method. Methods: Computer tomography images of C4 vertebra, which consist of 386 subjects (169 Malay, 82 Chinese, and 135 Indian) were collected retrospectively from University of Malaya. Twenty-eight landmarks were placed on the images. Procrustes MANOVA, canonical variates analysis(CVA), discriminant function analysis (DFA), and linear measurement were performed using Planmeca Romexis, Checkpoint Stratovan, Morpho J, and Graphpad Prism software respectively to analyze the morphological variations of C4. Results: Procrustes MANOVA showed significant differences in the shape (p &amp;lt;0.0001) and centroid size (p = 0.0003) of the C4 vertebra between races. Canonical variate analysis showed significant differences for Mahalanobis (p &amp;lt;0.0001) and Procrustes (p &amp;lt;0.0001) distances among races. Besides that, a cross-validation value of 66.5% was demonstrated by discriminant function analysis. The use of linear measurements reveals no significant differences between the races, thesemeasurements are the vertebral body height, anterior-posterior length of the vertebral body, length of superior articular facet, and spinous process length. Both intra- and inter-observational reliabilities showed that acceptable human errors for measurement accuracy. Conclusions: Morphologic variations in the shape of C4 can assist in race estimation of the adult Malaysian population using the 3D geometric morphometric approach.

Sex determination is one of the main steps in the identification of human skeletal remains. The vertebrae are weight-bearing structures in the human body that may provide variety of information from an individual. The aim of this study is to assess the sexual dimorphism of the first lumbar (L1) vertebrae using three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) imaging to develop population-specific equations for sex identification in the Malay population. Thirteen linear measurements of the first lumbar (L1) vertebrae were taken from 50 males and 50 females’ patients in the Radiology Department of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, using images of the Computed Tomography (CT) scan. Independent T-test and discriminant function analysis (DFA) were performed for analysis. By using independent T-test analysis, there were eight measurements showed statistically significant difference between men and women (p&lt;0.001). Using stepwise method of discriminant analysis showed three measurements predicted sex with the accuracy 93.0% : (a) lower end-plate width (EPWI), (b) lower end-plate depth (EPDI), and posterior height of the vertebral body (VBHp). This study provides discriminant equation for forensic identification of sex from the first lumbar vertebrae among Malaysia population with the accuracy 93.0%.

Characterization of a major house dust mite allergen Der p 22 among Malaysian adult population☆

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of diabetes has increased dramatically in the last decade. Compounding the problem are undiagnosed cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus. These respondents are those who do not know that they have the disease. Undiagnosed cases have substantial implications as they are at more risk to develope fatal complications. This study aims to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed T2DM and to identify its associated factors in Malaysia.METHODS: A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted involving 19,935 respondents. Two-stage stratified sampling design was used to select a representative sample of the Malaysian adult population. Face-to-face interviews using structured, validated questionnaires were used to obtain data from the respondents. Respondents who claimed that they were not diagnosed with diabetes before were asked to undergo a finger-prick test.RESULTS: The overall prevalence of T2DM was 17.5% while the prevalence of undiagnosed T2DM was 9.2% (n=2103). Respondents aged 60 years old &amp;amp; above had the highest percentage of undiagnosed T2DM at about 13.6 %, followed by those with no formal educational at 12.9%, among Indians were 11.9%, among female at 9.2%, among non-working citizen at 9.8%, widowed/divorced (12.0%), smokers (9.5%), obesity (13.6%) and hypertensive (12.8%). Multivariable analyses revealed that age group, ethnicity, education level, marital status, obesity and hypertensive were more likely to have undiagnosed T2DM.CONCLUSION: This study showed a high prevalence of undiagnosed T2DM in Malaysia. Factors associated with undiagnosed diabetes mellitus were obesity, age, ethnicity, educational level and hypertension. Screening is essential among adults aged 30 to 60 year old to enable early intervention and prevent development of serious complications of this disease.

Background The Attitude to Ageing Questionnaire (AAQ) was developed to assess perceptions of the aging process among older adults. The 24 items were framed into three factors. This study aimed to translate the AAQ from English to the Malay language (AAQ-M) and determine its factorial structure and validity in a Malaysian population. Methods The original AAQ underwent a standard translation process, as well as content and face validation, to produce the AAQ-M. The construct validity of the AAQ-M was then assessed in 254 older adults aged 60 years and above attending a public primary care clinic in Seremban, Malaysia. Results Exploratory factor analysis showed a three-factor model for the AAQ-M with acceptable reliability and Cronbach α values ranging from 0.71 to 0.82 for each factor. A total of five items were omitted for poor factor loadings (<0.32) or because they did not conceptually fit into the factor they were loaded onto. Of the final 19 AAQ-M items, seven were physical change factors, eight were psychosocial loss factors, and four were psychological growth factors. This three-factor model explained 37.9% of the total variance. Conclusion The AAQ-M version confirmed that the three-factor model, namely physical change, psychosocial loss, and psychological growth, was similar to that of the original AAQ. The AAQ-M is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the three aspects of attitudes toward aging in the Malaysian older adult population.

