Trans-mesenteric hernia is a form of internal hernia which is an extremely rare cause of intestinal obstruction in adults compared with the pediatric population. It often presents with complications such as acute intestinal obstruction and peritonitis requiring immediate surgical intervention. We report a case of a 21-year-old woman who presented to us with an acute abdomen and peritonitis that required an immediate exploratory laparotomy. She was found to have a small congenital mesenteric defect with strangulated segment of ileum. Gangrenous portion of the ileum was resected and the congenital defect was closed. The patient made an uneventful recovery. The occurrence of trans-mesenteric hernia in adults is rare and difficult to be diagnosed clinically; thus, the patient's clinical features may lead to early surgical intervention in order to reduce morbidity and mortality.
Acute aortic dissection is a life-threatening condition, warranting prompt diagnosis and treatment. Management of which incorporates multidisciplinary expertise from the medical, surgical and intensive care. If left untreated, the mortality rate of acute aortic disease exceeds 50% within 48 hours and 80% within two weeks, with a 5-year survival rate of 19%. The most common cause of death in untreated acute aortic dissection, regardless of aetiology, is aortic rupture. We would like to share our successful experience of cases at the two extreme ages of acute aortic dissection. Literature review with their pathogenesis are discussed.
The study is going to investigate the fundamental frequency (F(0)) and perturbation measures of sustained vowels in 360 native Malaysian Malay children aged between 7 and 12 years using acoustical analysis.
Psoralen and ultraviolet light A (PUVA) was the mainstay of vitiligo treatment before the introduction of narrowband UVB(NB-UVB). Eighteen patients treated with NB-UVB in Hospital Kuala Lumpur were retrospectively analyzed. Eight patients had Fitzpatrick skin phototype III and 10 with phototype IV. The mean duration of disease was 7.3 +/- 5.4 years, and the mean body surface area affected was 19.3 +/- 16.2%. Mean duration of treatment was 14.3 +/- 9.6 months, number of session 113.5 +/- 88.6 times and cumulative dose 111.7 +/- 108.5 J/ cm2. Concomitant topical steroid was used in 88.9% patients. Repigmentation was moderate in 6 (40%) patients, good in 3 (20%), while 3 (20%) achieved excellent results. One patient (6.6%) showed no response and 2 (13.3%) showed poor repigmentation. Three patients developed side effects. NB-UVB phototherapy results in satisfactory repigmentation in our vitiligo patients and should be offered as a treatment option.
Proteus Syndrome is a rare congenital hamartomatous disorder that typically manifests itself in overgrowth, vascular malformation and disregulation of fatty tissue. The tissues affected are commonly the limbs but can be of any tissue. Vascular anomalies are common and appear at random sites on the body. Diagnosis is often difficult leading to wrong treatment. We describe a case of a 17-year-old girl with Proteus syndrome presented with symptomatic anaemia secondary to chronic rectal bleeding. Computed Tomography Angiogram of Abdomen and Pelvis confirmed the presence of rectal vascular malformations.
BACKGROUND: Malignancies are more common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) than the general population. SLE patients are recognized to have higher prolactin levels. However, there are very few reported cases of SLE with pituitary adenomas.
CASE REPORT: We report the second case of a pituitary adenoma in a patient with underlying SLE. A 51 year old lady presented with blurred vision and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain demonstrated a pituitary macroadenoma with mildly elevated serum prolactin levels. The diagnosis of a non functioning pituitary macroadenoma was confirmed histologically. The diagnosis of SLE was made on the basis of thrombocytopenia, antinuclear antibodies, anti double stranded DNA antibodies and lupus nephritis (confirmed on renal biopsy). The patient initially received medical therapy with carbegoline, followed by transsphenoidal neurosurgery for the pituitary macroadenoma. SLE with lupus nephritis was treated with steroids and low dose intravenous cyclophosphamide.
CONCLUSIONS: Hyperprolactinaemia is prevalent in twenty to thirty percent of SLE patients but it is rarely due to a prolactinoma. The source of excessive circulating prolactin in SLE patients has not been fully determined.
KEYWORDS: pituitary macroadenoma; prolactin; systemic lupus erythematosus
Paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia is a rare disorder, and there are few reports of Asian patients with this condition. We reviewed the clinical features of all patients with idiopathic paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD) seen at a major neurological centre in Malaysia. The charts of 11 patients with idiopathic PKD seen between 1995 and 2008 were reviewed retrospectively. The male:female ratio was 9:2. Ten patients were of Chinese ethnicity, and one was Malay. Three patients (from two families) had a family history of PKD. The involuntary movement was dystonia in 73% of patients. In one patient, attacks were precipitated by vestibular stimulation. One patient had generalized epilepsy. Another patient who did not have epilepsy demonstrated epileptiform discharges. Only slightly over one-quarter of patients had a positive family history. Males, and people of Chinese ancestry, seem to be affected more frequently by PKD in certain Asian populations.
