Development of digital health management systems in longitudinal study: The Malaysian cohort experience.

Background: The management of extensive longitudinal data in cohort studies presents significant challenges, particularly in middle-income countries like Malaysia where technological resources may be limited. These challenges include ensuring data integrity, security, and scalability of storage solutions over extended periods.

Objective: This article outlines innovative methods developed and implemented by The Malaysian Cohort project to effectively manage and maintain large-scale databases from project inception through the follow-up phase, ensuring robust data privacy and security.

Cardiovascular risk prediction with cardio-ankle vascular index in the malaysian cohort study.

The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is an important parameter assessing arterial function. It reflects arterial stiffness from the origin of the aorta to the ankle, and the algorithm is blood pressure independent. Recent data have suggested that a high CAVI score can predict future cardiovascular disease (CVD) events; however, to date, no study has been done in Malaysia.

Stability of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) measurements from whole blood samples kept at -196°C for seven to eight years in The Malaysian Cohort study.

Objective: Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) is a standard indication for screening type 2 diabetes that also has been widely used in large-scale epidemiological studies. However, its long-term quality (in terms of reproducibility) stored in liquid nitrogen is still unknown. This study is aimed to evaluate the stability and reproducibility of HbA1c measurements from frozen whole blood samples kept at -196°C for more than 7 years.

N-Terminomic Changes in Neurons During Excitotoxicity Reveal Proteolytic Events Associated With Synaptic Dysfunctions and Potential Targets for Neuroprotection.

Excitotoxicity, a neuronal death process in neurological disorders such as stroke, is initiated by the overstimulation of ionotropic glutamate receptors. Although dysregulation of proteolytic signaling networks is critical for excitotoxicity, the identity of affected proteins and mechanisms by which they induce neuronal cell death remain unclear. To address this, we used quantitative N-terminomics to identify proteins modified by proteolysis in neurons undergoing excitotoxic cell death.

Hypercholesterolemia in the Malaysian Cohort Participants: Genetic and Non-Genetic Risk Factors.

Hypercholesterolemia was prevalent in 44.9% of The Malaysian Cohort participants, of which 51% were Malay. This study aimed to identify the variants involved in hypercholesterolemia among Malays and to determine the association between genetic and non-genetic risk factors.

Hepatitis B and influenza vaccination coverage in healthcare workers, the elderly, and patients with diabetes in Malaysia.

Adult immunization remains to be a neglected issue in developing countries including Malaysia. This nationwide study determined the vaccination coverage of hepatitis B and influenza among Malaysia's healthcare workers (HCWs), the elderly (aged 60 y and above) and patients with diabetes, who are the participants of The Malaysia Cohort Program. The participants were categorized based on their occupation, age and medical history.

Discordance between Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG) and HbA1c in Diagnosing Diabetes and Pre-diabetes in The Malaysian Cohort.

Objective: In this present study, we aim to evaluate the accuracy of the HbA1c relative to fasting plasma glucose (FPG) in the diagnosis of diabetes and pre-diabetes among The Malaysian Cohort (TMC) participants.

Methodology: FPG and HbA1c were taken from 40,667 eligible TMC participants that have no previous history of diabetes, aged between 35-70 years and were recruited from 2006 - 2012. Participants were classified as normal, diabetes and pre-diabetes based on the 2006 World Health Organization (WHO) criteria.

Participants Attrition in a Longitudinal Study: The Malaysian Cohort Study Experience.

The attrition rate of longitudinal study participation remains a challenge. To date, the Malaysian Cohort (TMC) study follow-up rate was only 42.7%.

Development and Relative Validity of a Semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire to Estimate Dietary Intake among a Multi-Ethnic Population in the Malaysian Cohort Project.

Measuring dietary intakes in a multi-ethnic and multicultural setting, such as Malaysia, remains a challenge due to its diversity. This study aims to develop and evaluate the relative validity of an interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in assessing the habitual dietary exposure of The Malaysian Cohort (TMC) participants. We developed a nutrient database (with 203 items) based on various food consumption tables, and 803 participants were involved in this study.

Seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection among Malaysian population.

Malaysia is a country with an intermediate endemicity for hepatitis B. As the country moves toward hepatitis B and C elimination, population-based estimates are necessary to understand the burden of hepatitis B and C for evidence-based policy-making. Hence, this study aims to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B and C in Malaysia.

Prevalence of anaemia and associated risk factors amongst The Malaysian Cohort participants.

This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of anaemia amongst the Malaysian Cohort participants and the associated risk factors. This was a cross-sectional study that involved 102,388 participants from The Malaysian Cohort (TMC) aged between 35 and 70 years old recruited from April 2006 to September 2012. Venous blood was taken for the full blood count.

