Browse publications by year: 2021

Fulltext Sea grapes powder with the addition of tempe rich in collagen: An anti-aging functional food

Permatasari HK, Nurkolis F, Vivo CD, Noor SL, Rahmawati R, Radu S, et al.

F1000Res, 2021;10:789.
PMID: 36237995 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.55307.3

Background: This study aimed to determine the potential anti-aging effects of sea grapes and tempe (fermented soybeans) collagen particle size, by measuring the activities of anti-glycation, antioxidant, and tyrosinase inhibitors. Methods: Collagen was isolated from freeze-dried sea grapes and tempe powder and treated with different NaOH concentrations (0.10 M; 0.20 M; 0.30 M), and CH 3COOH 1 M solution, separately. The collagen particle size was adjusted by stirring at 1000 rpm for 5 and 10 hours. 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was used to measure the antioxidant activity, and L-tyrosine and L-DOPA (l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) was used as a marker of tyrosine inhibition. Results: The collagen treated with 0.10 M NaOH produced the highest collagen yield (11.65%), and the largest particle size (2455 nm). Additionally, this collagen, when treated for 5 hours, exhibited 24.70% antioxidant activity, 62.60% anti-glycation, 8.97% L-tyrosine, and 26.77% L-Dopa inhibition activities. Meanwhile, the collagen treated for 10 hours had a 9.98% antioxidant activity, 41.48% anti-glycation, 7.89% L-tyrosine, and 2.67% L-Dopa inhibition activity. Conclusion: Sea grapes and tempe collagen powder treated with 0.10 M NaOH and stirred for 5 hours, possess the best potential anti-aging properties as a functional food.

MeSH terms: Collagen/pharmacology; Collagen/chemistry; Levodopa; Powders; Sodium Hydroxide; Monophenol Monooxygenase; Vitis*; Functional Food
Fulltext Post-pandemic e-learning: a pre-protocol to assess the impact of mobile VR on learner motivation and engagement for VARK learning styles

Manzoor SR, Mohd-Isa WN, Dollmat KS

F1000Res, 2021;10:1106.
PMID: 35646326 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.73311.2

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in an abrupt but accelerated shift to e-learning worldwide. Education in a post-pandemic world has to amalgamate the advantages of e-learning with important pedagogical goals associated with in-person teaching. Although various advanced technologies are present at our fingertips today, we are still unable to use their full potential in teaching and learning. In this regard, mobile VR technology is both cost-efficient, versatile and engaging for students. Developing countries have more smartphone users than developed countries, implying that developing countries, like Malaysia, should utilize mobile or cellphones more significantly. With that in mind, we propose here a pre-protocol to investigate learner motivation and levels of engagement for e-learning with smartphone-integrated VR, based on their VARK (Visual, Auditory, Read/Write, Kinesthetic) learning styles. Proposed methodology: This study intends to look into students from the same age group under the K-12 (particularly grade 9-12) belonging to STEM curriculum. The Google Cardboard VR set will be used as the prime technology for its affordability, easy build feature and variety of available vendors. A mixed-method (survey and activity log/tracking) for data collection is suggested to find the degree of engagement and motivation of the learners' learning in the mobile VR-assisted e-learning context. The students will be taught a topic using the mobile VR and then be assessed through simple classroom quizzes to assess how well they grasped the concept. The data collected through activity logs (while teaching the topic in mobile VR) and questionnaires will be mapped to each individual learner and organized in a data repository. Further visualization, analysis and investigation will be performed using Smart PLS, Python or R language. Conclusions: The study aims to provide context for smartphone and software companies to develop technologies that could facilitate learner motivation and engagement during the post-pandemic state.

MeSH terms: Computer-Assisted Instruction*; Humans; Motivation; Pandemics
Fulltext P2P lending platforms in Malaysia: What do we know?

