MyMedR

Fulltext Field trials on the management of scabies in Jengka Triangle, Pahang

Kaur GA, Nadeswary K

Med J Malaysia, 1980 Sep;35(1):14-21.

A study was carried out in theJengka Triangle in Pahang to find out the prevalence and a practical cum effective method of treatment and control of scabies. Scabies was the commonest skin lesion among the 5590 people examined. its prevalence being 11.6%. Both sexes were equally affected. Prevalence was high among children and teenagers, the worst affected being the 10 to 14. 2 to 4, 15 to 19 and 5 to 9 year olds. The problem of scabies in Jengka could be due to inadequate and irregular water supply, plus lack of mothers' supervision of the personal hygiene of their children aged > 2 years. The persistence of scabies since 1976 is very likely due to the people's non-compliance with standing instructions on treatment with Benzyl benzoate emulsion A comparative study of treatment of scabies with Gamma Benzene Hexachloride [GBH] and with Benzyl benzoate emulsion [BBE] showed GBH to be the medication of choice. It was more effective and convenient, giving 97.9% cure rate with one application. A hot bath was not necessary. The patients preferred GBH to BBE since it was painless and without side-effects. The cost of treatment with GBH [1 application] was also much less than that with BBE [2 applications]. Only 28.7% of the cases and contacts complied with instructions to do 2nd application of the medication on their own, making it imperative that application be done by the health Staff or under their direct supervision. The majority [87.2%] complied with instructions to place their used clothes in large polythene bags and air these in the sun for two days. This procedure should replace the instructions to boil personal clothes as it is just as effective. yet more convenient and economical. A regular, biannual screening of all kindergarten and primary school children is recommended. Application of GBH to all scabies cases and all close contacts should be done by the health worker. The whole body from neck to soles of feet should have the application, and the people should be instructed to bathe only after 24 hours. They are to go to the nearest clinic or hospital on the 7th day for second application of GBH, if the itchness or lesions persist or reappear. Such supervised medication is possible and will minimise misuse of GBH.

Angiosarcoma of the breast complicating pregnancy

Kaur G

Malays J Pathol, 1998 Jun;20(1):41-4.

PMID: 10879263

A 32-year-old pregnant lady presented with a rapidly enlarging right breast mass. A fine needle aspiration was suggestive of a malignant phylloides tumour. However histopathological examination after mastectomy revealed a moderately differentiated angiosarcoma. The histopathological and cytological features of this rare tumour together with the diagnostic pitfalls are discussed.

Fulltext Hepatoblastoma in a low birth weight infant : a case report and review of the literature

Kaur G, Mutum SS

Malays J Med Sci, 2001 Jan;8(1):69-72.

PMID: 22973160

Hepatoblastoma is the most common primary liver tumour of childhood. This is a case report of a one-year-old boy who presented with a one-month history of progressive abdominal distension and weight loss. He was cachexic, anaemic, had gross hepatomegaly and ascites. He had been born prematurely with a birth weight of 1.23 kg, and his developmental milestones were delayed. Ultrasound and CT scan demonstrated a large solid tumour in the left lobe of the liver with a smaller superficial nodule in the right lobe. Serum alpha fetoprotein was significantly raised. A left lobe hepatectomy and complete excision of the right sided nodule was performed. There was no evidence of metastatic disease. Histopathological examination confirmed hepatoblastoma of the fetal type. The patient developed features of intestinal obstruction a few days after surgery and he succumbed ten days after re-laparotomy. The clinical presentation and investigation results in this case are characteristic. Recent reports have suggested a strong relationship between very low birth weight (< 1500gm)/prematurity and hepatoblastoma as is present in this case. Surgery is the mainstay of therapy in hepatoblastoma. A brief review of the literature on this tumour is presented.

Fulltext Preliminary study suggests low incidence of gastric carcinoma in kelantan relates to low rate of helicobacter pylori infection

Kaur G, Raj SM

Malays J Med Sci, 2001 Jan;8(1):31-3.

