Rahana Rahman

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia | ukm · Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Introduction The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused a global pandemic that resulted in devastating health, economic and social disruption. Pregnant mothers are susceptible to COVID-19 complications due to physiological and immunity changes in pregnancy. We aimed to assess the maternal vaccine acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine. Methods A m...

Anemia in pregnancy is a public health concern. It has been diagnosed in 27% of pregnant women in Malaysia and up to 40% of pregnant women globally. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention initiative based on the health belief model. The MyPinkMom program was disseminated through a mobile messaging application...

The disruptive potentials of drones are rapidly growing including for the delivery of blood samples in healthcare. Maintenance of the quality of blood samples is important to ascertain that the drone is a safe mode of transportation, particularly during emergencies and in critical cases. The influence of the drone carriage material on blood samples...

Cervical cancer (CC) screening can detect the cancer early but is underutilized, especially among the developing countries and low- to middle-income countries. Electronic health (e-health) has the potential for disseminating health education and is widely used in the developed countries. This systematic literature review investigates the effectiven...

Negative childbirth experience may cause adverse psychological effects in postpartum mothers. The Childbirth Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) is a multidimensional tool designed to assess women's perceptions of labour and birth. We aim to validate the Malay version of the CEQ (CEQ-My) and evaluate its psychometric properties. The previously published...

Pap smear screening can detect cervical cancer early, but is underutilized. Motivational factors play a role in ensuring that women undergo Pap smear screening. This study was conducted to validate the adapted instrument, which was based on the protection motivation theory (PMT), into the Malay language to evaluate the motivational factors for Pap...

Anemia in pregnancy is defined as a hemoglobin level of <11 g/dl, and is commonly due to iron deficiency. This systematic review was conducted to determine the prevalence and risk factors of anemia and iron deficiency among pregnant women in Malaysia. A systematic literature search was conducted in Google Scholar, PubMed, and Cochrane Library datab...

Background: Preeclampsia significantly contributes to maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. It is imperative to identify women at risk of developing preeclampsia in the effort to prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes through early intervention. Soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and placental growth factor (PlGF) level changes are...

The pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia involves two major pathways, namely systemic oxidative stress and subsequent generalised inflammatory response, which eventually culminates in endothelial cell injury and the syndrome of pre-eclampsia with multi-organ dysfunction. Aspirin has been used to reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia, but it only possesses a...

Background The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread at an accelerated rate. WHO reported that in the general population, the majority are either asymptomatic or mildly infected. In view of the high risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from a pregnant woman to her newborn, healthcare workers and other patients, it is a raised concern whether univers...

Background: COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in nationwide lockdown as a disease control measure. Potential harm to self and baby due to COVID-19 infection as well as uncertainties about delivery are among contributors to maternal anxiety. We aimed to assess the prevalence of psychological distress among pregnant women during the Malaysian Movement C...

Background Medical transportation is an essential step in health care services, and includes ground, air and water transportation. Among the important uses of medical transportation is the delivery of blood products in the event of a clinical emergency. Drone technology is the latest technological advancement that may revolutionize medical transpor...

Introduction: The vast advancement of technology and breakthrough in high-tech disciplines created multiple areas of research activities, including the emergence of the medical drone. Malaysia, a rapidly developing country in Southeast Asia is on track to achieving high-income status. However, the stagnant growth of Malaysian maternal healthcare d...

Background The risks of insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus are elevated in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. The use of glucocorticoid and anti-double stranded DNA antibodies positive are among the factors reported to be associated with the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in SLE patients. However, the relationship betwe...

Pregnant women are susceptible to COVID-19 complications due to gestation-related physiological changes. We aimed to evaluate the level of maternal knowledge, perception, and practice during the pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted during the Malaysian Movement Control Order (MCO) between April and June 2020. A self-administered electron...

Background Spontaneous preterm birth is a global issue that contributed to perinatal morbidities and mortalities worldwide. The study aimed to describe the experience at UKM Medical Center in managing women at high risk for spontaneous preterm birth using the Arabin pessary. Methods This is a retrospective observational study involving 58 pregnanc...

