MyMedR

Blood lead levels of a population group not occupationally exposed to lead in Singapore

Neo KS, Goh KT, Sam CT

Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health, 2000 Jun;31(2):295-300.

A survey was conducted between 1995 and 1997 to assess the impact of introduction of unleaded petrol and other public health measures on the blood lead level of the population. The geometric mean blood lead level of 269 government employees as determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy, was 66.0 microg/l, much lower than that recorded before introduction of lead-free petrol. Using multiple regression analysis, factors significantly associated with blood lead levels were: exposure to traffic, age (>50 years) and active smoking. Passive smoking, exposure to recent paint work, consumption of alcohol and traditional medicine were found not to be significantly associated with the blood lead level.

Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome with involvement of masticatory muscles

Kuok SS, Ramli N, Tan CT, Goh KJ

Clin Neurol Neurosurg, 2015 Mar;130:8-10.

PMID: 25562719 DOI: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2014.12.003

Co-inheritance of variants/mutations in Malaysian patients with Crohn's disease

Chua KH, Ng CC, Hilmi I, Goh KL

Genet. Mol. Res., 2012;11(3):3115-21.

PMID: 23007989

Crohn's disease is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory bowel disease; it affects the mucosa and deeper layers of the digestive wall. Two Crohn's disease patients who carried the JW1 variant and two patients who carried the SNP5 variant were investigated for other co-inherited polymorphisms that could influence Crohn's disease development. Based on the sequencing results, a homozygous 5'-UTR-59 G to A variant in exon 1 (SNP6) was observed in a patient who carried SNP5, while a heterozygous SNP6 variant was detected in the other patient who carried SNP5. No other associated mutations or polymorphisms were detected in the two patients who carried the JW1 variant of the CARD15/NOD2 gene.

Successful treatment of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with oral cyclophosphamide

Jasmin R, Sockalingam S, Shahrizaila N, Cheah TE, Zain AA, Goh KJ

Lupus, 2012 Sep;21(10):1119-23.

PMID: 22433918 DOI: 10.1177/0961203312440346

Peripheral neuropathy is a known manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus. However, the association of primary autoimmune inflammatory neuropathies such as chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) with SLE is uncommon. We report a 26-year-old man who simultaneously presented with severe CIDP and photosensitive rash, but was unresponsive to intravenous immunoglobulin infusion and continued to progress. He was found to have underlying SLE and improved with combined corticosteroid and immunosuppressive therapy with oral cyclophosphamide. CIDP with underlying SLE may be more resistant to conventional therapy with IVIG, requiring the addition of other immunosuppressive agents.

Effects of frozen storage temperature on the elasticity of tendons from a small murine model

Goh KL, Chen Y, Chou SM, Listrat A, Bechet D, Wess TJ

Animal, 2010 Sep;4(9):1613-7.

PMID: 22444710 DOI: 10.1017/S1751731110000698

The basic mechanism of reinforcement in tendons addresses the transfer of stress, generated by the deforming proteoglycan (PG)-rich matrix, to the collagen fibrils. Regulating this mechanism involves the interactions of PGs on the fibril with those in the surrounding matrix and between PGs on adjacent fibrils. This understanding is key to establishing new insights on the biomechanics of tendon in various research domains. However, the experimental designs in many studies often involved long sample preparation time. To minimise biological degradation the tendons are usually stored by freezing. Here, we have investigated the effects of commonly used frozen storage temperatures on the mechanical properties of tendons from the tail of a murine model (C57BL6 mouse). Fresh (unfrozen) and thawed samples, frozen at temperatures of -20°C and -80°C, respectively, were stretched to rupture. Freezing at -20°C revealed no effect on the maximum stress (σ), stiffness (E), the corresponding strain (ε) at σ and strain energy densities up to ε (u) and from ε until complete rupture (up). On the other hand, freezing at -80°C led to higher σ, E and u; ε and up were unaffected. The results implicate changes in the long-range order of radially packed collagen molecules in fibrils, resulting in fibril rupture at higher stresses, and changes to the composition of extrafibrillar matrix, resulting in an increase in the interaction energy between fibrils via collagen-bound PGs.

Fulltext Ethnic variation, epidemiological factors and quality of life impairment associated with dyspepsia in urban Malaysia

Mahadeva S, Yadav H, Rampal S, Everett SM, Goh KL

Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 2010 May;31(10):1141-51.

PMID: 20175766 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2010.04270.x

The role of ethnicity in the development of dyspepsia remains uncertain.

