Intrarticular Hyaluronic Acid was administered to 45 patients with various grades of osteoarthritis in the knee. Following 3 fortnightly injections, these patients were reviewed at 6 weeks and 3 months with regard to their knee pain. We found the most patients (84.4%) has decreased knee pain following these injections. Patients who had severe grade osteoarthritis based on knee radiographs before the injections were less likely to have pain reduction compared to those with milder grade osteoarthritis. Only 4 (8.9%) patients showed no improvement and were subsequently considered for surgery. Many patients did not require any further treatment (24.4%) and the remaining were given analgesia (64.4%) to aid in their pain. One patient required another course of this injection. there were no complications recorded in this study. We concluded that Intrarticular Hyaluronic acid is an easy and safe method to treat osteoarthritis. The short-term outcome with regard to knee pain is good in patients with milder grades of osteoarthritis.
Study site: Private orthopaedic clinic, Johor, Malaysia
This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. Patients with knee osteoarthritis were followed for a period of six months to assess the efficacy of intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid given three times in three consecutive weeks. Fifty patients were reviewed at two, eight and 24 weeks post-injection. The average age was 60.9 years and female to male ratio was 3:1. Patients were assessed using the Lequesne Algofunctional Index for function, and the visual analogue score for pain and side effects. We found that the knee pain reduced and the function improved in most patients and these beneficial effects maintained for till the last follow up. The only side effect noted was one case of acute non-septic joint effusion after the 3rd injection. We concluded that intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid can produce pain relief and functional improvement for up to 6 months.
Parotid tumours represent one of many groups of tumours in the field of
Otorhinolaryngology. However, a local demographical evaluation of parotid tumours and its annual incidences has never been undertaken. This study intends to review local demography in relation to incidence of parotid tumour seen in Otorhinolaryngology (ORL) clinic, Hospital Tuanku Ja’afar Seremban, Negeri Sembilan from the year 2007 till 2012. Methods: A retrospective demographical study on parotid cases seen in ORL clinic, Hospital Tuanku Ja’afar Seremban between 2007 till 2012 involving 56 cases. Data that was collected include patient details, facial nerve involvement on presentation, type of surgery performed, site of tumour, facial nerve injury post operation and final histopathological diagnosis. Results: An average of 10 cases per year was noted from 2007 to 2012. Male to female ratio was found to be 1.4:1. Age range of sample population were 9 to 79 years old with a mean age of 47 at time of diagnosis. Superficial lobe was found to be the most common tumour site (63%). Majority of cases consists of benign tumours in 51 out of 56 cases with Warthin’s tumour and Pleomorphic Adenoma being the most common histopathological finding. Post operative facial nerve injury were noted in 17 cases in which 13 cases were temporary while 4 others were permanent.
Mental health is a growing concern in the field of occupational health globally due to its social, health, and economic implications on the individual and the community at large. As universities in Malaysia are advancing towards becoming world-class research universities, academicians are now faced with more pressures, making them more vulnerable to burnout. A cross sectional study was conducted among 194 randomly sampled academicians from a faculty of a public university. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire to assess the sociodemographic characteristics, occupational characteristics and burnout. Analysis was done using SPSS version 21. The response rate was 87.1%. The overall prevalence of burnout was 10.7% with significant associations between gender (χ2 = 4.61; p = 0.03), teaching experience (χ2 = 0.83; p = 0.02), job satisfaction (χ2 = 11.33; p = 0.001). Female academicians have a higher prevalence of burnout (14.3%). Academicians who have fewer years of teaching experience (
Background: Personality disorders is one of the most assessed mental health problems among prison population. To date, no local psychometric instrument to assess personality disorder is available in Malaysia. Objective: The aim of this study is to validate the Malay-translated version of the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD) among prisoner. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed, involving female prisoners (n=90). Face validity, factor analysis, and reliability testing were conducted with a one-week interval test-retest. Results: The translated instrument produced four factors structure. The internal consistency is moderate (α=.64), with high test-retest reliability (ICC=.82). Conclusion: The Malay-translated version of the MSI-BPD was found valid and reliable to identify borderline personality disorder among female prisoner in future studies.
