MyMedR

Displaying publications 41 - 50 of 50 in total

Abstract:

Sort:

Fulltext Desmoid Type Fibromatosis of the Breast Masquerading as Breast Carcinoma: Value of Dynamic Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Its Correlation

Ng WL, Teoh SY, See MH, Rahmat K, Jayalakshmi P, Ramli MT, et al.

Eur J Breast Health, 2021 Apr;17(2):197-199.
PMID: 33870121 DOI: 10.4274/ejbh.galenos.2020.5482

Desmoid type fibromatosis of the breast is a rare stromal tumor that accounts for <0.2% of all breast tumors. Bilateral and multicentric lesions are extremely rare, with only less than ten cases reported in the literature. Although benign, it is locally aggressive with frequent recurrence in up to almost one-third of the cases. We experienced our first case of bilateral multicentric breast fibromatosis in a 19-year-old woman, with a paternal aunt diagnosed with breast cancer at age 30, who presented to our institution with the chief complaint of retracted nipples for 1 year. The patient denied any history of trauma to her chest. Sonography showed suspicious bilateral hypoechoic masses. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed for further evaluation because of the extensive involvement of both the breasts. This report aimed to illustrate the main clinical, radiological, and histopathological characteristics of this rare disease to increase awareness of this entity and discuss the role of MRI.
Fulltext The Mechanistic Action of Biosynthesised Silver Nanoparticles and Its Application in Aquaculture and Livestock Industries

De Silva C, Nawawi NM, Abd Karim MM, Abd Gani S, Masarudin MJ, Gunasekaran B, et al.

Animals (Basel), 2021 Jul 14;11(7).
PMID: 34359224 DOI: 10.3390/ani11072097

Nanotechnology is a rapidly developing field due to the emergence of various resistant pathogens and the failure of commercial methods of treatment. AgNPs have emerged as one of the best nanotechnology metal nanoparticles due to their large surface-to-volume ratio and success and efficiency in combating various pathogens over the years, with the biological method of synthesis being the most effective and environmentally friendly method. The primary mode of action of AgNPs against pathogens are via their cytotoxicity, which is influenced by the size and shape of the nanoparticles. The cytotoxicity of the AgNPs gives rise to various theorized mechanisms of action of AgNPs against pathogens such as activation of reactive oxygen species, attachment to cellular membranes, intracellular damage and inducing the viable but non-culturable state (VBNC) of pathogens. This review will be centred on the various theorized mechanisms of actions and its application in the aquaculture, livestock and poultry industries. The application of AgNPs in aquaculture is focused around water treatment, disease control and aquatic nutrition, and in the livestock application it is focused on livestock and poultry.
Primary Breast Angiosarcoma: Utilisation of Pre-surgical Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for Accurate Tumour Characterization and Planning - A Case Report and Literature Review

Mumin NA, Rahmat K, Hamid MTR, Ng WL, Chan WY, Cheah XY, et al.

Curr Med Imaging, 2021;17(4):552-558.
PMID: 33030134 DOI: 10.2174/1573405616666201007161119

BACKGROUND: Primary breast angiosarcoma is a rare malignancy with non-specific clinical and radiological findings.
CASE REPORT: A 30-year-old lady presented with left breast pain and lumpiness for over one year. She has had several breast ultrasounds (US) and was treated for acute mastitis and abscess. Subsequently, in view of the rapid growth of the lump and worsening pain, she was re-investigated with US, elastography, digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) and MRI. MRI raised the suspicion of angiosarcoma. The diagnosis was confirmed after biopsy and she underwent mastectomy.
DISCUSSION: Literature review on imaging findings of breast angiosarcoma, especially on MRI, is discussed. MRI features showed heterogeneous low signal intensity on T1 and high signal intensity on T2. Dynamic contrast enhancement (DCE) features included either early enhancement with or without washout in the delayed phase, and some reported central areas of non-enhancement.
CONCLUSION: This case report emphasises on the importance of MRI in clinching the diagnosis of breast angiosarcoma, and hence, should be offered sooner to prevent diagnostic delay.
Fulltext Spectrum of imaging findings of papillary breast disease: A radiopathological review in a tertiary center

Fadzli F, Rahmat K, Ramli MT, Rozalli FI, Hooi TK, Fadzli AN, et al.

Medicine (Baltimore), 2021 Apr 23;100(16):e25297.
PMID: 33879660 DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000025297

To evaluate the clinical and imaging findings of papillary breast neoplasm and review the pathologic correlation at a tertiary center.Retrospective study of patients diagnosed with benign and malignant papillary lesions between 2008 to 2018. 147 patients were identified with histology diagnosis of papillary lesions. The clinical, imaging, and pathological characteristics were reviewed.Patient cohort included 147 women diagnosed with papillary lesions (mean age at diagnosis 53.8 years) and were divided into 3 histology groups (benign, atypical, and malignant). Common clinical presentations were breast lump (n = 60) and nipple discharge (n = 29), 48 patients were asymptomatic.Only 37 were detected as a mass lesion on mammogram. The presence of mass lesion on mammogram was the most common feature in all 3 papillary lesion groups, and with the presence of asymmetric density, were the 2 mammographic features significantly associated (P
Clinical usefulness of abbreviated mri protocol in breast cancer detection

Ramli Hamid MT, Loi KS, Chan WY, Ab Mumin N, Abdul Hamid S, Izza Rozalli F, et al.

