Study protocol on risk factors for the diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus in different trimesters and their relation to maternal and neonatal outcomes (GDM-RIDMAN).

Introduction: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is often associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, the association of risk factors with GDM diagnosis, maternal and neonatal health outcomes is less established when compared with women without GDM. We aim to examine the diagnostic accuracy of the conventional and novel risk factors for a GDM diagnosis and their impact on maternal and neonatal health outcomes.

Asymptomatic morphometric vertebral fractures and its associated factors: A cross-sectional study among adults in a selected urban area in Selangor, Malaysia.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of vertebral fractures (VF) in a selected urban population in Malaysia and to explore possible variables associated with VF in the study population.

Methods: A cross-sectional study involving community-living, healthy subjects aged between 45-90 years from the state of Selangor, Malaysia, were invited to attend a bone health check-up. Subjects with diseases known to affect bone metabolism or were on treatment for osteoporosis (OP) were excluded.

Different reference ranges affect the prevalence of osteoporosis and osteopenia in an urban adult Malaysian population.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of osteopenia (OPe) and osteoporosis (OP) in an urban adult population in Malaysia, and to compare the change in the prevalence when using a Caucasian compared to an Asian reference range.

Methods: A cross-sectional random sample of the population aged between 45 and 90 years from the state of Selangor, Malaysia, was invited to attend a bone health check-up. Participants with diseases known to affect bone metabolism or who were on treatment for OP were excluded.

Effectiveness and tolerability of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for preventive treatment of episodic migraine: a single-centre, randomised, double-blind, sham-controlled phase 2 trial (Magnet-EM).

Background: This is a phase II randomised, double-blind, sham-controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for preventive treatment of episodic migraine amongst migraine subjects.

Methods: Subjects age 18 to 60 years will undergo a baseline evaluation to establish the diagnosis of migraine based on the International Classification of Headache Disorder 3rd Edition (ICHD-3). Those who fulfil the ICHD-3 criteria for episodic migraine and compliant to the headache diary during a month run-in period will be enrolled.

A pilot study on the association between RS4363657 polymorphism and muscle adverse events in adults with newly diagnosed dyslipidaemia who were prescribed a statin: the Malaysian primary health care cohort.

Statin, the first-line treatment for dyslipidaemia, may have suboptimal adherence due to its associated muscle adverse events. These data, however, remain limited. To determine the association of serum creatine kinase (CK) and rs4363657 polymorphism with statin-associated muscle adverse events (SAMAE) among dyslipidaemia participants.

The challenge of improving the diagnostic yield from metanephrine testing in suspected phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma.

Background Plasma-free metanephrines (PFM) or urinary fractionated metanephrines (UFM) are the preferred biochemical tests for the diagnosis of phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL). Borderline increased results should be followed up to either exclude or confirm diagnosis. Methods We extracted all PFM and UFM results reported by our laboratory over a six-month period from the laboratory information system.

Clinical Utility and Measurement of Procalcitonin.

Procalcitonin (PCT), regarded as a biomarker specific for bacterial infections, is used in a variety of clinical settings including primary care, emergency department and intensive care. PCT measurement aids in the diagnosis of sepsis and to guide and monitor antibiotic therapy. This article gives a brief overview of PCT and its use in guiding antibiotic therapy in various clinical settings, as well as its limitations.

Trends in post osteoporotic hip fracture care from 2010 to 2014 in a private hospital in Malaysia.

Objective: Following an osteoporotic fracture, pharmacological treatment is recommended to increase bone mineral density and prevent future fractures. However, the rate of starting treatment after an osteoporotic hip fracture remains low. The objective of this study was to survey the treatment rate following a low-trauma hip fracture at a tertiary private hospital in Malaysia over a period of 5 years.

Pre-transplantation serum ferritin as a prognostic marker in allogeneic haemopoietic stem cell transplant patients in a tertiary care hospital in Malaysia.

Background: The principal cause of iron overload in patients with haematological malignancies is recurrent red cell transfusions for anaemia. The serum ferritin level reflects the iron burden in the body, in the absence of inflammation or liver disease. In Malaysia, data are lacking on the association between pre-transplant serum ferritin levels and outcome after allogeneic haemopoietic stem cell transplant.