Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 47 in total

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  1. Wong CY
    J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care, 2001 Jan;27(1):56.
    PMID: 12457552 DOI: 10.1783/147118901101194976
    Hysterectomy and tubal sterilisation are two commonly performed gynaecological procedures in Malaysia. Little has been published about the psychological impact on sexuality of such operations in the Far East. Many Malaysian patients believe that surgery to the pelvic organs may be detrimental to the sexual health and needs of women. There is a widespread belief that the uterus is essential for the libido and sexual wellbeing of women. It is also believed that tubal sterilisation may result in the loss of libido and thus of sexual desire for her husband. Despite counselling to dispel these misconceptions, patients frequently refuse surgical management for fear of losing their libido and sexuality. Inability to satisfy and consummate marriage is a valid reason for the partner to find another wife (Muslims in Malaysia are legally allowed to have four wives). This fear of ultimately losing the husband to another woman due to lack of libido and loss of sexuality often causes women to refuse appropriate surgery. The recent availability of the levonorgestrel intra-uterine system (IUS) in Malaysia provides a suitable medical alternative to surgery in managing some of these patients. There is good evidence to suggest the effectiveness of the levonorgestrel IUS in the treatment of menorrhagia. The use of the levonorgestrel IUS in women whose cultural beliefs/misconceptions are not amenable to counselling, may help in the psychological preservation of their libido and sexuality.
  2. Wong CY
    World J Stem Cells, 2021 Jul 26;13(7):914-933.
    PMID: 34367484 DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v13.i7.914
    Kidney diseases are a prevalent health problem around the world. Multidrug therapy used in the current routine treatment for kidney diseases can only delay disease progression. None of these drugs or treatments can reverse the progression to an end-stage of the disease. Therefore, it is crucial to explore novel therapeutics to improve patients' quality of life and possibly cure, reverse, or alleviate the kidney disease. Stem cells have promising potentials as a form of regenerative medicine for kidney diseases due to their unlimited replication and their ability to differentiate into kidney cells in vitro. Mounting evidences from the administration of stem cells in an experimental kidney disease model suggested that stem cell-based therapy has therapeutic or renoprotective effects to attenuate kidney damage while improving the function and structure of both glomerular and tubular compartments. This review summarises the current stem cell-based therapeutic approaches to treat kidney diseases, including the various cell sources, animal models or in vitro studies. The challenges of progressing from proof-of-principle in the laboratory to widespread clinical application and the human clinical trial outcomes reported to date are also highlighted. The success of cell-based therapy could widen the scope of regenerative medicine in the future.
  3. Eng YK, Wong CY
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Nov;24(32):25047-25060.
    PMID: 28920161 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-0144-6
    In light of a slow buildup in CO2 emissions since the recovery, this paper revisits the relationship between CO2 emissions and the US economy using a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model, in which the determinants are identified through an expanded real business cycle model. We find convincing evidence that CO2 emissions decline more rapidly during recessions than increase during expansions over the long run. Of all determinants considered, long-run asymmetry is fostered once vehicle miles traveled is controlled. This calls for a greater attention to public transportation development and vehicle miles traveled tax for slowing down stock buildup of CO2 emissions during good times.
  4. Wong CY, Tan EL, Cheong SK
    Cell Biol Int, 2014 Apr;38(4):497-501.
    PMID: 24375917 DOI: 10.1002/cbin.10231
    Mesangial cells are one of the three major cell types of the kidney glomerulus that provide physical support for the glomerular capillary lumen of the kidney. Loss of mesangial cells due to pathologic conditions, such as glomerulonephritis and diabetic nephropathy, can impair renal function. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are attractive candidates for kidney repair therapy since they can enhance recovery and protect against kidney failure. MSC can differentiate into mesangial cells in vivo. We have investigated the ability of MSC to differentiate into mesangial cells in vitro; they were co-cultured with oxidant-injured mesangial cells before being analysed by flow cytometry and for contractility. MSC co-cultured with injured mesangial cells had a mesangial cell-like morphology and contracted in response to angiotensin II. They expressed CD54(-) CD62E(+) in direct contrast to the CD54(+) CD62E(-) of pure MSC. In conclusion, MSC can differentiate into mesangial cells in vitro when co-cultured with injured mesangial cells.
  5. Goh WX, Kok YY, Wong CY
    Curr Pharm Des, 2023;29(35):2827-2840.
    PMID: 37936453 DOI: 10.2174/0113816128272185231024115046
    Today, cardiovascular diseases are among the biggest public health threats worldwide. Atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disease with complex aetiology and pathogenesis, predispose many of these conditions, including the high mortality rate-causing ischaemic heart disease and stroke. Nevertheless, despite the alarming prevalence and absolute death rate, established treatments for atherosclerosis are unsatisfactory in terms of efficacy, safety, and patient acceptance. The rapid advancement of technologies in healthcare research has paved new treatment approaches, namely cell-based and nanoparticle-based therapies, to overcome the limitations of conventional therapeutics. This paper examines the different facets of each approach, discusses their principles, strengths, and weaknesses, analyses the main targeted pathways and their contradictions, provides insights on current trends as well as highlights any unique mechanisms taken in recent years to combat the progression of atherosclerosis.
  6. Wong CY, Khairi MD, Mohamed SA, Irfan M
    Med J Malaysia, 2010 Dec;65(4):307-8.
    PMID: 21901952
    Dural exposure may occur during the course of thinning the tegmen tympani and tegmen mastoideum in mastoid procedure. If large area of dura is exposed or lacerated, cerebrospinal fluid and brain herniation may enter the mastoid cavity. We report a case of a patient with injured dura mater and tegmen mastoideum during mastoidectomy for chronic suppurative otitis media with cholesteatoma managed by using DuraGen. The dura mater and tegmen defect healed totally showing the success of the procedure. A collagen matrix like DuraGen is an option for repairing dural tear in mastoid region.
  7. Wong CY, Yong SC, Boo NY, Phang KS
    Hosp Med, 2005 Jun;66(6):368-9.
    PMID: 15974173 DOI: 10.12968/hmed.2005.66.6.18409
  8. Wong CY, Cheong SK, Mok PL, Leong CF
    Pathology, 2008 Jan;40(1):52-7.
    PMID: 18038316
    AIMS: Adult human bone marrow contains a population of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) that contributes to the regeneration of tissues such as bone, cartilage, muscle, tendon, and fat. In recent years, it has been shown that functional stem cells exist in the adult bone marrow, and they can contribute to renal remodelling or reconstitution of injured renal glomeruli, especially mesangial cells. The purpose of this study is to examine the ability of MSC isolated from human bone marrow to differentiate into mesangial cells in glomerular injured athymic mice.

