Food irradiation is a process carried out in order to improve hygienic quality and germination
control, retarding sprouting, also enhancing physical attributes of the food product. In order to
provide for food safety, radiation dosimetry in irradiated foods is required. In present studies
use is made of germanium doped (Ge-doped) optical fibres of various form and dimensions.
The fibres are irradiated using a gamma source irradiator (Gamma Cell 220 Excel), with doses
from 1 kGy up to 10 kGy. For the particular Ge-doped optical fibres, investigation has been
made of linearity with dose, reproducibility, and fading, intercomparisons being made. The
fibres all exhibit TL yields that are linear with dose from 1 kGy up to 10 kGy, exceeding the
dose range of all commercial high dose dosimeters used in the food irradiation industry. In
respect of the flat fibre dosimeters, the mean reproducibility was found to be within 0.53%
to 4.96%, also offering low signal loss (fading), within 13.41% (for fibres of cross-sectional
dimensions 60 x 180 µm) to 20.12% (for fibres of cross-sectional dimensions 200 x 750µm),
after 22 days of storage.
We conducted a field study of a rapid test (Brugia Rapid) for detection of Brugia malayi infection to validate its sensitivity and specificity under operational conditions. Seven districts in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia, which are endemic for brugian filariasis, were used to determine the test sensitivity. Determination of specificity was performed in another state in Malaysia (Bachok, Kelantan) which is non-endemic for filariasis but endemic for soil-transmitted helminths. In Sarawak both the rapid test and thick blood smear preparation were performed in the field. The rapid test was interpreted on site, whereas blood smears were taken to the district health centres for staining and microscopic examination. Sensitivity of Brugia Rapid dipstick as compared with microscopy of thick blood smears was 87% (20/23; 95% CI: 66.4-97.2) whereas the specificity was 100% (512/512). The lower sensitivity of the test in the field than in laboratory evaluations (> or =95%), was probably due to the small number of microfilaraemic individuals, in addition to difficulties in performing the test in remote villages by field personnel. The overall prevalence of brugian filariasis as determined by the dipstick is 9.4% (95% CI: 8.2-0.5) while that determined by microscopy is 0.90% (95% CI: 0.5-1.3) thus the dipstick detected about 10 times more cases than microscopy. Equal percentages of adults and children were found to be positive by the dipstick whereas microscopy showed that the number of infected children was seven times less than infected adults. The rapid dipstick test was useful as a diagnostic tool for mapping and certification phases of the lymphatic filariasis elimination programme in B. malayi-endemic areas.
A sample of 204 handicapped children below 12 years of age consisting of 121(59.3%) males and 83 (40.7%) females who were classified into various types of mental and physical handicaps, were surveyed in April and May 1996. The majority of those with mental handicaps were Down Syndrome while those with cerebral palsy were the mostfrequent cause of physical handicaps. A structured questionnaire was used for interviewing the children parents to evaluate their attitude towards their handicapped children. The majority of the parents expressed their opinions that having handicapped children was not a burden to them although these children had to be given more attention. However, a significant minority felt that the child would be afinancial burden to the family and that he/she would restrict the social life of the family. The majority of the children were sent to school, as parents felt it was their duty to do so. For those children not attending school, the majority of parents felt that the children would not benefit by going. The others could not do so because offinancial constraints or because of the distance between home and school. For these children, provid-ing hostel facilities in a boarding school could be the answer. This study shows that parental love and support plays a major role in ensuring optimal growth and development of a handicapped child
Plasmodium knowlesi has been recently identified as the "fifth human malaria species" following the discovery in Malaysian Borneo of a large focus of this simian malaria parasite in humans. Even though it shares microscopic similarities with Plasmodium malariae, it may cause severe illness with risk of fatality. We describe a case of P. knowlesi infection causing multi-organ failure in a patient who was successfully managed due to early recognition of the infection. Clinicians in this region should be more aware of the infection as it is not as rare as previously thought. This case write up highlight the case of severe malaria infection which presented with multi organ involvement which is caused by P. knowlesi.