Nguyen LTP, Kalabeke W, Muthaiyah S, Cheng MY, Hui KJ, Mohamed H

F1000Res, 2021;10:1088.
PMID: 36299496 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.73410.3

Background - With the recent evolution of Financial Technology (FinTech), 11 peers to peer (P2P) lending platforms have been regulated by the Securities Commission in Malaysia since 2016. P2P lending platforms offer new investment opportunities to individual investors to earn higher rates on return than what traditional lenders usually provide. However, individual investors may face higher potential risks of default from their borrowers. Therefore, individual investors need to understand the potential exposure to such P2P lending platforms to make an effective investment decision. This study aims to explore the potential risk exposures that individual investors may experience at Malaysia's licensed P2P lending platforms. Methods - Based on data collected manually from nine P2P lending platforms over five months, relationships between interest rates and various risk classifying factors such as credit rating, industry, business stage, loan purpose, and loan duration are examined. Results- This study shows that loans with a similar credit rating and with or without similar loan purpose; and a business stage may offer investors significantly different interest rates. In addition, loans with shorter durations may provide investors with higher interest rates than those with longer durations. Finally, loans issued by companies from the same industry appeared to be charged with similar interest. These findings are valuable to investors to prepare themselves before making their investments at the P2P lending platforms. Conclusion- With first hand-collected data, this study provides an original insight into Malaysia's current P2P lending platforms. Findings obtained for relationships between interest rates and risk classifying factors such as credit rating, industry, business stage, loan purpose and loan duration are valuable to investors of Malaysian P2P lending platforms.
Fulltext HR practices and turnover intention; the mediating role of organizational commitment in Tehran: a cross-sectional study

Hassanpour MK, Chong CW, Chong SC, Ibrahim Okour MK, Behrang S, Tan XY

F1000Res, 2021;10:1130.
PMID: 36312528 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.73351.2

Background: Employees are increasingly being recognised as a valuable source of information, especially in knowledge-based businesses. Businesses, however, suffer financial and organisational memory losses related to re-hiring and training new staff, and lost productivity and intellectual property because of employee turnover. Hence, employee turnover should be considered an essential part of human resource management. Furthermore, employees' trust in management and human resource (HR) practices substantially impact organisational commitment (OC). Thus, anticipating employee commitment and turnover intentions is crucial, as people are the sole source for knowledge-based firms to maintain their competitive advantage. In the context of selected Tehran Renewable Energy (RE) firms, this study investigated the mediating impact of OC on the relationship between HR practices (recruitment and selection; training and development opportunities; performance appraisal and evaluation; teamwork; compensation and pay; and job security) and employee turnover intention. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in Tehran that involved 90 experts and knowledgeable employees from four of Tehran's top RE businesses. A questionnaire was distributed to collect data which was later analysed with correlation, regression and bootstrapping analyses. Results: All six dimensions of HR practices were discovered to have an indirect impact on turnover intention and a direct impact on OC. OC among employees has an indirect effect on turnover intention. It was also revealed that the training and development opportunity has the most considerable effect on OC and turnover intention. OC was not found as a mediator between HR practices and turnover intention. Conclusions: The outcomes of this study showed that both training and development opportunities; and pay and compensation structure were found to be two significant components of HR practices in the relationship with OC. RE managers should employ appropriate HR strategies, particularly in these two dimensions, to improve an individual's degree of OC and reduce turnover intention.

MeSH terms: Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Iran; Job Satisfaction; Personnel Turnover*; Intention*
Fulltext Psychosocial Factors Associated with Depression and Anxiety During COVID-19 Pandemic Among Outpatients with Depression

Zulkifli NA, Guan NC, Zainal NZ, Ling TS

Alpha Psychiatry, 2021 Jul;22(4):185-193.
PMID: 36424937 DOI: 10.5152/alphapsychiatry.2021.21107

