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  1. Arumugam M, Leelavathi M, Harun NL, Jamil A
    Med J Malaysia, 2021 07;76(4):583-584.
    PMID: 34305124
    Cutaneous sporotrichosis (CS) presents as asymptomatic lesions of varied morphology. The most common variant is the lymphocutaneous type which typically progresses from a papule to an ulcer and then forms nodules along the superficial lymphatic channels. Diagnosis CS may be challenging when the lesion presents at an uncommon site where the superficial lymphatic drainage is unfamiliar. We present here a case of sporotrichosis of the abdominal wall which was initially misdiagnosed as an abscess but later confirmed by culture and managed successfully.
  2. Tan WL, Asahar SF, Harun NL
    Singapore Med J, 2015 Apr;56(4):224-7.
    PMID: 25532511 DOI: 10.11622/smedj.2014170
    INTRODUCTION: Diabetes mellitus is a rising non-communicable disease in Malaysia. Insulin therapy refusal is a great challenge for healthcare providers, as it results in delayed insulin initiation. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of insulin therapy refusal and its associated factors.
    METHODS: This cross sectional study was conducted at seven public health clinics in Kubang Pasu district, Malaysia, from March to October 2012. A newly developed and validated questionnaire was used and participants were selected via systematic random sampling. Only patients diagnosed with type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and under the public health clinic care in Kubang Pasu were included in the study. Multiple logistic regressions were used to study the association between insulin therapy refusal and its associated factors.
    RESULTS: There were 461 respondents and the response rate was 100%. Among these 461 patients with T2DM, 74.2% refused insulin therapy. The most common reason given for refusal was a lack of confidence in insulin injection (85.4%). Multiple logistic regression revealed that respondents who had secondary education were 55.0% less likely to refuse insulin therapy than those who had primary or no formal education (p = 0.009, adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.25-0.82). There was also a significant inverse association between glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and insulin therapy refusal (p = 0.047, adjusted OR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.76-1.00).
    CONCLUSION: Insulin therapy refusal is common in Kubang Pasu. Education status and HbA1c should be taken into consideration when counselling patients on insulin therapy initiation.
    Study site: Klinik Kesihatan, Kubang Pasu, Kedah, Malaysia
  3. Ooi ZY, Mohd Ghazali NA, Nik Zahari NJ, Chan HK, Md Noor N, Harun NL, et al.
    Malays Fam Physician, 2022 Nov 30;17(3):74-83.
    PMID: 36606160 DOI: 10.51866/oa.38
    INTRODUCTION: Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) is commonly encountered at the primary care level. Its management is particularly challenging due to the similarity of its symptoms to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Our study evaluated the profiles and antibiotic use of patients seeking care from a dedicated community-based URTI clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Data were obtained from the medical records of patients visiting the URTI clinic at the Alor Setar Primary Healthcare Centre between March and April 2020.

    RESULTS: Overall, 587/4388 (13.3%) patients received treatment at the URTI clinic. Most patients were male (60.6%) and aged between 20 and 39 years (35.5%). Their most common symptoms were cough (68.4%), fever (31.6%), runny nose (24.6%), and sore throat (24.1%). Most patients were diagnosed with acute nasopharyngitis (52.5%), acute pharyngitis (18.6%), or acute tonsillitis (5.3%). The symptomatic medication prescription rate was 96.5%. Only 26 of the 435 patients diagnosed with URTI received antibiotics, yielding an antibiotic use rate of only 6.0% for URTI relative to overall drug use. Acute tonsillitis was more common in children <12 years old (p<0.001), while a cough and runny nose were more commonly indicative of acute nasopharyngitis than other conditions (p<0.001). Sore throat was more likely to be a symptom of acute pharyngitis (p<0.001) and acute tonsillitis (p<0.001).

    CONCLUSION: Despite the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, the findings suggest that patients with URTI-like symptoms were properly managed, and the rate of antibiotic usage remained reasonable.

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