OBJECTIVE:
Documentation of self-care actions for vasomotor complaints by some postmenopausal women in Kelantan.
METHODS:
A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 326 naturally menopausal women to determine the prevalence and types of self-care actions taken for vasomotor complaints.
RESULTS:
Fractionally more women took self-care actions for night sweats than hot flushes. The choice of self-care action depended upon the area of residence and the educational level. The most common action taken for night sweats was to sleep either in an air-conditioned room or under a ceiling fan. About one-quarter of the complainants used hormone replacement therapy, the majority of who were urban-living and with secondary education. Only a small fraction used traditional remedies.
CONCLUSION:
A large proportion of women complaining of vasomotor complaints took self-care actions and the choice of self-care actions depended on the area of residence and educational level. The use of modern remedies and less of the traditional remedies was more common amongst the more affluent and educated women than women in rural areas who either did nothing or resorted to the more simple type of self-care actions. Contrary to our expectations, the use of traditional remedies was low.
Contralateral hyperhidrosis from the cardiovascular accident has been infrequently described in the stroke literature. The clinical significance and pathogenesis are yet well understood. This is a case of a 60-year-old man who developed excessive sweating of the paralyzed side with a pure division along the midline of the body secondary to a subcortical stroke, which region is supplied by branches of middle cerebral artery territory known as deep perforating lenticulostriate. To the best of our knowledge, a precise clinicoanatomic correlation between hyperhidrosis and subcortical stroke has not been widely reported. In this review, we summarize the existing literature of post-stroke hyperhidrosis to evaluate the correlation between clinical manifestation and its neuroanatomical location. According to the location of the infarction and clinical features, it can be concluded that both tracks en route through the ipsilateral internal capsule, after originating in the opercular cortex before crossing the brain stem and terminal connections with the contralateral thoracic spinal cord. Therefore, the phenomenon of hyperhidrosis in anterior circulation stroke might be postulated as due to the disruption of the sympathoinhibitory pathway that controls sweat glands, similarly like posterior circulation stroke.
2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP) is utilized in the production of wood preservatives, dyes, and also
as a pesticide. Human acute (short-term) exposure to 2,4-DNP in humans by means of oral
exposure are nausea or vomiting, sweating, headaches, dizziness, and weight reduction. Thus, the
removal of this compound is highly sought. A 2,4-DNP-degrading bacterium (isolate 1) was
isolated from a sample soil from Terengganu. This bacterium (isolate 1) was characterized as a
rod Gram positive, non-sporulated, and non-motile bacterium. The bacterium is oxidase negative
and had catalase positive activity and was able to grow aerobically on 2,4-dinitrophenol as the
sole carbon source. This bacterium showed maximal growth on 2,4-DNP at the temperature
optimum of 30 oC, pH 5.0 and was tolerant to 2,4-DNP concentration of up to 0.5 mM (0.092
g/L). This bacterium prefers to use urea as the nitrogen source in addition to yeast extract for
mineral source and vitamin precursors.
Co-occurrence of cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD) and phaeochromocytoma (PCC) and paraganglioma (PGL) are rare, although some cases have been reported. We report a case of left paraganglioma in a 20-year-old lady with an underlying CCHD who underwent palliative Glenn shunt, subsequently developed polycythaemia and cavernous sinus thrombosis presented with palpitation, sweating, headache and hypertension of 3-months duration at the age of 17. The abdominal CT scan revealed an enhancing left paraaortic mass measuring 5.2 cm x 4.4 cm x 3.8 cm. A 24-hour urine catecholamine demonstrated raised noradrenaline level to six times upper limit of normal and hence diagnosis of left sympathetic (sPGL) was made. In view of the delayed diagnosis and significant morbidity associated with her condition, surgical treatment is no longer an option. Therefore, vigilant screening and early treatment of PCC-PGL in patients with CCHD are crucial in order to avoid significant morbidity and ensure a good quality of life.