We aimed to investigate the effects that natural lipids, theobroma oil (TO) and beeswax (BW), might have on the physical properties of formulated nanoparticles and also the degree of expulsion of encapsulated amphotericin B (AmB) from the nanoparticles during storage. Lecithin and sodium cholate were used as emulsifiers whilst oleic acid (OA) was used to study the influence of the state of orderliness/disorderliness within the matrices of the nanoparticles on the degree of AmB expulsion during storage. BW was found to effect larger z-average diameter compared with TO. Lecithin was found to augment the stability of the nanoparticles imparted by BW and TO during storage. An encapsulation efficiency (%EE) of 59% was recorded when TO was the sole lipid as against 42% from BW. In combination however, the %EE dropped to 39%. When used as sole lipid, TO or BW formed nanoparticles with comparatively higher enthalpies, 21.1 and 23.3 J/g respectively, which subsequently caused significantly higher degree of AmB expulsion, 81 and 83% respectively, whilst only 11.8% was expelled from a binary TO/BW mixture. A tertiary TO/BW/OA mixture registered the lowest enthalpy at 8.07 J/g and expelled 12.6% of AmB but encapsulated only 22% of AmB. In conclusion, nanoparticles made from equal concentrations of TO and BW produced the most desirable properties and worthy of further investigations.
Pancytopenia can rarely complicate Grave's disease. It can be due to uncontrolled thyrotoxicosis or as a result of rare side effect of antithyroid medication. Pernicious anemia leading to Vitamin B12 deficiency is another rare associated cause. We report a case of a patient with Grave's disease and undiagnosed pernicious anemia whom was assumed to have antithyroid drug induced pancytopenia. Failure to recognize this rare association of pernicious anemia as a cause of pancytopenia had resulted in delay in treatment and neurological complication in our patient.
Preparation of chitosan-coated fatty acid liposomes is often restricted by the solubility of chitosan under basic conditions. In this experiment, the preparation of chitosan-coated oleic acid (OA) liposomes using low molecular weight (LMW) chitosan (10 and 25 kDA) was demonstrated. These selected LMW chitosans are water soluble. The coating of the chitosan layer on OA liposomes was confirmed by its microscope images and physicochemical properties, such as zeta potential and the size of the liposomes. The "peeling off" effect on the surface of chitosan-coated OA liposomes was observed in the atomic force microscope images and showed the occurrence of the chitosan layer on the surface of OA liposomes. The size of the chitosan-coated liposomes was at least 20 nm smaller than the OA liposomes, and the increase of zeta potential with the increasing amount of LMW chitosan further confirmed the presence of the surface modification of OA liposomes.
Onodi cell is a posterior ethmoid air cell that pneumatizes into the sphenoid sinus, It is an important entity for clinicians when performing endoscopic sinus surgery (EES) because it encroaches into the optic nerve and internal carotid artery. CT-scans are the road map for ESS to prevent damage to structures mentioned above. Its prevalence in Malaysia is unknown.
Two previously healthy Malaysian women presented abruptly with severe diabetic ketoacidosis during pregnancy and immediate postpartum period. Their clinical courses, biochemical and immunological profiles were consistent with fulminant type 1 diabetes first described in the Japanese. Fulminant type 1 diabetes may not be as rare as currently reported outside Japan.
Coining is a technique used in treating many illnesses since ancient times. It is a form of dermabrasion therapy still widely practiced in China and South East Asia. This ancient treatment method is employed to rid the body of "heatiness" or "negative energies". Coining is associated with serious complications, and has been confused with child abuse by physicians unfamiliar to Asian cultures. Despite the availability of more simple and effective treatment for fever, coining is still widely practiced among Asians.
This paper presents the results obtained for medical image compression using autoencoder neural networks. Since mammograms (medical images) are usually of big sizes, training of autoencoders becomes extremely tedious and difficult if the whole image is used for training. We show in this paper that the autoencoders can be trained successfully by using image patches instead of the whole image. The compression performances of different types of autoencoders are compared based on two parameters, namely mean square error and structural similarity index. It is found from the experimental results that the autoencoder which does not use Restricted Boltzmann Machine pre-training yields better results than those which use this pre-training method.
The constituents in a food emulsion interact with each other, either physically or chemically, determining the overall physico-chemical and organoleptic properties of the final product. Thus, the main objective of present study was to investigate the effect of emulsion components on beverage emulsion properties.
Objective: Subperiosteal orbital abscesses (SPOAs) secondary to acute sinusitis are rare occurrences in the pediatric age group, more so in the neonatal period. Here, a rare case of SPOA in a 38-day-old newborn later drained via endoscopic sinus surgery is included also. This review describes the demographic data, clinical history, treatment, microbiology results, complications, and outcome.
Methods: The admission records for all the patients who were admitted to the Pediatric Surgical Ward in Sarawak General Hospital, Kuching, Malaysia, between January 2004 and May 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. Records of patients who presented with preseptal cellulitis, orbital cellulitis, subperiosteal abscess (extraconal), orbital abscess (intraconal), and cavernous sinus thrombosis were closely studied. Ophthalmology consultations were obtained in all these cases. Ultimately, 3 patients having SPOA secondary to acute sinusitis were selected for this review.
