A retrospective data of 29 patients who underwent various types of maxillectomy from January 1998 till January 2004 in UKM hospital were reviewed. There were 21 males (72%) and 8 females (28%) with mean age of 42 years. Malays were the majority of patients 17 (59%), Chinese 11 (38%) and Indian 1 (3%). Seventeen patients (59%) presented with malignant tumours while 12 patients (41%) with benign tumours. Inverted papilloma (50%) was the commonest benign tumour and squamous cell carcinoma (36%) was the commonest malignancy. Medial maxillectomy was performed in ten patients (35%), total maxillectomy in seven patients (24%), three patients (10%) had near total, three patients (10%) had partial maxillectomy and six patients (21%) underwent inferior maxillectomy.
Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is one of the most serious complications after an acute ischaemic stroke and may affect stroke outcome. We identified predictors and the eventual outcome of gastrointestinal bleeding during the in-patient period following the commencement of aspirin. This was a study of patients with acute ischaemic stroke admitted to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital from June 2000 to January 2001. A single observer, using predefined diagnostic criteria recorded information on demography, risk factors and GI bleeding that occurred during the inpatient period. One hundred and fifteen patients with acute ischaemic stroke were enrolled in the study. Gastrointestinal bleeding was observed in 6 (5.2%) patients. Using univariate analysis, the independent predictors of gastrointestinal bleeding were age (OR 1.25; 95% CI 1.07 to 1.50), and middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory infarcts (OR 9.47; 95% CI 1.62 to 55.5). Using multivariate analysis, the presence of gastrointestinal bleeding increased mortality (OR 24.97; 95% CI 1.97 to 316.91). Older age, and large MCA infarct predict the development gastrointestinal bleeding. Stroke mortality was independently predicted by gastrointestinal bleeding. Prophylactic treatment in elderly patients with large cerebral infarcts may be an area for further investigation.
Dengue fever is major public health problem especially among the highly urbanized states of Malaysia, such as, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory. We report an epidemiological cluster pattern of dengue outbreak in the district of Gombak, Selangor that may mimic other acute febrile illnesses in which the transmission mode is via close contact. This dengue outbreak consisted of two waves; an initial cluster of three cases (including the first deceased, JI) which occurred between 20th and 21st of July, followed by a later larger cluster of 11 cases that occurred between 1st and 8th of August 2005. This epidemiological clustering pattern of acute dengue virus infection among close contacts suggests an intense rate of dengue virus transmission within the vicinity of the first deceased's house.
An outbreak of rubella occurred amongst 303 newly recruited residential Form IV students in a military vocational training school in Malaysia. Of the 303 Form IV students, 77 gave a history of acute illness. Rubella specific IgM was detected in the sera of 46.5% (141/303) whereas rubella specific IgG was detected in 100% of all Form IV students. Sixty five students with no clinical history of acute illness during the outbreak period had detectable rubella IgM in their sera and rubella specific IgM was detected in the sera of all symptomatic students except one. Maculopapular rash was the commonest presenting clinical feature among students with acute rubella infection in this outbreak (97.4%) followed by fever (88.2%). The duration of rash ranged from one to nine days with a mean of 4.6 days. Of the 65 students that had both fever and rash, 56 (85.2%) students had maculopapular skin eruption on the same day as the date of onset of fever, six (9.2%) developed the rash a day after the onset of fever and three (4.6%) had the rash after two days of fever. The duration of fever ranged from one to eight days with a mean of 3.5 days. The duration of conjunctivitis ranged from one to four days with a mean of 2.3 days, and all those who developed conjunctivitis had mild eye-discharge without photophobia. The duration of arthralgia ranged from one to three days with a mean of 2.1 days. The commonest type of joints affected was knee joints (66.7%, 12/18), followed by elbow and shoulder joints (27.8%, 5/18) and wrist joints (5.6%, 1/18). A good clinical history of the temporal relationship between the occurrence of rash and fever during the outbreak could easily differentiate rubella illness from that of measles.
Autoantibodies to survivin have been reported in lung cancers and in gastrointestinal cancers. A few reports have also described a low prevalence of autoantibodies to survivin and at low titres in the sera of breast cancer patients with no implications for their clinical usefulness. This study was designed to re-examine the prevalence and the clinical correlations of autoantibodies to the tumour protein survivin, in the sera of patients with infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast using an ELISA assay. In spite of the low prevalence of autoantibodies to survivin (7%, n = 57), their presence was associated with grade III tumours, with tumour sizes exceeding 10cm, with axillary lymph nodal involvement and with metastases. Moreover, all the autoantibody-positive cases were estrogen and progesterone receptors negative. Furthermore, all the autoantibody-positive cases expressed survivin with high scores.
