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INTRODUCTION: The Risk Perception Survey on Developing Diabetes questionnaire identifies how women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) perceived the risk of developing diabetes after their pregnancy has ended. The objective of this study was to translate and validate an English questionnaire into Malay. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2019 to July 2019 among 200 women with GDM who attended public health clinics in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The original author of the questionnaire granted us permission to use for this study. The translation of the questionnaire, content, and face validation was performed. It was followed by confirmatory factor analysis using R version 3.5.3 and item analysis for the knowledge domain. The composite reliability and internal consistency reliability using Cronbach alpha were also computed. RESULTS: The Malay version consists of 20 items in five domains; personal control (2 items), optimistic bias (2 items), knowledge of diabetes risk factors (11 items), benefits and barriers of preventive behaviour (3 items), and risk perception (2 items). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the structure of the model. The goodness-of-fit values were adequate [comparative fit index=0.994, Tucker-Lewis Index=0.990, standardized root mean square residual=0.038, root mean square of approximation=0.021 (90% CI: 0.000,0.064)]. The four domains had composite reliability values between 0.60 and 0.88. The Cronbach alpha value for knowledge of diabetes risk factors domain was 0.843. CONCLUSION: The translated Malay questionnaire is valid and reliable to assess the perception of women with GDM towards their future risk of getting diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizencephaly is a very rare congenital birth defect. It is characterized by a cortical brain malformation that manifests as a grey-matter-lined cleft extending from the ependyma to the pia mater. It is a rare condition, and few cases have been reported in the literature. The exact cause is unknown. Herein, we report a case of an infant presenting with left side hemiparesis. The CT scan of her brain revealed right fronto-temporal and left parieto-temporal open-lip schizencephaly; thus, urgent referral to a pediatric neurologist was made for early intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The association of myasthenia gravis (MG) with other autoimmune diseases including autoimmune thyroid disease (ATD) is well recognised, although rare. The occurrence of both diseases can occur in two ways: either disease preceding the other, or concurrently. The presentation of MG in association with ATD can range from ocular to generalised disease. Case Summary: A 26-year-old Malay female with persistent hyperthyroidism secondary to Hashimoto's thyroiditis in multinodular goitre was diagnosed with generalised MG after 2 years. She presented with right eye ptosis (ocular) and difficulty in swallowing and chewing (bulbar). The diagnosis of MG was confirmed by fatigability testing, electromyography and the presence of AChR antibodies. Her symptoms showed improvement with pyridostigmine (Mestinon) 60 mg 6-hourly. Her antithyroid drug was tapered down according to her thyroid function test. Throughout a year of follow-ups, her hyperthyroidism and fatigability symptoms improved with treatment. She was later counselled for total thyroidectomy and thymectomy. Conclusion: Myasthenia gravis and hyperthyroidism may present with similar symptoms such as dysphagia due to neuromuscular weakness or fatigue. When the diseases occur together, one of the diagnoses may be missed. Therefore, the occurrence of new symptoms in a patient with underlying ATD should should trigger the early identification of other autoimmune diseases by primary care doctors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies are inherited red blood cell disorders found worldwide. Hemoglobin (Hb) E disorder is one of the hemoglobinopathies known to have the high prevalence in South East Asia. Most of transfusion-dependent thalassemias were genotypically compound heterozygous Hb E/ β-thalassemia. In Malaysia, the national screening program for thalassemia was implemented for early pregnancy or secondary school girls; however many participants do not turn-up and missed the screening test. Screening for thalassemia using samples from cord blood is an alternative choice as it is a readily available source of blood and hence early detection of the disease. The purpose of this study was to determine the potential use of cord blood for the screening of HbE hemoglobinopathy by using capillary electrophoresis (CE)., Methods: Cord blood samples were collected from 300 newborns of healthy mothers. Hematological parameters were determined and hemoglobin quantitation for all cord blood samples were performed using capillary electrophoresis system (CES) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)., Results: Majority of cord blood samples (63%) revealed Hb AF followed by Hb AFA2 (20%). Hb AFE was detected in 10.7% with the mean value of Hb E ranging from 2.3%-11.1%., Conclusion: Hemoglobin E was detected in cord blood using capillary electrophoresis system. It can be recommended in areas where Hb E/β is prevalent. Implementation of a screening strategy using CE on cord blood sampling will identify the disease early. With regular follow-up on these patients, the status of their disease can be determined earlier and appropriate management implemented.