    METHODS: MSC were isolated from human bone marrow mononuclear cells based on plastic adherent properties and expanded in vitro in the culture medium. Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) were characterised using microscopy, immunophenotyping, and their ability to differentiate into adipocytes, chondrocytes, and osteocytes. hMSC were then injected into athymic mice, which had induced glomerulonephropathy (GN).

    RESULTS: Test mice (induced GN and infused hMSC) were shown to have anti-human CD105(+) cells present in the kidneys and were also positive to anti-human desmin, a marker for mesangial cells. Furthermore, immunofluorescence assays also demonstrated that anti-human desmin(+) cells in the glomeruli of these test mice were in the proliferation stage, being positive to anti-human Ki-67.

    CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that hMSC found in renal glomeruli differentiated into mesangial cells in vivo after glomerular injury occurred.

  9. Wong CY, Saravanan C, Musawi A, Gan SW
    J Clin Transl Res, 2018 Jan 15;3(3):311-317.
    PMID: 30895272
    Background: Dental anxiety is a common problem associated with poorer oral health. Managing anxiety is key to improving oral health of patients with dental anxiety. The present pilot study therefore investigated dental anxiety prevalence among patients visiting a university dental clinic. We further examined the effect of combined psychological interventions on anxiety or concern towards dental treatment procedures before treatment, after treatment, and at follow-up.