Ultrasonographic cervical length assessment is increasingly being utilized clinically to identify women at risk for spontaneous preterm delivery. In a randomised prospective longitudinal study involving 200 women, we measured cervical length and internal os diameter by transvaginal scan at 20 - 24 weeks and analysed their ability to predict preterm birth. The risk of spontaneous preterm delivery increased steeply as cervical length decreased. At cut off value of < or = 2.5cm, the cervical length measurements had sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 77%, 95%, 56% and 98% respectively. However, internal os diameter lacked sensitivity and specificity. Our data suggests that the duration of pregnancy is directly related to length of the cervix: the shorter the cervix, the greater the chance of preterm delivery.
MeSH terms: Cervix Uteri/ultrasonography*; Female; Hospitals; Humans; India; Obstetric Labor, Premature/diagnosis*; Predictive Value of Tests; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimester, Third; Prospective Studies; Sensitivity and Specificity; Clinical Trial
Pregnancy-related deaths in four published perioperative mortality review reports were analysed. The aim is to look at the quality of surgical and anaesthetic services along with the perioperative care provided. The audit identified shortfalls in the logistic and support services and recommended remedial strategies. The review was conducted by a committee consisting of practising anaesthetists, surgeons and obstetricians who analysed the questionnaires collectively. A consensus was reached to categorise the death. There were 280 pregnancy-related deaths. Post-partum haemorrhage accounted for 31.8%, followed by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (20.0% obstetric embolism (16.1%), sepsis (10.7%) and associated medical conditions (21.4%). In brief, there were comings in preoperative, intra-operative and post-operative care in some of the cases. Increased consultant input, clinical audit, improvements in monitoring and expansion of critical care facilities were the integral issues recommended.
Eight patients with pituitary tumors were operated via the transseptal transsphenoidal approach from April to November 2004 at Hospital Ipoh. Seven patients presented with visual disturbances while three also had endocrine abnormalities. The post-operative follow-up period was between six months to a year. There was no mortality in this series. There were no complications related to the approach i.e. nasal or septal related. All patients with visual impairment showed improvement. Only one patient had hormonal irregularities. The endoscopic assisted transseptal approach to the sphenoid sinus for pituitary surgery was found to be easy and without sinonasal or labial complications often found with the sublabial approach.
We assessed the effectiveness of an educational intervention in reducing antibiotic prescribing in public primary care clinics in Malaysia. Twenty-nine medical officers in nine clinics received an educational intervention consisting of academic detailing from the resident Family Medicine Specialist, as well as an information leaflet. The antibiotic prescribing rates were assessed for six months - three months before and three months after the intervention. A total of 28,562 prescriptions were analyzed. Among participating doctors, general antibiotic prescribing rates for pre- and post-intervention phases were 14.3% and 11.0% (post-intervention vs pre-intervention RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.83). The URTI-specific antibiotic prescribing rates for pre- and post-intervention phases were 27.7% and 16.6%, respectively (post-intervention vs pre-intervention RR 0.60, 95% CI 0.54 to 0.66). No significant change in antibiotic prescribing rates was observed among primary care practitioners who did not participate in the study. This low cost educational intervention using both active and passive strategies focusing on URTI produced a statistically significant (and clinically important) reduction in antibiotic prescribing.
Study site: Klinik Kesihatan, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
MeSH terms: Ambulatory Care Facilities; Anti-Bacterial Agents/administration & dosage*; Education, Medical, Continuing/methods*; Humans; Malaysia; Physicians, Family/education*; Drug Prescriptions*; Primary Health Care; Respiratory Tract Infections/drug therapy; Clinical Trial; Information Dissemination/methods
There are contradictory results regarding the pattern of seasonal variation of serum lipids. The aim of this study was to compare serum lipid levels in different seasons in participants of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. This was a cross-sectional study among 2890 men and 4004 women 20-64 years old from the participants of Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) between 1999 and 2001. Mean values of serum lipids in different seasons were compared with Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) after adjustment for age, physical activity level, smoking, BMI and Waist-to-hip ratio. In men, there was a significant trend for change in the values of cholesterol, LDL-C and HDL-C in different seasons, with higher cholesterol and LDL-C values in winter than in summer (P < 0.05). In women, only the mean values of triglycerides were significantly different between different seasons with values lower in winter than in summer. There was a 26.2% relative increase in the prevalence of hypercholesterolemia (> or = 240 mg/dl) in winter than in summer in men. The corresponding increase in the prevalence of high LDL-C (> or = 160 mg/dl) was 26.7% and 24.9% in men and women, respectively (P < 0.05). The prevalence of high triglycerides (> or = _ 200mg/dl) in women significantly decreased (23.8%) in winter relative to summer (P < 0.001). This study showed that there is seasonal variability in serum lipid values and this variability is greater in men than women. The increase in the prevalence of high LDL in winter in both sexes must be considered in population screening and in the follow-up of hyperlipidemic patients.
