Burden of pertussis among young infants in Malaysia: A hospital-based surveillance study.

Background: The case fatality rate and the risk of complications due to pertussis is very high in infants. Asia has the second highest childhood pertussis burden. The study aimed to assess the prevalence, clinical complications, and mortality rates of pertussis disease requiring hospitalization among young infants in Malaysia.

Differential Regulation of NK Cell Receptors in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Cancer immunotherapies are preferred over conventional treatments which are highly cytotoxic to normal cells. Focus has been on T cells but natural killer (NK) cells have equal potential. Concepts in cancer control and influence of sex require further investigation to improve successful mobilization of immune cells in cancer patients.

Forecasting COVID-19 Case Trends Using SARIMA Models during the Third Wave of COVID-19 in Malaysia.

With many countries experiencing a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, it is important to forecast disease trends to enable effective planning and implementation of control measures. This study aims to develop Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) models using 593 data points and smoothened case and covariate time-series data to generate a 28-day forecast of COVID-19 case trends during the third wave in Malaysia. SARIMA models were developed using COVID-19 case data sourced from the Ministry of Health Malaysia's official website.

Efficiency and management factors: finding the balance in Thalassaemia care centres.

Background: Optimizing efficiency has become increasingly critical with the growing demand for finite healthcare resources driven by population growth and an ageing society. Hence, policymakers are urgently finding more efficient ways to deliver health services. Thalassemia is a complex inherited blood disorder with significant prevalence in Malaysia.

Effectiveness of the movement control measures during the third wave of COVID-19 in Malaysia.

Objectives: Starting in March 2020, movement control measures were instituted across several phases in Malaysia to break the chain of transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this study, we developed a susceptible-exposed-infected-recovered (SEIR) model to examine the effects of the various phases of movement control measures on disease transmissibility and the trend of cases during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia.

Methods: Three SEIR models were developed using the R programming software ODIN interface based on COVID-19 case data from September 1, 2020, to March 29, 2021.

Validity of the Malay EQ-5D-3L in the Malaysian Transfusion-Dependent Thalassemia Population.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the cross-sectional convergent and known-group validity of the Malay-language EQ-5D-3L instrument in children and adults with transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT).

Methods: A cross-sectional health-related quality of life survey involving TDT patients from 12 different treatment centers across Malaysia was conducted using the Malay PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales and the Malay EQ-5D-3L questionnaire.

Rurioctocog alfa pegol PK-guided prophylaxis in hemophilia A: results from the phase 3 PROPEL study.

Rurioctocog alfa pegol prophylaxis targeting factor VIII (FVIII) troughs ≥1% has shown to be efficacious with an acceptable safety profile in people with hemophilia A (PwHA). The PROPEL trial compared safety and efficacy of 2 target FVIII troughs in PwHA aged 12 to 65 years, with severe disease, annualized bleeding rate ≥2, and previous FVIII treatment. PwHA were randomized to 12 months' pharmacokinetic (PK)-guided rurioctocog alfa pegol prophylaxis targeting FVIII troughs of 1% to 3% (reference arm) or 8% to 12% (elevated arm); first 6 months was treatment-adjustment period.

Genotype-Phenotype Correlation of β-Thalassemia in Malaysian Population: Toward Effective Genetic Counseling.

Effective prevention of β-thalassemia (β-thal) requires strategies to detect at-risk couples. This is the first study attempting to assess the prevalence of silent β-thal carriers in the Malaysian population. Hematological and clinical parameters were evaluated in healthy blood donors and patients with β-thal trait, Hb E (: c.

Health-related quality of life among children with transfusion-dependent thalassemia: A cross-sectional study in Malaysia.

Background: The treatment of children with transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) in Malaysia has progressed since 2005. This study provides an updated health-related quality of life (HRQoL) assessment for children with the disorder and the factors affecting the HRQoL.