    Methods: In this prospective pilot study, patients seeking restorative treatment were screened for dental anxiety and dental concern about treatment using the Dental Anxiety Scale-Revised (DAS-R) and Dental Concern Assessment (DCA) questionnaires. Participants with a DAS-R score of 9 or above were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. The patients in the experimental group received two psycho-logical interventions (psychoeducation and progressive muscular relaxation) prior to dental treatment. Dur-ing treatment, patients received another psychological intervention (music distraction). No psychological interventions were given to control patients. DAS-R and DCA scores were used to assess dental anxiety and concern, respectively, before treatment, after treatment, and at follow-up. Nonparametric tests were used for intergroup and intragroup statistical analyses.

    Results: Out of 64 patients surveyed, 33 (51.6%) had experienced dental anxiety. Of those, 2 were exclud-ed, and 31 patients with a mean ± SD age of 41.2 ± 15.9 y completed the study. No intergroup differences in dental anxiety were found in terms of pretreatment, posttreatment, and follow-up treatment. The mean rank value of the dental anxiety score was less in the experimental group (13.53) than the control group (18.31), albeit not significant. More specifically, differences (Kruskal-Wallis %2 = 14.82, P = 0.001, effect size = 0.33) were found in the experimental group for pretreatment, posttreatment, and follow-up treatment levels of dental anxiety for extraction (P = 0.01), injection (P = 0.02), and sound/vibration of the drill (P = 0.00). No significant intragroup differences between pretreatment, posttreatment, and follow-up treatment were found in the control group.

    Conclusions: The combined brief psychological interventions reduced dental anxiety.

    Relevance for patients: The psychological interventions of the present study could be applied right before or during dental treatment to reduce the dental anxiety of patients. However, additional research involving larger groups is needed to replicate the results of this pilot study.