Aseptic non-union is a major problem following complicated fracture tibia, which carries significant morbidity and prolonged course of treatment. Plate fixation and autogenous bone grafting has been established as a method of treatment. However the risk of infection, implant failure and donor site morbidity are high. We reviewed twelve consecutive cases of established non-union tibia treated by closed reamed interlocking nail in our centre. All patients had clinical and radiological union at three months. Three patients were complicated with infection and one required removal of implant and re-reaming to eradicate infection. Reamed interlocking nailing is an alternative treatment for selected non-union of fracture tibia with promising results.
Surgery for pituitary tumours at our institution was performed by rhinosurgical route by combined procedure by otolaryngologist and neurosurgeons. A retrospective review of case records of patients who had endonasal endoscopic transphenoidal approach for pituitary tumours from September 1998 to December 2004 was performed. A total of 81 trans-sphenoidal surgeries were performed during this study period. Only 68 case records with adequate information were available for review, 56 patients were included in the study and 12 were excluded. There were 24 males (42%) and 32 females (58%). The ethnic distribution, were 29 Malays, 24 Chinese, 2 Indian and 1 others. The age ranged from 16 years to 76 years, with a mean of 46 years. The majority of our patients presented with visual symptoms (38), headache (28), menstrual cycle disturbance or impotence (14) and acromegalic features (16). Forty patients had macroadenoma (71%) and 16 had microadenomas (29%). Thirty-six patients out of 40 macro-adenomas had suprasellar extensions (90%). Only eleven patients had lumbar drain inserted prior to commencement of the surgery and the majority of these were macroadenomas. The common complications encountered were diabetes insipidus (4), cerebrospinal fluid leak (2), meningitis (3), epistaxis (2), septal perforation (2), intercavernous sinus haemorrhage (3) and anterior pituitary insufficiency (2). Our study reveals that endonasal trans-sphenoidal approach is a safe and effective method of management of pituitary adenomas.
A retrospective review was performed on 11 patients who had undergone the transcolumellar transsphenoidal hypophysectomy in our center. There were eight females and three males with age ranging from 17 to 72 years (mean 50 years). Ten patients had pituitary macroadenomas and one had suprasellar cyst. The mean follow up duration for these 11 patients post surgery was 7.2 months. Complications included two cerebrospinal leaks, one postoperative sphenopalatine bleed, one septal perforation and one patient developed numbness of the tip of the nose. We found that this approach is a preferred alternative technique especially in smaller Oriental noses with lower complication rate and better aesthetic result.
The pudendal thigh flap or the Singapore flap is a versatile flap that can be used in the repair of recto-vaginal fistulae. Apart from the potential problem of hair growth, this neurovascular flap proves to be surprisingly simple in technique, robust and has a high potential for normal or near-normal function.
Hodgkin's disease (HD) in association with pregnancy is rarely reported. Thus, the data in the management of pregnancy complicated by HD is limited. We report here the management of advanced HD in pregnancy that was treated successfully with chemotherapy.
A 17-year-old, sexually active, single, nulliparous young woman presented to us with one week history suggestive of nephrotic syndrome. She was found to have a benign hydatidiform mole confirmed by histopathological examination after suction and curettage. Renal biopsy revealed focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. The renal pathology was most probably due to molar pregnancy due to the close temporal relationship. To our knowledge, this is the first case of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis associated with a gestation trophoblastic disease described in the literature.
A 20 year-old woman presented with features of a twisted ovarian cyst and had an emergency laparotomy Intraoperative findings revealed bilateral, solid ovarian tumors and a left oophorectomy with biopsy of the contralateral ovary performed. Histopathology report confirmed Burkitt lymphoma of ovary. There was no other evidence of lymphoma elsewhere. The primary Burkitt lymphoma of the ovaries was successfully managed with six courses of highly toxic chemotherapy (Berlin-Frankfurt- Munster 1986 protocol). The patient has remained disease free for the last 36 months.
A 41 year-old Malay man had been treated by general practitioners for bilateral red eyes with profuse discharge of three weeks' duration with no improvement. He then presented to an ophthalmologist who noted profuse purulent discharge, bilateral corneal perforation, lid swelling and chemosis. Culture of the ocular discharge grew Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Treatment with systemic and topical antibiotics prevented microperforations in the right eye from progressing to overt perforation and was able to control disease in the left eye.
MeSH terms: Adult; Case Reports; Conjunctivitis, Bacterial/complications*; Corneal Diseases/etiology*; Gonorrhea/complications*; Hospitals, University; Humans; Malaysia; Malaysia/ethnology; Male
Catheter knotting is a rare complication of bladder catheterisation. Retention of catheter parts resulting in calculus formation is even rarer. We report a case of a vesical calculus formed over a broken and retained supra-pubic catheter which to the best of our knowledge has yet to be reported, along with three other cases of bladder catheter knotting.
Pneumomediastinum and pneumopericardium following blunt chest trauma are rare. Diagnosis is by chest radiograph and CT Scan. They have to be identified and treated accordingly. Usually, pneumomediastinum and pneumopericardium are self-limiting requiring no specific therapy. However, vigilance and a continuous monitoring of the vital signs are necessary.