To determine the results of children who underwent flexible bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in the Respiratory Medicine Service of Kandang Kerbau Women's and Children's Hospital from 1996 to 2005.
Larvae of Aedes albopictus Skuse typically inhabit natural and artificial containers. Since these larval habitats are replenished by rainfall, Ae. albopictus may experience increased loss of immature stages in areas with high levels of rainfall. In this study, we investigated the effects of rainfall and container water level on population density, and oviposition activity of Ae. albopictus. In field and laboratory experiments, we found that rainfall resulted in the flushing of breeding habitats. Excess rain negatively impacted larval and pupal retention, especially in small habitats. When filled with water to overflowing, container habitats were significantly repellent to ovipositing females. Taken together, these data suggest that rainfall triggers population loss of Ae. albopictus and related species through a direct detrimental effect (flushing out) and an indirect effect (ovipositional repellency).
Background: Psychoeducation has shown promising benefits in managing patients with schizophrenia. In Malaysia, the use of psychoeducation is rather limited and its impact indeterminate.
Aims: To assess the effectiveness of a structured psychoeducation programme for the community in improving caregiver knowledge, decreasing caregivers’ burden, reducing patients’ readmission and defaulter follow up rates.
Method: In a controlled interventional study, 109 caregivers were included, 54 and 55 in the intervention and control groups respectively. Caregivers were assessed at baseline, 3 and 6 months post-intervention for knowledge and burden. Patients were monitored for relapse and defaulting follow up in the clinic.
Results: Caregivers in the intervention group showed significant improvement in knowledge, reduction in burden in assistance in daily living (severity) and a reduced defaulter rate was seen in the patients’ follow up.
Conclusion: The findings shows that structured psychoeducation programme among caregivers has the potential to improve outcome of care for patients with schizophrenia.
Keywords: Schizophrenia; Psychoeducation; Community; Caregiver Questionnaire: Family Burden Interview Schedule–Short Form (FBIS/SF)
Etroplus suratensis, a southern Asian cichlid, has established populations in Singapore. The fish, which was first collected in 1995, was probably introduced via the aquarium trade or through the Johor River in Malaysia. The growth, feeding and reproductive characteristics were found to follow its ecology in its native range in southern Asia, and its establishment in Singapore could be due to the similarity in environment and availability of food. Changes in intestinal length indicated diet shifts from a predominantly herbivorous to an omnivorous one as it matured. Stomach contents did not provide comparable evidence. Diet similarity to two other introduced cichlids may imply that interspecies resource competition exists. Closer monitoring is needed to determine its effects on the local environment.
Ureteritis cystica is a rare, benign, proliferative condition. We report the case of a 51-year-old female who complained of dysuria and frequency for the last 10 years. The symptoms, however, increased in severity and frequency over the past one year. Urine culture and sensitivity showed presence of Escherichia Coli which was sensitive to augmentin and ciproflaxocin. The urinary tract ultrasonography and intravenous urography revealed bladder diverticula with multiple small, smooth well defects with sharp borders that protruded into the lumen along the proximal and mid left ureter. This finding was later confirmed by retrograde pyelogram. She was treated and currently is on long term antibiotic therapy. The diagnostic features and management of ureteritis cystic is being discussed in detail.
We report a 69 year old female who presented with chest pain to the Emergency Department of the National Heart Institute Malaysia. Her history revealed that she had had 2 separate episodes of chest pain beginning in 2002, resulting in total occlusion of her mid left anterior descending artery (LAD) requiring percutaneous coronary intervention and stenting on both occasions. Cine angiogram on her current admission revealed recurrent target lesion in-stent restenosis with total occlusion of the distal LAD. Intravascular ultrasound revealed multilayered suboptimally deployed stents in the LAD. Successive drug-eluting balloon deployments resulted in sustained patency of the LAD after 1 year.
Cavernous hemangioma is a vascular tumor composed of large dilated blood vessels and containing large blood-filled spaces. The formation is due to dilation and thickening of the walls of the capillary loops. Most cavernous hemangiomas present at birth or soon after. On the other hand, jugular phlebectasia is an abnormal benign sacculofusiform dilatation of jugular veins. It should be considered as one of the differential diagnosis of neck swelling. Majority of the reported cases occurred in a young child. We reported a case of an elderly woman who was diagnosed clinically as anterior jugular vein phlebectesia. Histologically the mass turned out to be a cavernous hemangioma.