PMID: 22973153 MyJurnal

Helicobacter pylori-associated gastric carcinoma is generally more common in the antrum/body and is of the intestinal type. The aim of this study was to determine the pattern of gastric carcinoma in an area known to have a low prevalence of H. pylori. Pathology records of gastric carcinoma diagnosed at Hospital University Sains Malaysia between 1995 and 1999 were retrieved and studied. There were a total of 23 cases. The median age was 60 years. Eighteen patients were Malay and 5 were Chinese. The most common location of the tumour was the cardia/gastrooesophageal junction (61%, 14/23 patients). The majority was of the intestinal type (69.6%, 16/23). The frequency of gastric carcinoma appears to be exceptionally low in the area of study. The Chinese population was over-represented. The higher frequency of tumour in the cardia/gastro-oesophageal junction as compared to the antrum and body is in sharp contrast to most other studies. This reaffirms the notion that Helicobacter pylori infection is a causative agent for non-cardia gastric carcinomas.

Fulltext A study of the concordance between endoscopic gastritis and histological gastritis in an area with a low background prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection

Kaur G, Raj SM

Singapore Med J, 2002 Feb;43(2):090-2.

PMID: 11993896

The concordance between endoscopic and histological gastritis was determined in 52 patients referred for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The study was conducted in Northeastern Peninsular Malaysia, an area with a low background prevalence of H. pylori infection. Endoscopic and histological gastritis were assessed in accordance with the Sydney System. The results showed poor concordance between endoscopic and histological gastritis even after reclassifying mild endoscopic gastritis as normal. The low prevalence of H. pylori was validated in this study.

Trichuriasis: localized inflammatory responses in the colon

Kaur G, Raj SM, Naing NN

Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 2002 Jun;33(2):224-8.

PMID: 12236416

Most patients with trichuriasis have light worm burdens. Data regarding the inflammatory response to Trichuris worms in the colon of lightly infected persons are scant. Nine patients whose Trichuris infection was found by colonoscopy had biopsies taken from a site adjacent to visible worms and from a second site some 20 cm distally. The biopsies were studied by routine and immunohistochemical methods. None of the biopsies showed mucosal ulceration, significant congestion, fibrosis, gland distortion or goblet cell mucin depletion. There was no difference between worm and worm-free sites in terms of edema, lymphoid follicles or epithelial slough. Worm sites had higher numbers of eosinophils, neutrophils and total inflammatory cells and lower numbers of plasma cells. However there was no difference in lymphocyte, mast cell, and B- and T-cell counts between the two sites. This suggests that the T. trichiura worm incites a local inflammatory response involving eosinophils and neutrophils, even when the colon has only a light burden of worms.

A preliminary evaluation of the efficacy and safety of Cogent db (an ayurvedic drug) in the glycemic control of patients with type 2-diabetes

Shekhar KC, Achike FI, Kaur G, Kumar P, Hashim R

J Altern Complement Med, 2002 Aug;8(4):445-57.

PMID: 12230905

A nonrandomized, non-placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of Cogent db (an herbal preparation; Cybele Herbal Laboratories [PVT] Ltd. Kochi, Kerala State, India) as an adjuvant in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes was carried out during a 3-month period.

Fulltext Prevalence and ethnic distribution of helicobacter pylori infection among endoscoped patients in north eastern peninsular malaysia

Kaur G, Naing NN

Malays J Med Sci, 2003 Jul;10(2):66-70.

PMID: 23386799 MyJurnal

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and ethnic distribution of Helicobacter pylori infection in an endoscoped population in North Eastern Peninsular Malaysia.

Fulltext Mucinous adenocarcinoma of the renal pelvis associated with lithiasis and chronic gout

Kaur G, Naik VR, Rahman MNG

Singapore Med J, 2004 Mar;45(3):125-6.

