The outcome of 12-week corticosteroid therapy in COVID-19-related diffuse interstitial lung abnormalities.

Introduction: The efficacy of long-course corticosteroid therapy in treating COVID-19-related diffuse interstitial lung abnormalities (DILA) needs to be better understood. We aimed to investigate the benefits of 12-week corticosteroid treatment in COVID-19-related DILA by evaluating computed tomography (CT) lung severity scores.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective, single-centre observational study included patients aged 18 years or older admitted with moderate to severe COVID-19 pneumonia who received 12 weeks of oral prednisolone between January 2021 and December 2021.

Movement Disorders Resulting From Bilateral Basal Ganglia Lesions in End-Stage Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review.

Objective: The basal ganglia (BG) are susceptible to fluctuations in blood urea levels, sometimes resulting in movement disorders. We described patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) presenting with movement disorders associated with bilateral BG lesions on imaging.

Methods: We report four patients and systematically reviewed all published cases of ESKD presenting with movement disorders and bilateral BG lesions (EBSCOhost and Ovid).

Labrune's Syndrome Presenting With Stereotypy-Like Movements and Psychosis: A Case Report and Review.

Labrune's syndrome, or leukoencephalopathy with brain calcifications and cysts (LCC), is a rare genetic syndrome with variable neurological presentations. Psychiatric manifestations and involuntary movements are uncommonly reported. We report the case of a 19-year-old female, initially diagnosed with Fahr's syndrome, who presented to us with acute psychosis, abnormal behavior and involuntary movements.

Heterotopic ossification in psammomatous spinal meningioma: a diagnostic controversy.

Heterotopic ossification (HO), a synonym for osseous metaplasia, is a pathological phenomenon, characterized by abnormal bone formation outside the skeletal system observed commonly in various neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases. HO occurring in meningioma is exceptionally rare. We reportherein an unusual case of spinal meningioma containing numerous calcified psammoma bodies and extensive HO in a 75-year-old woman, who presented with progressive worsening bilateral lower limb weakness and numbness.

Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis with Guillain-Barré syndrome overlap following chlamydia infection.

Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis (BBE) is a rare autoimmune encephalitis characterised by ataxia, ophthalmoplegia and altered consciousness. An overlap between BBE with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) shows similar clinical and immunological features. We report a case of BBE with GBS overlap secondary to infection.

Correlation between MRI characteristics of medulloblastoma with histopathological subtypes and 2-year survival.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to describe the imaging features of medulloblastoma (MB) and correlate the MR characteristics with the different histological subtype of MB with 2-year survival.

Materials And Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study. A total of 29 patients diagnosed with MB from January 2005 to December 2015 were included in this study.

CT brain image advancement for ICH diagnosis.

A critical step in detection of primary intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) is an accurate assessment of computed tomography (CT) brain images. The correct diagnosis relies on imaging modality and quality of acquired images. The authors present an enhancement algorithm which can improve the clarity of edges on CT images.

Effects of Age and Type of Stimulus on the Cortical Auditory Evoked Potential in Healthy Malaysian Children.

Background And Objectives: The cortical auditory evoked potential (CAEP) is a useful objective test for diagnosing hearing loss and auditory disorders. Prior to its clinical applications in the pediatric population, the possible influences of fundamental variables on the CAEP should be studied. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of age and type of stimulus on the CAEP waveforms.

The impact of sensory impairment on cognitive performance, quality of life, depression, and loneliness in older adults.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between sensory impairment (hearing loss only, vision loss only, and dual sensory impairment [DSI]) and depression, loneliness, quality of life, and cognitive performance in older adults.

Methods: A total of 229 community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years or older participated in this study. Variables were measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), Revised University of California at Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (R-UCLA), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).

Efficacy of a newly developed auditory-cognitive training system on speech recognition, central auditory processing and cognitive ability among older adults with normal cognition and with neurocognitive impairment.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of a newly developed auditory-cognitive training system on speech recognition, central auditory processing and cognition among older adults with normal cognition (NC) and with neurocognitive impairment (NCI).

Methods: A double-blind quasi-experiment was carried out on NC (n = 43) and NCI (n = 33) groups. Participants in each group were randomly assigned into treatment and control programs groups.

Methodology approaches and challenges in population-based longitudinal study of a neuroprotective model for healthy longevity.

Aim: The 36-month Long-Term Research Grant Scheme project: Towards Usual Aging - Neuroprotective Model for Healthy Longevity among Malaysian Elderly was designed to address multidimensional aspects including psychosocial, biophysical health, nutrition and dietary pattern, and auditory and visual function to highlight the magnitude of these associations in a single study.

Methods: A total of 2322 respondents aged ≥60 years were recruited at baseline using the multistage sampling method, followed up at 18 months and 36 months.