Curr Med Imaging, 2023 Aug 29.
PMID: 37649292 DOI: 10.2174/1573405620666230829150218

BACKGROUND: The use of breast MRI for screening has increased over the past decade, mostly in women with a high risk of breast cancer. Abbreviated breast MRI (AB-MR) is introduced to make MRI a more accessible screening modality. AB-MR decreases scanning and reporting time and the overall cost of MRI.
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of abbreviated MRI protocol in detecting breast cancer in screening and diagnostic populations, using histopathology as the reference standard.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a single-centre retrospective cross-sectional study of 134 patients with 198 histologically proven breast lesions who underwent full diagnostic protocol contrast-enhanced breast MRI (FDP-MR) at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) from 1st January 2018 to 31st December 2019. AB-MR was pre-determined and evaluated with regard to the potential to detect and exclude malignancy from 3 readers of varying radiological experiences. The sensitivity of both AB-MR and FDP-MR were compared using the McNemar test, where both protocols' diagnostic performances were assessed via the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Inter-observer agreement was analysed using Fleiss Kappa.
RESULT: There were 134 patients with 198 lesions. The average age was 50.9 years old (range 27 - 80). A total of 121 (90%) MRIs were performed for diagnostic purposes. Screening accounted for 9.4% of the cases, 55.6% (n=110) lesions were benign, and 44.4% (n=88) were malignant. The commonest benign and malignant lesions were fibrocystic change (27.3%) and invasive ductal carcinoma (78.4%). The mean sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for AB-MR were 0.96, 0.57, 0.68 and 0.94, respectively. Both AB-MR and FDP-MR showed excellent diagnostic performance with AUC of 0.88 and 0.96, respectively. The general inter-observer agreement of all three readers for AB-MR was substantial (k=0.69), with fair agreement demonstrated between AB-MR and FDP-MR (k=0.36).
CONCLUSION: The study shows no evidence that the diagnostic efficacy of AB-MR is inferior to FDP-MR. AB-MR, with high sensitivity, has proven its capability in cancer detection and exclusion, especially for biologically aggressive cancers.
Fulltext Experience repatriation of citizens from epicentre using commercial flights during COVID-19 pandemic

Shaikh Abdul Karim S, Md Tahir FA, Mohamad UK, Abu Bakar M, Mohamad KN, Suleiman M, et al.

Int J Emerg Med, 2020 Oct 28;13(1):50.
PMID: 33115412 DOI: 10.1186/s12245-020-00308-7

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries instituted closure of borders from international and local travels. Stranded citizens appeal to their governments to embark on citizen repatriation missions. Between February and April 2020, the Government of Malaysia directed repatriation of its citizens from China, Iran, Italy and Indonesia. We describe the preparation and execution of the repatriation mission using chartered commercial aircraft. The mission objectives were to repatriate as many citizens based on aircraft capacity and prevent onboard transmission of the disease to flight personnel.
RESULTS: Five repatriation missions performed was led by the National Agency for Disaster Management (NADMA) with the Ministry of Health providing technical expertise. A total of 432 citizens were repatriated from the missions. The operations were divided into four phases: the pre-boarding screening phase, the boarding and in-flight phase, the reception phase and the quarantine phase. The commercial aircraft used were from two different commercial airlines. Each mission had flight crew members between 10 and 17 people. There were 82 positive cases detected among the repatriated citizens. There was a single positive case of a healthcare worker involved in the mission, based on the sample taken on arrival of the flight. There were no infections involving flight team members.
CONCLUSION: Medical flight crew must be familiar with aircraft fittings that differ from one commercial airline to another as it influences infection control practices. A clear understanding of socio-political situation of a country, transmission routes of a pathogen, disease presentation, and knowledge of aviation procedures, aircraft engineering and design is of great importance in preparing for such missions. Our approach of multidiscipline team involvement managed to allow us to provide and execute the operations successfully.
Fulltext Filler-Modified Castor Oil-Based Polyurethane Foam for the Removal of Aqueous Heavy Metals Detected Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) Technique

Iqhrammullah M, Marlina, Hedwig R, Karnadi I, Kurniawan KH, Olaiya NG, et al.

