A number of longitudinal studies on aging have been designed to determine the predictors of healthy longevity, including the neuroprotective factors, however, relatively few studies included a wide range of factors and highlighted the challenges faced during data collection. Thus, the longitudinal study on neuroprotective model for healthy longevity (LRGS TUA) has been designed to prospectively investigate the magnitude of cognitive decline and its risk factors through a comprehensive multidimensional assessment comprising of biophysical health, auditory and visual function, nutrition and dietary pattern and psychosocial aspects. At baseline, subjects were interviewed for their status on sociodemographic, health, neuropsychological test, psychosocial and dietary intake. Subjects were also measured for anthropometric and physical function and fitness. Biospecimens including blood, buccal swap, hair and toenail were collected, processed and stored. A subsample was assessed for sensory function, i.e., vision and auditory. During follow-up, at 18 and 36 months, most of the measurements, along with morbidity and mortality outcomes will be collected. The description of mild cognitive impairment, successful aging and usual aging process is presented here. A total 2322 respondents were recruited in the data analysis at baseline. Most of the respondents were categorized as experiencing usual aging (73 %), followed by successful aging (11 %) and mild cognitive impairment (16 %). The LRGS TUA study is the most comprehensive longitudinal study on aging in Malaysia, and will contribute to the understanding of the aging process and factors associated with healthy aging and mental well-being of a multiethnic population in Malaysia.

Simvastatin added to conventional therapy produces a small and transient early reduction in RV mass and NT-proBNP levels in patients with PAH, but this is not sustained over 12 months.

COVID-19 vaccine protection against infection in immunosuppressed solid organ transplant recipients is unknown but possibly weak with the low proportion of these patients mounting a robust humoral and cellular immune response after vaccination. Using a retrospective cohort study design with cross-over, we assessed vaccine effectiveness among 782 kidney transplant recipients registered at Hamad Medical Corporation, the national public healthcare provider in Qatar, where the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccines have been used in the national immunization campaign. Vaccine effectiveness against any SARS-CoV-2 infection was estimated at 46.6% (95% CI: 0.0-73.7%) ≥14 days after the second dose, 66.0% (95% CI: 21.3-85.3%) ≥42 days after the second dose, and 73.9% (95% CI: 33.0-89.9%) ≥56 days after the second dose. Vaccine effectiveness against any severe, critical, or fatal COVID-19 disease was estimated at 72.3% (95% CI: 0.0-90.9%) ≥14 days after the second dose, 85.0% (95% CI: 35.7-96.5%) ≥42 days after the second dose, and 83.8% (95% CI: 31.3-96.2%) ≥56 days after the second dose. Most vaccine breakthrough infections occurred in the first few weeks after receiving the first and/or second dose. Vaccine effectiveness reached considerable levels in kidney transplant recipients, but vaccine protection mounted slowly and did not reach a high level until several weeks after the second dose.

This study will be a stepping stone for future researchers to develop intervention strategies to prevent cognitive decline.

Background: Mortality indicators are essential for monitoring population health. Although Malaysia has a functional death registration system, the quality of information on causes of death still needs improvement, since approximately 30% of deaths are classified to poorly defined causes. This study was conducted to verify registered causes in a sample of deaths in 2013 and utilise the findings to estimate cause-specific mortality indicators for Malaysia in 2013. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving a nationally representative sample of 14,497 deaths distributed across 19 districts. Registered causes of deaths were verified using standard medical record review protocols for hospital deaths, and locally adapted international standard verbal autopsy procedures for deaths outside hospitals. The findings were used to measure the validity and reliability of the registration data, as well as to establish plausible cause-specific mortality fractions for hospital and non-hospital deaths, which were subsequently used as the basis for estimating national cause-specific mortality indicators. Results: The overall response rate for the study was 67%. Verified causes of 5041 hospital deaths and 3724 deaths outside hospitals were used to derive national mortality estimates for 2013 by age, sex and cause. The study was able to reclassify most of the ill-defined deaths to a specific cause. The leading causes of deaths for males were Ischaemic Heart Disease (15.4%), Cerebrovascular diseases (13.7%), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (8.5%) and Road Traffic Accident (8.0%). Among females, the leading causes were Cerebrovascular diseases (18.3%), Ischaemic Heart Disease (12.7%), Lower Respiratory Infections (11.5%) and Diabetes Mellitus (7.2%). Conclusions: Investigation of registered causes of death using verbal autopsy and medical record review yielded adequate information to enable estimation of cause-specific mortality indicators in Malaysia. Strengthening the national mortality statistics system must be made a priority as it is a core data source for policy and evaluation of the public health and healthcare sectors in Malaysia.