Objective To determine pregnancy outcomes in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who were treated with hydroxychloroquine in a tertiary center. Methods A retrospective study involving pregnant women with SLE who had antenatal follow-up and delivery in between 1 January 2007 and 1 January 2017. All participants were retrospectively enrolle...

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with maternal and neonatal complications. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between the abnormalities of the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and adverse pregnancy outcomes. This was a retrospective study of GDM patients over a five-year period in a Malaysian tertiary center. The diagnosis of...

Introduction: Medical products transportation has become an important research topic requiring multidisciplinary collaboration among experts in medicine, engineering, and health economics. Current modes of transportation are unable to overcome the limited settings in maternal healthcare, particularly during the event of obstetric emergencies. The...

Background Despite the improvement in the live birth rate among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), they are still at an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs). Objective To determine the prevalence and factors associated with APOs in the multi-ethnic SLE populations in Malaysia. Methodology: This was a retrospective rev...

Background To evaluate the safety of Foley catheter cervical ripening and patients’ satisfaction in outpatient versus inpatient setting. Methods Sixty low risk women were randomized to outpatient (n = 25) and inpatient (n = 35) cervical ripening using Foley catheter. In both groups Foley catheter with 60 ml balloon was digitally inserted through t...

Information on the role of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in preventing adverse pregnancy/neonatal outcomes is limited in Malaysia. This study aims to determine the relationship between the level of maternal 25(OH)D in the first trimester of pregnant women and their pregnancy/neonatal outcomes. A total of 60 pregnant women in the first trimester wer...

Background: Methotrexate (MTX), which is the anchor drug in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), targets actively proliferating cells including the oocytes and granulosa cells which may impair the ovarian reserve. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of MTX therapy on gonadotropic hormones, i.e. follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) and lut...

In preeclampsia, widespread maternal endothelial dysfunction is often secondary to excessive generation of placental-derived anti-angiogenic factors, including soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and soluble endoglin (sEng), along with proinflammatory cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and activin A, understanding of which o...

Intramyometrial ectopic pregnancy (IMEP) is a rare form of ectopic pregnancy. It is defined as a conceptus implanted within the myometrium and is completely surrounded by myometrium with clear separation from both the uterine cavity and tubes. IMEP possesses not only diagnostic but also therapeutic challenge. The majority of reported cases were man...

Medical products transportation has become an important research topic requiring multidisciplinary collaboration among experts in medicine, engineering and health economics. Current modes of transportation are unable to overcome the limited settings in the event of obstetric emergencies. The drone is an immensely promising medical products aerial t...

Flare of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) may occur during pregnancy and puerperium. We studied the prevalence and factors associated with SLE relapse during pregnancy and post-partum period in a multi-ethnic SLE cohort. Consecutive SLE patients who attended the outpatient clinic were reviewed for previous history of pregnancies in our institutio...

Background Pregnancy in SLE patients is closely associated with the usage of hydroxychloroquine [1]. Objectives To determine pregnancy outcomes in women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus who were treated with hydroxychloroquine in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre. Methods Pregnant women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus who had anten...

Introduction: The maternal endothelial dysfunction characteristic of preeclampsia arises, in part, from excessive placental production of anti-angiogenic factors, including soluble Flt-1, soluble endoglin and activin A, inducing oxidative stress. We assessed whether the antioxidant and NRF2-activator sulforaphane could mitigate endothelial and tro...

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency (circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D level <50 nmol/L) is a major health problem especially among pregnant women because it can affect the health of both mother and foetus. This problem is prevalent even among pregnant women living in tropical countries despite the abundance of sunlight. Aim: This study aimed to deter...

Introduction Maternal endothelial dysfunction underlying preeclampsia arises from excessive placental release of anti-angiogenic factors, such as soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt1), soluble endoglin (sEng) and activin A. Resveratrol, an activator of the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) transcription factor, mediates the ge...