Polymers (Basel), 2020 Apr 13;12(4).
PMID: 32294999 DOI: 10.3390/polym12040903

The use of polymeric material in heavy metal removal from wastewater is trending. Heavy metal removal from wastewater of the industrial process is of utmost importance in green/sustainable manufacturing. Production of absorbent materials from a natural source for industrial wastewater has been on the increase. In this research, polyurethane foam (PUF), an adsorbent used by industries to adsorb heavy metal from wastewater, was prepared from a renewable source. Castor oil-based polyurethane foam (COPUF) was produced and modified for improved adsorption performance using fillers, analyzed with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The fillers (zeolite, bentonite, and activated carbon) were added to the COPUF matrix allowing the modification on its surface morphology and charge. The materials were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermal gravimetry analysis (TGA), while their adsorption performance was studied by comparing the LIBS spectra. The bentonite-modified COPUF (B/COPUF) gave the highest value of the normalized Pb I (405.7 nm) line intensity (2.3), followed by zeolite-modified COPUF (Z/COPUF) (1.9), and activated carbon-modified COPUF (AC/COPUF) (0.2), which indicates the adsorption performance of Pb2+ on the respective materials. The heavy metal ions' adsorption on the B/COPUF dominantly resulted from the electrostatic attraction. This study demonstrated the potential use of B/COPUF in adsorption and LIBS quantitative analysis of aqueous heavy metal ions.
Genomic plasticity between human and mycobacterial DNA: A review

Danjuma L, Ling MP, Hamat RA, Higuchi A, Alarfaj AA, Marlina, et al.

Tuberculosis (Edinb), 2017 12;107:38-47.
PMID: 29050770 DOI: 10.1016/j.tube.2017.03.006

Mycobacterium tuberculosis has a remarkable ability of long-term persistence despite vigorous host immunity and prolonged therapy. The bacteria persist in secure niches such as the mesenchymal stem cells in the bone marrow and reactivate the disease, leading to therapeutic failure. Many bacterial cells can remain latent within a diseased tissue so that their genetic material can be incorporated into the genetic material of the host tissue. This incorporated genetic material reproduces in a manner similar to that of cellular DNA. After the cell division, the incorporated gene is reproduced normally and distributed proportionately between the two progeny. This inherent adoption of long-term persistence and incorporating the bacterial genetic material into that of the host tissue remains and is considered imperative for microbial advancement and chemotherapeutic resistance; moreover, new evidence indicates that the bacteria might pass on genetic material to the host DNA sequence. Several studies focused on the survival mechanism of M. tuberculosis in the host immune system with the aim of helping the efforts to discover new drugs and vaccines against tuberculosis. This review explored the mechanisms through which this bacterium affects the expression of human genes. The first part of the review summarizes the current knowledge about the interactions between microbes and host microenvironment, with special reference to the M. tuberculosis neglected persistence in immune cells and stem cells. Then, we focused on how bacteria can affect human genes and their expression. Furthermore, we analyzed the literature base on the process of cell death during tuberculosis infection, giving particular emphasis to gene methylation as an inherited process in the neutralization of possibly injurious gene components in the genome. The final section discusses recent advances related to the M. tuberculosis interaction with host epigenetic circuitry.
Fulltext Open field release of genetically engineered sterile male Aedes aegypti in Malaysia

Lacroix R, McKemey AR, Raduan N, Kwee Wee L, Hong Ming W, Guat Ney T, et al.

PLoS One, 2012;7(8):e42771.
PMID: 22970102 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042771

Dengue is the most important mosquito-borne viral disease. In the absence of specific drugs or vaccines, control focuses on suppressing the principal mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti, yet current methods have not proven adequate to control the disease. New methods are therefore urgently needed, for example genetics-based sterile-male-release methods. However, this requires that lab-reared, modified mosquitoes be able to survive and disperse adequately in the field.
Micro-anatomical changes in major blood vessel caused by dengue virus (serotype 2) infection

Priya SP, Sakinah S, Ling MP, Chee HY, Higuchi A, Hamat RA, et al.

Acta Trop, 2017 Jul;171:213-219.
PMID: 28427958 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.04.010

Dengue virus (DENV) has emerged as a major economic concern in developing countries, with 2.5 billion people believed to be at risk. Vascular endothelial cells (ECs) lining the circulatory system from heart to end vessels perform crucial functions in the human body, by aiding gas exchange in lungs, gaseous, nutritional and its waste exchange in all tissues, including the blood brain barrier, filtration of fluid in the glomeruli, neutrophil recruitment, hormone trafficking, as well as maintenance of blood vessel tone and hemostasis. These functions can be deregulated during DENV infection. In this study, BALB/c mice infected with DENV serotype 2 were analyzed histologically for changes in major blood vessels in response to DENV infection. In the uninfected mouse model, blood vessels showed normal architecture with intact endothelial monolayer, tunica media, and tunica adventitia. In the infected mouse model, DENV distorted the endothelium lining and disturbed the smooth muscle, elastic laminae and their supporting tissues causing vascular structural disarrangement. This may explain the severe pathological illness in DENV-infected individuals. The overall DENV-induced damages on the endothelial and it's supporting tissues and the dysregulated immune reactions initiated by the host were discussed.