We present three cases of Acquired Platelet Dysfunction with Eosinophilia (APDE). The importance of recognising this benign condition, which usually does not require any specific therapy, is stressed to avoid the pitfalls of diagnosing more serious bleeding disorders in children presenting with ecchymosis.
Perforation of the sigmoid colon is an occasional complication of blunt injury to the abdomen. We report three cases following abdominal massage (urut) by traditional healers (bomohs) in which no other underlying pathology was found.
This report deals with the problems of a young man who was clinically euthyroid but biochemically hyperthyroid. The possibility of peripheral resistance to thyroid hormones to explain this paradoxical state is discussed. The importance of recognising this condition to avoid the erroneous diagnosis of thyrotoxicosis and inappropriate therapy is stressed.
An unusual case of accidental poisoning with Dhatura seeds {sp. Datura stramonium; Syn: Thorn apple) is reported. Its clinical features are essentially due to its peripheral anticholinergic actions and are briefly discussed.
A case of an ovarian ectopic pregnancy is
presented. The diagnosis was made at laparotomy.
Histology of the surgical specimen confirmed a
primary ovarian pregnancy. The aetiologic factors
and diagnostic criteria are discussed.
The current drugs recommended for treatment of melioidosis are tetracycline, chloramphenicol and cotrimoxazole. Unfortunately these drugs are not the drug of choice in an acutely ill patient with septicaemia prior to the availability of laboratory results. With the discovery of the new cephalosporins which have a broad spectrum of activity clinicians are using them either alone or in combination with other antibiotics in such critical situations. Hence, an in-vitro study was carried out on the susceptibility of 41 strains of P. pseudomallei isolated in Malaysia, to these new cephalosporins and a new quinolone. The results showed that all the cephalosporins tested had some activity on the strains tested, with ceftazidime being the most active drug. Pefloxacin had very poor activity. However, further clinical studies are required to determine the duration, dosage and in-vivo activity of the antibiotics.
The acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) requires no further introduction. Since 1981, when the AIDS was first recognized in the United States, much interest, anxiety and fear have been generated among people all over the world. It has spread inexorably in the United States, Europe and Africa such that the World Health Organization has warned of the beginning of a worldwide epidemic of AIDS. Asia has been relatively spared; nonetheless cases have been reported from Thailand, India, Taiwan, China and Japan.' Malaysia has anticipated the appearance of the disease; an AI DS task force under the auspices of the Ministry of Health was established in early 1986. However, it is only a year later that we now report the first case of AIDS in this country.
Between June 1980 and April 1986 796 cases of female sterilization were performed in a private clinic in Malaysia using Mark IVa and Mark VI Filshie clips. There was one failure. Technical failure, surgical difficulties and complications were minimal.
A total of 90 cases of pneumococcal infections were identified at a major referral hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia during a study period of four years. Pneumonia was the most common clinical presentation (41 cases) followed by meningitis (19 cases). Of 48 patients who were followed-up during the microbiology consultation round, 11 died, 9 were children below two years old. Capsular typing was carried out on 57 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from blood and body fluids of 43 children and 14 adults. 38 strains isolated from pharyngeal specimens were also typed. Types 6A (11 strains), 6B (7 strains), 14 (8 strains) and 19A (8 strains) predominated in children. The strains from older patients comprised 3 isolates from cerebrospinal fluid (types 18B, 6B and 14), five from blood (4 strains, type 1 and 1 strain, type 4) and six from pus (1 strain, type 14, 3 strains type 23F and 2 strains type 34). The isolates from pharyngeal specimens belonged to capsular type similar to those implicated in infections. 90% of the types reported in this study are included in the 23 valent pneumococcal vaccines. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of penicillin, cefuroxime, chloramphenicol and rifampicin were determined for selected strains. 4.1% of isolates were resistant to penicillin (3/74), 4.5% to cefuroxime (2/44), 6.5% to chloramphenicol (3/46) and 14.6% to rifampicin (6/41).