Fulltext Transarterial embolisation of hepatocellular carcinoma with doxorubicin-eluting beads: single centre early experience

Nawawi O, Hazman M, Abdullah B, Vijayananthan A, Manikam J, Mahadeva S, et al.

Biomed Imaging Interv J, 2010 Jan-Mar;6(1):e7.

PMID: 21611067 MyJurnal DOI: 10.2349/biij.6.1.e7

This is a retrospective study to evaluate the results of our early experience of using doxorubicin eluting beads (DEB) to treat patients with early and intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Fulltext Tolerance and safety to colonoscopy with conscious sedation in Malaysian adults

Ma WT, Mahadeva S, Quek KF, Goh KL

Med J Malaysia, 2007 Oct;62(4):313-8.

PMID: 18551936 MyJurnal

Tolerance to colonoscopy varies between populations and data from the South East Asian region is lacking. We aimed to determine tolerance and safety with to colonoscopy; conscious sedation and identify risk factors for complications in Malaysian adults. Consecutive outpatients undergoing colonoscopy were enrolled prospectively. A combination of pethidine and midazolam were used and tolerance to colonoscopy assessed three hours post-procedure using a validated scale. All patients were monitored for cardiorespiratory depression and risk factors for complications were identified. Two hundred and eight patients (mean age 57.2 +/- 14.8 years, 48% female) were enrolled. The population ethnicity consisted of 45 (21.63%) Malays, 101 (48.56%) Chinese and 56 (26.92%) Indians. Conscious sedation was achieved with 5.0 +/- 1.1 mg of midazolam and 43.3 +/- 14.0 mg of pethidine. Thirty (14.4%) patients tolerated the procedure poorly and independent predictors included female gender (OR 2.93, 95% CI = 1.22 to 7.01) and a prolonged duration of procedure (OR 2.85, 95% CI = 1.08 to 7.48). Hypotension occurred in 13 (6.25%) patients, with age > 65 years as the only risk factor (OR 13.17, 95% CI = 1.28 to 137.92). A prolonged duration was the main cause of hypoxia (OR 5.49, 95% CI = 1.54 to 19.49), which occurred in 6 (2.88%) patients. No major complications occurred during the study period. The current practice of conscious sedation is safe and tolerated well by most adults in our population. However, poor tolerance in a notable minority may have significant clinical implications.

Study site: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC)

Fulltext Time trends in peptic ulcer, erosive reflux oesophagitis, gastric and oesophageal cancers in a multiracial Asian population

Goh KL, Wong HT, Lim CH, Rosaida MS

Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 2009 Apr 1;29(7):774-80.

PMID: 19183160 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2009.03930.x

Dramatic changes in the prevalence and pattern of gastrointestinal disease has taken place in Asia in recent years.

Cost-effectiveness of and satisfaction with a Helicobacter pylori "test and treat" strategy compared with prompt endoscopy in young Asians with dyspepsia

Mahadeva S, Chia YC, Vinothini A, Mohazmi M, Goh KL

Gut, 2008 Sep;57(9):1214-20.

PMID: 18441005 DOI: 10.1136/gut.2007.147728

To compare a Helicobacter pylori "test and treat" strategy with prompt endoscopy in young Asians with dyspepsia.

Antibiotic prophylaxis tailored to local organisms reduces percutaneous gastrostomy site infection

Mahadeva S, Sam IC, Khoo BL, Khoo PS, Goh KL

Int J Clin Pract, 2009 May;63(5):760-5.

PMID: 19222613 DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-1241.2008.01881.x

Current recommendations for the choice of antibiotic prophylaxis prior to percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) insertion may not be suitable in all situations.

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in chronic laryngitis: prevalence and response to acid-suppressive therapy

Qua CS, Wong CH, Gopala K, Goh KL

Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 2007 Feb 1;25(3):287-95.

PMID: 17269990

Gastro-oesophageal reflux is thought to cause chronic laryngitis through laryngopharyngeal reflux. Response of laryngitis to treatment with acid-suppressive therapy supports this causal link.

Fulltext Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in 'difficult-to-control' asthma: prevalence and response to treatment with acid suppressive therapy

Wong CH, Chua CJ, Liam CK, Goh KL

Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 2006 May 1;23(9):1321-7.

