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  1. Fulltext Treatment outcomes and risk factors of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with co-morbidities
    Khan AH, Sulaiman SAS, Laghari M, Hassali MA, Muttalif AR, Bhatti Z, et al.
    BMC Infect Dis, 2019 Aug 05;19(1):691.
    PMID: 31382889 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-019-4312-9
    BACKGROUND: Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) represents about 14% of all cases of tuberculosis (TB) in Malaysia. The aims of the study include evaluation of socio-demographic factors, clinical manifestations, co-morbidities among patients with EPTB and their treatment outcomes.

    METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted to recognize the epidemiology facts of EPTB. Individual data for EPTB patients were collected from TB registers, laboratory TB registers, treatment cards and TB medical personal files into a standardized study questionnaire. Crude (COR) and adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were determined to assess the risk factors for EPTB and unsuccessful treatment outcomes.

    RESULTS: There were 1222 EPTB patients presenting 13.1% of all TB cases during 2006-2008. Pleural effusion and lymph node TB were the most frequent types and accounted for 45.1% of all EPTB cases among study participants. Treatment success rate was 67.6%. The best treatment completion rates were found in children ≤15 years (0.478 [0.231-1.028]; p = 0.05). On multivariate analysis, age group 56-65 years (1.658 [1.157-2.376]; p = 0.006), relapse cases (7.078 [1.585-31.613]; p = 0.010), EPTB-DM (1.773 [1.165-2.698]; p = 0.008), patients with no formal (2.266 [1.254-4.095]; p = 0.001) and secondary level of education (1.889 [1.085-3.288]; p = 0.025) were recorded as statistically positive significant risk factors for unsuccessful treatment outcomes. Patients at the risk of EPTB were more likely to be females (1.524 [1.311-1.746]; p 