OBJECTIVE: Long-term social distancing, isolation, and economic fallout may be significant psychological triggers during pandemic, such as COVID-19, especially for those with underlying psychiatric illness. This study was conducted to address the psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic among patients with depression based at a teaching hospital in Malaysia.
METHODS: This is a cross-sectional online study among patients with depression from University Malaya Medical Centre, using Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale-Self Assessment (MADRS-S), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP), and Social Media Addiction during COVID-19 Pandemic (SMACOP).
RESULTS: One hundred seventy-eight patients participated in this study. The mean total of the KAP score is 12.65 (SD = 2.65), with knowledge section (mean = 7.34 [SD = 2.13]), attitudes section (mean = 2.63 [SD = 0.58]), and practices section (mean = 2.69 [SD = 1.00]). They scored moderately on the MADRS-S (mean = 21.03 [SD = 4.62]) and ISI (mean = 20.25 [SD = 4.62]) but had high GAD-7 scores (mean = 16.8 (SD = 6.27]). From the multiple logistic regression analyses, depressive symptoms of greater severity (MADRS-S 18-34) are significantly associated with more severe insomnia (P < .001, adjusted OR = 9.101, 95% CI: 3.613-22.924). Furthermore, the high anxiety level is associated with the younger age group (P = .029, Adjusted OR = 2.274, 95% CI: 1.090-4.746), greater severity of insomnia (P < .001, Adjusted OR = 22.9, 95% CI: 6.145-85.343), and higher risk of COVID-19 related social media addiction (P = .011, adjusted OR = 2.637, 95% CI: 1.253-5.550).
CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the high levels of sleep disturbances and anxiety symptoms experienced by outpatients with depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. These are closely linked to the younger age group and at-risk social media addiction related to COVID-19.
Fulltext Religious Coping During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Gender, Occupational and Socio-economic Perspectives Among Malaysian Frontline Healthcare Workers

Francis B, Ken CS, Han NY, Ariffin MAA, Md Yusuf MH, Wen LJ, et al.

Alpha Psychiatry, 2021 Jul;22(4):194-199.
PMID: 36424939 DOI: 10.5152/alphapsychiatry.2021.21185

OBJECTIVE: At the dawn of the new decade of the 20th century, the world was taken aback by the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to study the nature of religious coping of frontline healthcare workers seen through the perspective of gender, socio-economic status, and occupation.
METHODS: An online-based study was carried out among frontline healthcare workers involved in the care of COVID-19 patients (n = 200). Sociodemographic data form and the Brief Religious Coping scale were used in this study.
RESULTS: There were more female healthcare workers (60.5%) and doctors (69.5% vs. 30.5%). Healthcare workers used more positive religious coping than negative religious coping (median score: 22 vs. 9). Positive religious coping was seen more in females (median score: 23 vs. 21, P = .015). Non-doctors applied positive coping more than doctors (median score: 26 vs. 21, P < .001). There were significant differences in positive religious coping scores across income groups, with the B40 group having the highest score (median score: 24). Post hoc pairwise comparison concluded that the B40 group had significantly higher positive religious coping scores than the M40 group.
CONCLUSION: Positive coping was utilized more among female healthcare workers, nondoctors, and the lowest socio-economic group. As prior literature has shown that positive religious coping is desirable and has superior mental health outcomes, our findings show that more effort should be channeled into enhancing positive religious coping, particularly among male healthcare workers, doctors, and the middle and high socio-economic group.
Fulltext Job characteristics of a Malaysian bank's anti-money laundering system and its employees' job satisfaction

Kannan R, Reddiar Y, Ramakrishnan K, Eastaff MS, Ramesh S

F1000Res, 2021;10:1052.
PMID: 36225238 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.73234.2

Background: Banks and financial institutions are vulnerable to money laundering (ML) as a result of crime proceeds infiltrating banks in the form of significant cash deposits. Improved financial crime compliance processes and systems enable anti-ML (AML) analysts to devote considerable time and effort to case investigation and process quality work, thereby lowering financial risks by reporting suspicious activity in a timely and effective manner. This study uses Job Characteristics Theory (JCT) to evaluate the AML system through the job satisfaction and motivation of its users. The purpose of this study is to determine how satisfied AML personnel are with their jobs and how motivated they are to work with the system. Methods: This cross-sectional study used JCT to investigate the important elements impacting employee satisfaction with the AML system. The five core dimensions of the job characteristics were measured using a job diagnostic survey. The respondents were employees working in the AML department of a Malaysian bank, and the sample group was chosen using a purposive sampling approach. A total of 100 acceptable replies were gathered and analysed using various statistical approaches. A motivating potential score was generated for each employee based on five main job characteristics. Results: Findings revealed that five core job characteristics, namely, skill diversity, task identity, task importance, autonomy and feedback, positively influence the AML system employees' job satisfaction. However, skill variety and autonomy are found to be low, which are reflected in the poor motivating potential score. Conclusion: This study examined the characteristics of the AML system and its users' job satisfaction. Findings revealed that task significance is the most widely recognised characteristic, followed by feedback and task identity. However, there is a lack of skill variety and autonomy, which must be addressed to improve employee satisfaction with the AML system.