Methods: A cross-sectional HRQoL survey of Malaysian children with TDT was conducted using the PedsQL™ 4.

Association of with levels and toxicity of methotrexate in Malaysian Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

Studies had shown that genetic polymorphism plays a significant role in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics variation of high dose methotrexate (MTX), 5000 mg/m regimen. The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic variations associated with the serum level and toxicity of MTX in Malaysian children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Thirty-eight patients were genotyped for rs717620 (), rs4948496 (), rs1801133 () and rs4149056 ().

Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometric Identification of Hemoglobin Subunits α, β, γ and δ in Unknown Peaks of High Performance Liquid Chromatography of Hemoglobin in β-Thalassemias.

This is the first report of quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometric identification of the hemoglobin (Hb) subunits, α, β, δ and γ peptides, derived from enzymatic-digestion of proteins in the early unknown peaks of the cation exchange chromatography of Hb. The objectives were to identify the unknown high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) peaks in healthy subjects and in patients with β-thalassemia (β-thal). The results demonstrate the existence of pools of free globin chains in red blood cells (RBCs).

Relative proteome quantification of alpha, beta, gamma and delta globin chains in early eluting peaks of Bio-Rad variant II CE-HPLC of hemoglobin from healthy and beta-thalassemia subjects in Malaysia.

This is the first report of QQQ-mass spectrometric identification and quantification of the Hb subunits, alpha, beta, delta and gamma globin peptides, derived from enzymatic-digestion of proteins in the early unknown peaks of the Bio-Rad cation-exchange chromatography of haemoglobin. The objectives were to assess the relationship of the quantity of the free alpha, beta, delta and gamma globin chains with the phenotypic diversity of beta-thalassaemias (β-thal). The results demonstrate that the pools of free globin chains in red blood cells were correlating with the severity of the disease in patients with different phenotypes of β-thal.

Roles of cancer registries in enhancing oncology drug access in the Asia-Pacific region.

Cancer registries help to establish and maintain cancer incidence reporting systems, serve as a resource for investigation of cancer and its causes, and provide information for planning and evaluation of preventive and control programs. However, their wider role in directly enhancing oncology drug access has not been fully explored. We examined the value of cancer registries in oncology drug access in the Asia-Pacific region on three levels: (1) specific registry variable types; (2) macroscopic strategies on the national level; and (3) a regional cancer registry network.

In vitro antifungal susceptibilities of Candida isolates from patients with invasive candidiasis in Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Malaysia.

The in vitro antifungal susceptibilities of 159 clinical isolates of Candida species from patients with invasive candidiasis in Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Malaysia, were determined against amphotericin B, fluconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole and caspofungin. The most common species were Candida albicans (71 isolates), Candida parapsilosis (42 isolates), Candida tropicalis (27 isolates) and Candida glabrata (12 isolates). The susceptibility tests were carried out using an E-test.

A case-control study on the association between environmental factors and the occurrence of acute leukemia among children in Klang Valley, Malaysia.

Background: In Malaysia, acute leukemia is the most common cancer among children below the age of 15. A case-control study was here conducted for cases from the Klang Valley, Malaysia, who received treatment at the National University of Malaysia Hospital (HUKM) and Kuala Lumpur General Hospital (GHKL). The main objective was to determine any association with environmental factors.

Health Related Quality of Life in Malaysian children with thalassaemia.

Background: Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) studies on children with chronic illness such as thalassaemia are limited. We conducted the first study to investigate if children with thalassaemia have a lower quality of life in the four dimensions as measured using the PedsQL 4.0 generic Scale Score: physical, emotional, social and role (school) functioning compared to the healthy controls allowing for age, gender, ethnicity and household income.

Heterogeneous t(4;11) fusion transcripts in two infants with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

An RT-PCR assay detected the t(4;11) translocation in two infants with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Case P76 was a 10-month-old, female infant, who presented with a WBC of 137.4 x 10(9)/l and a pre-pre-B ALL immunophenotype.