Childhood cancer is the number one cause of death by illness in children. However, despite being such a deadly disease, survival from childhood cancer is high with cancer treatment. Unfortunately, undergoing cancer treatment can result in many treatments related side-effects. Daily self-care such as maintaining a balanced diet, drinking enough fluids, practicing proper hygiene and getting enough rest, can be effective in lowering the severity of these symptoms. It is found that existing interventions for cancer patients do not target treatment adherence in children. Therefore, the aim of the research is to design an intervention which is able to motivate children to adhere to treatment and encourage daily self-care. To enhance the design of such an intervention, the article explores the potential of virtual pet games as a health intervention, and the use of the Protection Motivation Theory and Social Learning Theory’s observational learning in increasing the intervention’s effectiveness. Finally, the design considerations, game objectives and overall conceptual architecture of the proposed intervention are discussed. A conceptual comparison is also made between the proposed game and existing serious games for cancer patients. Future work is required to develop this design into a working prototype, and to evaluate its effectiveness on improving treatment adherence and promoting daily self-care with childhood cancer patients.
Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy in Kawasaki disease (KD) has been shown to reduce coronary artery aneurysm by 4-5%. However, we still observed significant number of coronary aneurysm post IVIG in our centre. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of coronary artery abnormality (CAA) and the associated risk factors.
Designs: Retrospective descriptive study. Method: A retrospective study performed on children with KD from 1 st January 2005 to 30 th July 2010. Japanese Ministry of Health criteria were used to classify coronary arteries abnormality. Children with incomplete or atypical KD were excluded. Data were extracted from Pediatric Cardiology Clinical Information System.
Results: A total of 126 KD were diagnosed during the study period with 69% were male and 52.4% were Chinese. The median age of diagnosis was 1.4yr [Q1, 0.6yr Q3, 2.3yr]. Of these 126, 118 (93.7%) received IVIG within 10 days of illness. Ten patients (7.9%) required more than one dose of IVIG. CAA were noted in 28 (22.2%) patients with 21 ectasia, 4 small fusiform, one small saccular and 2 medium fusiform aneurysm. Of these 28, 22 who had IVIG within 10 days of illness (18 ectasia, 3 small and one medium coronary aneurysm) Significant risk factors for CAA were older children (2.3 v s 1.7yr, p=0.03), presentation after 10days of illness (p=0.006) and required more than 2gm/kg of IVIG (p=0.04).
Conclusion: CAA in complete KD treated with IVIG was 22.2% with 5.5% significant aneurysm. Risk factors for coronary abnormality were older children, late presentation and require more of IVIG of than 2gm/kg.
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is an X-linked red blood cell enzymopathy common in malaria endemic areas. Individuals affected by this disease show a wide variety of clinical signs including neonatal jaundice. In this preliminary report we describe the heterogeneity of G6PD deficient gene in neonatal jaundice in the Malay population in Kelantan. Thirteen G6PD deficient Malay neonates with hyperbilirubinemia were subjected to mutation analysis of the G6PD gene for known candidate mutations. Molecular defects were identified in the 13 patients studied. Though all of these were mis-sense mutations, identified nucleotide changes were heterogeneous. Six patients were found to have a C to T nucleotide change at nucleotide 563 of the G6PD gene (C563T), corresponding to G6PD Mediterranean; three cases had a single nucleotide change at T383C (G6PD Vanua Lava), two cases had G487A (G6PD Mahidol) and two cases had G1376T (G6PD Canton). These findings suggest that there are heterogeneous mutations of the G6PD gene associated with neonatal jaundice in the Malay population in Kelantan.
Even though vaccines are effective for prevention of diseases, compliance with recommended schedules of immunisation in early childhood is not always complete. Identification of potential risk factors associated with under-immunisation may help increase vaccination uptake. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence and risk factors of under-immunisation in hospitalised preschool children in Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital (HUSM). Children aged 1 month to 2 years admitted between December 1998 and December 2000 in medical paediatric wards at HUSM were studied. Parents/guardians were interviewed during admission regarding immunisation status and potential risk factors. Children who did not have home-based cards during admission were excluded. Among 401 children, 37.9% had complete immunisation, 43.4% had delayed immunisation and 34.9% had incomplete immunisation. The uptake of BCG, DPT/OPV 1, DPT/OPV2, Hepatitis B3, DPT/OPV3, and measles were 98.5%, 90.7%, 83.2%, 81.4%,79.2% and 72.9% respectively. Vaccines scheduled to be given at later ages were significantly less likely to be taken (p=0.002) compared with vaccines scheduled to be given at an earlier age. Significant independent risk factors for under-immunisation were elderly mothers (3 40 years old) (OR 3.0, 95% CI: 1.2-8.0), low birth weight £2.0 kg (OR 6.2; 95% CI: 1.8-21.4) and presence of chronic illness in the child (OR 4.5; 95% CI: 2.5-7.9). In children whose father's education was low (primary school or no education), low maternal education was significantly associated with lower rate of under-immunisation (p = 0.005, OR 0.11 95%CI 0.02-0.51).
In conclusion this study showed that a large proportion of hospitalised preschool children were under-immunised, and vaccines scheduled to be given at a later age had lower uptakes. The situation can be rectified if every opportunity is taken to immunise all children, who have lapsed in their immunisation schedule.
Progression to AIDS is more rapid in HIV-infected children. Objective: Our study aimed to investigate the effect of HIV status disclosure in children in terms of their perception of the illness, knowledge on their disease and medications and the overall impact on their quality of life.
Methods: A qualitative study was conducted from 1st June 2017 till 8th September 2017 involving face-to-face interviews with HIV-positive children receiving combination anti-retroviral therapy (cART) under paediatric HIV clinic follow-up, Hospital Tuanku Fauziah, Kangar, Perlis. Transcribed interview dialogues were subsequently coded for analysis.
Results: Data were collected from 6 out of 8 HIV-positive children on cART in Hospital Tuanku Fauziah, Perlis. Participants’ mean age was 12.2 years (standard deviation [SD] 2.11); 3 with disease disclosure. Disease-disclosed participants with ironically poor knowledge on their disease emerged as the key theme in the study. Disease-disclosed participants were also noted to be more withdrawn with very few friends, if any. Disease disclosure status did not affect the patients’ knowledge and compliance to medication.
Conclusion: Assessment of patients’ understanding after disease-disclosure session is crucial to encourage therapy adherence and prevention of future transmission. Re-appraisal of the healthcare policy with regards to holistic management of children living with HIV is warranted to attain positive social and developmental goal throughout their lives.
Study site: paediatric HIV clinic follow-up, Hospital Tuanku Fauziah, Kangar, Perlis
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by recurrent intrusive, distressing thoughts and repetitive behaviours or mental rituals performed to reduce anxiety. The lifetime prevalence of OCD is 2.3% and it can happen to all people of various levels, including child and adolescent. The mean age of onset is 19.5 years, and a subset of patients, mostly males, have an early onset before 10 years of age. The lifetime risk of developing OCD is higher in females, who typically develop the disorder in adolescence [1]. Person with OCD usually presented with obsession involving various themes, namely contamination; repeated doubts; religious, need for symmetry and exactness, or taboo thoughts of a sexual, religious, or aggressive nature. Whereas, the most common compulsions are checking, washing, hoarding, and counting compulsions[1]. (Copied from article).
Heralded by the revelation of the double helical structure of the DNA molecule in 1953, the 21st century is aptly designated the biotechnology century. The 20th century of physics, which saw the transformation of silicon into computing magic, was embraced with enthusiasm by virtually every household. However, unlike her predecessor, the same cannot be said about the advancements in biomedicine.
Forty thousand children die each day in developing countries; which is approximately 28 dead children every minute. In many of these countries 25% of their children do not even live long enough to celebrate their fifth birthday. These mortality statistics represents a human tragedy affecting our very youngest. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has identified seven simple, practical and cost-effective activities to help save the lives of our children. The acronym GOBI FFF - Child Survival Strategy describes these 7 measures. The B in the acronym represents beastfeeding which is a pivotal and fundamental component of this child survival strategy.
Neonatal malaria may be overlooked likely due to its non-specific features and low prevalence in Malaysia. In this case report, we detail a case of neonatal malaria in an 18-day old baby girl of Myanmar origin who presented with 6 days of intermittent fever but was otherwise well. Initially, she was treated as neonatal sepsis. She then developed thrombocytopaenia and severe anaemia with persistent spikes of temperature. This prompted a series of investigations and multiple changes of antibiotics. The diagnosis of neonatal malaria surfaced when her peripheral blood film incidentally revealed the presence of Plasmodium vivax parasites. Peripheral blood smears are simple and inexpensive. Therefore practising especially in endemic areas for malaria, we need to consider this diagnosis when dealing with neonatal sepsis that does not respond to standard treatment.
Introduction: There are many factors that determine the survival of patients with VSD. Among these include size of VSD, position, pulmonary hypertension, bacterial sepsis, valvular involvement, associated anomalies with VSD, associated syndromes and age at first diagnosis. There has been no published local data as far as we know and this information will be useful especially for consultation with parents. Even though VSD in general has a good prognosis, whenever they have added risks for example pulmonary hypertension then they are at risk of further morbidity and mortality. Objective: To determine the factors that are associated with survival of patients with VSD. Design: Retrospective cohort. Materials and methods: All cases of isolated VSDs admitted to HUSM from 1996 to 2003 were reviewed. Results: Univariate Cox regression of survival time of patients with VSDs revealed that 4 factors had prognostic significance namely bacterial sepsis (HR= 287.7, 95% CI 51.1, 1618.5, P < 0.001), Down syndrome (HR = 14.89, 95% CI 3.00, 73.92, P = 0.001), pulmonary hypertension (HR=14.58, 95% CI 1.69, 125.7, P=0.015) and large VSDs (HR=8.23, 95% CI 1.5, 45, P=0.015). Bacterial sepsis was the only significant prognostic factors for the survival of patients with VSDs using the multivariate Cox proportional hazard model. Conclusion: Bacterial sepsis, pulmonary hypertension, large VSD and Down syndrome were the significant prognostic factors from Univariate Cox analysis, however bacterial sepsis was the only significant prognostic factor from Multivariate Cox analysis.
Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anaemia in children aged six months to fifteen years old treated in a single centre from 2008 to 2018. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted among 274 children age six months to fifteen years old, treated in Advanced Medical and Dental Institute (AMDI), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) from 2008 to 2018. The data was obtained from computerised hospital data (CARE2X), Laboratory Information System (LIS) or medical record. Parents of the eligible participants were called for any incomplete data and verbal consents were obtained. Descriptive analysis was conducted to determine the prevalence whereas the relationship between independent variables with types of anaemia were examined using simple logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of anaemia was 22.3%. Among the anaemic children, the predominant morphology form was hypochromic microcytic anaemia (82%) followed with normochromic normocytic anaemia (18%). Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) was found to be the commonest cause (24%) of hypochromic microcytic anaemia, followed by IDA with concomitant thalassaemia (14%) and thalassaemia alone (8%). In simple logistic regression analysis, no significant association was found. Conclusions: The prevalence of anaemia was 22.3%, which is considered as moderate public health problem according to WHO. Hypochromic microcytic anaemia was the predominant red cell morphology (82%) and IDA was the commonest causes (24%).
During a 24-month period, 21 children with acute bacterial meningitis were identified and studied. The majority of the children was from low socio-economic group and the male:female sex ratio was equal. Seventeen children (81%) were aged twelve months or below. In 15 (71.5%) of the children. Haemophilus influenzae type b was recovered, while Streptococcus pneumoniae was isolated from 4 children. Neisseria spp and Salmonella spp were identified respectively in each of the other two cases. The case fatality was four (19.0%) with nine others (42%) exhibiting neurological sequelae. Except for the Salmonella spp strain that was resistant to the cephalosporin, the rest of the bacterial species were sensitive to the commonly used antibiotics. As Haemophilus influenzae type b is still the most prevalent cause of acute bacterial meningitis, it is therefore strongly recommended that the national immunisation programme in this country should include the vaccine for it in our effort to minimise the mortality and morbidity caused by this organism.
Inherited thalassaemia disease is commonly found in many countries of the world. Care of the disease requires comprehensive management strategies comprising of clinical management of both transfusion dependant thalassaemia (TDT) and non-transfusion dependant thalassaemia (NTDT). It also includes preventive measures such as screening programmes and genetic counseling in order to contain the genetic transmission. At the moment, the only cure is through haematopoeitic stem cell transplant (HSCT). This report illustrates thalassaemia disease prevalence in the Terengganu state and the evolution of care since National Thalassaemia Programme was launched in 2009.
Scurvy resulting from dietary deficiency of vitamin C is characterized by anaemia, tender limbs swelling and hemorrhagic manifestations such as petechiae and bruises. We report a case of scurvy in a 13 years old boy with cerebral palsy who presented with history of limbs bruising and swelling for 2 months. On examination, he was cachexic and pale with poor dentition and swollen gum. There were extensive bruises and swollen limbs as well. His platelet count and coagulation profile were normal. Limbs X-ray revealed classical scorbutic changes in the long bones. Serum ascorbic acid level was low
Introduction: School refusal is a common cause of chronically poor school attendance. The basis of school refusal behaviour can be grouped into the symptomatic and functional models, the operant conditioning model and the cognitive model. Objective: This paper is aimed to discuss the various systems and models which explain the school refusal behaviour. Method: An initial search of published literature in English Language was performed on the online databases including Google Scholar, Science Direct, EBSCOhost, and Proquest with the main keywords were School Refusal and Self–efficacy. Further sources were identified after consulting the original author for recommendations, and references within the literature retrieved in the initial search. Results: Out of 57 articles found, 41 were used in this review. Development and maintenance of school refusal involve heterogeneous risk factors and processes. The existing theoretical basis of school refusal behaviour can be grouped into symptomatic models, the operant conditioning model and the cognitive model. Conclusion: School refusal depicts a symptom, heralding the need for early intervention before development of a more pervasive mental health disorder. Where the problem had persisted for months to years, the child or adolescent would commonly present with coexisting anxiety or depressive disorders.
Visceral hyperalgesia, intestinal dysfunction and unexplained irritability in neurological impaired children is a medical enigma for many healthcare professionals. The neuro-medical management can be challenging and difficult, due to poor understanding of the underlying aetiology and pathophysiology of the condition. Neuro-enteric axis has been proposed as emerging physiologic mechanism in the pathogenesis of many gastrointestinal diseases. The bidirectional connection between enteric and central nervous system may represent a direct relationship between neurological system and gut physiology. Insult to the brain indirectly contribute to the ongoing gut and brain axis sequalae. Microbiota has been an important modulator in the brain-gut axis. Irritability episodes in severe neurological impairment children has been commonly associated with pain originated from gastrointestinal pathology. Management of such condition requires a holistic approach to tackle multidimensional factors that has contributed to the ‘totality’ of the symptoms.
Background: This paper aims to report a rare case of congenital giant cell fibroma (GCF). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of GCF in new-born. Case Report: A healthy one-month-old baby boy was referred to Department of Paediatric Dentistry for management of swelling on the upper left alveolar region which presented since birth. Clinical examination demonstrated a well define firm swelling over the upper left alveolar ridge, otherwise the swelling was asymptomatic. Patient was monitored periodically. At 1 year and 9 months of age, there were episodes of ulcerations and bleeding from the lesion as a result of trauma from eruption of opposing teeth. Surgical excision of the lesion was carried out under general anaesthesia. The histopathological examination (HPE) report interpreted the lesion as GCF. Conclusion: GCF is rare fibrous lesion that could be diagnosed only on HPE. Although it is an uncommon congenital lesion, GCF should be considered as one of differential diagnosis of swelling over the gingiva.
OBJECTIVE: To assess a better strategy to implement oral iron supplementation in preschool Orang Asli children with high prevalence of iron deficiency, as opposed to the current practice, yet inefficient, of daily oral iron supplementation regime.
METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in preschool children presenting to a remote health center (Klinik Desa Kenang, Sungai Siput, Perak) with iron deficiency state. Oral iron prescribed as a daily unsupervised dose (group A) was compared to a weekly supervised administration (group B) over eight weeks.
RESULTS: Before intervention, iron deficiency was prevalent in these children (91.2%). The mean baseline haemoglobin and ferritin levels of group A were 9.9 (+/- 1.1) g/dL and 8.9 (+/- 1.3) mg/L respectively, and that of group B were 9.9 (+/-1.2) g/dL and 9.7 (+/- 1.9) mg/L respectively. After eight weeks of treatment, the mean rise in haemoglobin and ferritin levels of group A were 1.2 (+/- 0.6) g/dL and 18.1 (+/- 15.1) mg/ L respectively, as compared to group B, where the mean rise in haemoglobin and ferritin levels were 1.8 (+/- 0.7) g/dL and 35.2 (+/- 21.8) mg/ L respectively. The differences in the rise of haemoglobin and ferritin levels of the two groups were statistically significant (p<0.025). Both regimes were however effective in improving the iron status in a short term (88% in group A and 100% in group B), but group B had a better iron improvement (35.2 +/- 21.8 versus 18.1 +/-15.1 mg/L).
CONCLUSION: It was concluded that the supervised weekly oral iron supplementation regime was more effective than the unsupervised daily supplementation for treating iron deficiency in preschool Orang Asli children. Since iron deficiency is so common in these children and in view of the possibility of poor compliance with the unsupervised regime, an intermittent supervised treatment is proposed as the most effective strategy to address this nutritional problem.
Objective: To describe the effect of mycophenolate mofetil in Pakistani children with steroid dependent and steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome. Methods: This is cross sectional retrospective review of 16 patients; 9 boys and 7 girls (11 SD/FRNS and 5 SRNS) for a period of 4.8 years. This study was conducted in Mayo hospital and Fatima Memorial hospital specialist care centre, Lahore involving urban and suburban population. Results: The median age of the group was 4 years (1.6 to 12.6 years). Seven patients had histological diagnosis of MCN, 3 had diffuse mesangial proliferation, one of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis and 4 had FSGS. Out of 5 SRNS 4 were found to have FSGS and 1 had membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN). A total of three patients were completely off steroids and in two patients MMF was also successfully stopped. Number of relapses /patient /year calculated by applying Wilcoxan signed rank test was found to be 4.31 + 0.87(3.00-6.00 /patient/year) before starting MMF, which dropped to 1.12 + 0.718 (0.00- 2.000 /patient/year) after starting MMF, p=0.0001. Reduction in steroid dose from mean of 0.85 + 0.18 mg/kg/day to 0.3mg/kg/day + 1.56 was achieved in 12 months, p
Objective: This study assessed the pattern of clinical course of hematological disorders in children diagnosed by bone marrow aspiration/biopsy in a tertiary care centre. Setting: The study was conducted at the Department of Pediatrics, Lahore General Hospital, Pakistan. Design: A retrospective descriptive study. Duration of study: Jan 2006 to Dec 2010. Methods: The clinical and laboratory data of 250 patients including complete history, physical examination, investigations and bone marrow examination reports were collected and then analyzed retrospectively. On the basis of these data, relative frequency of different hematological disorders was determined. Results: A total of 250 patients were selected during this study period where their bone marrow was sent for the investigations. Out of these cases, double deficiency anemia was the commonest diagnosis (22%) followed by aplastic anemia (13.6%), megaloblastic anemia (13.2%) and iron deficiency anemia (5.6%). For hematological malignancies, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was observed in 27 cases (10.8%) followed by acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in 12 cases (4.8%), lymphoma in 8 cases (3.2%) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in only two cases. Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) was reported as frequent as 13.2% (33 cases). Conclusion: The pattern of non malignant hematological disorders in children diagnosed by bone marrow aspiration/biopsy was more common than malignant conditions. Double deficiency anemia was the commonest non malignant condition followed by aplastic anemia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and megaloblastic anemia. ALL was the most common presentation of the hematological malignancy.