  10. Lewison G, Kumar S, Wong CY, Roe P, Webber R
    Scientometrics, 2016 10 01;109(3):1877-1893.
    PMID: 27942083
    Malaysia has three main ethnic communities: Chinese, Indians and Malays. At independence in 1957, the Chinese dominated commercial life, and this led to ethnic tensions and finally riots. As a result in 1969 Malaysia introduced a "New Economic Policy" (NEP) to promote Malays in all areas of activity, and in particular to assist them to obtain basic and higher education. We examined the scientific outputs from Malaysia between 1982 and 2014 and classified the names of Malaysian researchers into one of these three groups and two others. There was a major increase in Malay participation in research, which has risen from 20 % of researchers in 1982-1984 to 65 % in 2012-2014, with corresponding declines in the percentages of Chinese and Indian authors, although their absolute numbers have increased because Malaysian scientific output has increased so rapidly in the last 10 years. The huge increase in Malay researchers contrasts with their presence in the Malaysian population which has remained stable at about 50 % since 1969.
  11. Thiagarajah K, Wong CY, Vijayan VV, Ooi GC, Ng MT, Cheong SK, et al.
    Transfusion, 2015 May;55(5):1028-32.
    PMID: 25472857 DOI: 10.1111/trf.12950
    Processed umbilical cord blood (UCB) must be stored at cryogenic temperature at all times to maintain the quality and viability of the cells. However, a challenge is presented in the form of moving a large number of cryopreserved UCB samples to a new location. In this report, we share our experience on relocating more than 100,000 units of cryopreserved UCB samples stored in 12 liquid nitrogen freezers (LNFs) to our new laboratory.
  12. Hamidah A, Wong CY, Tamil AM, Zarina LA, Zulkifli ZS, Jamal R
    Pediatr Blood Cancer, 2011 Jul 15;57(1):105-9.
    PMID: 21465639 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.23125
    Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in pediatric leukemia patients in Malaysia has not been studied before. This was mainly due to a lack of databases on patients in the past. Many patients abandoned treatment or were lost to follow up. With more children now fully compliant and completing treatment nowadays, with higher cure rate, HRQOL has become important for our patients. The purpose of the current study was to determine the HRQOL scores in children with acute leukemia and to compare the scores for those on maintenance chemotherapy with those off-treatment as well as to determine factors which might affect HRQOL.
  13. Chin SP, Poey AC, Wong CY, Chang SK, Teh W, Mohr TJ, et al.
    Cytotherapy, 2010;12(1):31-7.
    PMID: 19878080 DOI: 10.3109/14653240903313966
    Bone marrow (BM) mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) represent a novel therapy for severe heart failure with extensive myocardial scarring, especially when performed concurrently with conventional revascularization. However, stem cells are difficult to transport in culture media without risk of contamination, infection and reduced viability. We tested the feasibility and safety of off-site MSC culture and expansion with freeze-controlled cryopreservation and subsequent rapid thawing of cells immediately prior to implantation to treat severe dilated ischemic cardiomyopathy.
  14. Primuharsa Putra SH, Wong CY, Hazim MY, Megat Shiraz MA, Goh BS
    Med J Malaysia, 2006 Jun;61(2):209-13.
    PMID: 16898313
    Indication for pediatric tracheostomy has changed. Upper airway obstruction secondary to infectious disorders is no longer the commonest indication. The aim of this study was to establish data on indications, outcome and complications of pediatric tracheostomy. A retrospective analysis of pediatric tracheostomies carried out between March 2002 to March 2004 was done. Eighteen patients were identified. The commonest indication was prolonged ventilation (94.5%) followed by pulmonary toilet (5.5%). None was performed for upper airway obstruction. Postoperative complications were encountered in six patients (33.3%), the commonest being accidental decannulation notably in children less than six years of age. Twelve patients (66.6%) were successfully decannulated. The mortality rate was 16.6%. All death were non tracheostomy related. The commonest indication for tracheostomy was prolonged ventilation and tracheostomy in children is relatively safe despite complications.
  15. Wong CY, Teoh ML, Phang SM, Lim PE, Beardall J
    PLoS One, 2015;10(10):e0139469.
    PMID: 26427046 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139469
    Global warming and ozone depletion, and the resulting increase of ultraviolet radiation (UVR), have far-reaching impacts on biota, especially affecting the algae that form the basis of the food webs in aquatic ecosystems. The aim of the present study was to investigate the interactive effects of temperature and UVR by comparing the photosynthetic responses of similar taxa of Chlorella from Antarctic (Chlorella UMACC 237), temperate (Chlorella vulgaris UMACC 248) and tropical (Chlorella vulgaris UMACC 001) environments. The cultures were exposed to three different treatments: photosynthetically active radiation (PAR; 400-700 nm), PAR plus ultraviolet-A (320-400 nm) radiation (PAR + UV-A) and PAR plus UV-A and ultraviolet-B (280-320 nm) radiation (PAR + UV-A + UV-B) for one hour in incubators set at different temperatures. The Antarctic Chlorella was exposed to 4, 14 and 20°C. The temperate Chlorella was exposed to 11, 18 and 25°C while the tropical Chlorella was exposed to 24, 28 and 30°C. A pulse-amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometer was used to assess the photosynthetic response of microalgae. Parameters such as the photoadaptive index (Ek) and light harvesting efficiency (α) were determined from rapid light curves. The damage (k) and repair (r) rates were calculated from the decrease in ΦPSIIeff over time during exposure response curves where cells were exposed to the various combinations of PAR and UVR, and fitting the data to the Kok model. The results showed that UV-A caused much lower inhibition than UV-B in photosynthesis in all Chlorella isolates. The three isolates of Chlorella from different regions showed different trends in their photosynthesis responses under the combined effects of UVR (PAR + UV-A + UV-B) and temperature. In accordance with the noted strain-specific characteristics, we can conclude that the repair (r) mechanisms at higher temperatures were not sufficient to overcome damage caused by UVR in the Antarctic Chlorella strain, suggesting negative effects of global climate change on microalgae inhabiting (circum-) polar regions. For temperate and tropical strains of Chlorella, damage from UVR was independent of temperature but the repair constant increased with increasing temperature, implying an improved ability of these strains to recover from UVR stress under global warming.
  16. Wong CY, Zalilah MS, Chua EY, Norhasmah S, Chin YS, Siti Nur'Asyura A
    BMC Public Health, 2015;15:680.
    PMID: 26194643 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-015-2058-x
    Double-burden of malnutrition (DBM) is an emerging public health concern among the Orang Asli (indigenous peoples) of Peninsular Malaysia. This study aimed to identify the presence of DBM at the community and household levels in Orang Asli population and its associated demographic and socio-economic factors.
  17. Diana Yap FS, Ng ZY, Wong CY, Muhamad Saifuzzaman MK, Yang LB
    Med J Malaysia, 2019 02;74(1):45-50.
    PMID: 30846662
    INTRODUCTION: Increasing incidence of Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) has complicated treatment courses for hospitalised patients. Despite recommendation to support deep vein thrombosis (DVT) risk assessment and appropriate use of prophylaxis in medical inpatients, it is either neglected or prescribed unnecessarily by the clinicians. This study aimed to assess and compare the appropriateness of DVT prophylaxis prescribing between usual care versus a pharmacist-driven DVT Risk Alert Tool (DRAT) intervention among hospitalised medical patients.