MeSH terms: Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Job Satisfaction; Laundering*; Surveys and Questionnaires; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute*
Fulltext Detecting industrial motor faults with current signatures

Krishnan S, Vengadasalam V

F1000Res, 2021;10:903.
PMID: 36398279 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.54266.1

Background: A major player in industry is the induction motor. The constant motion and mechanical nature of motors causes much wear and tear, creating a need for frequent maintenance such as changing contact brushes. Unmannered and infrequent monitoring of motors, as is common in the industry, can lead to overexertion and cause major faults. If a motor fault is detected earlier through the use of automated fault monitoring, it could prevent minor faults from developing into major faults, reducing the cost and down-time of production due the motor repairs. There are few available methods to detect three-phase motor faults. One method is to analyze average vibration signals values of V, I, pf, P, Q, S, THD and frequency. Others are to analyze instantaneous signal signatures of V and I frequencies, or V and I trajectory plotting a Lissajous curve. These methods need at least three sensors for current and three for voltage for a three-phase motor detection. Methods: Our proposed method of monitoring faults in three-phase industrial motors uses Hilbert Transform (HT) instantaneous current signature curve only, reducing the number of sensors required. Our system detects fault signatures accurately at any voltage or current levels, whether it is delta or star connected motors. This is due to our system design, which incorporates normalized curves of HT in the fault analysis database. We have conducted this experiment in our campus laboratory for two different three-phase motors with four different fault experiments. Results: The results shown in this paper are a comparison of two methods, the V and I Lissajous trajectory curve and our HT instantaneous current signature curve. Conclusion: We have chosen them as our benchmark as their fault results closely resemble our system results, but our system benefits such as universality and a cost reduction in sensors of 50%.

MeSH terms: Algorithms; Industry*; Quality Control*
Fulltext Antibiotic consumption at community pharmacies: A multicenter repeated prevalence surveillance using WHO methodology

Saleem Z, Faller EM, Godman B, Malik MSA, Iftikhar A, Iqbal S, et al.

Med Access Point Care, 2021 12 16;5:23992026211064714.
PMID: 36204499 DOI: 10.1177/23992026211064714

Background: Antibiotics are losing their effectiveness because of the rapid emergence of resistant bacteria. Unnecessary antimicrobial use increases antimicrobial resistance (AMR). There are currently no published data on antibiotic consumption in Pakistan at the community level. This is a concern given high levels of self-purchasing of antibiotics in Pakistan and variable knowledge regarding antibiotics and AMR among physicians and pharmacists.
Objective: The objective of this repeated prevalence survey was to assess the pattern of antibiotic consumption data among different community pharmacies to provide a baseline for developing future pertinent initiatives.
Methods: A multicenter repeated prevalence survey conducted among community pharmacies in Lahore, a metropolitan city with a population of approximately 10 million people, from October to December 2017 using the World Health Organization (WHO) methodology for a global program on surveillance of antimicrobial consumption.
Results: The total number of defined daily doses (DDDs) dispensed per patient ranged from 0.1 to 50.0. In most cases, two DDDs per patient were dispensed from pharmacies. Co-amoxiclav was the most commonly dispensed antibiotic with a total number of DDDs at 1018.15. Co-amoxiclav was followed by ciprofloxacin with a total number of 486.6 DDDs and azithromycin with a total number of 472.66 DDDs. The least consumed antibiotics were cefadroxil, cefotaxime, amikacin, and ofloxacin, with overall consumption highest in December.
Conclusion: The study indicated high antibiotic usage among community pharmacies in Lahore, Pakistan particularly broad-spectrum antibiotics, which were mostly dispensed inappropriately. The National action plan of Pakistan on AMR should be implemented by policymakers including restrictions on the dispensing of antimicrobials.
Fulltext catena-Poly[[bis-(1H-indole-5-carboxyl-ato-κ2 O,O')zinc(II)]-μ-4,4'-azobi-pyridine-κ2 N 1:N 1']

