Utilization of the emergency department by older residents in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Aim: To determine the pattern of utilization of emergency department (ED) services by older patients in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, compared with younger patients in the same setting.

Methods: The sociodemographics, clinical characteristics and resource utilization of consecutive patients attending the adult ED at the University Malaya Medical Center were recorded during a typical week.

Results: A total of 1649 patients were included in the study; 422/1649 (25.

Allele-specific polymerase chain reaction for the detection of Alzheimer's disease-related single nucleotide polymorphisms.

Background: The incidence of Alzheimer's disease, particularly in developing countries, is expected to increase exponentially as the population ages. Continuing research in this area is essential in order to better understand this disease and develop strategies for treatment and prevention. Genome-wide association studies have identified several loci as genetic risk factors of AD aside from apolipoprotein E such as bridging integrator (BIN1), clusterin (CLU), ATP-binding cassette sub-family A member 7 (ABCA7), complement receptor 1 (CR1) and phosphatidylinositol binding clathrin assembly protein (PICALM).