    METHODS: A prospective pre- and post-intervention study was conducted among medical inpatients in a Malaysian secondary care hospital. DVT and bleeding risks were stratified using validated Padua Risk Assessment Model (RAM) and International Medical Prevention Registry on Venous Thromboembolism (IMPROVE) Bleeding Risk Assessment Model. Pharmacist-driven DRAT was developed and implemented post-interventional phase. DVT prophylaxis use was determined and its appropriateness was compared between pre and post study using multivariate logistic regression with IBM SPSS software version 21.0.

    RESULTS: Overall, 286 patients (n=142 pre-intervention versus n=144 post-intervention) were conveniently recruited. The prevalence of DVT prophylaxis use was 10.8%. Appropriate thromboprophylaxis prescribing increased from 64.8% to 68.1% post-DRAT implementation. Of note, among high DVT risk patients, DRAT intervention was observed to be a significant predictor of appropriate thromboprophylaxis use (14.3% versus 31.3%; adjusted odds ratio=2.80; 95% CI 1.01 to 7.80; p<0.05).

    CONCLUSION: The appropriateness of DVT prophylaxis use was suboptimal but doubled after implementation of DRAT intervention. Thus, an integrated risk stratification checklist is an effective approach for the improvement of rational DVT prophylaxis use.

  18. Verasoundarapandian G, Wong CY, Shaharuddin NA, Gomez-Fuentes C, Zulkharnain A, Ahmad SA
    PMID: 33572432 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18041671
    The globe is presently reliant on natural resources, fossil fuels, and crude oil to support the world's energy requirements. Human exploration for oil resources is always associated with irreversible effects. Primary sources of hydrocarbon pollution are instigated through oil exploration, extraction, and transportation in the Arctic region. To address the state of pollution, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms and processes of the bioremediation of hydrocarbons. The application of various microbial communities originated from the Arctic can provide a better interpretation on the mechanisms of specific microbes in the biodegradation process. The composition of oil and consequences of hydrocarbon pollutants to the various marine environments are also discussed in this paper. An overview of emerging trends on literature or research publications published in the last decade was compiled via bibliometric analysis in relation to the topic of interest, which is the microbial community present in the Arctic and Antarctic marine environments. This review also presents the hydrocarbon-degrading microbial community present in the Arctic, biodegradation metabolic pathways (enzymatic level), and capacity of microbial degradation from the perspective of metagenomics. The limitations are stated and recommendations are proposed for future research prospects on biodegradation of oil contaminants by microbial community at the low temperature regions of the Arctic.
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