Factors associated with psychological distress among Myanmar residents during COVID-19 pandemic crises

Background: COVID-19 pandemic reached a public health emergency status of international concern. The impacts and events associated with this were associated with adverse psychological impacts among the general public globally. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of psychological distress and to identify predictors associated with psychological distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic among the population in Myanmar. Design and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from March to April 2020 among adults, 18 years old and above, who reside in Myanmar through a structured questionnaire distributed in social media platforms. Univariate and Bivariate analyses were used to estimate the prevalence of COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI) symptoms and to test the associations between CPDI and the exposure variables. Logistic Regression Analysis was done to identify significant predictors of distress. Results: There were 530 participants in this study.37.4% of them did not have psychological distress,55.6% experienced mild to moderate psychological distress, and 7% experienced severe psychological distress due to COVID-19 pandemic. Simple and Multiple Logistic Regression Analyses were performed to determine the factors associated with psychological distress due to COVID-19. Conclusions: It was shown that the self-employed group and age group older than 45 years old had more psychological distress than others. However, Buddhists and people from the capital city had less distress than other religions and districts. This study recommends the government to develop better strategies for self-employed groups, elders, and the poor for a support, relief, and resettlement of their ruined status

Nuclear Expression of Pygo2 Correlates with Poorly Differentiated State Involving c-Myc, PCNA and Bcl9 in Myanmar Hepatocellular Carcinoma

In Myanmar, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is commonly seen in young adult and associated with poor prognosis, while the molecular mechanisms that characterize HCC in Myanmar are unknown. As co-activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and c-Myc (Myc) are reported to associate with malignancy of HCC, we immunohistochemically investigated the expression of Pygo2 and Bcl9, the co-activators of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling, Myc and PCNA in 60 cases of Myanmar HCC. Pygo2 expression was confirmed by in situ hybridization. The signal intensity was measured by image analyzer and then statistically analyzed. As a result, the expression of Pygo2 was significantly higher in HCC compared to normal liver tissue and the nuclear signal was the most intense in poorly differentiated HCC. Cytoplasmic Bcl9 was expressed in the normal liver tissue but decreased in HCC with the progression of histopathological grade. Myc was significantly higher in poorly differentiated HCC, whereas PCNA labeling index increased with the progression of histopathological grade. Nuclear Pygo2 showed strong correlation with nuclear Myc (P < 0.01) and PCNA (P < 0.001), and inversely correlated with cytoplasmic Bcl9 (P < 0.01). Our results suggested Wnt/β-catenin and Myc signaling is commonly activated in Myanmar HCC and that the correlative upregulation of nuclear Pygo2 and Myc characterizes the malignant features of HCC in Myanmar

Investigation of Japanese Encephalitis Virus Infection in Bogalay Township, Myanmar in 1999

An investigation was in Nyi-naung-wa village, Bogalay township for Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus infection and the possibility of a JE outbreak. JE virus antibody was determined among the pigs and the people living near the pig farms in that village and at an adjacent village as a control. The known JE virus vector Culex mosquito species were also identified in both villages. Haemagglutination inhibition (HAI) methods were used for the detectioon of JE and dengue antibodies. Homotypic or monotypic JE antibodies were detected in 33% of the pigs tested. No homotypic nor monotypic JE antibodis was detected among the villagers. Although there was no JE virus infection among the people, because of the presence of JE virus infection among the pigs and the presence of Culex mosquito vector in that area, the possibility of a JE outbreak in humans in that area, if the number of pig breeding per household increase and the mosquito density become higher is discussed

Real-world experience of metformin 1000 mg/day in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and comorbidities from Myanmar

Background: The study was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of 1000 (mg/day) metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) with comorbidities and special reference to elderly people in Myanmar.Methods: This was a retrospective, post surveillance study conducted in patients diagnosed with T2DM receiving treatment of metformin (1000 mg/day). Baseline characteristics, comorbidities, random blood sugar level (RBS) and RBS changes pre- and post-therapy were retrieved from patient’s medical records. A paired sample t-test was used for comparing the pre- and post-treatment RBS levels.Results: A total of 303 patients with T2DM were included. A total of 88, 115 and 100 patients belonged to age groups ≤50, >50-≤60 and >61 years, respectively. Duration of T2DM was significantly higher in elderly patients (>61 years) compared to ≤50 and >50-≤60 age group. Hypertension was the most common comorbid condition observed in all age groups followed by cardiovascular disease. However, both hypertension and cardiovascular disease were significantly higher among elderly patients (>61 years) compared to ≤50 and >50-≤60 age group (p50-≤60 years, 86.2 mg/dL and >61 years, 97.2 mg/dL). Metformin was well tolerated with minimal gastrointestinal adverse events (n=27).Conclusions: In this post marketing surveillance study, metformin (1000 mg/day) was found to be effective in reducing RBS in T2DM patients with comorbidities especially older adults and well tolerated with no risk of hypoglycemia