PMID: 16629937 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2006.02888.x

BACKGROUND: The causal association between gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and difficult-to-control asthma is unclear.
AIM: To determine the prevalence of GERD and response to proton pump inhibitor therapy in patients with difficult-to-control asthma.
METHODS: Consecutive patients with difficult-to-control asthma as defined by persistent and recurrent symptoms despite on optimal asthmatic medications were recruited for the study. GERD was diagnosed by symptoms, gastroscopy and 24-h oesophageal pH monitoring. All patients were prescribed a course of lansoprazole 30 mg daily for 8 weeks. Improvement to treatment was assessed by a change in pulmonary symptom score and also by patient's subjective assessment of improvement.
RESULTS: Seventeen of 30 (56.7%) patients with difficult-to-control asthma were diagnosed with GERD. Pulmonary symptom score improved significantly only in patients with GERD (35.0 to 21.0; P = 0.002). Twelve of 16 (75%) patients with GERD reported an improvement in asthma symptoms; 1 of 11 (9.1%) without GERD reported mild symptom improvement. There was no significant change in peak expiratory flow rate and forced expiratory volume.
CONCLUSIONS: More than half of patients with difficult-to-control asthma were diagnosed with GERD. In these patients the severity of asthma improved significantly with potent acid suppression therapy. This underlines the critical role of acid reflux in this subset of patients with difficult-to-control asthma.
Study site: Respiratory clinic, University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Time trends in upper gastrointestinal diseases and Helicobacter pylori infection in a multiracial Asian population--a 20-year experience over three time periods

Leow AH, Lim YY, Liew WC, Goh KL

Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 2016 Apr;43(7):831-7.

PMID: 26847417 DOI: 10.1111/apt.13550

Marked epidemiological changes in upper gastrointestinal diseases and Helicobacter pylori infection have taken place in the Asian Pacific region. In particular, differences with respect to race in the multiracial Asian population in Malaysia have been important and interesting.

Fulltext Management of Helicobacter pylori infection--a Working Party Report of the Malaysian Society of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Goh KL, Mahendra Raj S, Parasakthi N, Kew ST, Kandasami P, Mazlam Z

Med J Malaysia, 1998 Sep;53(3):302-10.

PMID: 10968173

The Working Party Report on the Management of Helicobacter pylori serves as a clinical practice guideline for Malaysian doctors. H. pylori is not uncommon in the Malaysian population. Marked racial differences and the consistently low prevalence rates amongst Malays are noted. The working party recommends that if endoscopy is to be performed, a rapid urease test should be used for diagnosis. Where suspicion of the infection is strong and the urease test is negative, histology should be performed on gastric biopsies. Culture should be used to monitor resistance patterns to antibiotics and regional laboratories should assume this responsibility. The urea breath tests are highly accurate tests for diagnosis of H. pylori but is as yet not widely available in Malaysia. The working party strongly recommends that all peptic ulcer patients infected with H. pylori whether active, in remission and complicated ulcers should be treated for the infection. Patients with low-grade gastric mucosal lymphoid tissue lymphoma should also be treated for H. pylori infection. It is considered advisable that patients on long term nonsteroidal antinflammatory drug (NSAID) treatment with a history of peptic ulcers or dyspepsia and patients following resection of early gastric cancer or those with a family history of gastric cancer should also be tested and treated for H. pylori. The working party recommends, as first line treatment a 7-day combination therapy of a proton pump inhibitor, clarithromycin and metronidazole or amoxicillin. High metronidazole resistance rates locally may adversely affect regimens containing the antibiotic. It should also be noted that regimens that yield lower eradication rates may result in higher long term expenditure.

Seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in Malaysian children: evidence for ethnic differences in childhood

Boey CC, Goh KL, Lee WS, Parasakthi N

J Paediatr Child Health, 1999 Apr;35(2):151-2.

PMID: 10365351

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in healthy Malaysian children and to discover whether differences exist among children of different races.

METHODS: Serum samples from asymptomatic children tested for H. pylori seropositivity using an ELISA test.

RESULTS: Five hundred and fourteen healthy urban Malaysian children aged 0.5 to 17 (mean 5.9) years from three different racial groups had their blood tested for H. pylori antibodies. The overall prevalence was 10.3%. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of infection between boys and girls, but a significant rise was noted with increasing age (P = 0.009). Seropositivity was most common in the Indians and lowest in the Malays (P = 0.001). Father's level of education did not affect the child's rate of H. pylori seropositivity.

CONCLUSION: The prevalence of H. pylori seropositivity among asymptomatic urban Malaysian children is lowest in Malays. Intermediate in Chinese and highest in Indians. The racial differences found in children are consistent with those found in Malaysian adults.

Fulltext 14C-urea breath test: a useful non-invasive test in the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection

Goh KL, Parasakthi N, Peh SC, Ong KK

Med J Malaysia, 1995 Sep;50(3):208-11.

