ABSTRACT A new black fly species, Simulium (Comphostilbia) langkawiense, is described based on adult female, adult male, pupal, and larval specimens collected from Langkawi Island, Malaysia. This new species is similar in the configuration of the pupal gill to Simulium (Comphostilbia) gombakense Takaoka & Davies, 1995, originally described from Peninsular Malaysia, but differs from the latter species by the female genital fork with an anterolaterally angulated plate on each arm, the female tarsal claw tooth shorter than one half of the claw, the small number of male upper-eye large facets, the ventral plate with its ventral margin nearly flat in the middle when viewed posteriorly, and the inflated structure of the pupal gill with a less produced middle portion (width of middle inflated portion: length of inflated structure = 0.24). Taxonomic notes are also given to separate this new species from two other related species from Nepal and India. This represents another example of a unique species of black fly on one of the continental islands of Peninsular Malaysia.
Annually, 4.5 trillion cigarette butts (CBs) are flicked into our environment. Evidence exists that CB waste is deadly to aquatic life, but their lethality to the aquatic life of the main dengue vector is unknown. CBs are full of toxicants that occur naturally, during planting and manufacturing, which may act as larvicidal agents. We assessed Aedes aegypti vulnerability to Marlboro butts during its development. Overall, CBs showed insecticidal activities against larvae. At early phases of development, mortality rates were much higher in two CBs solution (2CBSol) and 3CBSol microcosms (MICRs). Larval survival gradually decreased with development in 1CBSol-MICRs. However, in great presence of CBs, mortality was high even for the late developmental stages. These results suggest that A. aegypti larvae are vulnerable to CB presence in their habitats, but this effect was seen most during the early developmental phases and in the presence of increased amounts of cigarette remnants. CB filters are being used as raw material in many sectors, i.e., brick, art, fashion, plastic industries, as a practical solution to the pollution problem, the observed butt waste toxicity to mosquito larvae open new avenues for the identification of novel insecticide products.
Postoperative sore throat after minor pediatric surgery although uncommon and the symptoms are mild, the incidence may be affected by several factors. This study was designed to compare the frequency and severity of post operative sore throat in children undergoing elective surgery following the use of proseal LMA (PLMA) compared to classic LMA (cLMA).
A 35-year-old woman with background of liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension secondary to chronic hepatitis C presented with complication of hypersplenism and thrombocytopenia. She developed severe menorrhagia requiring multiple blood transfusions. In addition, her interferon therapy was withheld owing to the underlying thrombocytopenia. Partial splenic embolisation was performed, which improved her platelet counts. Subsequently, the menorrhagia was resolved and her interferon therapy was restarted.
Bone quality assessment is important in assessments of potential agents for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Bone density, microarchitecture and strength are important determinants in osteoporotic study which are widely studied using Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA), histomorphometry and radiological imaging techniques. In recent years, high resolution micro-CT has become feasible for in vitro or in vivo evaluation of bone architecture. Three-dimensional images of micro-CT reflected high correlations with the conventional histomorphometry and DXA. In comparison to other imaging techniques, micro-CT is the most effective tool in detecting early bone changes for fracture prediction and assessments of potential anti-osteoporotic agents. It is crucial to define an ideal setting with safe radiation doses and appropriate methods for image reconstruction and segmentation to obtain high resolution images. Micro-CT evaluation provides a better insight of bone structure as well as non-metric parameters such as connectivity density, structural model index (SMI) and degree of anisotropy (DA). This non- invasive imaging technique is also equipped with finite element analysis for evaluation of bone biomechanical strength. Micro-CT allows a compressive understanding of the relationships between bone density, microarchitecture and strength which is fundamental to development of pharmacological interventions.
A study was conducted to profile the plasma progesterone (P4) concentrations and establish the length of oestrous cycle in the Rusa timorensis during the breeding season. Five healthy hinds were selected for peripheral blood sampling twice weekly to gauge the P4 levels by radioimmunoassay, at the start of the breeding season indicated by rutting behaviours of sexually active males. The hinds were polyestrous as proven by the cyclic trend of P4 levels. After the presumptive oestrus indicated by the lowest P4 concentrations (0.20±0.09ng/ml), this ovarian hormone was markedly elevated on day 7 of the cycle (0.78±0.20ng/ml), reached its peak (2.61±0.23ng/ml, P<0.05) on day 14, and then declined to the basal level in the subsequent oestrus. The mean oestrous cycle length in R. timorensis during the breeding season was 19.2 days with a range of 18-21 days, and the pattern of circulating progesterone during the oestrous cycle of the R. timorensis is similar to those of other deer species. It was also observed that the length of oestrous cycle of R. timorensis determined by gauging the progesterone levels and observation of the oestrous behaviours as well as changes in the cellular pattern of vaginal epithelial cells are highly consistent.