MeSH terms: Age Factors; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Hospitalization; Humans; Malaysia; Pleural Effusion/microbiology; Pneumococcal Infections/epidemiology*; Pneumonia/microbiology; Prospective Studies
Electrophoretically-detected allozyme variation is described in strains of Schistosoma japonicum (4 Philippine strains), S. mekongi (Laos), and an undescribed anthropophilic S. japonicum-like schistosome from Peninsular Malaysia. Result, together with those reported previously for 8 other strains (S. japonicum, China, Formosa, Japan, Philippines; S. mekongi, 2 substrains; Malaysian schistosome, 2 strains) permit a composite genetic characterization of 15 strains of Asian schistosomes at 9-18 presumptive loci. The proportion of polymorphic loci (P) and the mean heterozygosity per locus (H) were zero in all strains. Although this was expected for strains that had been in laboratory culture for up to 50 years, we expected to detect variation in strains based on 10-50 recently field-collected infected snails. We expected S. japonicum to be as variable as S. mansoni (P = 0.13 (0-0.33), H = 0.04, 18 loci, 22 strains) as it is believed to reproduce sexually, has an evolutionary history of several million years, inhabits a wide geographic range, coevolved with a genetically variable intermediate snail host, and has a diversity of mammalian hosts. No differences were detected between the 5 S. japonicum strains from Leyte and Luzon (Philippines), between the 3 S. mekongi strains, or between the 3 Malaysian schistosome strains; these groups and the remaining S. japonicum strains representing Mindoro (Philippines), China, Formosa, and Japan each have distinctive multilocus electromorphic patterns. Nei's genetic distances (D) were calculated to estimate interstrain and interspecific divergence. Interstrain genetic distances in S. japonicum averaged greater than 0.3; much higher than those reported previously for S. mansoni (D = 0.06, D(max) = 0.24). S. japonicum (Mindoro) was moderately differentiated from the Leyte-Luzon strains (D = 0.29, 12 loci). Estimates of the S. japonicum China-Philippine distance (D greater than 0.4, 11 loci) are high for conspecific populations and further studies of the still poorly characterized Chinese parasite may reveal that these are, in fact, separate species. S. japonicum is shown to be only distantly related to S. mekongi and the Malaysian schistosome (D greater than 1); the latter is closely related to, but genetically quite distinct from, S. mekongi (D = 0.61 +/- 0.275, 11 loci) and warrants recognition as a new species. The medical significance of the isogenic nature of the Asian schistosome strains and their evolutionary divergence are discussed.
PIP: Morality in Peninsular Malaysia has reached a level that is quite similar to that prevailing in the low mortality countries. This article systematically documents changes in mortality levels and differentials in Malaysia over time and relates these to changes in development indicators and health-related policies. Remedial measures undertaken by the authorities including the expansion of hospital and health services into the estates, together with a comprehensive malaria-eradication program, improvements in sanitation laws, and increased provision of public utilities and education, resulted in beriberi being eliminated and the incidence of malaria, typhus, and smallpox being greatly reduced by the time of World War II. The gain in life expectancy over the period of 1957-1979 was greatest for the Malay, the most significant period being 1957-1967, which saw the introduction of rural health programs. The infant mortality rate and the neonatal and post-neonatal rates declined substantially for all ethnic groups in Peninsular Malaysia for the same time period. Although the lower infant mortality of the Chinese can be explained by their advantageous socioeconomic position the same reason cannot explain the lower decline in infant mortality levels of the Indians. Much still needs to be done to narrow, if not to eliminate, the existing mortality differentials of different groups in the country. Overall, the quality of life of the general population can be further enhanced by reducing the high mortality level of disadvantaged groups.