Objective: This preliminary investigation intended to evaluate the healthrelated quality of life (HRQoL) profile of HIV/AIDS family caregivers residing in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia and to explore the psychometric properties of the Malay Caregiver Quality of Life (MCQoL) questionnaire in this sample. Methods: A convenient sample of family caregivers of HIV/AIDS patients who were aware of the diagnosis was enrolled. They were recruited from the Infectious Disease Clinic, Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah, Terengganu. Data was analysed using SPSS16 employing descriptive and non-parametric statistical methods. Results: Thirty respondents consented participation [median age = 43.0 years (range 19.0-81.0); female = 63.3%, married = 70.0%; ≤ primary school qualification = 46.7%; self-employed = 66.7% and rural residents = 56.7%]. Across all patients, the highest domain score was for Disruptiveness (median = 3.3; range 1.4-4.0) while Burden was the lowest (median = 2.3; range 1.0-3.6). As expected, males reported significantly better Financial Concerns and Burden (p
This case report highlights on the dilemma in making a decision for termination of pregnancy (TOP) for a muslim rape victim in Malaysian setting. We report a case of 17 year-old student at 7 weeks of pregnancy after being gang-raped, who, together with her parents, had requested for a TOP. Psychiatric assessment showed that the patient suffered from a major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder which justified termination of pregnancy on a psychological and clinical basis. However the available Malaysian Islamic fatwa had caused some uncertainties on the final decision making. This case demonstrated on the needs to understand the relevant issues beyond clinical judgment in relation to TOP in our setting which encompasses the legal provision, ethical obligation as well as the needs for a clear religious understanding and stand to support the medical decision.
Objective: Several cases of suicide attempt by charcoal burning producing CO have been reported in Malaysia. This case report highlights a case of delayed delayed neuropsychiatry sequelae (DNS) in CO poisoning.
Method: We report a young Chinese homemaker who presented with DNS who was detained in a Malaysian forensic psychiatric ward.
Results: After approximately two weeks of admission, in a familicide attempt, she had started to exhibit subtle changes in her behaviour, including social withdrawal, impaired memory, and there was lack of emotional distress.
Conclusion: We report an interesting DNS as one of the two forms of chronic sequelae of CO poisoning, whereas the other type of neuropsychiatric sequelae is the persistently progressive type.
Objective: This case report highlights the psychosocial complications of chronic mania in a mother and the role of CMHT in improving the condition’s outcome. Methods: We report a case of a Malay mother who had underlying chronic mania for 20 years. Results: She was aggressive and abusive towards her children causing tremendous trauma in them, had lost her child custody and almost lost her husband to another woman. Lithium with multiple psychosocial interventions delivered to the patient and her family had improved her mood symptoms significantly and improved the family’s quality of life. Conclusion: Chronic mania causes tremendously high illness burdens, and with extra care, the outcome of the condition can be improved. ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 15 (2): July - December 2014: 217-219.
encountered particularly in mental health issues and to additionally analyze the methodologies used in studies involving HIV/AIDS informal caregivers.
Methods: Four electronic databases; Science Direct, EBSCOhost, Ovid and Springer Link were searched for articles published in the past 10 years (2002 - 2012). Only full-text English articles related to research on care giving of HIV-infected adult patients were selected.
Results: Twenty two out of 293 articles (7.5%) were reviewed, involving 2,765 caregivers in the USA (n=1,610), Africa (n=253), Asia (n=838) and Oceania (n=64) regions. A variety of age categories was involved in care giving with the youngest carer being 12 years old and the oldest, 60 years on average. Females and whites appeared to be dominant and 603 caregivers themselves were HIV positive. The main outcomes measured were care giving burden, challenges and coping. Stress and depression, stigma and discrimination, insufficient support, role overload and extreme poverty were the main challenges experienced in care giving. Both qualitative (n=11) and quantitative (n=9) were the equally preferred types of study. Purposive sampling emerged as the most preferred sampling technique. Various instruments were utilized, but the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was the most popular particularly in quantitative studies.