Sathya U, Nirmal Ram JS, Gomathi S, Jegan Jennifer S, Abdul Razak I

IUCrdata, 2021 May;6(Pt 5):x210522.
PMID: 36338268 DOI: 10.1107/S2414314621005228

The asymmetric unit of the title coordination polymer [Zn(C9H6NO2)2(C10H8N4)] n , consists of one ZnII cation, one bidentate 1H-indole-5-carboxyl-ate (I5C) anion and half of a 4,4'-azobi-pyridine (Abpy) neutral ligand. In the coordination polyhedron, the ZnII ion adopts a distorted octa-hedral geometry. The coordination polymer is stabilized by a combination of N-H⋯O and C-H⋯π inter-actions, which leads to the formation of wave-like two-dimensional coordination polymeric layers.
Fulltext 4-(2,3-Di-chloro-phen-yl)piperazin-1-ium picrate

Sathya U, Nirmal Ram JS, Gomathi S, Ramu S, Jegan Jennifer S, Ibrahim AR

IUCrdata, 2021 Apr;6(Pt 4):x210379.
PMID: 36339106 DOI: 10.1107/S2414314621003795

The title compound, C6H2N3O7 -·C10H13Cl2N2 +, crystallizes with one 1-(2,3-di-chloro-phen-yl)piperazine (DP) cation and one picrate (PA) anion in the asymmetric unit. In the crystal structure, the DP cation and PA anion are inter-connected via several N-H⋯O and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The DP cation and PA anion are further connected through C-Cl⋯π [3.8201 (4), 3.7785 (4) Å] and N-O⋯π [3.7814 (4) Å] inter-actions. The DP cations are further inter-connected via a weak inter-molecular Cl⋯Cl [3.2613 (4) Å] halogen-halogen inter-action. The combination of these supra-molecular inter-actions leads to a herringbone like supra-molecular architecture.
Fulltext Polygenic Risk Scores for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in the Asia-Pacific Region

Tada H, Yeo KK, Li JJ, Tan K, Ako J, Krittayaphong R, et al.

JACC Asia, 2021 Dec;1(3):294-302.
PMID: 36341217 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacasi.2021.08.008

Approximately one-half of the phenotypic susceptibility to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) has a genetic basis. Although individual allelic variants generally impart a small effect on risk for ASCVD, an emerging body of data has shown that the aggregation and weighting of many of these genetic variations into "scores" can further discriminate an individual's risk beyond traditional risk factors alone. Consistent with the theory of population genetics, such polygenic risk scores (PRS) appear to be ethnicity specific because their elements comprise single-nucleotide variants that are always ethnicity specific. The currently available PRS are derived predominantly from European ancestry and thus predictably perform less well among non-European participants, a fact that has implications for their use in the Asia-Pacific region. This paper describes the current state of knowledge of PRS, the available data that support their use in this region, and highlights the needs moving forward to safely and effectively implement them in clinical care in the Asia-Pacific region.
Fulltext Erratum: (E)-3-(3-Methyl-thio-phen-2-yl)-1-p-tolyl-prop-2-en-1-one. Corrigendum

Naveen S, Al-Maqtari HM, Jamalis J, Sirat HM, Lokanath NK, Abdoh M

IUCrdata, 2021 Oct;6(Pt 10):x211077.
PMID: 36342890 DOI: 10.1107/S2414314621010774

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1107/S2414314617002346.].
Fulltext Clinical Practice Guidelines on Management of Dementia, Third Edition

Citation: Health Technology Assessment Unit. Clinical Practice Guidelines on Management of Dementia, Third Edition. Putrajaya: Ministry of Health, Malaysia; 2021

Older version:
Second edition (2009). https://www.moh.gov.my/moh/attachments/3972.pdf
First edition (2003)

MeSH terms: Dementia; Humans; Malaysia; Neurology; Guidelines as Topic
Fulltext National Institutes of Health (NIH) Guidelines for Conducting Research in Ministry of Health (MOH) Institutions and Facilities, Third Edition

Citation: National Institutes of Health (NIH) Guidelines for Conducting Research in Ministry of Health (MOH) Institutions and Facilities, Third Edition. Putrajaya: Ministry of Health, Malaysia; 2021

MeSH terms: Malaysia; Research; Guidelines as Topic
Fulltext Convalescent-plasma-transfusion intelligent framework for rescuing COVID-19 patients across centralised/decentralised telemedicine hospitals based on AHP-group TOPSIS and matching component

Mohammed TJ, Albahri AS, Zaidan AA, Albahri OS, Al-Obaidi JR, Zaidan BB, et al.

