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A case of congenital pulmonary lymphangiectasis

Liew SH

Med J Malaysia, 1974 Jun;28(4):293-5.
PMID: 4278975
Distraction descriptor for brainprint authentication modelling using probability-based Incremental Fuzzy-Rough Nearest Neighbour

Liew SH, Choo YH, Low YF, Nor Rashid F'

Brain Inform, 2023 Aug 05;10(1):21.
PMID: 37542531 DOI: 10.1186/s40708-023-00200-z

This paper aims to design distraction descriptor, elicited through the object variation, to refine the granular knowledge incrementally, using the proposed probability-based incremental update strategy in Incremental Fuzzy-Rough Nearest Neighbour (IncFRNN) technique. Most of the brainprint authentication models were tested in well-controlled environments to minimize the influence of ambient disturbance on the EEG signals. These settings significantly contradict the real-world situations. Thus, making use of the distraction is wiser than eliminating it. The proposed probability-based incremental update strategy is benchmarked with the ground truth (actual class) incremental update strategy. Besides, the proposed technique is also benchmarked with First-In-First-Out (FIFO) incremental update strategy in K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN). The experimental results have shown equivalence discriminatory performance in both high distraction and quiet conditions. This has proven that the proposed distraction descriptor is able to utilize the unique EEG response towards ambient distraction to complement person authentication modelling in uncontrolled environment. The proposed probability-based IncFRNN technique has significantly outperformed the KNN technique for both with and without defining the window size threshold. Nevertheless, its performance is slightly worse than the actual class incremental update strategy since the ground truth represents the gold standard. In overall, this study demonstrated a more practical brainprint authentication model with the proposed distraction descriptor and the probability-based incremental update strategy. However, the EEG distraction descriptor may vary due to intersession variability. Future research may focus on the intersession variability to enhance the robustness of the brainprint authentication model.
Fulltext The protective effects of Mucuna pruriens seed extract against histopathological changes induced by Malayan cobra (Naja sputatrix) venom in rats

Fung SY, Tan NH, Liew SH, Sim SM, Aguiyi JC

Trop Biomed, 2009 Apr;26(1):80-4.
PMID: 19696731

Seed of Mucuna pruriens (Velvet beans) has been prescribed by traditional medicine practitioners in Nigeria as a prophylactic oral antisnake remedy. In the present studies, we investigated the protective effects of M. pruriens seed extract (MPE) against histopathological changes induced by intravenous injection of Naja sputatrix (Malayan cobra) venom in rats pretreated with the seed extract. Examination by light microscope revealed that the venom induced histopathological changes in heart and blood vessels in liver, but no effect on brain, lung, kidney and spleen. The induced changes were prevented by pretreatment of the rats with MPE. Our results suggest that MPE pretreatment protects rat heart and liver blood vessels against cobra venom-induced damages.
Fulltext Suicide attempt among Malaysian school-going adolescents: relationship with bullying

Liew SH, Razak MAA, Kassim MSA, Ahmad NA, Tan L

BMC Public Health, 2023 Nov 06;23(1):2165.
PMID: 37932717 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17019-2

BACKGROUND: According to World Health Organization (WHO), the fourth leading cause of death among adolescents aged 15 -19 years is suicide. The National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2017 reported that suicidal attempts among school adolescents increased from 6.8%-6.9% as compared to NHMS 2012. Suicide attempts can cause significant negative impacts on health, social and economic status. Bullying is one of the factors for adolescent suicide attempts, and its relationship to suicidality in adolescents has been shown in numerous research.
OBJECTIVES: This study examined the relationship between suicide attempts and bullying among school adolescents in Malaysia.
METHODS: Data from the Malaysia NHMS 2017, a nationwide study that adopted a two-stage cluster sampling design, were analysed. The survey used a self-administered questionnaire in bilingual language adapted from GSHS developed by WHO. Participants were secondary school students aged 13 -17 in all states. Descriptive and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed using IBM SPSS version 28.
RESULTS: A total of 27,497 school adolescents participated in the study. Results showed that 6.9% of school adolescents had attempted suicide. There was 16.2% of adolescents being bullied. Multiple logistic regression revealed that students who were bullied were more likely to have suicide attempts (aOR 4.827, 95% CI: 4.143, 5.624) P
Fulltext Nonlinear time series analysis of state-wise COVID-19 in Malaysia using wavelet and persistent homology

Phang P, Ling CY, Liew SH, Razak FA, Wiwatanapataphee B

Sci Rep, 2024 Nov 11;14(1):27562.
PMID: 39528569 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-79002-0

