Background: Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is a serious preventable disease-causing significant mortality and morbidity among children below five years of age.Methods: A five-year retrospective study involving hospitalised children... more
Background: Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is a serious preventable disease-causing significant mortality and morbidity among children below five years of age.Methods: A five-year retrospective study involving hospitalised children aged below 14-years-old with IPD to two tertiary centres of two different states in Malaysia were conducted between year 2012- 2016. IPD was defined as isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae from normally sterile body sites. This article reviewed previous hospital-based studies on paediatric IPD in Malaysia to provide an overview of the disease over the last three decades. A comparison was also made with the current study. Results: A total of 54 children were identified with IPD in this study. Sixty per cent of the study population was below the age of two-years-old. A significantly higher number of IPD cases were found among the indigenous group. Both spectrums of malnourished children were also susceptible to the infection. This study found that the ...
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Congenital pneumonia is one of the common causes of respiratory distress at birth, with significant morbidity and mortality in neonates, especially among preterm infants, and particularly in developing countries. The etiological agents... more
Congenital pneumonia is one of the common causes of respiratory distress at birth, with significant morbidity and mortality in neonates, especially among preterm infants, and particularly in developing countries. The etiological agents are many and vary between the developed and underdeveloped parts of the world. Group B streptococci have been attributed as the most common organisms causing severe pneumonia, particularly in developed countries. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is now an increasing risk in underdeveloped countries such as Zimbabwe. Ureaplasma spp. have been highlighted as an important cause of congenital pneumonia in recent years. Clinical manifestations are often nonspecified, and majority of infections appear within the first 48 hours of life. Establishing the microbial diagnosis of congenital pneumonia is challenging. Molecular diagnosis using polymerase chain reaction has an extremely improved diagnostic yield as compared with other conventional detection metho...
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Salmonella sp are important causes of meningitis among neonates and young children in Malaysia. We present a case of Salmonella enteritidis meningitis in a six week old female who presented with a one week history of fever, diarrhea and... more
Salmonella sp are important causes of meningitis among neonates and young children in Malaysia. We present a case of Salmonella enteritidis meningitis in a six week old female who presented with a one week history of fever, diarrhea and seizures which was unsuccessfully treated with a third generation cephalosporin. She had a relapse of meningitis complicated with ventriculitis and hydrocephalus, requiring an eleven week course of meropenem. She improved clinically, but did not have improvement in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) glucose level despite prolonged antibiotic use. This case illustrates the dilemma in determining the duration of antibiotic needed to successfully treat Salmonella enteritidis ventriculitis.
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Introduction: Obesity is a well-established risk factor for coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancers of the breast, colon, prostate and other organs. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of obesity and... more
Introduction: Obesity is a well-established risk factor for coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancers of the breast, colon, prostate and other organs. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of obesity and associated factors among university staffs. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out among university staffs of University Putra Malaysia using a self-administered validated pre-tested questionnaire. Weight was measured using a digital bathroom scale (TANITA Model HD 319) and height was measured using a SECA Body Meter Model 206. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters (kg/m2). A p value of <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Overweight was defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 29.9 kg/m2 and obesity as a BMI of equal or more than 30 kg/m2. Results: The mean age of the 454 university staffs was 42.86 years. The overall mean BMI was 24.52 ± 4.43 kg/m2, ranged 16....
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common causative agent for childhood pneumonia. However, empyema is a rare presentation. We report a case of a previously well child who presented with a right-sided empyema. M. pneumoniae was confirmed... more
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common causative agent for childhood pneumonia. However, empyema is a rare presentation. We report a case of a previously well child who presented with a right-sided empyema. M. pneumoniae was confirmed serologically with evidence of a four-fold rise in Mycoplasma IgM titre. The empyema required drainage procedures for more than two weeks. The infection resolved with a course of six weeks of treatment with erythromycin.
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Human bocavirus (HBoV) is a newly discovered parvovirus associated with respiratory disease in children. There are many reports worldwide on the endemicity of this virus. Since it is relatively new, detection in clinical laboratories is... more
Human bocavirus (HBoV) is a newly discovered parvovirus associated with respiratory disease in children. There are many reports worldwide on the endemicity of this virus. Since it is relatively new, detection in clinical laboratories is not routinely performed. We describe the first detection of HBoV in Malaysia in a 13-month-old boy with pneumonia and underlying asthma. The infective agent was confirmed by molecular methods.