Appl Intell (Dordr), 2021;51(5):2956-2987.
PMID: 34764579 DOI: 10.1007/s10489-020-02169-2

As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreads across the world, the transfusion of efficient convalescent plasma (CP) to the most critical patients can be the primary approach to preventing the virus spread and treating the disease, and this strategy is considered as an intelligent computing concern. In providing an automated intelligent computing solution to select the appropriate CP for the most critical patients with COVID-19, two challenges aspects are bound to be faced: (1) distributed hospital management aspects (including scalability and management issues for prioritising COVID-19 patients and donors simultaneously), and (2) technical aspects (including the lack of COVID-19 dataset availability of patients and donors and an accurate matching process amongst them considering all blood types). Based on previous reports, no study has provided a solution for CP-transfusion-rescue intelligent framework during this pandemic that has addressed said challenges and issues. This study aimed to propose a novel CP-transfusion intelligent framework for rescuing COVID-19 patients across centralised/decentralised telemedicine hospitals based on the matching component process to provide an efficient CP from eligible donors to the most critical patients using multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) methods. A dataset, including COVID-19 patients/donors that have met the important criteria in the virology field, must be augmented to improve the developed framework. Four consecutive phases conclude the methodology. In the first phase, a new COVID-19 dataset is generated on the basis of medical-reference ranges by specialised experts in the virology field. The simulation data are classified into 80 patients and 80 donors on the basis of the five biomarker criteria with four blood types (i.e., A, B, AB, and O) and produced for COVID-19 case study. In the second phase, the identification scenario of patient/donor distributions across four centralised/decentralised telemedicine hospitals is identified 'as a proof of concept'. In the third phase, three stages are conducted to develop a CP-transfusion-rescue framework. In the first stage, two decision matrices are adopted and developed on the basis of the five 'serological/protein biomarker' criteria for the prioritisation of patient/donor lists. In the second stage, MCDM techniques are analysed to adopt individual and group decision making based on integrated AHP-TOPSIS as suitable methods. In the third stage, the intelligent matching components amongst patients/donors are developed on the basis of four distinct rules. In the final phase, the guideline of the objective validation steps is reported. The intelligent framework implies the benefits and strength weights of biomarker criteria to the priority configuration results and can obtain efficient CPs for the most critical patients. The execution of matching components possesses the scalability and balancing presentation within centralised/decentralised hospitals. The objective validation results indicate that the ranking is valid.
Fulltext Consensus recommendation on the use of therapeutic plasma exchange for adult neurological diseases in Southeast Asia from the Southeast Asia therapeutic plasma exchange consortium

Hiew FL, Thit WM, Alexander M, Thirugnanam U, Siritho S, Tan K, et al.

J Cent Nerv Syst Dis, 2021;13:11795735211057314.
PMID: 35173510 DOI: 10.1177/11795735211057314

Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is an effective and affordable treatment option in most parts of Southeast Asia (SEA). In 2018, the SEA TPE Consortium (SEATPEC) was established, consisting of regional neurologists working to improve outcome of various autoimmune neurological diseases. We proposed an immunotherapeutic guideline prioritizing TPE for this region. We reviewed disease burden, evidence-based treatment options, and major guidelines for common autoimmune neurological disorders seen in SEA. A modified treatment algorithm based on consensus agreement by key-opinion leaders was proposed. Autoimmune antibody diagnostic testing through collaboration with accredited laboratories was established. Choice of first-line immunotherapies (IVIg/corticosteroid/TPE) is based on available evidence, clinicians' experience, contraindications, local availability, and affordability. TPE could be chosen as first-line therapy for GBS, CIDP, MG (acute/short term), IgG, A paraproteinemic neuropathy, and NMDAR encephalitis. Treatment is stopped for acute monophasic conditions such as GBS and ADEM following satisfactory outcome. For chronic immune disorders, a therapy taper or long-term maintenance therapy is recommended depending on the defined clinical state. TPE as second-line treatment is indicated for IVIg or corticosteroids refractory cases of ADEM, NMOSD (acute), MG, and NMDAR/LGI1/CASPR2/Hashimoto's encephalitis. With better diagnosis, treatment initiation with TPE is a sustainable and effective immunotherapy for autoimmune neurological diseases in SEA.
Fulltext Effect of Brisk Walking on Health-Related Physical Fitness Balance and Life Satisfaction Among the Elderly: A Systematic Review