The nonlinear progression of COVID-19 positive cases, their fluctuations, the correlations in amplitudes and phases across different regions, along with seasonality or periodicity, pose challenges to thoroughly examining the data for revealing similarities or detecting anomalous trajectories. To address this, we conducted a nonlinear time series analysis combining wavelet and persistent homology to detect the qualitative properties underlying COVID-19 daily infection numbers at the state level from the pandemic's onset to June 2024 in Malaysia. The first phase involved investigating the evolution of daily confirmed cases by state in the time-frequency domain using wavelets. Subsequently, a topological feature-based time series clustering is performed by reconstructing a higher-dimensional phase space through a delay embedding method. Our findings reveal a prominent 7-day periodicity in case numbers from mid-2021 to the end of 2022. The state-wise daily cases are moderately correlated in both amplitudes and phases during the Delta and Omicron waves. Biweekly averaged data significantly enhances the detection of topological loops associated with these waves. Selangor demonstrates unique case trajectories, while Pahang shows the highest similarity with other states. This methodological framework provides a more detailed understanding of epidemiological time series data, offering valuable insights for preparing for future public health crises.
Fulltext Prevalence and Risk Factors of Anaemia among Orang Asli Children in Malaysia: A Scoping Review

Khalil MKN, Abd Razak MA, Tahir FA, Sahril N, Shahein NA, Rezali MS, et al.

Nutrients, 2023 Mar 20;15(6).
PMID: 36986223 DOI: 10.3390/nu15061493

BACKGROUND: Anaemia continues to be a global public health burden affecting all age groups, particularly children. Indigenous people, including the Orang Asli (OA) population in Malaysia, are at risk of anaemia due to the vast disparities in social determinants of health in their population compared to the non-indigenous population.
OBJECTIVES: This review aimed to identify the prevalence and risk factors of anaemia among OA children in Malaysia and analyse the knowledge gaps.
METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus and Google Scholar databases. This review followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines.
RESULTS: This review identified six studies involving the participation of OA children from eight subtribes residing in Peninsular Malaysia. The overall prevalence of anaemia among OA children ranged from 21.6 to 80.0%, with iron deficiency anaemia prevalence at 34.0%. The risk factors of anaemia among OA children reported from one study in this review were being younger than ten years old children (AOR 2.11 (95% CI 1.23, 3.63)) and moderate to heavy Ascaris infections (AOR 2.05 (95% CI 1.12, 3.76)). There was no data from OA children from certain age groups and subtribes. Additionally, there is a paucity of data on risk factors for anaemia among OA children from the currently available evidence.
CONCLUSION: The prevalence of anaemia among OA children poses a moderate to severe public health concern. Therefore, more comprehensive studies in the future are needed to address the gaps identified in this review, primarily regarding anaemia risk factors. This data would encourage policymakers in devising effective national prevention strategies to improve morbidity and mortality among OA children in the future.
Fulltext Poor Self-Rated Health and Associated Factors among Older Persons in Malaysia: A Population-Based Study

Sahril N, Chan YM, Chan YY, Ahmad NA, Kassim MSA, Shahein NA, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2023 Feb 28;20(5).
PMID: 36901351 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20054342

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the prevalence of poor self-rated health (SRH) in Malaysia and its association with sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle behavior, chronic diseases, depression, and functional limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs) among older persons.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional. Setting, participants, and outcome measures: We used data from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2018, a nationwide community-based study. This study was conducted using a two-stage stratified cluster sampling design. Older persons were defined as persons aged 60 years and above. SRH was assessed using the question "How do you rate your general health?" and the answers were "very good", "good", "moderate", "not good", and "very bad". SRH was then grouped into two categories; "Good" (very good and good) and "Poor" (moderate, not good, and very bad). Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were conducted using SPSS version 25.0.
RESULTS: The prevalence of poor SRH among older persons was 32.6%. Poor SRH was significantly related to physical inactivity, depression, and limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs). Multiple logistic regression revealed that poor SRH was positively associated with those who had depression (aOR 2.92, 95% CI:2.01,4.24), limitations in ADLs (aOR 1.82, 95% CI: 1.31, 2.54), low individual income (aOR 1.66, 95% CI:1.22, 2.26), physical inactivity (aOR 1.40, 95% CI:1.08, 1.82), and hypertension (aOR 1.23, 95% CI:1.02, 1.49).
CONCLUSIONS: Older persons with depression, limitations in ADLs, low income, physical inactivity, and hypertension were significantly associated with poor SRH. These findings provide information to aid health personnel and policymakers in the development and implementation of health promotion and disease prevention programs, as well as adequate evidence in planning different levels of care for the older population.