PMID: 8926896

Sixty-three breath samples were collected from patients who underwent a 14C-urea breath test. Following ingestion of a radiolabelled 14C-labelled urea solution, breath samples containing 14C-labelled carbon dioxide were trapped in a solution containing hyamine hydroxide. Samples were then counted in a liquid scintillation counter. Breath samples were collected at 2, 15, 20, 25 and 30 minutes following ingestion of the urea solution. The presence or absence of Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection was determined on the basis of endoscopic biopsy tests which included culture, histological examination, rapid urease test and a gram stain of a fresh tissue smear. Thirty-two HP positive and 31 HP negative samples were collected. The mean counts at 15, 20, 12 and 30 minutes time points were: 4413, 4458, 4109 and 3795 dpm respectively for the positive samples and 1275, 877, 690 and 565 dpm respectively for the negative samples. Based on a cutoff value (mean of the negative samples + 3 standard deviations) for every time point, HP positive and negative samples could be clearly differentiated giving a sensitivity and specificity of 100%. The 14C-urea breath test is a reliable and convenient diagnostic test for H. pylori.

Fulltext A supersensitive in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for measurement of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and its clinical applications

Goh KH, Goh ML, Thean ET, Khalid BA

Med J Malaysia, 1992 Dec;47(4):248-60.

PMID: 1303476

A supersensitive ELISA was developed for measurement of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations in serum using in-house rabbit polyclonal antisera and a commercial monoclonal antibody. The assay was optimised and validated by recovery, linearity and cross-reactivity experiments and further compared to other available assays and EQAS samples. Good precision was obtained with a working assay range of 0.2 to 100 mIU/L with < 10% coefficient of variation (CV) for both intra and interassay. The assay is highly sensitive and specific with a minimum detectable limit of 0.07 mIU/L and negligible cross-reactivities against LH, FSH, HCG and other pituitary peptides. Good correlations were obtained when compared to Abbott hTSH EIA (r = 0.993; p < 0.001; n = 85) and NETRIA IRMA (r + 0.995; p < 0.001; n = 76). The normal reference range established was 0.4 to 4.0 mIU/L (n = 76). TSH levels in serum of thyrotoxic patients (n = 83) were significantly lower (0.07 to 0.20 mIU/L, p < 0.0001) and completely distinct from normal values thereby obviating the requirement of a TRH-stimulation test. Stability studies showed that coated wells can be stored at 4 degrees C for at least 2 months. This highly sensitive in-house hTSH ELISA which is cheap, stable and readily available is useful for diagnosis and management of patients with various thyroid disorders.

Liver abscess in the tropics: experience in the University Hospital, Kuala Lumpur

Goh KL, Wong NW, Paramsothy M, Nojeg M, Somasundaram K

Postgrad Med J, 1987 Jul;63(741):551-4.

PMID: 3658864

We reviewed 204 cases of liver abscess seen between 1970 and 1985. Ninety were found to be amoebic, 24 pyogenic and one tuberculous. The cause of the abscesses in the remaining 89 patients was not established. The patients were predominantly male, Indians, and in the 30-60 age group. The majority of patients presented with fever and right hypochondrial pain. The most common laboratory findings were leucocytosis, hypoalbuminaemia and an elevated serum alkaline phosphatase. Amoebic abscesses were mainly solitary while pyogenic abscesses were mainly multiple. Complications were few in our patients and included rupture into the pleural and peritoneal cavities and septicaemic shock. An overall mortality of 2.9% was recorded. The difficulty in diagnosing the abscess type is highlighted. The single most important test in helping us diagnose amoebic abscess, presumably the most common type of abscess in the tropics, is the Entamoeba histolytica antibody assay. This test should be used more frequently in the tropics.

Disseminated histoplasmosis presenting as penile ulcer

Jayalakshmi P, Goh KL, Soo-Hoo TS, Daud A

Aust N Z J Med, 1990 Apr;20(2):175-6.

PMID: 2344324

A 59-year-old Chinese man presented with a three month history of penile ulcers and abdominal pain. Syphilis and a gastric malignancy were diagnosed clinically. Biopsy of the genital and stomach ulcers revealed histiocytic granulomata containing numerous intracellular fungal bodies. Histoplasma capsulatum was subsequently cultured from the penile ulcer. Antifungal therapy was instituted. However the patient's general condition deteriorated rapidly and he died within two weeks of admission. A post-mortem liver biopsy showed numerous intracellular fungi.

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