Conclusion: A variety of life aspects were negatively affected in the process of care giving for HIV/AIDS patients and studies of such nature commonly focused on caregivers' psychosocial burden.
Objective: The involvement of families in assisting health professionals in providing care for their family members who suffer a stroke during hospitalization is common in Malaysia. Family caregivers are accountable in providing for the first-ever stroke survivor’s needs, including maintaining functional improvements gained in rehabilitation and the long-term well-being of the stroke survivors. The objective of this study was to determine the predictors of life satisfaction among family caregivers of hospitalized first-ever stroke patients. Methods: This was a cross-sectional community research design study with purposive sampling. It involved 102 family caregivers of hospitalized first-ever stroke patients of two tertiary hospitals in Kelantan. The Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Score (BCOS) was used to measure life satisfaction. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the predictors of life satisfaction. Results: Out of 102 respondents, 21 were males and 81 were females with age range of 16 to 76 years. Significant predictors of life satisfaction of caregivers while caring for their hospitalized first-ever stroke family members were caregivers’ health (β: -2.875, 95%CI: -5.725, -0.025, p = 0.048), patients’ age (β: - 4.251, 95% CI: - 6.379, -2.123, p
The physical strength of the elderly aged above 60 years is typically 10 to 30% less than the young adult population of ages between 25 to 35 years. This reduction of strength has a strong impact on the activity of the daily living (ADL) of the elderly population. There has been little research done studying on the physical strength of the elderly population in Malaysia. The objective of this study was to determine the static strength of the elderly population in Malaysia. In particular, the grip and pinch strength were investigated as these two static strengths are extensively used in their instrumental activity of daily living (IADL). The results were then compared to the strength of the university students. A total of 30 subjects (15 males and 15 females) participated in the study. Their age ranged between 60 to 83 years, with the mean of age of 67.1 years. The comparison group comprised a total of 30 university students (20 male, 10 female) aged between 23 to 24 years, with the mean of age of 23.2 years. Grip and pinch strengths of both groups were measured and analysed using a descriptive statistics. It was found that the elderly male subjects are stronger in both strength measurements than their female counterpart. The 95th percentile of the female grip strength was slightly lower than that of the male while the male pinch strength was 31.07% higher. It was also found that the male students had higher strengths compared to the females. The grip strength of the elderly was 30.66% lower than the university student, while their pinch strength was 13.42% lower. Both static strengths of the elderly were found to be lower than those of the university students. This supported the research hypotheses postulating that the static strength had a negative correlation with age. In terms of gender differences, the male subjects were found to be stronger than the females.
The purpose of this study was to determine the dental health status of a representative sample of Johannesburg Chinese schoolchildren, all 250 attending the only Chinese school in the city. In 18 preschoolchildren, 3--5 years old, 16.7% were caries-free, mean dmft was 7.1 +/- 5.8 and labial caries was present in 33.3%. In 165 primary schoolchildren aged 5--16 years, the mean dmft was 590 +/- 3.2 with 20% of the primary dentition caries-free and the mean DMFT was 2.4 +/- 1.9 4.8% of the primary schoolchildren were caries-free. In 67 high school pupils of 11--17 years, 4.5% were caries-free and the mean DMFT score was 7.1 +/- 3.9. Caries prevalences among the Chinese were similar to corresponding groups of children of Chinese immigrants in the United Kingdom and Malaysia.
Serum C3 and C4 values were determined in 236 normal adults of three racial groups, using the single radial immunodiffusion techniques. The C3 levels varied from 47 to 119 mg/dl and C4 levels from 16 to 66 ml/dl (mean +/- 2SD). The values were found to be comparable to the normals reported in some Western series. No significant differences in the levels related to sex and race were found.