Bcl9の異なるエピトープを認識する二つの抗体を用いた免疫組織化学的マッピングによるミャンマー国若年性発症肝細胞がんの特徴付け

B-cell lymphoma 9 (Bcl9) is the core component of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and overexpressed in nuclei of various tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the extent of Bcl9 expression relative to HCC differentiation stage and its functional aspects are poorly understood. In this study, we examined the expression pattern of Bcl9 immunohistochemically, using two anti-Bcl9 antibodies; one was a conventional polyclonal-antibody (anti-Bcl9ABC) against amino acid no.800?900 of human-Bcl9, while the other (anti-Bcl9BIO) was against amino acid no.50?200, covering Pygopus-binding sites of Bcl9. Immunohistochemistry using anti-Bcl9BIO demonstrated distinctive staining in the cytoplasm, while the anti-Bcl9ABC signal was detected in both cytoplasm and nuclei of HCC cells, reflecting different states of Bcl9 function because Pygopus-binding to Bcl9 is essential to exert its function together with β-catenin in nucleus. Quantitative analysis revealed a significantly higher immunohistochemical-score by anti-Bcl9BIO in normal liver comparing various differentiation grades of HCC (P < 0.004), whereas no significant difference was noted with anti-Bcl9ABC. Interestingly, immunohistochemical-score of anti-Bcl9BIO in patients aged < 40 years was significantly lower than that of ? 40 years group (P < 0.01). The results indicated that anti-Bcl9BIO detected cytoplasmic Bcl9, which does not bind to Pygopus suggesting it could be a useful indicator for development of HCC in young Myanmar patients.長崎大学学位論文 学位記番号:博(医歯薬)甲第1129号 学位授与年月日:平成31年3月20日Author: Myat Thu Soe, Yasuaki Shibata, Myo Win Htun, Kuniko Abe, Kyaw Soe, Nay Win Than, Thann Lwin, Myat Phone Kyaw and Takehiko KojiCitation: Acta Histochemica et Cytochemica, 52(1), pp.9-17; 2019Nagasaki University (長崎大学)課程博

Prevalence of Depression and its Associated Factors Among Adults during Third Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia, 2021

Malaysia recently entered third-wave of COVID-19 pandemic starting from October 2020 to end of January 2021. Therefore, objective of our study was to identify the prevalence of depression and its associated factors among adults during third wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. A total of 1468 Malaysian adults participated in this cross-sectional web-based survey. A standardized questionnaire was generated using the Google Form, and the link was shared through social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp. Patient Health Questionnaires (PHQ-9) was used to assess the levels of depression. Among 1468 participants, 320 (22 %) and 358 (24.6 %) indicated to have moderate to severe depression during third-wave of COVID-19 in Malaysia. Multiple predictors were identified that contributed to depression. These included female gender, family’s source income affected by the pandemic, do not perform exercise, victim of abuse and those with family and/or friends infected with COVID-19 virus. COVID-19 pandemic had caused the implementation of lockdown and physical distancing in Malaysia and nations across the globe. The pandemic had brought serious negative impacts on mental health of the adults especially depression especially during third wave of pandemic. The findings of our study suggested that new interventions or strategies are needed to be developed to address the severity of depression among Malaysian adults

Long-term outcomes of second-line antiretroviral treatment in an adult and adolescent cohort in Myanmar.

