DESIGN: Multi-center cross-sectional study.
SETTING: Two tertiary medical centers in Malaysia.
PARTICIPANTS: A total of 59 patients with CAH who were raised as females and more than 10 years old, and their parents.
METHODS: The CAH respondents completed the validated and translated Body Image Disturbance Questionnaires (BIDQ). All CAH respondents and their parents underwent semi-structured interviews to explore their views on FG.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Body image disturbance score and perspectives on FG.
RESULTS: The 59 CAH respondents consisted of 12 children, 29 adolescents, and 18 adults. The majority were of Malay ethnicity (64.4%) with classical CAH (98.3%) and had undergone FG (n = 55, 93.2%). For the BIDQ scores, the median score (interquartile range) for general body image was 1.29 (0.71), range 1.00-3.29, whereas the genital appearance score was 1.07 (0.39), range 1.00-4.29, revealing a greater concern for general body parts over genitalia. With regards to FG, it was perceived as necessary. Infancy and early childhood were perceived as the best timing for first FG by both respondents and parents, most preferring single-stage over 2-stage surgery.
CONCLUSIONS: General body appearance concerns were greater than for genital appearance, with more impact on the patients' lives. Contrary to much international opinion, feminizing surgery was perceived as necessary and appropriate by CAH respondents and their families, and should be offered in infancy or early childhood. Future qualitative studies are recommended.
DESIGN: Population-based, cross-sectional study. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to determine the cut-off values of BMI with optimum sensitivity and specificity for the detection of three cardiovascular risk factors: diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia. Gender-specific logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between BMI and these cardiovascular risk factors.
SETTING: All fourteen states in Malaysia.
SUBJECTS: Malaysian adults aged ≥18 years (n 32 703) who participated in the Third National Health and Morbidity Survey in 2006.
RESULTS: The optimal BMI cut-off value for predicting the presence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia or at least one of these cardiovascular risk factors varied from 23.3 to 24.1 kg/m2 for men and from 24.0 to 25.4 kg/m2 for women. In men and women, the odds ratio for having diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia or at least one cardiovascular risk factor increased significantly as BMI cut-off point increased.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that BMI cut-offs of 23.0 kg/m2 in men and 24.0 kg/m2 in women are appropriate for classification of overweight. We suggest that these cut-offs can be used by health professionals to identify individuals for cardiovascular risk screening and weight management programmes.
METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study with two-stage stratified random sampling. In total, 3977 older persons participated in this study. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a mobile device to obtain information about socio-demographic background, food insecurity, non-communicable diseases, social support and living arrangements. Descriptive and multiple complex sample logistic regression analyses were performed for data analysis.
RESULTS: The overall prevalence of food insecurity among older persons was 10.4%. Older persons from rural areas with no or only primary and secondary education, income less than RM 2000 (USD 477.57), at risk of malnutrition and not receiving very high social support were more likely to be food-insecure.
CONCLUSION: Approximately, one-tenth of Malaysian older adults were classified as food-insecure; particularly those living in rural areas from lower socio-economic status, not receiving very high social support and malnourished were more likely to be at risk. A specific nutrition program, such as meals on wheels and food vouchers, should be targeted toward older persons who are at risk to improve their malnutrition status. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 73-78.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in HCTM, UKM, Kuala Lumpur. TS participants who attended clinic in HCTM, UKM and controls who were hospital staff members were recruited via purposive sampling. TS participants' sociodemographic and clinical profiles were retrieved from medical records. Two validated, translated questionnaires; World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire and Body Image Disturbances Questionnaires (BIDQ) were completed by participants.
RESULTS: A total of 34 TS patients were approached and 24 (70.5%) of them participated in this study. Their median (IQR) age was 24.0 (7.0) years and their responses were compared to 60 age-matched healthy females as controls [median age (IQR) = 24.0 (8.0) years]. The most common medical problem in TS participants was premature ovarian insufficiency (n = 23; 95.8%). There were no significant differences between TS and control groups' median scores (overall QOL; 4.00 vs. 4.00, general health; 3.50 vs. 4.00, physical health; 14.86 vs. 15.43, psychological health; 14.67 vs. 14.00 and environment; 15.00 vs. 15.50) of the different WHOQOL-BREF domains. However, TS participants were found to score 13.33 against 16.00, lower than the control group (p
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of 3-month supplementation with oral probiotics on quality of life and inflammatory markers in women with primary dysmenorrhea.
DESIGN: Randomized placebo-controlled trial.
METHODS: A total of 72 patients (36 patients in each arm) were randomized to receive either oral sachets containing 5 billion colony-forming units each of Lactobacillus acidophilus BCMC (BCrobes Microbial Cells) 12130, Lactobacillus casei subsp BCMC 12313, Lactobacillus lactis BCMC 12451, Bifidobacterium bifidum BCMC 02290, Bifidobacterium longum BCMC 02120, and Bifidobacterium infantis BCMC 02129 each or placebo twice daily for 3 months. Main outcome measures were visual analog scale, verbal rating scale, physical and mental health scores using Short-Form 12-Item version 2 questionnaire, frequency of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, and changes in inflammatory markers (interleukin-6, interleukin-8, and tumor necrosis factor alpha) before and after treatment.
RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the quality of life scores between the probiotic and placebo groups. Both groups showed significant improvement in pain (visual analog scale) and severity (verbal rating scale) scores but the probiotic group had much lower nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use (odds ratio: 0.69, 95% confidence interval: 0.26-1.83) and better mental health scores (mean change: 6.5, p = 0.03 versus 6.1, p = 0.08) than the placebo group. There was a significant confounding effect of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use on quality of life scores. No significant difference was found in inflammatory cytokines.
CONCLUSION: Tested oral probiotics improved mental health and potentially reduced the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; however, there was no significant change in inflammatory markers. Further research with a larger sample size is needed to confirm the findings.
REGISTRATION: This study is registered under ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04119011).