MeSH terms: Asia; Asia, Southeastern; Biology; Birth Weight*; Body Weight; Conservation of Natural Resources; Culture; Delivery of Health Care*; Demography; Developing Countries; Economics*; Environment; Ethnic Groups*; Geography*; Health; Health Personnel*; Health Planning Guidelines*; Infant Mortality*; Life Expectancy*; Longevity; Malaysia; Mortality*; Physiology; Population; Population Characteristics; Population Dynamics*; Public Health*; Public Policy*; Quality of Life*; Research; Research Design; Sanitation*; Sex Factors*; Social Change*; Social Class; Social Planning*; Social Welfare; Socioeconomic Factors*; Statistics as Topic; Time Factors*; Water Supply*; Reproducibility of Results*
MeSH terms: Asia; Asia, Southeastern; Bangladesh; China; Delivery of Health Care*; Demography; Developing Countries*; Economics*; Family Planning Services; Far East; Fertility*; Health; Health Planning*; Health Services*; Health Services Administration*; India; Indonesia; Korea; Malaysia; Medicine*; Motivation; Nepal; Organization and Administration*; Pakistan; Philippines; Politics*; Population; Population Dynamics; Population Growth; Public Policy*; Social Planning*; Socioeconomic Factors*; Thailand; Family Planning Policy
The incidence of infections due to beta-lactamase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae is increasing in many parts of the world. An epidemiologic survey of infections caused by beta-lactamase-producing strains of N. gonorrhoeae at the University Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, from February 1977 to December 1985 (106 months) showed that the incidence rose from 4.8% (two cases) in 1977 to 49.4% (39 cases) by the end of 1985. The highest incidence of gonococcal infections was found to be in the group aged 20-39 years; the male-to-female ratio was 1.55:1. The mean inhibitory concentrations of benzylpenicillin were 0.12 microgram/ml for non-beta-lactamase-producing strains and 16 micrograms/ml for isolates of N. gonorrhoeae that produce beta-lactamase.
Viral infections are probably the most important cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in the world. In many developing countries in South East Asia and the Western Pacific, priority health problems include acute respiratory infections, acute diarrhoeas and arboviral infections. Where studies have been carried out, there is no significant difference in the aetiological agents involved or in the manifestation of clinical childhood disease. Surveillance of these diseases have improved with the introduction of rapid viral diagnosis. The better understanding of the immunopathogenesis of many diseases have also encouraged research in this area and will lead to the better control and management of these diseases. However, the search for antivirals has been disappointing but fortunately new vaccines are on the horizon and the prospect for bringing some of these diseases under control through vaccination are bright.
Of the seventy cases of cerebral malaria seen at the Duchess of Kent Hospital, Sandakan between January 1984 and June 1986, 57 (81.4%) were due to plasmodia falciparum and 13 (18.6%) were due to mixed p. vivax--p. falciparum infections. Mixed infection cerebral malaria was associated with a more severe anaemia and may carry a poorer prognosis. Indigenous children under five years of age are particularly at risk of death from mixed infections.
Malignant melanoma is common among the whites of South Africa. In the black population, the tumor is much less frequent and occurs predominantly on the lower limb--particularly the sole of the foot. This study brings to light the anomalous situation that among the Eur-African-Malay population (those of mixed ancestry), malignant melanoma has probably the lowest incidence in the world.
MeSH terms: Adult; Africa/ethnology; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Europe/ethnology; Female; Humans; Malaysia/ethnology; Male; Melanoma/ethnology; Melanoma/epidemiology*; Middle Aged; South Africa
Methicillin resistant Siaphylococcus aureus Is a common isolate from clinical specimens obtained from babies at the special care nursery of the Kuala Lumpur Maternity Hospital. Major Infections due to this organism were, however uncommon and the organism had in the majority of cases been present as a coloniser or as a cause of superficial infection. Netilmicin is a valuable antibiotic in the treatment of the severe infections.
1. A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of endogenous opioids on blood pressure of laboratory rats during stress. 2. Rats subjected to 120 min immobilization showed a significant drop in systolic pressure which could be prevented by pretreatment injections of naloxone. 3. Adrenalectomized rats subjected to the same kind of stress showed a drop in systolic pressure equivalent to only 30% of the systolic pressure drop in the intact animals. This decrease in systolic pressure could also be prevented by pretreatment injections of naloxone. 4. It was concluded that the decrease in systolic pressure in intact rats during immobilization was mostly due to endogenous opioids released from the adrenal glands, whereas opioids of other origins such as the pituitary gland, were also important.