Results: Response rates at baseline, 18 months and 36 months were 87.

Relative contributions of auditory and cognitive functions on speech recognition in quiet and in noise among older adults.

Introduction: Hearing acuity, central auditory processing and cognition contribute to the speech recognition difficulty experienced by older adults. Therefore, quantifying the contribution of these factors on speech recognition problem is important in order to formulate a holistic and effective rehabilitation.

Objective: To examine the relative contributions of auditory functioning and cognition status to speech recognition in quiet and in noise.

Factors predicting health practitioners' awareness of UNHS program in Malaysian non-public hospitals.

Objective: The current study aims to examine the effects of human resource (measured with the perception of health workers' perception towards UNHS), screening equipment, program layout and screening techniques on healthcare practitioners' awareness (measured with knowledge) of universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) in Malaysian non-public hospitals.

Methods: Via cross sectional approach, the current study collected data using a validated questionnaire to obtain information on the awareness of UNHS program among the health practitioners and to test the formulated hypotheses. 51, representing 81% response rate, out of 63 questionnaires distributed to the health professionals were returned and usable for statistical analysis.

Mainstream school readiness skills of a group of young cochlear implant users.

Objectives: The aims of the study were to compare the mainstream school readiness skills of young cochlear implant (CI) users to that of a group of normal hearing (NH) children and assessed the inter-rater agreement between parents and teachers on school readiness skills of the CI children.

Methods: A total of 11 parents and 8 teachers of the 6-year old CI children participated and rated the children using the School Readiness Scale to Year One. Data from 207 6-year old NH children from five states in Malaysia were also collected using the same scale which has nine domains.

Determinants of caregivers' awareness of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening in Malaysia.

Objective: This paper aims to investigate the effects of perceived attitude and anxiety on awareness of UNHS among caregivers in Malaysia.

Methods: Using cross sectional research approach, data were collected and some 46 out of 87 questionnaires distributed to caregivers attending UNHS programs at selected public hospitals were usable for analysis (response rate of 52.8%).

A Preliminary Study Investigating the Association Between Hearing Acuity and a Screening Cognitive Tool.

Objectives: Studies in cognitive aging demonstrated inconsistent association between hearing and cognition in older adults. Furthermore, it is still unclear if hearing loss at high frequencies, which is the earliest to be affected, is associated with cognitive functioning. This study aimed to determine the association between global cognitive status and pure tone average (PTA) at 0.

Approaches in methodology for population-based longitudinal study on neuroprotective model for healthy longevity (TUA) among Malaysian Older Adults.

A number of longitudinal studies on aging have been designed to determine the predictors of healthy longevity, including the neuroprotective factors, however, relatively few studies included a wide range of factors and highlighted the challenges faced during data collection. Thus, the longitudinal study on neuroprotective model for healthy longevity (LRGS TUA) has been designed to prospectively investigate the magnitude of cognitive decline and its risk factors through a comprehensive multidimensional assessment comprising of biophysical health, auditory and visual function, nutrition and dietary pattern and psychosocial aspects. At baseline, subjects were interviewed for their status on sociodemographic, health, neuropsychological test, psychosocial and dietary intake.

Effects of tonal language background on tests of temporal sequencing in children.

Objective: The aims of the present study were to determine the effects of language background on the performance of the pitch pattern sequence test (PPST) and duration pattern sequence test (DPST). As temporal order sequencing may be affected by age and working memory, these factors were also studied.

Design: Performance of tonal and non-tonal language speakers on PPST and DPST were compared.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy: an important differential diagnosis of stroke in the elderly.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) accounts for approximately 10-20% of spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH). This figure is thought to be higher in the elderly population. With the increasing life expectancy of our population, we anticipate that the prevalence of CAA- related ICH will increase in tandem.

Effects of ageing and hearing thresholds on speech perception in quiet and in noise perceived in different locations.

Background And Objectives: This study investigated the effect of ageing on speech perception in quiet and in noise, with noise directed from front, right and left.

Subjects And Methods: Sixty Malay native adults with normal or near normal hearing comprising of 20 young adults (21 to 39 years old), 20 middle aged (40 to 59 years old) and 20 older adults (60 to 74 years old) participated in this study. Their speech perception ability was measured using the Malay Hearing in Noise Test (HINT) in four test conditions; 1) in quiet (HINT Q), 2) with noise from front (HINT NF), 3) with noise from right (HINT NR), and 4) with noise from left (HINT NL).

The effects of aging on the brain activation pattern during a speech perception task: an fMRI study.

In the present study, brain activation associated with speech perception processing was examined across four groups of adult participants with age ranges between 20 and 65 years, using functional MRI (fMRI). Cognitive performance demonstrates that performance accuracy declines with age. fMRI results reveal that all four groups of participants activated the same brain areas.