Tuberculosis (TB) remained as one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide despite an overall decline in its incidence rate globally. Extrapulmonary TB is uncommon and only accounts for 10–20% of overall TB disease burden. Abdominopelvic TB is the sixth most common location of extrapulmonary TB. The symptoms and signs are often insidious and nonspec...

In this review we discuss the potential use of antimalarial drugs as an adjuvant therapy for preeclampsia, focusing on the mechanisms of action of this class of drugs in the context of preeclampsia. In particular, hydroxychloroquine has been shown to have various beneficial effects on patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. There are several pa...

Objective: Maternal vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy has been linked to impaired neurocognitive development in childhood. The mechanism by which vitamin D affects childhood neurocognition is unclear but may be via interactions with serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in fetal brain development. In this study we aimed to explore association...

Hydroxychloroquine is an anti-malarial drug which, due to its anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, is widely used for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. In a model of systemic lupus erythematosus hydroxychloroquine has been shown to exert protective endothelial effects. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether hydroxychloroquine...

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a common pregnancy complication that affects up to 5% of pregnancies worldwide. Recent studies demonstrate that Vitamin D deficiency is implicated in reduced fetal growth, which may be rescued by supplementation of Vitamin D. Despite this, the pathway(s) by which Vitamin D modulate fetal growth remains to be invest...

Pre-eclampsia remains a major cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Despite intensive research over the last 50 years, significant therapeutic advances have yet to be realised. We recently reported on the role of activin A in the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia, whereby a pre-eclampsia-like disease state was induced in pregnant mice...

An accurate diagnosis for toxoplasmosis is crucial for pregnant women as this infection may lead to severe sequelae in the fetus. The value of IgG avidity assay as a tool to determine acute and chronic toxoplasmosis during pregnancy was evaluated in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC). In this study, 281 serum samples from 281 pre...

Reduced fetal movement is a worrisome common complaint, not only for mothers but also for the attending medical personnel. The aim of this study was to analyse the pregnancy outcomes of women who presented primarily with reduced fetal movements (RFM). A retrospective study was performed based on patients' perception alone. Obstetric, past medical h...

To evaluate the prevalence of obstetrical anal sphincter injuries (OASIS), which include third and fourth degree perineal tears in primigravida in routine versus selective mediolateral episiotomy. Secondly, to determine the rate of episiotomy in local settings. This randomized control trial was carried out in the labor ward of a tertiary hospital o...

Worldwide maternal mortality rate had reduced tremendously including Malaysia. At the 2000 Millenium Summit, eight Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) were established with target for the year 2015. Three years remained until the dateline to achieve MDG5, which comprised of two targets and one being reducing the maternal mortality ratio by 75%. This...

The incidence of a coexistent normal fetus is quoted in literature as 1 in 22,000 to 100,000 pregnancies and may be associated with multiple complications including persistent trophoblastic neoplasia. A 35-year-old woman with a complete mole and a coexistent normal fetus presented with multiple complications but was successfully managed until 30 we...

Pheochromocytoma during pregnancy is potentially disastrous to the mother and fetus. Its ambiguous presentation is often mistaken for pre-eclampsia, although it may imitate other problems during pregnancy. Early diagnosis and timely, appropriate management reduces possible maternal and fetal complications. We identified a case of pheochromocytoma d...

Pheochromocytoma during pregnancy is potentially disastrous to the mother and fetus. Its ambiguous presentation is often mistaken for pre-eclampsia, although it may imitate other problems during pregnancy. Early diagnosis and timely, appropriate management reduces possible maternal and fetal complications. We identifed a case of pheochromocytoma du...

Outcome in patients with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is variable. Recovery of left ventricular function is observed in between 23% and 51% of cases at six months after diagnosis. Despite standard medical therapy, both morbidity and mortality remain high. Recent evidence has suggested that dopamine-receptor agonists may be beneficial in the tre...

This study evaluated the effect of human semen cryopreservation using an ultra-low temperature technique with a mechanical freezer at -85°C as an alternative method to the conventional liquid nitrogen technique at -196°C. This was a prospective experimental study conducted in the Medically Assisted Conception unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gyna...