BACKGROUND: Myanmar has a high burden of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and second-line antiretroviral treatment (ART) has been available since 2008 in the public health sector. However, there have been no published data about the outcomes of such patients until now. OBJECTIVE: To assess the treatment and programmatic outcomes and factors associated with unfavorable outcomes (treatment failure, death and loss to follow-up from care) among people living with HIV (aged ≥ 10 years) receiving protease inhibitor-based second-line ART under the Integrated HIV Care Program in Myanmar between October 2008 and June 2015. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using routinely collected program data. RESULTS: Of 824 adults and adolescents on second-line ART, 52 patients received viral load testing and 19 patients were diagnosed with virological failure. However, their treatment was not modified. At the end of a total follow-up duration of 7 years, 88 (11%) patients died, 35 (4%) were lost to follow-up, 21 (2%) were transferred out to other health facilities and 680 (83%) were still under care. The incidence rate of unfavorable outcomes was 7.9 patients per 100 person years follow-up. Patients with a history of injecting drug use, with a history of lost to follow-up, with a higher baseline viral load and who had received didanosine and abacavir had a higher risk of unfavorable outcomes. Patients with higher baseline C4 counts, those having taken first-line ART at a private clinic, receiving ART at decentralized sites and taking zidovudine and lamivudine had a lower risk of unfavorable outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term outcomes of patients on second-line ART were relatively good in this cohort. Virological failure was relatively low, possibly because of lack of viral load testing. No patient who failed on second-line ART was switched to third-line treatment. The National HIV/AIDS Program should consider making routine viral load monitoring and third-line ART drugs available after a careful cost-benefit analysis

Suitability mapping for integrated aquatic food production systems – Decision Support System User Guide. Burmese version

The Integrated Aquatic Food Production System Decision Support System (IAFP DSS) provides a standardised approach to suitability analysis, enabling decision makers and stakeholders to engage with the technique in a simplistic yet comprehensive manner. The tool is suitable for application by a range of bodies including governmental and non-governmental organisations, research organisations and NGOs that have an interest in supporting the development of tailored and targeted investments for integrated aquatic food production systems within a given region. This report is the user guidelines translated in Burmese which support the training of the trainers implemented in Myanmar

Effect of seminal plasma removal, washing solutions, and centrifugation regimes on boer goat semen cryopreservation

Three experiments were carried out to improve semen quality during cryopreservation process. Total motility, forward motility, acrosome integrity, live spermatozoa, and normal spermatozoa were measured as semen quality. In Experiment 1, the effects of seminal plasma removal were analyzed by using two different extenders (GE and FE). The removal of seminal plasma gave higher and significant (P<0.05) effect in the total motility, forward motility, and live spermatozoa after cryopreservation. For two different extenders, however, the differences were not observed on the semen quality. In Experiment 2, three different washing solutions (namely, phosphate buffered saline, normal saline and Tris-based extender) were tested to evaluate the effects of semen quality after cryopreservation. Tris-based extender (TCG) conferred the highest (P<.05) sperm quality values in the total motility, forward motility, and live spermatozoa after cryopreservation. In Experiment 3, the effects of different centrifugation regimes (3000 × g for 3 min, 1600 × g for 10 min, 800 × g for 15 min) were evaluated on Boer semen quality. Semen quality parameters (namely, total motility, forward motility, acrosome integrity, and live spermatozoa) were significantly (P<.05) higher for cryopreserved spermatozoa centrifuged with 3000 × g for 3 min than the others. In conclusion, the removal of seminal plasma, washing solution TCG, and the use short-term centrifugation with a relative high g-force could contribute to the increased Boer semen quality after cryopreservation

Assessment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders and its Associations with Suicidal Behaviour among Adults Following Movement Control Order During COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia

A rapid review of previous outbreaks shows that a quarantine policy had greater effects on one’s psychological state including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), confusion and anger caused by various stressors. This study aimed to assess the levels of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and its associations with suicidal behavior among Malaysian adults following Movement Control Order (MCO) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. This cross-sectional study was distributed using an online standardized questionnaire composed of three parts, the socio-demographic characteristics, PTSD assessment using PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 and the suicidal behavior assessment using Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R). Almost half of the respondents had high PTSD symptoms (41.7 %) and low PTSD was 58.3 % among Malaysian adults. Furthermore, 69.6 % of participants had no suicidal behavior but, 30.4 % from the participants has suicidal behavior. This study found single status with highest PTSD (83.3 %) and marital status had significant correlation with PTSD which p-value was < 0.05. Malay was high percentage in high PTSD (74.6 %) and significant correlation between race and PTSD (p < 0.05). Employment status also had significant correlation with PTSD with p-value was 0.002 and students was counted highest PTSD (65.7 %). This study identified some socio-demographic factors and suicidal behavior associated with PTSD among Malaysian adults, which may lay ground for further interventions