PMID: 15029415

Diffusely-infiltrating mucinous adenocarcinoma of the renal pelvis associated with lithiasis and chronic gout is reported in a 61-year-old Malay man. The patient underwent left nephrectomy and vesiculo-lithotomy. This tumour is postulated to arise in response to chronic irritation of the urothelium.

Rapid diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection in gastric imprint smears

Kaur G, Madhavan M, Basri AH, Sain AH, Hussain MS, Yatiban MK, et al.

Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 2004 Sep;35(3):676-80.

PMID: 15689086

The objective of this study was to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive (PPV), and negative predictive values (NPV) of Diff-Quik-stained gastric imprint cytology smears in the detection of H. pylori compared with histology. Air-dried imprint smears of gastric biopsies from 150 patients were stained by the Diff-Quik method in the endoscopy suite and examined for H. pylori, providing results within minutes. The presence of inflammation and intestinal metaplasia were documented. The same biopsy was processed and stained with H&E and Warthin-Starry stains, and reviewed by a different pathologist blind to the imprint cytology results. Ninety-four of the 150 patients were male with a mean age of 50 years. Based on histology, the H. pylori prevalence was very low at 8%. The sensitivity and specificity of imprint cytology in the detection of H. pylori were 83.3% and 100%, respectively. The PPV and NPV were 100% and 98.6%, respectively. There were two false negatives and no false positives. A combination of imprint cytology and histology achieved 100% sensitivity. Imprint smears did not provide added value over histology with regards to inflammation and metaplasia. Gastric imprint smears stained with Diff-Quik method is a rapid, cheap, and reliable method for the detection of H. pylori and have their best results when complemented with histology.

Giant nerve sheath tumour: report of six cases

Ghani AR, Ariff AR, Romzi AR, Sayuthi S, Hasnan J, Kaur G, et al.

Clin Neurol Neurosurg, 2005 Jun;107(4):318-24.

PMID: 15885392

Giant nerve sheath tumour is a rare tumour originating from the nerve sheath. It differs from the conventional nerve sheath tumour only by the size these tumours can reach. There are two main type of tumours that occur in the nerve sheath which include neurofibroma and schwannoma. The current views are that schwannomas arise from the progenitor of the schwann cell. Whereas the neurofibroma series probably arise from a mesenchymal origin closer to a fibroblast. We report on six cases of nerve sheath tumour that occur in the spinal and paraspinal region that presented to us over a 5 year period.

Metastatic mucinous carcinoma of the eyelid

Kaur G, Ismail R, Harun H

Malays J Pathol, 2005 Dec;27(2):117-8.

PMID: 17191395

Metastatic eyelid tumours are rare and account for less than 2% of all eyelid neoplasms. We report a case of metastatic breast carcinoma to the eyelid in a 60-year-old Chinese lady presenting with a 2-year history of enlarging, painless nodular lower eyelid swelling. The 1 cm diameter lesion was provisionally diagnosed as a sebaceous cyst. However the excision biopsy revealed a mucinous carcinoma expressing oestrogen receptor protein. She had a past history of mastectomy one year previously and histology showed an infiltrating ductal carcinoma (oestrogen receptor status negative) without evidence of axillary lymph node metastasis. She had completed adjuvant radio- and chemotherapy. Further treatment of the current lesion involved a wide excision which did not show any residual malignancy. She had no other evidence of metastasis and was treated with letrozol. We highlight this case to create awareness among clinicians and opthalmologists on the possibility of metastatic disease as a cause of eyelid swelling, especially in patients with a history of cancer. It may also be the first sign of metastatic disease of an internal malignancy. A review of the literature is also presented.

Detection of Epstein-Barr virus in lower gastrointestinal tract lymphomas: a study in Malaysian patients

Yunos AM, Jaafar H, Idris FM, Kaur G, Mabruk MJ

Mol Diagn Ther, 2006;10(4):251-6.