Results: All patients were male with rapid onset of periorbital signs, absence of purulent rhinorrhea, and presence of significant thrombocytosis (exceeding 500 × 109/L). The 38-day-old newborn had mixed infection of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus bacteremia and local Acinetobacter eye infection with Staphylococcus aureus in the SPOA. All had medially located SPOA that was adequately drained via endoscopic sinus surgery, resulting in full recovery.
Conclusion: Newborns with preexisting risk factors and immature immunity are at risk of severe and rare infections. Contrast-enhanced paranasal sinus computed tomographic scan is mandatory and reliable to differentiate preseptal and postseptal orbital infection, as both conditions can present similarly and rapidly deteriorate. In the contrast-enhanced computed tomography–demonstrable SPOA, endoscopic sinus surgery drainage of the abscess proved to be safe and reliable as the main treatment modality. All patients recovered well without complications.
There are three major issues of ethical concern related to epilepsy care in the developing world. First, is it ethical for a developing country to channel its limited resources from direct epilepsy care to research? The main considerations in addressing this question are the particular research questions to be addressed and whether such research will bring direct benefits to the local community. Second, in a country with limited resources, when does ignoring the high treatment gap become an ethical issue? This question is of particular concern when the community has enough resources to afford treatment for its poor, yet is not providing such care because of gross wastage and misallocation of the national resources. Third, do countries with plentiful resources have an ethical responsibility to help relieve the high epilepsy treatment gap of poor countries? Indeed, we believe that reasonable health care is a basic human right, and that human rights transcend national boundaries. Although health care is usually the responsibility of the nation-state, many modern states in the developing world are arbitrary creations of colonization. There is often a long process from the establishment of a political-legal state to a mature functional nation. During the long process of nation building, help from neighboring countries is often required.
This is a cohort study investigating the profile of children with disability registered with the primary health care clinics in Malaysia. The purpose of the study was to determine whether reassessment on the development of children with disability under rehabilitation should be done at three months interval or six months interval. Secondary data from the pilot project conducted by the Family Health Development Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia was used in this study. The study was carried out for seven months from 1st August 2004 until 28th February 2005. A total of 168 disabled children followed up for six months were selected in this study. Schedule of Growing Scale (SGS) II was the tool used for analysis. Results showed a statistically significant difference in the mean total SGS score at six months interval but not at three months interval. The result suggests that reassessment on children with Down Syndrome, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, mental retardation and delayed speech under rehabilitation should be carried out every six months while children with gross developmental delay and slow learner might need a longer interval for reassessment.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the self-care practices of Malaysian adults with diabetes and sub-optimal glycaemic control.
METHODS: Using a one-to-one interviewing approach, data were collected from 126 diabetic adults from four settings. A 75-item questionnaire was used to assess diabetes-related knowledge and self-care practices regarding, diet, medication, physical activity and self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG).
RESULTS: Most subjects had received advice on the importance of self-care in the management of their diabetes and recognised its importance. Sixty-seven subjects (53%) scored below 50% in their diabetes-related knowledge. Subjects who consumed more meals per day (80%), or who did not include their regular sweetened food intakes in their daily meal plan (80%), or who were inactive in daily life (54%), had higher mean fasting blood glucose levels (p=0.04). Subjects with medication non-adherence (46%) also tended to have higher fasting blood glucose levels. Only 15% of the subjects practiced SMBG. Predictors of knowledge deficit and poor self-care were low level of education (p = <0.01), older subjects (p=0.04) and Type 2 diabetes subjects on oral anti-hyperglycaemic medication (p = <0.01).
CONCLUSION: There were diabetes-related knowledge deficits and inadequate self-care practices among the majority of diabetic patients with sub-optimal glycaemic control.
PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This study should contribute to the development of effective education strategies to promote health for adults with sub-optimal diabetes control.
This is a cross-sectional study investigating the profile of children with disability registered with the primary health care clinics in Malaysia. The purpose of the study was to assess the developmental stage of children with disability. Secondary data from the pilot project conducted by the Family Health Development Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia was used in this study. The study period was for six months from 1st August 2004 until 31st January 2005. A total of 900 disabled children were selected in this study. Schedule of Growing Scale (SGS) II was used for analysis. Results showed more boys than girls were affected with a ratio of 6:4. The mean total SGS score increases as the age of the child increased. The score was highest in delayed speech cases and lowest in cerebral palsy cases. The performance among children with delayed speech was the highest while children with cerebral palsy were the lowest. There was a statistically significant difference between the major ethnic groups in delayed speech and attention deficit hyperactive disorder.
Questionnaire: Denver Developmental Assessment Test II chart; DSST; Schedule of Growing Scale II; SGS
Clinical disciplines in which the nurse plays as pre-eminent a role in total patient care as in peritoneal dialysis (PD) are few. The PD nurse is readily identified by the patient as the principal source of advice on day-to-day aspects of treatment, as a resource manager for supplies of PD disposables and fluids, and as a general counselor for all kinds of advice, including diet, rehabilitation, and medication, among others. The PD nurse is thus the key individual in the PD unit, and most activities involve and revolve around the nursing staff. It is therefore not surprising that most nephrologists pay considerable attention to the selection of PD nurses, particularly in long-term PD programs such as continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). The appointment of a PD nurse depends on finding an individual with the right attributes, broad general experience, and appropriate training.