Breast metastases from non-small cell lung carcinoma are rarely reported. We report a case of a female patient with primary adenocarcinoma of the lower lobe of her right lung presenting with a massive right-sided malignant pleural effusion. The tumor harbored an epidermal growth factor receptor insertion mutation in exon 20 but was anaplastic lymphoma kinase translocation negative. She did not respond to treatment with erlotinib. First- and second-line cytotoxic chemotherapy resulted in stable disease as the best responses. She developed right breast metastasis 20 months after her initial presentation. The rarity of the condition and the likely mechanism of the breast metastasis are discussed.
Allelic heterogeneity in disease-causing genes presents a substantial challenge to the translation of genomic variation into clinical practice. Few of the almost 2,000 variants in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene CFTR have empirical evidence that they cause cystic fibrosis. To address this gap, we collected both genotype and phenotype data for 39,696 individuals with cystic fibrosis in registries and clinics in North America and Europe. In these individuals, 159 CFTR variants had an allele frequency of ł0.01%. These variants were evaluated for both clinical severity and functional consequence, with 127 (80%) meeting both clinical and functional criteria consistent with disease. Assessment of disease penetrance in 2,188 fathers of individuals with cystic fibrosis enabled assignment of 12 of the remaining 32 variants as neutral, whereas the other 20 variants remained of indeterminate effect. This study illustrates that sourcing data directly from well-phenotyped subjects can address the gap in our ability to interpret clinically relevant genomic variation.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the quality of life (QOL) among mothers with a child with Down syndrome using The World Health Organization Quality of Life scale instrument. A convenience sample of 161 mothers was accessed through the various institutions which provide interventional or educational programmes to children with disabilities within two of the regions of the Borneo State of Malaysia (Sarawak). Nearly half of the group of mothers perceived their QOL as neither poor nor good (n = 73). An overall QOL score of 14.0 ± 1.84 was obtained. The highest and lowest domain scores were found for social relationship domain (Mean = 14.9 ± 2.1) and environmental support domain (Mean = 13.3 ± 2.1) respectively. Correlation analysis of selected background variables (i.e. locality, education, income and marital status) and overall QOL indicated rho (161) = 0.22-0.28 (P < 0.01). Inverse correlation between maternal age and overall QOL score was indicated, with rho (161) = -0.17 (P < 0.05). Linear regression analysis indicated that the combination of these few variables together accounted for 14.5% of the QOL variability in the sample. Findings point to implications for priorities of care provisions by policy-makers and care professionals in their practice.
Cysts of the oesophagus are unusual findings and they are classified according to the embryological site of origin. It may represent inclusion cysts, retention cysts and developmental cysts. We present a case of keratinous inclusion cyst of the lower oesophagus in a 71-year-old Malay woman who presented with dyspepsia and severe epigastric pain. An oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy demonstrated a sliding hiatus hernia with whitish ulcer-like lesion at the lower oesophagus. Biopsy from the lesion revealed a keratinous inclusion cyst. The patient was given pantoprazole and put on regular follow-up for monitoring any other development.
Prolactin (PRL) exists in different forms in human serum. The predominant form is monomeric PRL (molecular mass 23 kDa) with smaller amounts of big PRL (molecular mass 50-60 kDa) and at times macroprolactin (molecular mass 150-170 kDa). Macroprolactin, generally considered to be biologically inactive, accounts for the major part of prolactin in some patients. Different immunoassays for prolactin differ in reactivity with this macromolecular complex.
Good communication is essential but sometimes challenging in pediatric palliative care. We describe 3 cases whereby miniature chairs made of various materials and colors were used successfully to encourage communication among pediatric patients, family, and health care professionals. This chair-inspired model may serve as a simple tool to facilitate complex discussions and to enable self-expression by children in the pediatric palliative care setting.
Variable detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA can result in misclassification of infection status, but the extent of misclassification has not been quantitatively evaluated.
Plateletpheresis is a method used to remove platelet from the body either from random volunteer donors, patient's family members or HLA matched donors. A cross sectional study was carried out on 59 plateletpheresis donors aged between 18 and 55 years at National Blood Center (NBC), Kuala Lumpur. We compared the blood parameters before and after plateletpheresis and we found that the platelet count, FVIII, fibrinogen and thrombophilia markers anti-thrombin (AT), protein C and protein S were significantly reduced (p<0.05) with prolonged PT and APTT. There were significant changes in blood coagulation parameters but it is within acceptable range.
The Milwaukee brace is an efficient method for correcting hyperkyphosis before skeletal maturity. However, loss of correction in long-term follow-up is inevitable.
Schwannoma (neurilemoma) is a benign, slow-growing tumor of the nerve sheath. These tumors are rarely found in the female genitalia and to date only 1 case of clitoral schwannoma has been reported in a young girl. We report here the second case of schwannoma of the clitoris.