Background: Our objective was to investigate the association of CYP2D6 polymorphisms with symptoms and side-effects of patients with schizophrenia. Methods: The subjects were 156 patients with schizophrenia undergoing antipsychotic treatment at a psychiatric clinic. Patients with co-morbid diagnoses of substance abuse or mental retardation were excluded from the study. Psychopathology was evaluated using the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS). Extrapyramidal side-effects and akathisia were assessed with the Simpson Angus Scale (SAS) and the Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale (BARS), respectively. DNA was extracted from blood and subjected to PCR-genotyping. Results: We found that CYP2D6 polymorphisms were significantly associated with a subtotal negative PANSS score. In addition, CYP2D6 is not related to side-effects of antipsychotic therapy, or SAS and BARS scores. The results suggest that CYP2D6 polymorphisms may have implications in treatment response. Conclusions: Therefore, CYP2D6 may be a predictor for treatment outcomes of patients with schizophrenia. However, further investigation is required to confirm these findings in a larger sample.

Background: The dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) plays a role in many diseases such as schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, and addictive behaviour. Methods currently available for the detection of DRD2 polymorphisms are costly and cannot detect all 8 polymorphisms of our research interest simultaneously (Val96Ala, Leu141Leu, Val154Ile, Pro310Ser, Ser311Cys, TaqI A, A-241G, and −141C Ins/Del). Therefore, we developed a nested multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for simultaneous detection of these polymorphisms. Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from blood using standardised methods. Primers specific at the 3’-end for the polymorphic sites were designed. A two-step PCR method was developed. In the first PCR, a region from exon 3 to 4, exon 7, the promoter region, and the 3’-region of DRD2 were specifically amplified. The products were subsequently used as templates in the second PCR. Sequencing was performed to validate the test results. Results: Specific bands corresponding to the amplified product of interest were obtained. The method was reproducible and specific when used to genotype patients with schizophrenia. The amplified sequences showed 100% homology to the DRD2 sequence. Conclusion: The method was found to be simple, rapid, specific, and reproducible for the simultaneous detection of the DRD2 polymorphisms.

Speech and language skills are among the crucial components in determining cochlear implant habilitation outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate speech and language skills of Malay cochlear implant children using a developmental scale questionnaire and to identify the demographic factors that contribute to their performance. This study involved 26 children recruited from the National Cochlear Implant Program under the Malaysian Ministry of Health with chronological ages between 33 to 99 months (mean=72, SD=18.9), implant ages between 18 to 71 months (mean=40, SD=13.5) and hearing ages between 13 to 48 months (mean=30, SD=10.5). The instrument used was The Integrated Scale of Development-Malay version 2 (ISD-Mv2). The questionnaires were given to the parents or caregivers followed with by a phone call interview later. Results from the study showed that only 9 subjects (35%) were able score on the ISD-Mv2 equally or higher than their hearing age. From the six components in the ISD-Mv2, cognitive was scored the highest with 96.79% meanwhile expressive language was the lowest with 76.21%. Pearson correlation test revealed strong positive correlation between audition-receptive language (r=0.554, p<0.05) and cognitive–social communication/ pragmatic (r= 0.625, p<0.05). Speech and language performance of children with demographic factors did not show significant differences. The findings suggests that majority of the Malay cochlear implant children demonstrated delayed speech and language performance as compared to normal hearing children.

The application of artificial intelligence (AI) is on the rise in the healthcare industry. However, the study on the physicians’ perspectives is still lacking. The study aimed to examine physicians’ attitudes, expectations, and concerns regarding the application of AI in medicine. A cross-sectional study was conducted in October 2019 among physicians in a tertiary teaching hospital in Malaysia. The survey used a validated questionnaire from the literature, which covered: (1) socio-demographic profile; (2) attitude towards the application of AI; (3) expected application in medicine; and (4) possible risks of using AI. Comparison of the mean score between the groups using a t-test or one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). A total of 112 physicians participated in the study: 64.3% from the clinical departments; 35.7% from the non-clinical specialties. The physicians from non-clinical departments had significantly higher mean attitude score (mean = 14.94 ± 3.12) compared to the clinical (person-oriented) departments (mean = 14.13 ± 3.10) and clinical (technique-oriented) departments (mean = 13.06 ± 2.88) (p = 0.033). The tech-savvy participants had a significantly higher mean attitude score (mean = 14.72 ± 3.55) than the non–tech-savvy participants (mean = 13.21 ± 2.46) (p = 0.01). There are differences in the expectations among the respondents and some concerns exist especially on the legal aspect of AI application in medicine. Proper training and orientation should precede its implementation and must be appropriate to the physicians’ needs for its utilization and sustainability.