Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst university students from a Malaysian's public university. A total of 228 students responded to a self-administered questionnaire consisting of items evaluating knowledge and practices of osteoporosis.
RESULTS: The students showed a moderate level of osteoporosis awareness with a score of 63.3%. Male subjects had higher awareness scores of osteoporosis complications compared to female subjects (p= 0.010). Malay (p= 0.002) and Chinese (p= 0.005) had higher levels of osteoporosis awareness compared to Indian students. Coffee and alcohol intakes were significantly different between the sexes (p= 0.013) and the ethnic groups (p= 0.029). Most of the subjects in our study were minimally active (43.9%).
CONCLUSIONS: The students had a reasonable levels of knowledge about osteoporosis, but their health activities to avoid osteoporosis were insufficient. This illustrates the need for educational programmes to improve students' knowledge and awareness for successful osteoporosis prevention.
Case Description: A 66-year-old male with the right lower extremity weakness was diagnosed with a spinal dural AVF at the L1 level. It was initially treated with open surgery followed by CyberKnife radiosurgery at another institution. Five years later, he presented with a persistent pAVF fistula now involving the T11 level; the major feeder originated on the left at the T7-T8 level (e.g., involving a left-sided "duplicated" anterior spinal artery). Utilizing a three-dimensional (3D) computer tomography (CT) guided approach; he underwent a left-sided posterolateral T10-T12 laminectomy, sufficient to allow for 30-40° of anterior spinal cord rotation. This was performed under neurophysiological monitoring without any significant changes. Surgery included indocyanine green video angiography, temporary feeder clipping, and complete occlusion of the AVF, followed by complete clipping/resection as confirmed on postoperative magnetic resonance imaging.
Conclusion: Utilizing a 3D CT image, a ventral pulmonary arteriovenous malformation was excised utilizing a left-sided posterolateral approach allowing for 30-40° of cord rotation.
DESIGN: Retrospective study.
METHODS: Based on the mean deviation (MD) of the Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA), the 152 subjects were categorized into mild (MD > - 6 dB, 100), moderate (MD - 6 to - 12 dB, 26), and severe (MD
CASE PRESENTATION: We report a 54-year-old male who presented with a 7-year history of large right anterior neck swelling. He was clinically euthyroid and had no compressive or infiltrative symptoms. He sought medical attention due to the discomfort exerted by the weight of the mass and was keen for excision. The swelling appeared like a goitre but physical examination proved otherwise. Imaging was suggestive of a benign tumour arising from the right parapharyngeal fossa. The mass was surgically excised and was noted to be adherent to part of the submandibular gland. Histopathological examination revealed a new variant of benign adipocytic tumour of salivary gland or sialolipoma arising from the submandibular gland. Besides being the largest sialolipoma to be reported, there are also no reports of giant submandibular sialolipomas masquerading as a huge goitre in appearance.
CONCLUSION: Submandibular sialolipomas can present in really large sizes and appear as a giant goitre. It is important to differentiate between benign lipomas from liposarcomas and tailor the management accordingly. Surgical enucleation is the preferred choice of treatment for these benign tumours with low recurrence rates.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the circulating markers of osteocytes and calcium homeostasis between Malaysian postmenopausal women with and without osteoporosis.
METHODS: Postmenopausal women with (n=20) or without osteoporosis (n=20) as determined by dual- energy X-ray absorptiometry were randomly drawn from a bone health cohort. Their fasting blood was collected and assayed by a multiplex immunoassay panel.
RESULTS: The results showed that osteoprotegerin and sclerostin levels were significantly lower among postmenopausal women with osteoporosis than the normal control. No significant differences in other markers were observed between the two groups. Sclerostin level correlated positively with spine Bone Mineral Density (BMD), while 25-hydroxyvitamin D correlated negatively with hip BMD in the control group. No significant correlation was observed between other markers with spine or hip BMD.
CONCLUSION: These data provide an insight into the possible roles of osteocyte markers, especially osteoprotegerin and sclerostin, in classifying subjects with osteoporosis. However, the lack of association between these markers and BMD indicates that osteoporosis is a complex and multifactorial condition.