    Matched MeSH terms: Tuberculosis/drug therapy*; Tuberculosis, Lymph Node/drug therapy; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/drug therapy
  2. Fulltext Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to sarcoma in recurrent lung adenosquamous carcinoma following adjuvant chemotherapy
    Poh ME, Liam CK, Mun KS, Chai CS, Wong CK, Tan JL, et al.
    Thorac Cancer, 2019 09;10(9):1841-1845.
    PMID: 31350945 DOI: 10.1111/1759-7714.13156
    Adjuvant chemotherapy has long been indicated to extend survival in completely resected stage IB to IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, there is accumulating evidence that chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy can induce epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in disseminated or circulating NSCLC cells. Here, we describe the first case of EMT as the cause of recurrence and metastasis in a patient with resected stage IIB lung adenosquamous carcinoma after adjuvant chemotherapy. We review the literature and explore the possible mechanisms by which EMT occurs in disseminated tumor cells (DTC) or circulating tumor cells (CTC) in response to adjuvant chemotherapy (cisplatin) as a stressor. We also explore the possible therapeutic strategies to reverse EMT in patients with recurrence. In summary, although adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy in resected NSCLC does extend survival, it may lead to the adverse phenomenon of EMT in disseminated tumor cells (DTC) or circulating tumor cells (CTC) causing recurrence and metastasis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy*; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/drug therapy*; Carcinoma, Adenosquamous/drug therapy*
  3. Fulltext Loss-of-Function Myeloperoxidase Mutations Are Associated with Increased Neutrophil Counts and Pustular Skin Disease
    Vergnano M, Mockenhaupt M, Benzian-Olsson N, Paulmann M, Grys K, Mahil SK, et al.
    Am J Hum Genet, 2020 09 03;107(3):539-543.
    PMID: 32758448 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2020.06.020
    The identification of disease alleles underlying human autoinflammatory diseases can provide important insights into the mechanisms that maintain neutrophil homeostasis. Here, we focused our attention on generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP), a potentially life-threatening disorder presenting with cutaneous and systemic neutrophilia. Following the whole-exome sequencing of 19 unrelated affected individuals, we identified a subject harboring a homozygous splice-site mutation (c.2031-2A>C) in MPO. This encodes myeloperoxidase, an essential component of neutrophil azurophil granules. MPO screening in conditions phenotypically related to GPP uncovered further disease alleles in one subject with acral pustular psoriasis (c.2031-2A>C;c.2031-2A>C) and in two individuals with acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (c.1705C>T;c.2031-2A>C and c.1552_1565del;c.1552_1565del). A subsequent analysis of UK Biobank data demonstrated that the c.2031-2A>C and c.1705C>T (p.Arg569Trp) disease alleles were also associated with increased neutrophil abundance in the general population (p = 5.1 × 10-6 and p = 3.6 × 10-5, respectively). The same applied to three further deleterious variants that had been genotyped in the cohort, with two alleles (c.995C>T [p.Ala332Val] and c.752T>C [p.Met251Thr]) yielding p values < 10-10. Finally, treatment of healthy neutrophils with an MPO inhibitor (4-Aminobenzoic acid hydrazide) increased cell viability and delayed apoptosis, highlighting a mechanism whereby MPO mutations affect granulocyte numbers. These findings identify MPO as a genetic determinant of pustular skin disease and neutrophil abundance. Given the recent interest in the development of MPO antagonists for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease, our results also suggest that the pro-inflammatory effects of these agents should be closely monitored.
    Matched MeSH terms: Psoriasis/drug therapy; Skin Diseases/drug therapy; Neurodegenerative Diseases/drug therapy
  4. Efficacy of methotrexate in reducing the risk of bone erosion in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials
    Destiani DP, Naja S, Dewi S, Rahmadi AR, Sulaiman SAS, Abdulah R
    Osteoporos Int, 2021 May;32(5):805-816.
    PMID: 33210179 DOI: 10.1007/s00198-020-05743-z
    Even though new drugs for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been developed, methotrexate (MTX) remains a commonly used drug for RA management. In addition to monitoring disease activity during RA treatment, bone erosion should be closely assessed throughout long-term RA management. In this review article, we present a systematic review of MTX effectiveness in reducing the risk of bone erosion. We reviewed randomized controlled trial studies that involved MTX monotherapy or MTX in combination with placebo. Evaluation of the progression of bone erosion was examined by radiographic assessment such as total Sharp score (TSS) or van der Heijde score (SvdH or vdH TSS), joint space narrowing (JSN), erosion score (ERO), and proportion of radiographic nonprogressors. Several key factors were found to influence the response to MTX treatment, such as gene polymorphism. The exact mechanism of the prevention of bone erosion by MTX remains unclear, which warrants future investigations. The variability of RA disease activity in study subjects resulted in variations in the results reported by individual studies. Collective analysis suggests that MTX could slow down the progression of bone erosion based on a radiographic score of less than 0.5-1/year.
    Matched MeSH terms: Drug Therapy, Combination
  5. Total resolution of ocular Kaposi sarcoma with different treatment approaches - a case series and review of literature
    Yeak J, Iqbal T, Zahari M, Ismail F
    Int J STD AIDS, 2019 07;30(8):802-809.
    PMID: 31046617 DOI: 10.1177/0956462418825353
    Matched MeSH terms: Sarcoma, Kaposi/drug therapy; Skin Neoplasms/drug therapy; HIV Infections/drug therapy
  6. Fulltext Molecular modulators of celastrol as the keystones for its diverse pharmacological activities
    Ng SW, Chan Y, Chellappan DK, Madheswaran T, Zeeshan F, Chan YL, et al.
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2019 Jan;109:1785-1792.
    PMID: 30551432 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.11.051
    In the recent years, much attention has been focused on identifying bioactive compounds from medicinal plants that could be employed in therapeutics, which is attributed to their potent pharmacological actions and better toxicological profile. One such example that has come into the light with considerable interest is the pentacyclic triterpenoid, celastrol, which has been found to provide substantial therapeutic properties in a variety of diseases. In an effort to further accelerate its potential to be utilized in clinical practice in the future; along with advancing technologies in the field of drug discovery and development, different researchers have been investigating on the various mechanisms and immunological targets of celastrol that underlie its broad spectrum of pharmacological properties. In this review, we have collated the various research findings related to the molecular modulators responsible for different pharmacological activities shown by celastrol. Our review will be of interest to the herbal, biological, molecular scientist and by providing a quick snapshot about celastrol giving a new direction in the area of herbal drug discovery and development.
    Matched MeSH terms: Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy; Inflammation/drug therapy; Metabolic Diseases/drug therapy
  7. Fulltext Cytotoxic Effects of Betel Quid and Areca Nut Aqueous Extracts on Mouse Fibroblast, Human Mouth-Ordinary-Epithelium 1 and Human Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Lines
    Al-Tayar BA, Ahmad A, Yusoff ME, Abdullah SF, Mohamad NK, Md Hashim SN, et al.
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2020 Apr 01;21(4):1005-1009.
    PMID: 32334462 DOI: 10.31557/APJCP.2020.21.4.1005
    BACKGROUND: Betel quid chewing is more common among the older generation in rural areas of Malaysia. Oral cancer in Asia has been associated with the habit of chewing betel quid and areca nut.

    OBJECTIVE:   This study aims to investigate the cytotoxic effects of betel quid and areca nut extracts on the fibroblast (L929), mouth-ordinary-epithelium 1 (MOE1) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (HSC-2) cell lines.

    METHODS: L929, MOE1 and HSC-2 cells were treated with 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 g/ml of betel quid and areca nut extracts for 24, 48 and 72 h. MTT assay was performed to assess the cell viability.