PMID: 16884329

Many studies in the literature have shown that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with several human lymphoid and epithelial malignancies. However, the prevalence of EBV in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) of the lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract has not been fully elucidated.

Fulltext Hereditary spherocytosis in a malay patient with chronic haemolysis

Sheikh MK, Yusoff NM, Kaur G, Khan FA

Malays J Med Sci, 2007 Jul;14(2):54-7.

PMID: 22993492 MyJurnal

This case report describes a 35-year-old lady who presented with generalized weakness and lethargy of two weeks duration and jaundice of more than 20 years duration. Her initial workup was suggestive of haemolysis and blood film showed a leucoerythoblastic picture with moderate microspherocytes. She was finally diagnosed as a case of hereditary spherocytosis after ruling out other possible causes of chronic haemolysis and supported by an abnormal osmotic fragility test, although family members refused for screening. Hereditory spherocytosis is uncommon in Malay population and presentation with jaundice of 20 years duration with leucoerythroblastic picture on blood film were interesting features in this case. Patient is being followed closely for need of splenectomy in near future as per severity of haemolysis and currently being managed with folic acid supplement.

Myxoid liposarcoma of the breast in a 25-year-old female as a diagnostic pitfall in fine needle aspiration cytology: report of a rare case

Pant I, Kaur G, Joshi SC, Khalid IA

Diagn Cytopathol, 2008 Sep;36(9):674-7.

PMID: 18677756 DOI: 10.1002/dc.20913

Primary sarcomas of the breast are extremely rare comprising less than 1.0% of all malignant tumors of the breast. It is even rarer to be reported in a 25-year-old female. This can cause a diagnostic dilemma not only for the clinician but also for the cytopathologist. A 25-year-old woman presented with a well defined firm, mobile lump in her right breast. With fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and ultrasonography a diagnosis of fibroadenoma was made. The patient underwent lumpectomy. Histopathologically it was diagnosed as myxoid liposarcoma. This case is reported to highlight the fact that, even though rare in young females but the possibility of a breast lump being a myxoid liposarcoma does exist. This report discusses a primary myxoid liposarcoma of female breast, considers cytologic differential diagnoses with review of the relevant literature.

Fulltext S100A4 overexpression proves to be independent marker for breast cancer progression

Ismail NI, Kaur G, Hashim H, Hassan MS

Cancer Cell Int, 2008 Sep 05;8:12.

PMID: 18771601 DOI: 10.1186/1475-2867-8-12

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer and cause of deaths in women around the world. Oncogene amplification usually occurs late in tumor progression and correlates well with aggressiveness of tumor. In fact the function of the S100A4 protein and its role in metastasis is unclear at present. The purpose of the study was to determine the expression of S100A4 protein in the invasion status and metastatic potential of breast cancer by using tissue microarray and to determine its role in breast cancer based on the expression of S100A4 gene product.

METHODS: S100A4 protein expression was examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using commercially available tissue microarray containing malignant and normal breast tissue cores from 216 patients.

RESULTS: S100A4 was absent in normal breast tissues while positive in 45.1% of infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) node negative and 48.8% of infiltrating lobular carcinoma node negative. In paired samples, S100A4 protein was expressed in 13.5% of IDC node positive cases and 35.1% of matched lymph node metastasis.

CONCLUSION: S100A4 protein expression appears widely expressed in early and advanced breast cancer stages compared with normal breast. Our study suggests S100A4 may play a role in breast cancer progression and may prove to be an independent marker of breast cancer which appears to be down regulated in more advanced stages of breast cancer.

Fulltext Nuclear localization and intensity of staining of nm23 protein is useful marker for breast cancer progression

Ismail NI, Kaur G, Hashim H, Hassan MS

Cancer Cell Int, 2008;8:6.