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The 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) is frequently used in non-clinical research to measure mental health factors among adults. However, previous studies have concluded that the 21 items are not stable for... more
The 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) is frequently used in non-clinical research to measure mental health factors among adults. However, previous studies have concluded that the 21 items are not stable for utilization among the adolescent population. Thus, the aims of this study are to examine the structure of the factors and to report on the reliability of the refined version of the DASS that consists of 12 items. A total of 2850 students (aged 13 to 17 years old) from three major ethnic in Malaysia completed the DASS-21. The study was conducted at 10 randomly selected secondary schools in the northern state of Peninsular Malaysia. The study population comprised secondary school students (Forms 1, 2 and 4) from the selected schools. Based on the results of the EFA stage, 12 items were included in a final CFA to test the fit of the model. Using maximum likelihood procedures to estimate the model, the selected fit indices indicated a close model fit (χ(2)=132.94, df=57, p=.000; CFI=.96; RMR=.02; RMSEA=.04). Moreover, significant loadings of all the unstandardized regression weights implied an acceptable convergent validity. Besides the convergent validity of the item, a discriminant validity of the subscales was also evident from the moderate latent factor inter-correlations, which ranged from .62 to .75. The subscale reliability was further estimated using…
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The 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) is frequently used in non-clinical research to measure mental health factors among adults. However, previous studies have concluded that the 21 items are not stable for... more
The 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) is frequently used in non-clinical research to measure mental health factors among adults. However, previous studies have concluded that the 21 items are not stable for utilization among the adolescent population. Thus, the aims of this study are to examine the structure of the factors and to report on the reliability of the refined version of the DASS that consists of 12 items. A total of 2850 students (aged 13 to 17 years old) from three major ethnic in Malaysia completed the DASS-21. The study was conducted at 10 randomly selected secondary schools in the northern state of Peninsular Malaysia. The study population comprised secondary school students (Forms 1, 2 and 4) from the selected schools. Based on the results of the EFA stage, 12 items were included in a final CFA to test the fit of the model. Using maximum likelihood procedures to estimate the model, the selected fit indices indicated a close model fit (χ(2)=132.94...
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Two tsunami survivors from Banda Acheh, Sumatra, presented with pyrexia of unknown origin and a nonresolving left-sided empyema, respectively. Both children had mixed infections of tuberculosis and melioidosis; Salmonella typhi was also... more
Two tsunami survivors from Banda Acheh, Sumatra, presented with pyrexia of unknown origin and a nonresolving left-sided empyema, respectively. Both children had mixed infections of tuberculosis and melioidosis; Salmonella typhi was also present in the second patient. Mixed infections are common late sequela complications in post-tsunami victims.
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Results: Of the 165 enrolled children 54 (33%) were positive for HRVs, of which 20 (37%) were co-infected with other viruses. The median age of children with total HRV infection was 8.7 ranging from 1.1 to 45.1 months. HRVA and HRV-C were... more
Results: Of the 165 enrolled children 54 (33%) were positive for HRVs, of which 20 (37%) were co-infected with other viruses. The median age of children with total HRV infection was 8.7 ranging from 1.1 to 45.1 months. HRVA and HRV-C were detected respectively in 14 ( ...
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The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in knowledge, attitude and practices of primary school children after receiving a nutrition education intervention for 6 weeks. A validated questionnaire was used to assess knowledge,... more
The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in knowledge, attitude and practices of primary school children after receiving a nutrition education intervention for 6 weeks. A validated questionnaire was used to assess knowledge, attitude and practice at pre- and post-intervention. A total of 335 students from four primary schools were assigned to either intervention or comparison group. The intervention group received nutrition education taught by trained school teachers while the comparison group received the standard Health and Physical Education curriculum. A generalized linear univariate procedure was used to compare changes in knowledge, attitude and practice scores between intervention and comparison groups with ethnicity, weight-for-age, mother's and father's employment as confounding factors. There were significant increments (p<0.001) in the post intervention mean scores of knowledge (2.17 vs. 0.47), attitude (1.40 vs. 0.32) and practice (0.87 vs. -0.10) items for the intervention group compared to comparison group. The changes in knowledge (F=17.72, p<0.001), attitude (F=6.41, p<0.05) and practice (F=15.49, p<0.001) in the intervention group were maintained even after adjusting for confounding factors. The findings support the importance of providing children with nutrition knowledge to promote healthy dietary behaviors.
