The use of ‘Gammexane’ P 520 as a practical larvicide is briefly described. A suitable rate of application is indicated, and the need to train spray operators and supervisors is indicated. Results suggest that the cost of this larvicide for routine control is likely to be one third or less that of oil.
Formulation of effective sustainability indicators for national assessment demands a comprehensive understanding of the utilisation, diffusion and dissemination of information in policy processes. To illustrate the dynamic of sustainability assessment within the context of policy processes, this paper uses a case study of national sustainability indicators development in Malaysia. Subsequently, this paper ascribes the limited achievement of national sustainability assessment in Malaysia to four types of constraints: meta-policy issues; technical capacities; communication concerns; and the inherent knowledge gaps within the indicator developer community vis-a-vis their theoretical limitations. It is proposed that such constraints will be encountered in many countries. Drawing from the literature on public policy, this paper outlines a framework for investigating indicator behaviour within policy processes based on well-established concepts such as knowledge utilisation and policy learning. I conclude this paper by elaborating on the corresponding future challenges that must be addressed before effective integration of sustainability indicators within policy systems can occur.
A mass CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) teaching programme, believed to be the first in Malaysia, was held at the Dewan Tunku Canselor, University of Malaya (UM) on Saturday, 13th July 1996. Organised by the Resuscitation Committee of University Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, this programme was conducted for 200 first year UM students. We describe the organisation of this non-traditional and non-threatening, new CPR teaching programme and propose that this be further developed for the dissemination of CPR skills to our Malaysian public.
Although the diagnosis of thymolipoma has improved with the introduction of computerized tomography (CT), variations in CT appearance are still being described; this paper describes a case which resembled a lipoma. The CT features of thymolipoma are discussed with special reference to the differential diagnosis. Surgical excision should be considered for patients who are found to exhibit a fatty intrathoracic mass on CT.
A J-shaped suction catheter was tailored to facilitate aspiration of the right upper lobe bronchus during rigid bronchoscopy in pediatric patients. This suction catheter was used successfully in three patients.
Liver fluke disease (fascioliasis) is an important parasitic disease found worldwide affecting sheep, goats, cattle and buffalo, as well as other domestic ruminants. The common causative agents are Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica which require various species of Lymnaea, fresh water snails, as their intermediate hosts. The epidemiology of the disease and its prevalence in Malaysia is mentioned briefly. The disease causes considerable impact on the economy of the livestock industry. The economic losses consist of costs of anthelmintics, drenches, labor, liver condemnation at meat inspection; and losses in production due to mortality, reduction in meat, milk and wool production; and reduction in growth rate, fertility and draught power. The disease also has public health significance, causing human fascioliasis and "halzoun".
A 35 year old diabetic presented with features of septicaemia and developed cardiac tamponade. He was found to have pulmonary, acute septicaemic and pericardial melioidosis. Some initial improvement was achieved with medical therapy but only with surgical intervention was a successful outcome achieved.
A review of the various studies on toxoplasmosis in peninsular Malaysia is presented. The period of review spanned between 1973 and 1980 during which a number of serological surveys were carried out for the presence of Toxoplasma gondii antibody in Malaysians, using either the indirect hemagglutination (I.H.A.) or the indirect fluorescent antibody (I.F.A.) tests. The prevalence rates of Toxoplasma antibody were consistently foundhighest among Malays, followed by Indians, Orang Aslis (Aborigines) and lowest among Malays, followed by Indians, Orang Aslia (Aborigines) and lowest among Chinese, the 4 major ethnic groups living in Malaysia. Positive titres, present in all age groups, showed an increase with age but no difference due to sex. However, higher prevalence of positive cases was recorded among rural dwellers and the lower socioeconomic group than from urban dwellers. The possible routes of infection among the ethnic groups were discussed. Among animal populations, the presence of Toxoplasma antibody was detected in buffaloes, swine, goats, cattle, cats and dogs. The epidemiological importance of the findings are discussed and suggestions made for future studies.
This paper reports a case of double orifice mitral valve which was treated conservatively. A new scheme of classification of this entity linked to the accepted lines of surgical treatment is introduced.