Bai X, Soh KG, Omar Dev RD, Talib O, Xiao W, Cai H

Front Public Health, 2021;9:829367.
PMID: 35174137 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.829367

BACKGROUND: Although the elderly frequently engages in brisk walking as a form of exercise, little has been reported in the literature about the effect of brisk walking on health-related physical fitness, balance, and overall life satisfaction.
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this systematic review is to determine the effect of brisk walking on the elderly's health-related physical fitness, balance, and life satisfaction.
DESIGN: We conducted a comprehensive search from the PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus databases from January to September 2021. We selected studies through PICOS and conducted a systematic literature review according to the PRISMA guidelines.
RESULTS: Thirteen studies met all criteria; 11 were classed as low risk of bias, while two were classified as high risk of bias. Generally, brisk walking has been shown to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, and body composition. Limited evidence was presented on flexibility, muscular endurance and development and life satisfaction, and there was conflicting evidence on balance. Moreover, evidence of restriction proves that high-intensity (80-85%) brisk walking is more effective than moderate-intensity (60-75%) brisk walking on the aerobic capacity of the elderly. Furthermore, there was less research conducted on males.
CONCLUSION: Brisk walking has been shown to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, and body composition. Other outcomes (balance, flexibility, muscular endurance, and life satisfaction) and the impact of the intensity of brisk walking on the elderly should be confirmed. Therefore, there remains insufficient research on brisk walking, while single brisk walking cannot meet requirements of elderly in terms of their health-related physical fitness, balance, and life satisfaction. Future research should aim to examine the effectiveness of combining several types of exercises to promote general health in the elderly, as the World Health Organization recommends. Unintelligible FITT (frequency, intensity, time, type) principles of brisk walking training should be trenched for the results of scientific and effective physical exercise.

MeSH terms: Aged; Exercise Therapy; Humans; Male; Personal Satisfaction*; Physical Fitness*; Exercise; Walking
Correction: The Athlete and Gut Microbiome: Short-chain Fatty Acids as Potential Ergogenic Aids for Exercise and Training

Bongiovanni T, Yin MOL, Heaney LM

Int J Sports Med, 2021 Dec;42(13):e1.
PMID: 35176789 DOI: 10.1055/a-1737-0736
A Review of Delayed Facial Nerve Paresis as Complication Following Total Endoscopic Ear Surgery

Kamalden TMIT, Yusof ANM, Misron K

J Int Adv Otol, 2021 Nov;17(6):570-573.
PMID: 35177397 DOI: 10.5152/iao.2021.21189

The aim of this study is to evaluate the incidence of delayed facial nerve paresis after total endoscopic ear surgery. This review also aims to describe the possible contributing factors and its management. This is a retrospective review of all patients who had undergone total endoscopic ear surgery for all otologic cases that required endoscopic intervention in a single otologic center from 2014 up to 2020. The delayed facial nerve paresis is defined as deterioration of facial nerve function 72 hours after total endoscopic ear surgery. A total of 56 patients were included in the study. Delayed facial nerve paresis following total endoscopic ear surgery was observed in 2 patients (3.4%). Facial weakness sets in on day 6 post operation and another one developed at day 16 after the surgery. Both patients were investigated and only one of them showed a higher titer of Varicella zoster virus antibody while another patient showed no raise of titer. Thus, explanation of postoperative edema or mechanical compression is discussed. The incidence of delayed facial nerve paresis following total endoscopic ear surgery is rare. It can occur probably several days after surgery up to 3 weeks. Our 2 cases revealed that virus reactivation may not be the only factor for delayed facial nerve palsy after surgery. The overall prognosis for incomplete delayed facial nerve paresis is very good as both patients recovered well few days after treatment with steroids.

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