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A 7-year-old boy, referred with lymphoma, presented with prolonged fever and intra-abdominal lymphadenopathy demonstrated on computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen. Blood culture isolated Penicillium marneffei. The patient was... more
A 7-year-old boy, referred with lymphoma, presented with prolonged fever and intra-abdominal lymphadenopathy demonstrated on computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen. Blood culture isolated Penicillium marneffei. The patient was subsequently proven serologically to be positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Treatment with amphotericin B followed by itraconazole was successful. A high level of clinical suspicion and awareness is necessary for early diagnosis of penicilliosis, especially in an era of an increasing prevalence of HIV in this region.
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The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in knowledge, attitude and practices of primary school children after receiving a nutrition education intervention for 6 weeks. A validated questionnaire was used to assess knowledge,... more
The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in knowledge, attitude and practices of primary school children after receiving a nutrition education intervention for 6 weeks. A validated questionnaire was used to assess knowledge, attitude and practice at pre- and post-intervention. A total of 335 students from four primary schools were assigned to either intervention or comparison group. The intervention group received nutrition education taught by trained school teachers while the comparison group received the standard Health and Physical Education curriculum. A generalized linear univariate procedure was used to compare changes in knowledge, attitude and practice scores between intervention and comparison groups with ethnicity, weight-for-age, mother's and father's employment as confounding factors. There were significant increments (p<0.001) in the post intervention mean scores of knowledge (2.17 vs. 0.47), attitude (1.40 vs. 0.32) and practice (0.87 vs. -0.10) items for the intervention group compared to comparison group. The changes in knowledge (F=17.72, p<0.001), attitude (F=6.41, p<0.05) and practice (F=15.49, p<0.001) in the intervention group were maintained even after adjusting for confounding factors. The findings support the importance of providing children with nutrition knowledge to promote healthy dietary behaviors.
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Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major viral pathogen associated with acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRTIs) among hospitalized children. In this study, the genetic diversity of the RSV strains was investigated... more
Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major viral pathogen associated with acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRTIs) among hospitalized children. In this study, the genetic diversity of the RSV strains was investigated among nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA) taken from children less than 5 years of age hospitalized with ALRTIs in Hospital Serdang, Malaysia. A total of 165 NPA samples were tested for the presence of RSV and other respiratory viruses from June until December 2009. RSV was found positive in 83 (50%) of the samples using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Further classification of 67 RSV strains showed that subgroups A and B comprised 11/67 (16.4%) and 56/67 (83.6%) of the strains, respectively. The second hypervariable region at the carboxyl-terminal of the G gene was amplified and sequenced in order to do phylogenetic study. The phylogenetic relationships of the samples were determined separately for subgroups A and B using neighbor ...
Research Interests: Bioinformatics, Evolutionary Biology, Informatics, Genomics, Computational Biology, and 15 moreBiotechnology, Cancer, Biomarkers, Biology, Biomedical informatics, Medicine, Bioscience, Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Microarray, Clinical Medicine, Biological, Genetic modification, Evidence Based, Biochemistry and cell biology, and ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT
Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental and emotional problems of adolescence, and may also result in behavioural problems. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of anxiety among secondary school students in an... more
Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental and emotional problems of adolescence, and may also result in behavioural problems. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of anxiety among secondary school students in an urban district in Malaysia. A cross sectional study was conducted among 1486 Form1, 2 and 4 secondary school students from ten randomly selected schools in Pasir Gudang District, Johor. A total of 1486 out of 2924 respondents were found to have anxiety, giving a prevalence of 50.8%. From the main socio-demographic factors studied age was found to be a predictor of anxiety among the adolescents in this study. The high risk group identified in this study (adolescents aged between 13 to 15 years old) should be given due attention and further in-depth qualitative studies should be conducted in these groups to correctly identify their needs and concerns.