PMID: 18454879 DOI: 10.1186/1475-2867-8-6

Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in the western world. The expression differences of many proteins are associated with breast cancer progression or suppression. The purpose of the study was to determine the expression of nm23 protein in the invasion status and metastatic potential of breast cancer by using tissue microarray and to determine its role in breast cancer based on the expression of nm23 gene product.

Immunohistochemical determination of the P15 protein expression in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Moad AI, Lan TM, Kaur G, Hashim H, Mabruk MJ

J Cutan Pathol, 2009 Feb;36(2):183-9.

PMID: 18564286 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0560.2008.00989.x

The tumor suppressor gene p15(INK4b) is a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, in which its inactivation has been determined in primary tumors and in several tumor-derived cell lines. The precise role of p15(INK4b) protein expression in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is currently not known. In a previous study, we have shown the frequent occurrence of allelic imbalance/loss of heterozygosity in cutaneous SCC using two microsatellite markers flanking the p15(INK4b) gene. This study is a continuation of our previous study and aims to determine the possible role of p15(INK4b) protein expression in the genesis of cutaneous SCC. P15(INK4b) protein expression was determined using immunohistochemical approach in 107 cases of cutaneous SCC tissue arrays and 19 cases of normal human skin tissues. The expression of p15(INK4b) was significantly reduced in the cutaneous SCC cases as compared with normal human skin (p = 0.017 and p < 0.05). However, there were no significant relationship between clinicopathologic variables of the patients (age, sex and tumor grade) and p15(INK4b) protein expression. The absence of p15(INK4b) expression in the majority of tissue microarray cores of cutaneous SCC indicated that p15(INK4b) could possibly be involved in the pathogenesis of cutaneous SCC.

Predictors of malaria among Malaysian aborigines

Kaur G

Asia Pac J Public Health, 2009 Apr;21(2):205-15.

PMID: 19223366 DOI: 10.1177/1010539509331594

The Asia-Pacific region has at least 50% of its population at risk for malaria. In Malaysia, indigenous malaria is largely concentrated among the Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted in an Orang Asli community in the district of Raub, Pahang, to determine the predictors of malaria. Age, seldom/never wearing protective clothing while in the jungle, going out at night, ever staying in another village, and living in bamboo-walled homes were found to be associated with malaria (crude odds ratio = 1.8-4.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1-9.1) After adjusting for confounding, major predictors of malaria were age < or =12 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 4.3;95% CI = 2.2-8.4),), never/seldom wearing protective clothing while in the jungle (aOR = 3.8; 95% CI = 1.8-8.0), and going out at night (aOR = 2.5; 95% CI = 1.4-4.8). The findings lend support for intensifying behaviour modification in this population.

Fulltext Prevalence of clinical malaria among an Orang Asli community in Malaysia

Kaur G

Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 2009 Jul;40(4):665-73.

PMID: 19842399

An epidemiological cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of clinical malaria among the Orang Asli population of Raub, Pahang, Malaysia. The study was conducted on a representative sample of 520 Orang Asli. Malariometric and clinical measurements were taken. The overall parasitemic rate was 24.2% (95% CI 20.7-28.1). Twenty-three point four percent (95% CI 19.5-26.9) of respondents age two years and above were clinically febrile. The prevalence of fever, chills, perspiration and body aches during a one month period prior to the survey among the same group ranged between 4.2% (95% CI 2.7-6.4) and 13.5% (95% CI 10.6-16.7). Children 2-12 years old were more likely to present with fever, and symptoms of malaria than older children. Gender was not significantly associated with fever or any of the other malaria symptoms. Presence of clinical fever and history of malaria symptoms were all strongly associated with current infection. The association was significant even after controlling for age (adjusted OR 2.8-5.1, 95% CI 1.1-8.3). Orang Asli children significantly experienced greater morbidity due to malaria compared to adults. Control and treatment of malaria should focus on children, while further research should explore the effects of malaria morbidity on the quality of life of these children.

Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 89 in total