The New Integrated Curriculum at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Which comprises three major longitudinal strands, was first implemented in 1998 to provide better integration of clinical and basic medical sciences. One of these longitudinal strands, the Doctor, Patients, Health and Society (DPHS) module, emphasizes the importance of developing good communication skills as well as introducing students to behavioural sciences, public health medicine, statistics and epidemiology. Community Family Case Studies (CFCS), within this module, have been used as a means for students to focus on these aspects, as the students are introduced to patients, their families and their community in Year 1 of the medical course and are required to follow them up throughout their five-year training period.
Citation: Tan PL. An Uncommon Hero: MK Rajakumar in Politics and Medicine. Petaling Jaya,
Selangor, Malaysia: Strategic Information and Research Development Centre; 2011.
Many witness momentous events in their lives, but few participate, much less leave their mark. Dr M K Rajakumar, on the contrary, left an indelible mark at every phase of his eventful life.
31 cases of ocular toxoplasmosis were seen at the Ophthalmology Clinic, Uniuersiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur during a one-and-a-half year period. All these cases were diagnosed as congenital ocular toxoplasmosis. As this condition appears not to be uncommon in. Malaysia, greater effort should be made towards its prevention especially among pregnant women.
Study site: Ophthalmology Clinic, Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (PPUKM)
The study aimed to evaluate the effects of Mn(2+) and Mg(2+) on lactic acid production using response surface methodology and to further study their effects on interactions between the enzymes and substrates along the hexose monophosphate pathway using a molecular modelling approach.
13 patients with the amenorrhoea-galactorrhoea syndrome who conceived during treatment with bromocriptine were reported. Mean period of amenorrhoea was 3.0 years. In ten patients galactorrhoea was noted for a mean period of 4.2 years while in three it was discovered during examination. Seven patients presented with primary infertility. Menses returned in all cases after a mean duration of 2 months of treatment with bromocriptine at an average dose of 5. 86 mg daily. Mean serum prolactin was 4344 mUll (range 750 mU/l to 23,000 mU/l) before treatment and this declined to 186 mU/l with treatment. Seven patients became pregnant 5 to 25 months of treatment while six conceived after first menses. 21 pregnancies resulted from the thirteen patients. There was one spontaneous abortion and one premature delivery in which the baby died. Of the 16 live- births, there were twelve girls and four boys and their mean birth-weight was 2932 g. All were normal at birth and during subsequent developments except one with congenital dislocation of hip. It is concluded that bromocriptine is effective in restoring menstrual cycles and fertility by lowering serum prolactin in patients with the amenorrhoea-galactorrhoea syndrome. Bromocriptine may be safe for use during pregnancy, but it is suggested that the medication should be stopped immediately after conception unless tumour growth is apparent.
The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) polymorphisms in a multiracial Asian population and to assess its relevance in the management of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Six hundred unrelated cord blood samples from 200 Chinese, Malay, and Indian healthy newborns were collected at the National University Hospital, Singapore; an additional 100 children with ALL were analyzed for five of the commonly reported TPMT variant alleles using polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism and allele-specific polymerase chain reaction-based assays. In the cord blood study, the TPMT*3C variant was detected in all three ethnic groups; Chinese, Malays, and Indians had allele frequencies of 3%, 2.3%, and 0.8%, respectively. The TPMT*3A variant was found only among the Indians at a low allele frequency of 0.5%. The TPMT*6 variant was found in one Malay sample. Among the children with ALL, two white and one Chinese were heterozygous for the TPMT*3A variant and showed intermediate sensitivity to 6-mercaptopurine during maintenance therapy. Three Chinese patients and one Malay patient were heterozygous for the TPMT*3C variant. Mercaptopurine sensitivity could be validated in only one out of four TPMT*3C heterozygous patients. The overall allele frequency of the TPMT variants in this multiracial population was 2.5%. The TPMT*3C was the most common variant allele; TPMT*3A and TPMT*6 were rare. These results support the feasibility of performing TPMT genotyping in all children diagnosed with acute leukemia to minimize toxicity from thiopurine chemotherapy.