Medical genetics in developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region: challenges and opportunities

Advances in genetic and genomic technology changed health-care services rapidly in low and middle income countries (LMICs) in the Asia-Pacific region. While genetic services were initially focused on population-based disease prevention strategies, they have evolved into clinic-based and therapeutics-oriented service. Many LMICs struggled with these noncommunicable diseases and were unprepared for the needs of a clinical genetic service. The emergence of a middle class population, the lack of regulatory oversight, and weak capacity-building in medical genetics expertise and genetic counseling services led to a range of genetic services of variable quality with minimal ethical oversight. Some of the current shortcomings faced include the lack of awareness of cultural values in genetic health care, the variable stages of socioeconomic development and educational background that led to increased demand and abuse of genetics, the role of women in society and the crisis of gender selection, the lack of preventive and care services for genetic and birth defects, the issues of gene ethics in medicine, and the lack of understanding of some religious controversies. These challenges provide opportunities for both developing and developed nations to work together to reduce the inequalities and to ensure a caring, inclusive, ethical, and cost-effective genetic service in the region

Plasma fibronectin in saliva of women with history of miscarriage(s) and periodontal disease - a pilot study

The objective of this study was to establish the association of plasma fibronectin in saliva of pregnant women with history of miscarriage(s). A total of 25 pregnant women with history of miscarriage(s) were recruited at the Antenatal Clinic of University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur as the test group and 16 pregnant women without any history of miscarriage served as control. All the subjects fulfilled a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Periodontal examination was performed to determine subjects’ periodontal status. Saliva samples were collected and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the plasma fibronectin in these samples. Mann-Whitney test was used to determine the significance of differences seen. The study showed a statistically significant higher median plasma fibronectin level in the saliva samples of the test group with a median level of 0.10 μg/mL compared with the control group with a mean value of 0.00 μg/mL (p-value =0.023). However, there was no significant difference in the level of plasma fibronectin in the saliva samples of pregnant women with chronic periodontitis compared with the group with healthy gingiva (p-value= 0.118). As a conclusion, there was a positive association between plasma fibronectin in saliva of women and history of miscarriages compared with the control group in this case study

Attitudes towards Zika screening and vaccination acceptability among pregnant women in Malaysia

The aim of this study was to examine the willingness of pregnant women to have prenatal screening for the Zika virus (ZIKV). Secondly, the study also assessed the acceptability of a hypothetical Zika vaccination and its association with the health belief model (HBM) constructs. A cross-sectional study was conducted from 4th October to 11th November 2016, among pregnant women who attended antenatal care at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The majority (81.8%) was willing to be tested for ZIKV and 78% felt that their spouse would be willing to be tested for ZIKV. A total of 94% expressed a willingness to receive a Zika vaccination if available. The participants expressed high perceived benefits of a ZIKV vaccination. Although many have a high perception of the severity of ZIKV, the proportion with a strong perception of their susceptibility to ZIKV was low. In the multivariate analysis of all the HBM constructs, cue-to-action, namely physician recommendation (odds ratio [OR] = 2.288; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.093–4.793) and recommendation from friends or relatives (OR = 4.030; 95% CI 1.694–9.587), were significantly associated with a willingness to be vaccinated against ZIKV. The favourable response to a Zika vaccination implies that more research attention has to be given to develop a vaccine against ZIKV. Should the vaccine be available in the future, publicity and healthcare providers would play a vital role in ensuring vaccine uptake among pregnant women

Plasma Fibronectin in Saliva of Women with History of Miscarriage(s) and Periodontal Disease -a Pilot Study (Fibronektin Plasma di dalam Air Liur Wanita Mengandung dengan Sejarah Keguguran dan Penyakit Periodontitis Kronik-Kajian Permulaan)

AbStrAct The objective of this study was to establish the association of plasma fibronectin in saliva of pregnant women with history of miscarriage (s