Dengue epidemic in Malaysia: urban versus rural comparison of dengue immunoglobulin G seroprevalence among Malaysian adults aged 35-74 years.

Background: A periodic serosurvey of dengue seroprevalence is vital to determine the prevalence of dengue in countries where this disease is endemic. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of dengue immunoglobulin G (IgG) seropositivity among healthy Malaysian adults living in urban and rural areas.

Methods: A total of 2598 serum samples (1417 urban samples, 1181 rural samples) were randomly collected from adults ages 35-74 y.

Colorectal screening using the immunochemical faecal occult blood test kit among the Malaysian cohort participants.

Background: There has been a rapid increase in colorectal cancer (CRC) cases in Asian countries, including Malaysia. CRC is usually diagnosed at a late stage, and early detection of CRC is vital in improving survival. This study was conducted to determine the uptake rate of the immunochemical faecal occult blood test (iFOBT), the response rate to colonoscopy, and the CRC detection rate.

Differing Contributions of Classical Risk Factors to Type 2 Diabetes in Multi-Ethnic Malaysian Populations.

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is escalating rapidly in Asian countries, with the rapid increase likely attributable to a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors. Recent research suggests that common genetic risk variants contribute minimally to the rapidly rising prevalence. Rather, recent changes in dietary patterns and physical activity may be more important.

10-Year Cardiovascular Disease Risk Estimation Based on Lipid Profile-Based and BMI-Based Framingham Risk Scores across Multiple Sociodemographic Characteristics: The Malaysian Cohort Project.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) leads to high morbidity and mortality rate worldwide. Therefore, it is important to determine the risk of CVD across the sociodemographic factors to strategize preventive measures. The current study consisted of 53,122 adults between the ages of 35 and 65 years from The Malaysian Cohort project during recruitment phase from year 2006 to year 2012.

Utilization of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Multiethnic Population: The Malaysian Cohort Study.

Background: This study aimed to identify the factors of CAM usage for general health and to determine the factors associated with the usage of different types of CAM after the diagnosis of chronic diseases among The Malaysian Cohort participants.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study derived from The Malaysian Cohort (TMC) project, a prospective population-based cohort aged between 35 to 65 years old that recruited from April 2006 to September 2012. Association between the CAM usage and contributing factors were determined via logistic regression.

Association of job sectors with type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia and obesity: a cross-sectional study from the Malaysian Cohort (TMC) project.

Background: The investigation of risk factors of cardiovascular disease (e.g., major endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases) across job sectors is useful for targeted public health intervention.

Cohort Profile: The Malaysian Cohort (TMC) project: a prospective study of non-communicable diseases in a multi-ethnic population.

The Malaysian Cohort study was initiated in 2005 by the Malaysian government. The top-down approach to this population-based cohort study ensured the allocation of sufficient funding for the project which aimed to recruit 100,000 individuals aged 35-70 years. Participants were recruited from rural and urban areas as well as from various socioeconomic groups.

Aberrant regulation and function of Src family tyrosine kinases: their potential contributions to glutamate-induced neurotoxicity.

Excitotoxicity, a major cause of neuronal death in acute and chronic neurodegenerative diseases and conditions such as stroke and Parkinson's disease, is initiated by overstimulation of glutamate receptors, leading to calcium overload in affected neurons. The sustained high concentration of intracellular calcium constitutively activates a host of enzymes, notably the calcium-activated proteases calpains, neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and NADPH oxidase (NOX), to antagonise the cell survival signalling pathways and induce cell death. Upon overactivation by calcium, calpains catalyse limited proteolysis of specific cellular proteins to modulate their functions; nNOS produces excessive amounts of nitric oxide (NO), which, in turn, covalently modifies specific enzymes by S-nitrosylation; and NOX produces excessive amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to inflict damage to key metabolic enzymes.

Defining the substrate specificity determinants recognized by the active site of C-terminal Src kinase-homologous kinase (CHK) and identification of β-synuclein as a potential CHK physiological substrate.

C-Terminal Src kinase-homologous kinase (CHK) exerts its tumor suppressor function by phosphorylating the C-terminal regulatory tyrosine of the Src-family kinases (SFKs). The phosphorylation suppresses their activity and oncogenic action. In addition to phosphorylating SFKs, CHK also performs non-SFK-related functions by phosphorylating other cellular protein substrates.

A facile, click chemistry-based approach to assembling fluorescent chemosensors for protein tyrosine kinases.

A group of fluorophore-labeled peptide substrates of Src kinases have been synthesized with the aid of click chemistry. Some of the generated peptides exhibit an increase in fluorescence upon phosphorylation and are capable of detecting Src kinases with high sensitivity and specificity. Their availability permits real-time activity measurement of aberrantly activated oncogenic Src kinases in the crude lysate of chronic myelogenous leukemia cells.