    RESULTS: Both extracts, regardless of concentration, significantly reduced the cell viability of L929 compared with the control (P<0.05). Cell viability of MOE1 was significantly enhanced by all betel quid concentrations compared with the control (P<0.05). By contrast, 0.4 g/ml of areca nut extract significantly reduced the cell viability of MOE1 at 48 and 72 h of incubation. Cell viability of HSC-2 was significantly lowered by all areca nut extracts, but 0.4 g/ml of betel quid significantly increased the cell viability of HSC-2 (P<0.05).

    CONCLUSION: Areca nut extract is cytotoxic to L929 and HSC-2, whereas the lower concentrations of areca nut extract significantly increased the cell viability of MOE1 compared to the higher concentration and control group. Although betel quid extract is cytotoxic to L929, the same effect is not observed in MOE1 and HSC-2 cell lines. Further investigations are needed to clarify the mechanism of action.
    .

    Matched MeSH terms: Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/drug therapy; Mouth Neoplasms/drug therapy; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial/drug therapy
  8. Neonatal herpes simplex virus type-1 central nervous system disease with acute retinal necrosis
    Fong CY, Aye AM, Peyman M, Nor NK, Visvaraja S, Tajunisah I, et al.
    Pediatr Infect Dis J, 2014 Apr;33(4):424-6.
    PMID: 24378951 DOI: 10.1097/INF.0000000000000137
    We report a case of neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1 central nervous system disease with bilateral acute retinal necrosis (ARN). An infant was presented at 17 days of age with focal seizures. Cerebrospinal fluid polymerase chain reaction was positive for HSV-1 and brain magnetic resonance imaging showed cerebritis. While receiving intravenous acyclovir therapy, the infant developed ARN with vitreous fluid polymerase chain reaction positive for HSV-1 necessitating intravitreal foscarnet therapy. This is the first reported neonatal ARN secondary to HSV-1 and the first ARN case presenting without external ocular or cutaneous signs. Our report highlights that infants with neonatal HSV central nervous system disease should undergo a thorough ophthalmological evaluation to facilitate prompt diagnosis and immediate treatment of this rapidly progressive sight-threatening disease.
    Matched MeSH terms: Central Nervous System Diseases/drug therapy; Herpes Simplex/drug therapy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/drug therapy
  9. Clinical evaluation and serum concentration of zuclopenthixol acetate in psychotic Asian patients: a single-dose preliminary study
    Tan CH, Low BL, Ng LL, Khoo YM, Lee HS
    Ther Drug Monit, 1993 Apr;15(2):108-12.
    PMID: 8099240
    Nineteen acutely disturbed psychotic Asian patients were treated with a single intramuscular injection of 50 mg of zuclopenthixol acetate in Viscoleo. Patients were assessed clinically before and after treatment using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Serum zuclopenthixol and the inactive geometric isomer trans(E)-clopenthixol were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography after intramuscular injection. All patients improved, with the BPRS being significantly reduced (p < 0.001) at 72 h after injection. Adverse effects were generally few. The mean +/- SEM serum zuclopenthixol concentrations at 24, 48, and 72 h were 19.9 +/- 2.8, 31.5 +/- 4.5, and 17.8 +/- 2.9 micrograms/L, respectively. trans(E)-Clopenthixol concentrations ranged from negligible to 39.5 micrograms/L. This study confirms that a single intramuscular injection of 50 mg is adequate for managing severely disturbed psychotic patients for the first 3 days. The serum zuclopenthixol concentrations attained in the Asian patients were higher than those reported in Caucasian psychiatric patients. In some patients, a considerable amount of zuclopenthixol had been transformed to trans(E)-clopenthixol.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bipolar Disorder/drug therapy; Psychotic Disorders/drug therapy*; Schizophrenia/drug therapy
  10. Slow carbamazepine clearance in a nonadherent Malay woman with epilepsy and thyrotoxicosis
    Yeap LL, Lim KS, Ng CC, Hui-Ping Khor A, Lo YL
    Ther Drug Monit, 2014 Feb;36(1):3-9.
    PMID: 24342894 DOI: 10.1097/FTD.0000000000000024
    The authors describe a case of a 37-year-old Malay lady with an unusually slow carbamazepine clearance, which may be related to genetic polymorphisms of drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters. When given a small daily dose of 200 mg immediate-release carbamazepine, this patient experienced drowsiness. Subsequently, she reduced her carbamazepine dose to 200 mg twice a week (on Mondays and Fridays), resulting in poor seizure control. At the same time, the patient was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and was given carbimazole and propranolol. Hyperthyroidism and the concurrent use of these antihyperthyroid agents may have further slowed down the metabolism of carbamazepine. Therapeutic drug monitoring of carbamazepine was carried out, and a slow carbamazepine clearance of 1.45 L·h⁻¹ per 70 kg was observed. Genotyping of selected genetic variants in CYP3A4, CYP3A5, EPHX1, ABCB1, and ABCC2 revealed that she has CYP3A5*3/*3 and ABCB1 3435-CC genotypes. Both genotypes have been shown to be associated with higher adjusted mean serum carbamazepine concentration in Chinese and Korean patients with epilepsy. Physicians should be vigilant about the risk of adverse effects among patients with a slow carbamazepine clearance, especially in Malays. Simulations of carbamazepine dosing regimen based on the pharmacokinetic parameters of this patient were performed to allow individualization of drug therapy.