<b>Background and Objective:</b> Horseshoe crabs are widely used in both traditional and modern pharmaceutical applications. Most of the previous studies on horseshoe crabs focused on their blood which contains hemolymph and amoebocyte lysate. This study aimed to determine the potential antibacterial and antifouling properties of different extracts from the carapace and the book gills of <i>Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda</i>. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> The crude extracts were subjected to the bioactivity tests using the disc-diffusion and the inhibition of biofilm-formation measurement assays, for both the antibacterial and antifouling activities respectively. <b>Results:</b> The results obtained indicated that the carapace extracts had stronger antibacterial and antifouling effects compared to the book gills extracts. Extracts obtained from the male displayed more activity compared to the extracts from the female with a few exceptions. Methanol and acetone carapace crude extracts showed the best overall performance. A sterol compound was isolated from the carapace acetone extracts of the male of <i>C. rotundicauda</i>. However, the compound did not display strong activity compared to the crude extract. The compound might be contributing to the observed activity with other components through a synergistic effect. <b>Conclusion:</b> The presence of antibacterial and antifouling activities in the carapace and book gills extracts could be added to the complexity of the defence mechanisms of horseshoe crabs. The results of this study, therefore, may contribute to the knowledge of the defence mechanisms of <i>C. rotundicauda</i>. Further research is needed to determine the bioactivities of other parts of the animal and to explore their potential applications.
INTRODUCTION: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is known to be a common complication during pregnancy especially during the third trimester.
AIM: This article focuses on its impact to the third trimester pregnant mothers with CTS.
METHODS: Third trimester pregnant mothers with no other known risk factors for CTS, were interviewed and examined for a clinical diagnosis of CTS. The severity of CTS was assessed by means of symptoms severity and functionality using the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire.
RESULTS: Out of 333 third trimester pregnant mothers, 82 (24.6%) were clinically diagnosed with CTS. Malay race was found to have significant correlation with the diagnosis of CTS (p = 0.024) and are two times more likely to get CTS during pregnancy (OR = 2.26) compare to the non-Malays. Bilateral CTS was two times higher (n = 58, 63.4%) than unilateral cases (n = 30, 36.6%), however no significant correlation between the two was found with severity (p = 0.284) or functional (p = 0.906). The commonest complaint was numbness/tingling during day time (n = 63, 76.8%). Majority of the CTS cases were mild (n = 66, 80.5%) and approximately one third (n = 28, 34.1%) had affected hand functions. All symptoms related to pain was found to have significant correlation with severity (p = 0.00, OR = 12.23) and function (p = 0.005, OR = 5.01), whereas numbness and tingling does not (Severity, p = 0.843, function, p = 0.632).
CONCLUSION: This study shows that even though CTS in third trimester pregnancy is prevalent, generally it would be mild. However, function can still be affected especially if patients complain of pain.
INTRODUCTION: Malaysia has a high rate of smoking prevalence and the figure is increasing. Although there has been many local and regional studies on the prevalence and symptomatology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients, data is lacking on the degree of compliance to national management guidelines in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
METHODS: 86 patients who attended the respiratory outpatient clinic of the Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia were enrolled into a prospective, observational study.
RESULTS: 88 percent of the patients were male and the majority was ethnically Chinese (65 percent). The majority of patients were in the moderate to very severe categories, with a mean FEV1 of 0.97 +/- 0.56 L/sec and predicted mean FEV1 percentage of 43.1 +/- 21.3 percent. 58 percent of the patients were on long-acting beta-agonist, 65 percent were on inhaled steroids, and only 16 percent were on scheduled pulmonary rehabilitation.
CONCLUSION: The low uptake rate for long-acting beta-agonist and pulmonary rehabilitation could be attributed to several factors. Financial cost, the need for strict compliance to a structured rehabilitation regime, lack of significant social support and clear up-to-date guidelines are possible reasons.
Study site: Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (PPUKM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia