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BackgroundDementia is a spectrum of diseases characterised by a progressive and irreversible decline in cognitive function. Appropriate tools and references are essential for evaluating individuals’ cognitive levels, especially hippocampal volume as it is the commonly used biomarker in detecting Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It is important to note that while there is no cure for dementia, early intervention and support can greatly improve the lives of those affected.MethodOngoing research is being conducted to develop new treatments and improve our understanding of the disease by using VBM to compare sensitivity and specificity with the HippoDeep toolbox.ResultWe were able to validate AD’s hippocampal volume compared to age-matched healthy controls (HC) based on HippoDeep Model by comparing it with VBM as the reference standard.ConclusionThere are significant differences between hippocampal volume in AD and HC that have been detected using VBM and HippoDeep analysis.

Objective: To assess the accuracy of NEORUBIN® NEO-2020, a transcutaneous bilirubinometer in the clinical evaluation of bilirubin levels, versus a competitor device (Dräger JM103) and conventional blood testing (gold standard comparator) in infants diagnosed with jaundice in Malaysia. Study design: Infants who were brought to a public primary care clinic for follow-up due to suspected jaundice were screened using Dräger JM103 to assess the level of total serum bilirubin (TsB). Newborn infants who were at least 1 day old and born after 35–44 weeks of gestation/pregnancy with a TsB between 6–13.4 mg/dL/day (103–229 μmol/L/day) at screening were included in the study. Bilirubin levels of the infants were measured using NEO-2020, Dräger JM103, and conventional blood testing and the readings compared to validate NEO-2020’s accuracy, robustness, and reliability in clinical settings against the competitor device and conventional blood testing. Results: Compared to Dräger JM103, NEO-2020 showed a sensitivity of 99.4% (95% CI 96.9, 100), specificity of 0% (as all subjects in the study had jaundice symptoms), positive predictive value of 96.7% (95% CI 96.9, 96.7), and negative predictive value of 0%. The NEO-2020 had a 96.2% (95% CI 92.3, 98.5) accuracy rate in clinically evaluating bilirubin levels. Conclusion(s): Serum bilirubin levels recorded by the non-invasive NEO-2020 bilirubinometer were comparable to the readings from Dräger JM103 and conventional blood testing. Further tweaking and tests may improve the accuracy of NEO-2020.

Background: In Malaysia, asthma is common but often neglected. Achieving good asthma control and optimal asthma care is a challenge in primary care setting. Aim: To establish an asthma cohort in six public primary care clinics and assess the level of asthma control and care delivered in these clinics. Methods: Children (5-17 years old) and adults (18 years and over) with physician-diagnosed asthma or given asthma treatment in the previous year were recruited. We assessed asthma control, use of spirometry at diagnosis, peak flow monitoring, scheduled reviews, action plan ownership and asthma education as indicators of asthma care. Asthma control was assessed according to GINA global guideline 2017. Results: 1280 patients were recruited; 86% adults and 15% children. Only 37% had good asthma control, 36% were partly controlled and 27% were poorly controlled. Other findings are: 6% had spirometry testing at diagnosis, 71% had scheduled reviews and 61% had a peak flow documented during at least one of the last three visits. Although most (92%) had received some asthma education when asked, only 16% of patients had been given a written asthma action plan. Among those with poorly controlled asthma, only 82% were on an inhaled controller in the last 12 months and 67% were reviewed regularly. Conclusion: Asthma care remains suboptimal and a quality improvement programme in asthma care is needed. Funding: NIHR RESPIRE Global Health Research Unit and is written on behalf of the RESPIRE collaborators.