Higher incidence of low birth weight infants among malay women with periodontitis in Kota Bharu, Kelantan

The causes of low birth weight (LBW) are complex and multifactorial. Current epidemiological and microbiological studies have suggested that maternal periodontal infection may increase the risk of delivering LBW infants. The objective ofthis prospective cohort study was to determine the incidence of LBW infants among pregnant women with periodontitis. Malay pregnant women were recruited from two selected Klinik Kesihatan Ibu dun Anak (KKIA) in the district of Kota Bharu. Of 472 women studied, 232 who had periodontitis were classfied as being exposed, while the rest who did not have periodontitis were in the non-exposed group. The incidence of LBW was 14.2% (95% CI: 9.7-18.8) in women with periodontitis, and 3.3% (95% CI: 1.1-5.6) in women without periodontitis. Pregnant women with periodontitis are at higher risk of delivering LBW infants (p<0.001). This knowledge should increase physician and patient awareness to the relevance of oral infections. Ultimately, it should help to establish the groundwork for closer communication between the medical and dental colleagues to improve the quality of antenatal care towards achieving our vision and goals for health

Impact of a pharmaceutical care programme on health-related quality of life among women with epilepsy: a randomised controlled trial (IPHIWWE study)

This paper was presented in part at the II Congreso Colombiano de Atención Farmacéutica, Medellín, Colombia, September 27, 2013.Background: Epilepsy is a complex chronic disorder which affects health-related quality of life (HRQOL), especially in women. Pharmaceutical care (PC) allows direct intervention between the pharmacist, the patient and the other healthcare team members to optimise treatments in order to reduce negative outcomes related to medication and contribute to improving HRQOL. The aim of the study was to establish the impact of the application of a pharmaceutical care programme on the HRQOL of women with epilepsy.Methods: This study is a pragmatic randomised controlled trial involving women with epilepsy (WWE) over 18 years of age. The intervention group (IG) received a pharmaceutical care programme consisting of medication review follow-up according to Dáder’s method, health education and therapeutic drug monitoring of anticonvulsants. The impact was assessed by changes in seizure frequency, in the self-administered questionnaires (the QOLIE-31, Liverpool AEP, CES-D, Haynes-Sackett test and Moriski-Green test) and between the first interview and the one at the end of six months of follow-up. A Student’s t-test was performed to compare the final QOLIE-31 score between groups and a paired Student’s t-test was used to determine the change in each group between the start and the end of follow-up.Results: One hundred eighty-two WWE entered the study and 144 (79.1%) completed it. The t-test for comparing the final QOLIE-31 scores between groups yielded a t = −2.166 and confidence interval (CI) (95%): −10.125; −0.4625, p-value =0.0319. The change (Δ) in the QOLIE-31 score for the IG was 12.45 points (p-value <0.001) and for the control group it was 2.61 (p-value =0.072). With 10.7 as the minimally important change we found a relative risk of 2.17 (CI: 1.37; 3.43) and a number needed to treat (NNT) of 3.5.Conclusions: The study demonstrated that the application of a pharmaceutical care programme significantly improves HRQOL in WWE. The NNT we found allows a recommendation to implement the PC programme for the additional benefit that would be obtained in patients’ HRQOL.This study was funded by a competitive investigator grant award from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Colombia) - Research Division of Bogotá (ref: 202010011419 Quipu Code)

A qualitative exploration of Malaysian cancer patients' perspectives on cancer and its treatment

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cancer patients' knowledge about cancer and experiences with its treatment play an important role in long-term adherence in their disease management. This study aimed to explore cancer patients' knowledge about cancer, their perceptions of conventional therapies and the factors that contribute to medication adherence in the Malaysian population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A qualitative research approach was adopted to gain a better understanding of the current perceptions and knowledge held by cancer patients. Twenty patients were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. A saturation point was reached after the 18^thinterview, and no new information emerged with the subsequent 2 interviews. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed by means of a standard content analysis framework.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The majority of patients related the cause of their cancer to be God's will. Participants perceived conventional therapies as effective due to their scientific methods of preparations. A fear of side effects was main reasons given for delay in seeking treatment; however, perceptions were reported to change after receiving treatment when effective management to reduce the risk of side effects had been experienced.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study provides basic information about cancer patients' perceptions towards cancer and its treatment. These findings can help in the design of educational programs to enhance awareness and acceptances of cancer screening. Priorities for future research should focus on patients who refused the conventional therapies at any stage.</p

Oncogenic role of DDX3 in breast cancer biogenesis

Benzo[a] pyrene diol epoxide (BPDE), the active metabolite of benzo[a] pyrene present in tobacco smoke, is a major cancer-causing compound. To evaluate the effects of BPDE on human breast epithelial cells, we exposed an immortalized human breast cell line, MCF 10A, to BPDE and characterized the gene expression pattern. Of the differential genes expressed, we found consistent activation of DDX3, a member of the DEAD box RNA helicase family. Overexpression of DDX3 in MCF 10A cells induced an epithelial-mesenchymal- like transformation, exhibited increased motility and invasive properties, and formed colonies in soft-agar assays. Besides the altered phenotype, MCF 10A-DDX3 cells repressed E-cadherin expression as demonstrated by both immunoblots and by E-cadherin promoter-reporter assays. In addition, an in vivo association of DDX3 and the E-cadherin promoter was demonstrated by chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the activation of DDX3 by BPDE, can promote growth, proliferation and neoplastic transformation of breast epithelial cell