1.No Association of Peptide Tyrosine-Tyrosine (PYY) Gene R72T Variant with Obesity in the Kampar Health Clinic Cohort, Malaysia
Malaysian Journal of Nutrition 2011;17(2):201-212
Introduction: Peptide Tyrosine-Tyrosine (PYY) is a 36-amino acid peptide
hormone released post-prandially from the endocrine cells in the intestinal tract
to suppress pancreatic secretions and eventually reduce appetite. The R72T variant
in the PYY gene (rs1058046) has been associated with increased susceptibility to
obesity. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the association
of this variant with obesity and its related anthropometric measurements among
the Kampar Health Clinic cohort, Malaysia. Methodology: A total of 197 (78
males, 119 females; 98 non-obese, 99 obese) subjects were recruited by convenience
sampling and anthropometric measurements were taken. Genotyping was
performed using StuI Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length
Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), revealing 61 RR, 94 RT and 42 TT subjects. Results:
Most of the obese subjects had the RT genotype (50.5%), while only 18.2% were
TT. PYY R72T genotypes and alleles had no association with obesity (p=0.535;
0.074, respectively), gender (p=0.767; p=0.100, respectively) but were associated
with ethnicity (p=0.003; p=0.002, respectively). Among the 13 anthropometric
measurements taken, significant difference was only found in Waist
Circumference (WC) and Visceral Fat Level (VFL) among the alleles, suggesting
that subjects with T allele will have an increment of 1.82 cm in WC and 1.32% in
VFL. Conclusion: The R72T variant in PYY gene was not associated with obesity
and most of its related anthropometric measurements. This suggests that other
genes and/or environmental factors like dietary habits and lifestyle factors may
be the contributors of obesity.
2.MRSA Infection in Vascular Surgical Patients: The HKL Experience
Wong HS ; William Chan YH ; Neeta KB ; Lum SG ; Seet KC ; Tan HL ; Naresh G ; Zainal Azizi A ; Ismail S
Medicine and Health 2008;3(2):294-299
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is important among vas-cular surgical patients. Its effect can be devastating resulting in limb amputation and mortality. We performed a retrospective patients record analysis to determine the pat-tern of MRSA infection among vascular surgical patients in Hospital Kuala Lumpur from January 2005 to December 2007. We also attempted to identify the factors asso-ciated with poor clinical outcome after such infection. There were 999 patients who underwent vascular surgeries in HKL within the analysis period. Of these 24 patients (2.4%) were detected to have MRSA surgical site infection. The infection was commoner among cigarette smokers, patients with diabetes melitus and those who had previous vascular surgery. Most infections occurred in the emergency surgery category and manifested as wound breakdown. Fifty-four percent of the infected pa-tients ended with graft removal, amputations or death. MRSA infection complicating vascular surgery resulted in poor clinical outcome. This serious threat requires intensified preventive measures.
3.Long-term outcomes of ischaemic stroke patients with diabetes in a multi-ethnic cohort in Singapore.
Ei Zune THE ; Mei Yen NG ; Geelyn JL NG ; Bernadette GC ER ; Amy ML QUEK ; Prakash PALIWAL ; Leonard L YEO ; Bernard CHAN ; Vijay K SHARMA ; Hock Luen TEOH ; Eric YH KHOO ; Raymond CS SEET
Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore 2021;50(1):16-25
INTRODUCTION:
Diabetes increases the risk of ischaemic stroke especially among Asians. This study aims to investigate contemporaneous long-term cardiovascular outcomes of ischaemic stroke patients with diabetes in a multi-ethnic Asian cohort.
METHODS:
Consecutive patients with ischaemic stroke were recruited from the National University Hospital, Singapore. Data on age, gender, ethnicity, risk factors (including diabetes status and body mass index [BMI]), stroke severity and mechanisms were collected. These patients were followed up until the day of the first cardiovascular event or July 2016, whichever was earlier. The primary endpoint was the time from enrolment to the first occurrence of a composite of cerebrovascular and coronary artery events.
RESULTS:
Between July 2011 and December 2013, 720 patients (mean age 60.6 years, 71% men, 43% with diabetes, median National Institute Health Stroke Severity scale 2) were enrolled and followed up. A total of 175 cardiovascular events occurred during a median follow-up of 3.25 years (6.90 events per 1,000 person-month), comprising 133 cerebrovascular and 42 coronary artery events. The adjusted hazard ratio of diabetes was 1.50 (95% CI 1.08-2.10). In a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model, Malay and Indian ethnicities, BMI <23kg/m2 and a prior diagnosis of diabetes were identified as independent predictors of recurrent cardiovascular events.
CONCLUSION
Our study provides quantitative data on the event rates of ischaemic stroke patients with diabetes. These findings provide insights on stroke predictors in a multi-ethnic Asian population, which may have implications in the design of future interventional studies.