Background:Age estimation is of prime importance in forensic science and clinical dentistry. Age estimation based on teeth development is one reliable approach. Many radiographic methods are proposed on the Western population for estimating dental age, and a similar assessment was found to be inadequate in Malaysian population. Hence, this study aims at formulating a regression model for dental age estimation in Malaysian children population using Cameriere's method.Materials and Methods:Orthopantomographs of 421 Malaysian children aged between 5 and 16 years involving all the three ethnic origins were digitalized and analyzed using Cameriere's method of age estimation. The subjects’ age was modeled as a function of the morphological variables, gender (g), ethnicity, sum of normalized open apices (s), number of tooth with completed root formation (N0) and the first-order interaction between s and N0.Results:The variables that contributed significantly to the fit were included in the regression model, yielding the following formula: Age = 11.368-0.345g + 0.553No -1.096s - 0.380s.No, where g is a variable, 1 for males and 2 for females. The equation explained 87.1% of total deviance.Conclusion:The results obtained insist on reframing the original Cameriere's formula to suit the population of the nation specifically. Further studies are to be conducted to evaluate the applicability of this formula on a larger sample size.

Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult OncologyVol. 9, No. 6 Letter to the EditorFree AccessLetter to the Editor: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 Impact on Oncofertility Services in MalaysiaMohd Faizal Ahmad, Muhammad Azrai Abu, and Abdul Kadir Abdul KarimMohd Faizal AhmadAddress correspondence to: Mohd Faizal Ahmad, MD, DrObGyn, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia E-mail Address: drmohdfaizal@ukm.edu.myAdvanced Reproductive Centre, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Mukhriz (HCTM) UKM Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Search for more papers by this author, Muhammad Azrai AbuAdvanced Reproductive Centre, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Mukhriz (HCTM) UKM Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Search for more papers by this author, and Abdul Kadir Abdul KarimAdvanced Reproductive Centre, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Mukhriz (HCTM) UKM Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:10 Dec 2020https://doi.org/10.1089/jayao.2020.0105AboutSectionsView articleView PDFView PDF Plus ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail View articleDear Editor:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was discovered as a possibly terminal infection starting in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and it has been spreading worldwide.1 In Malaysia, our first COVID-19-positive cases were discovered on January 25, 2020, and subsequently, the number of cases rose, leading to the implementation of the Movement Restriction Order Act starting on March 18, 2020, aiming to flatten the infection curve. As of June 3, 2020, a total of 7970 confirmed cases with 6531 recoveries and 115 deaths were reported in Malaysia.2 During this pandemic, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre services were modified as hybrid-COVID-19 cluster hospital, and treating both confirmed COVID-19 cases and standard cases, thus overall significantly affected our health management, including our oncofertility services.Newly diagnosed cancer with significant treatment-related gonadotoxic effects among children and the reproductive age group should receive fertility preservation (FP) treatment. The choices of the embryo, oocytes, sperm, and ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) are offered to tailor to the patient profile.3 However, assisted reproductive technique services are postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.4 Although international bodies, mainly the European Society Medical Oncology and American Society Clinical Oncology, have highlighted that FP is considered urgent among cancer cases and should not be deferred, majority of oncology clinicians are not aware of this, and thus, few referrals were made during this period.4,5Among our oncofertility services, the additional cost of the COVID-19 screening for both members of the couple is added to the FP cost. However, the cancer treatment itself places a significant financial burden on the couple. From our current experiences, most of our patients developed complex emotional responses related to isolation or quarantine. They feared to contract the COVID-19, especially during the receiving of the FP treatment. Sadly, they willingly opted out of the FP treatment and barely followed the primary cancer treatment.Otherwise, we need to modify the laparoscopic procedure to a mini-laparotomy for oophorectomy for OTC, as it is currently prohibited to reduce the risk of air droplets aerosolizing among the health workers. As most cases are prepubertal, we hardly receive any referrals for OTC, mostly due to the parents' anxiety at this time.Nevertheless, our clinic's setting has also been affected. Previously, our clinic benefited from the presence of a psychologist who, together with the patients' family members, created a support system that ensured that a synchronized decision was made with a better FP outcome. However, this restriction led to ineffective consultations, thus, poor FP uptake. To overcome this, we implemented telemedicine (phone/video call) as a platform for the FP consultations. Despite that, the uptake is still low, as this is considered a new norm among patients and their relatives.Although we do highlight that the oncofertility treatment should not be delayed due to the COVID-19 and that modifications of the services have been made, the uptake remains low. Therefore, we hope that the physicians dealing with cancer cases will be more proactive in referring suitable cases to the oncofertility center despite our battling the COVID-19 pandemic, as it will significantly impact their life in the future.Author Disclosure StatementNo competing financial interests exist.Funding InformationNo funding was received for this article.