Systematic Review on Influenza Burden in Emerging Markets in 2018-2023-An Evidence Update to Guide Influenza Vaccination Recommendations.

Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness responsible for seasonal epidemics and with potential to cause pandemics. The decline in influenza-related studies published since 2018 resulted in data gaps, particularly in emerging markets. This systematic review searched for studies in six databases and gray literature sources to define the clinical burden of influenza and influenza-like illness (ILIs) and their associated sequelae among humans across emerging markets.

Exploring the Potential Health and Economic Benefits of Optimized Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Management in Malaysia's Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Population: A Model-Based Analysis.

Objectives: This study quantified the health and economic benefits of improving low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) control in Malaysian patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). It aimed to inform policy discussions and healthcare planning for effective ASCVD management.

Methods: A deterministic, prevalence-based model was used to project the annual health burden and direct medical costs associated with recurrent ASCVD events over a 10-year horizon.

Decision tree model for early use of semi-elemental formula versus standard polymeric formula in critically ill Malaysian patients: A cost-effectiveness study.

Background: Prevention of enteral feeding interruption (EFI) improves clinical outcomes of critically ill intensive care unit (ICU) patients. This leads to shorter ICU stays and thereby lowers healthcare costs. This study compared the cost of early use of semi-elemental formula (SEF) in ICU vs standard polymeric formula (SPF) under the Ministry of Health (MOH) system in Malaysia.

Projecting direct medical costs and productivity benefits of improving access to advanced therapy for rheumatoid arthritis: a projection modelling study.

Introduction: To ensure the sustainability of the AT access improvement, it is important that health system stakeholders have timely, analyzed information accessible for reference and decision-making support. In this study, we projected the direct costs required as well as the expected direct medical cost-offset and productivity benefits resulting from improving the disease control.

Methods: We implemented a deterministic, prevalence-based mathematical model to project the annual cost of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management within the public healthcare system in Malaysia.

Pulsed electromagnetic fields for post-appendicectomy pain management: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: The value of pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) in postoperative pain management, due to the inconsistent findings so far, remains unclear. We extended the evaluation of PEMF on postoperative pain and intravenous (IV) analgesic use to a group of post-appendicectomy Asian patients.

Methods: This is a double-blinded, randomized trial.

Self-reported symptom study of COVID-19 chemosensory dysfunction in Malaysia.

Alterations in the three chemosensory modalities-smell, taste, and chemesthesis-have been implicated in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), yet emerging data suggest a wide geographic and ethnic variation in the prevalence of these symptoms. Studies on chemosensory disorders in COVID-19 have predominantly focused on Caucasian populations whereas Asians remain understudied. We conducted a nationwide, multicentre cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire on a cohort of RT-PCR-confirmed adult COVID-19 patients in Malaysia between 6 June and 30 November 2020.

The real-world outcomes of vedolizumab in patients with ulcerative colitis in Korea: a multicenter retrospective study.

Aim: This study examined the real-world effectiveness and safety outcomes of vedolizumab in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients who had failed anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy in Korea.

Methods: A retrospective chart review study was conducted in adults with moderate to severely active UC who had failed anti-TNF agents and subsequently received vedolizumab. Clinical response and clinical remission at week 6 and 14 after vedolizumab initiation was evaluated.

Estimating the population health and economic impacts of introducing a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in Malaysia- an economic evaluation.

Pneumococcal disease is a potentially fatal bacterial infection that is vaccine-preventable. Malaysia has yet to adopt a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) into its national immunization program (NIP). In 2016, pneumonia was the 3 leading cause of death in children under five in Malaysia, accounting for 3.

Re-examining the effect of door-to-balloon delay on STEMI outcomes in the context of unmeasured confounders: a retrospective cohort study.

Literature studying the door-to-balloon time-outcome relation in coronary intervention is limited by the potential of residual biases from unobserved confounders. This study re-examines the time-outcome relation with further consideration of the unobserved factors and reports the population average effect. Adults with ST-elevation myocardial infarction admitted to one of the six registry participating hospitals in Australia were included in this study.

Coronary intervention door-to-balloon time and outcomes in ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a meta-analysis.

Objective: This study aims to determine the relationship between door-to-balloon delay in primary percutaneous coronary intervention and ST-elevation myocardial infarction (MI) outcomes and examine for potential effect modifiers.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective observational studies that have investigated the relationship of door-to-balloon delay and clinical outcomes. The main outcomes include mortality and heart failure.

The Association Between Hospital Characteristics and Nonresponse in Organization Survey: An Analysis of the National Healthcare Establishment and Workforce Survey in Malaysia.

In any survey where some of the invited participants fail to respond estimates may be biased. The literature on survey nonresponse is substantial, and the intellectual focus has typically been on the nonresponse of individuals. An important yet less scrutinized area in the analysis of nonresponse is in organizational surveys, particularly surveys of health-care organizations.

Comparative efficacy and safety of reperfusion therapy with fibrinolytic agents in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: Fibrinolytic therapy offers an alternative to mechanical reperfusion for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in settings where health-care resources are scarce. Comprehensive evidence comparing different agents is still unavailable. In this study, we examined the effects of various fibrinolytic drugs on clinical outcomes.

The effect of door-to-balloon delay in primary percutaneous coronary intervention on clinical outcomes of STEMI: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a medical emergency in which sudden occlusion of coronary artery(ies) results in ischemia and necrosis of the cardiac tissues. Reperfusion therapies that aim at reopening the occluded artery remain the mainstay of treatment for AMI. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), which enables the restoration of blood flow by reopening the occluded artery(ies) via a catheter with an inflatable balloon, is currently the preferred treatment for AMI with ST segment elevation (STEMI).

Improving the effectiveness of service delivery in the public healthcare sector: the case of ophthalmology services in Malaysia.

Background: Rising demand of ophthalmology care is increasingly straining Malaysia's public healthcare sector due to its limited human and financial resources. Improving the effectiveness of ophthalmology service delivery can promote national policy goals of population health improvement and system sustainability. This study examined the performance variation of public ophthalmology service in Malaysia, estimated the potential output gain and investigated several factors that might explain the differential performance.