Risk factors associated with abdominal obesity in suburban adolescents from a Malaysian district

INTRODUCTION@#We aimed to determine the risk factors associated with abdominal obesity (AO) in suburban adolescents.@*METHODS@#This cross-sectional study included adolescents aged 15-17 years from five randomly selected secondary schools in the Hulu Langat district of Selangor state, Malaysia. Waist circumference (WC) was measured at the midpoint between the lower margin of the last palpable rib and the top of the iliac crest. Information on sociodemographic data, dietary habits, physical activity levels and duration of sleep was obtained via interviewer-administered questionnaires. Participants' habitual food intake was determined using a 73-item Food Frequency Questionnaire.@*RESULTS@#Among 832 participants, 56.0% were girls; 48.4% were Malay, 40.5% Chinese, 10.2% Indian and 0.8% of other ethnic groups. Median age and WC were 16 (interquartile range [IQR] 15-16) years and 67.9 (IQR 63.0-74.6) cm, respectively. Overall prevalence of AO (> 90th percentile on the WC chart) was 11.3%. A higher proportion (22.4%) of Indian adolescents were found to have AO compared with Malay and Chinese adolescents. Logistic regression analysis showed that female gender (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 7.064, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.087-23.913; p = 0.002), Indian ethnicity (adjusted OR 10.164, 95% CI 2.182-47.346; p = 0.003), irregular meals (adjusted OR 3.193, 95% CI 1.043-9.774; p = 0.042) and increasing body mass index (BMI) (adjusted OR 2.867, 95% CI 2.216-3.710; p < 0.001) were significantly associated with AO.@*CONCLUSION@#AO was common among Malaysian adolescents. Female gender, Indian ethnicity, irregular meals and increasing BMI were significant risk factors.

Prevalence of obesity and its associated risk factors among Chinese adults in a Malaysian suburban village

<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>Obesity is a major modifiable risk factor associated with most chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of obesity, and its associated risk factors, among apparently healthy Chinese adults in a Malaysian suburban village.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This was a cross-sectional study conducted among the Chinese residents in Seri Kembangan New Village, Klang Valley, Selangor, Malaysia. Convenience sampling was used for the selection of participants. Body weight, height, waist and hip circumferences, and blood pressure were measured. Fasting venous plasma was drawn for the measurement of fasting glucose level and lipid profile. Data on sociodemographic factors, dietary habits, physical activity, perceived stress level and sleep duration were collected using interviewer-administered, pretested and validated questionnaires.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among the 258 Chinese residents (mean age 41.4 ± 10.0 years) recruited, the prevalence of obesity was 40%. The obese participants had significantly higher mean blood pressure, and triglyceride and fasting plasma glucose levels than the non-obese participants (p < 0.05). The obese participants also had a significantly lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level than the non-obese participants. Logistic regression analysis showed that drinking soy milk (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.447; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.253-0.787; p < 0.05) and the perception that a balanced diet consists mainly of vegetables (adjusted OR 0.440; 95% CI 0.215-0.900; p < 0.05) were associated with a reduced risk of obesity. The risk of obesity was higher in younger participants (adjusted OR 2.714; 95% CI 1.225-6.011; p < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The prevalence of obesity was high among the apparently healthy suburban Chinese. Our findings suggest that soy milk consumption and the perception that a balanced diet consists mainly of vegetables are associated with a lower risk of developing obesity in this population.</p>

Molecular characterisation and frequency of Ggamma Xmn I polymorphism in Chinese and Malay beta-thalassaemia patients in Malaysia

The molecular basis of variable phenotypes in P-thalassaemia patients with identical genotypes has been associated with co-inheritance of alpha-thalassaemia and persistence of HbF production in adult life. The Xmn I restriction site at -158 position of the Ggamma-gene is associated with increased expression of the Ggamma-globin gene and higher production of HbF This study aims to determine the frequency of the digammaferent genotypes of the Ggamma Xmn I polymorphism in P-thalassaemia patients in two ethnic groups in Malaysia. Molecular characterisation and frequency of the Ggamma Xmn I polymorphism were studied in fifty-eight Chinese and forty-nine beta-thalassaemia Malay patients by Xmn I digestion after DNA amplification of a 650 bp sequence. The in-house developed technique did not require further purification or concentration of amplified DNA before restriction enzyme digestion. The cheaper Seakem LE agarose was used instead of Nusieve agarose and distinct well separated bands were observed. Genotyping showed that the most frequent genotype observed in the Malaysian Chinese was homozygosity for the absence of the Xmn I site (-/-) (89.7%). In the Malays, heterozygosity of the Xmn I site (+/-) was most common (63.3%). Homozygosity for the Xmn I site (+/+) was absent in the Chinese, but was confirmed in 8.2% of the Malays. The ratio of the (+) allele (presence of the Xmn I site) to the (-) allele (absence of the Xmn I site)) was higher in the Malays (0.66) compared to the Chinese (0.05). The (+/-) and (+/+) genotypes are more commonly observed in the Malays than the Chinese in Malaysia.

Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis: a report of 3 Malaysian cases and a review of its pathology

Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP) is a medical emergency characterised by sudden onset of muscle weakness with hypokalemia that resolves with the treatment of hyperthyroidism. We report three cases of thyrotoxic periodic paralysis seen at the Accident and Emergency Care Department, University of Malaya Medical Centre in a period of four months. We also review the clinical presentation, pathophysiology, biochemical features and management of TPP. All three patients were young Asian males, presenting with muscle weakness of sudden onset. The first patient presented with lower limb weakness and had symptoms of thyrotoxicosis and goitre. He had a previous similar episode which resolved spontaneously. The second patient presented with quadriplegia, respiratory acidosis and had no signs and symptoms of thyrotoxicosis. The electrocardiogram of this patient showed normal sinus rhythm with U wave in V3 and a flat T wave, which are characteristic of hypokalaemia. The third patient, who was a known case of thyrotoxicosis, was admitted thrice for hypokalemic paralysis during the study period. All cases had low serum potassium, suppressed TSH and elevated T4 confirming thyrotoxic periodic paralysis. Potassium therapy was useful during the crisis; however prophylactic potassium has not been shown to prevent attacks as seen in one of our cases. Conclusion: Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of sudden onset paralysis in young male patients. Determination of the plasma potassium levels and thyroid hormones help in the diagnosis. The definitive treatment for TPP is the achievement of euthyroid state.

The diagnostic usefulness of tumour markers CEA and CA-125 in pleural effusion

Pleural effusion is a common diagnostic problem. The analysis of serum and pleural fluid for tumour markers is widely used as a diagnostic aid in clinical practice. The aim of the present study was to determine the usefulness of simultaneous quantification of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen (CA-125) in distinction of malignant from benign effusion. Data from a total of 78 patients including 53 patients with benign and 25 patients with malignant effusion was evaluated. The cut-off values for differentiating benign from malignant effusions were determined using results obtained from patients with known benign effusions (mean + 2 SD, 95% confidence interval). The cut-off for CEA and CA-125 were 5.1 ng/ml and 1707 IU/ml respectively. CEA assay in pleural fluid had an acceptable sensitivity and good specificity of 64% and 98% respectively. CA-125 had a sensitivity of 36% and specificity of 94%. The combination of the two tumour markers gave a sensitivity of 72% and specificity of 92.4%. We suggest a good clinical strategy may be to begin with CEA measurement (assay specificity 98%); if CEA is below the cut-off value (negative), CA-125 could then be measured to improve the sensitivity of detection of malignant effusions. However, measurement of these tumour markers is not cost effective from the point of view that it does not give information on the type of malignancy present. The latter has to be determined either by histological or cytological study.