Multistep modeling applied to a Malaysian ALS registry.

Objective: To apply the multistep model of pathogenesis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to data from a multiethnic Malaysian registry.

Methods: Clinical data, including age at symptom onset, was collected from 289 patients who presented to our multidisciplinary clinic from 2016 until 2024. A least squares linear regression model was constructed from the logarithm of approximated incidence and the logarithm of age.

Mindful breathing for cancer pain: efficacy of a single 20-minute session - a randomised controlled study.

Objectives: Cancer pain is a prevalent and challenging symptom affecting a significant number of patients globally, with inadequate control remaining a substantial challenge despite advancements in pain management. Non-pharmacological interventions, including mindfulness-based approaches, have shown promise in alleviating cancer-related pain. This study aimed to explore the efficacy of a single session of 20-minute mindful breathing in reducing pain among patients with cancer.

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy using the introducer method with ultra-slim endoscopy in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients with respiratory compromise: A safe technique.

Background And Aim: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) placement is recommended in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but the procedure is considered high risk. In this study, we aimed to compare the outcome of ALS patients with and without PEG. The success of the procedure and complications of PEG insertion were also explored.

Mindfulness-based supportive therapy on reducing suffering in patients with advanced cancer: randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: Suffering is common among patients with advanced cancer. The practice of mindfulness during patient care can potentially reduce suffering. We aimed to examine the efficacy of mindfulness-based supportive therapy (MBST) on reducing suffering in patients with advanced cancer.

COVID-19, Suffering and Palliative Care: A Review.

According to the WHO guideline, palliative care is an integral component of COVID-19 management. The relief of physical symptoms and the provision of psychosocial support should be practiced by all healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients. In this review, we aim to provide a simple outline on COVID-19, suffering in COVID-19, and the role of palliative care in COVID-19.

A model incorporating ultrasound to predict the probability of fast disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Objective: We aimed to develop a model to predict amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease progression based on clinical and neuromuscular ultrasound (NMUS) parameters.

Methods: ALS patients were prospectively recruited. Muscle fasciculation (≥2 over 30-seconds, examined in biceps brachii-brachialis (BB), brachioradialis, tibialis anterior and vastus medialis) and nerve cross-sectional area (CSA) (median, ulnar, tibial, fibular nerve) were evaluated through NMUS.

A survey on patients' disease perception and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on persons living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Malaysia.

To investigate the patients' perception of their disease, its management and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on persons living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in Malaysia. An online survey comprising 42 questions was conducted on ALS patients during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Responses were received from 37/60 (62%) participants with ALS directly or through their caregivers.

Mindful gratitude journaling: psychological distress, quality of life and suffering in advanced cancer: a randomised controlled trial.

Context: Numerous studies have shown that gratitude can reduce stress and improve quality of life.

Objective: Our study aimed to examine the effect of mindful gratitude journaling on suffering, psychological distress and quality of life of patients with advanced cancer.

Methods: We conducted a parallel-group, blinded, randomised controlled trial at the University of Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia.

The effect of 5-min mindfulness of love on suffering and spiritual quality of life of palliative care patients: A randomized controlled study.

Objective: Suffering is a common experience in palliative care. In our study, we aimed to determine the effect of 5-min mindfulness of love on suffering and the spiritual quality of life of palliative care patients.

Methods: We conducted a parallel-group, blinded, randomized controlled study at the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Malaysia from February 2019 to April 2019.

The utility of ALS staging systems in a multi-ethnic patient cohort.

To compare two ALS staging systems, King's clinical staging and Milano-Torino (MiToS) functional staging, using prospective data from a multi-ethnic cohort of ALS patients. The stages of disease were determined prospectively based on existing definitions. The two systems were compared for timing of stages using box plots, correspondence using chi-square tests and association using Spearman's rank correlation.

Happiness at the end of life: A qualitative study.

Objective: Dying is mostly seen as a dreadful event, never a happy experience. Yet, as palliative care physicians, we have seen so many patients who remained happy despite facing death. Hence, we conducted this qualitative study to explore happiness in palliative care patients at the University of Malaya Medical Centre.

Natural history and clinical features of ALS in Malaysia.

Studies from multiethnic populations are rarely reported but do indicate differences in phenotypic presentation and survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In this study, we aimed to investigate the natural history of a cohort of ALS patients from a multiethnic population. : Data from ALS patients presenting to our multidisciplinary ALS clinic were prospectively collected from January 2015 to June 2020 as part of an ongoing hospital-based patient registry.

The Effect of 5-Minute Mindfulness of Peace on Suffering and Spiritual Well-Being Among Palliative Care Patients: A Randomized Controlled Study.

Background: Mindfulness practices may have a role in reducing suffering and improving spiritual well-being among patients with serious illness. The efficacy, feasibility and acceptability of such interventions warrant further exploration in the palliative care population.

Objective: To investigate the effect of a brief mindfulness practice, the 5-minute mindfulness of peace intervention, on suffering and spiritual well-being among palliative care patients.

Author Correction: A compendium of geochemical information from the Saanich Inlet water column.

In Table 3 of this Data Descriptor the units of Mean_N2O and Mean_CH4 are incorrectly stated as "Nanomolar (μM)". This should instead read "Nanomolar (nM)".

The Effect of 20-Minute Mindful Breathing on the Perception of Suffering and Changes in Bispectral Index Score in Palliative Care Patients: A Randomized Controlled Study.

A randomized controlled study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of 20-minute mindful breathing in suffering reduction. Forty palliative care patients with an overall suffering score of 4 or above as measured with the Suffering Pictogram were recruited and randomly assigned to 20-minute mindful breathing or 20-minute supportive listening. There was statistically significant reduction of suffering score in both the groups.

A compendium of geochemical information from the Saanich Inlet water column.

Extensive and expanding oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) exist at variable depths in coastal and open ocean waters. As oxygen levels decline, nutrients and energy are increasingly diverted away from higher trophic levels into microbial community metabolism, resulting in fixed nitrogen loss and production of climate active trace gases including nitrous oxide and methane. While ocean deoxygenation has been reported on a global scale, our understanding of OMZ biology and geochemistry is limited by a lack of time-resolved data sets.

Mindfulness: A New Paradigm of Psychosocial Care in the Palliative Care Setting in Southeast Asia.

Alleviation of suffering in palliative care needs a combination of good symptom control and psychosocial care. The capacity of mindfulness to promote psychological flexibility opens up possibilities of creating a paradigm shift that can potentially change the landscape of psychosocial care. In this review, we attempt to introduce 4 methods to establish mindfulness based on 'The Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness', a core text of Theravada Buddhism, followed by a brief comparison of the concepts and practices of mindfulness in different cultures and religions in Southeast Asia.

Integrating biogeochemistry with multiomic sequence information in a model oxygen minimum zone.

Microorganisms are the most abundant lifeform on Earth, mediating global fluxes of matter and energy. Over the past decade, high-throughput molecular techniques generating multiomic sequence information (DNA, mRNA, and protein) have transformed our perception of this microcosmos, conceptually linking microorganisms at the individual, population, and community levels to a wide range of ecosystem functions and services. Here, we develop a biogeochemical model that describes metabolic coupling along the redox gradient in Saanich Inlet-a seasonally anoxic fjord with biogeochemistry analogous to oxygen minimum zones (OMZs).