    Matched MeSH terms: Epilepsy/drug therapy*; Hyperthyroidism/drug therapy; Thyrotoxicosis/drug therapy
  11. Fulltext Nocardia kroppenstedtii: a rare pathogen isolated from the spinal vertebral abscess of a patient on long-term immunosuppressive therapy
    Tay ST, Wong PL, Chiu CK, Tang SN, Lee JL, Hamdan NW, et al.
    Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci, 2021 01;25(2):605-608.
    PMID: 33577013 DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202101_24618
    OBJECTIVE: Nocardia kroppenstedtii was isolated from the spinal vertebral abscess of a 78-year-old patient presenting with mid-thoracic pain and bilateral lower limb weakness and numbness. The patient was on long-term immunosuppressive therapy with steroids for underlying autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Investigations showed a T5 pathological fracture and vertebra plana with the erosion of the superior and inferior endplates. There was evidence of paraspinal collection from the T4-T6 vertebrae with an extension into the spinal canal. Analysis of Nocardia 16S rRNA (99.9%, 1395/1396 nt) and secA1 gene (99.5%, 429/431 nt) fragments showed the highest sequence similarity with Nocardia kroppenstedtii type strain (DQ157924), and next with Nocardia farcinica (Z36936). The patient was treated with intravenous carbapenem and oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for four weeks, followed by another six months of oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Despite the improvement of neurological deficits, the patient required assistive devices to ambulate at discharge. This study reports the first isolation of N. kroppenstedtii from the spinal vertebral abscess of a patient from Asia. Infections caused by N. kroppenstedtii may be underdiagnosed as the bacterium can be misidentified as N. farcinica in the absence of molecular tests in the clinical laboratory.
    Matched MeSH terms: Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune/drug therapy; Nocardia Infections/drug therapy; Epidural Abscess/drug therapy
  12. Fulltext Systemic lupus erythematosus and melioidosis
    Che Rahim MJ, Mohammad N, Kamaruddin MI, Wan Ghazali WS
    BMJ Case Rep, 2019 Jul 01;12(7).
    PMID: 31266760 DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2019-229974
    We reported a case of a young female patient presented with sepsis and diagnosed with melioidosis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) within the same admission. She presented with 1-week history of productive cough, progressive dyspnoea together with prolonged fever, arthralgia, rashes and oral ulcers. She had septicemic shock, respiratory failure requiring intubation and ventilation in intensive care unit and subsequently developed acute renal failure requiring haemodialysis. Antibiotics and immunosuppressive treatment including low-dose intravenous cyclophosphamide were commenced. She had a remarkable recovery and was discharged after 6 weeks. There was no evidence of active SLE or relapse of melioidosis during clinic follow-ups.
    Matched MeSH terms: Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/drug therapy; Melioidosis/drug therapy; Sepsis/drug therapy
  13. Fulltext Significant reduction of brain cysts caused by Toxoplasma gondii after treatment with spiramycin coadministered with metronidazole in a mouse model of chronic toxoplasmosis
    Chew WK, Segarra I, Ambu S, Mak JW
    Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 2012 Apr;56(4):1762-8.
    PMID: 22271863 DOI: 10.1128/AAC.05183-11
    Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that generates latent cysts in the brain; reactivation of these cysts may lead to fatal toxoplasmic encephalitis, for which treatment remains unsuccessful. We assessed spiramycin pharmacokinetics coadministered with metronidazole, the eradication of brain cysts and the in vitro reactivation. Male BALB/c mice were fed 1,000 tachyzoites orally to develop chronic toxoplasmosis. Four weeks later, infected mice underwent different treatments: (i) infected untreated mice (n = 9), which received vehicle only; (ii) a spiramycin-only group (n = 9), 400 mg/kg daily for 7 days; (iii) a metronidazole-only group (n = 9), 500 mg/kg daily for 7 days; and (iv) a combination group (n = 9), which received both spiramycin (400 mg/kg) and metronidazole (500 mg/kg) daily for 7 days. An uninfected control group (n = 10) was administered vehicle only. After treatment, the brain cysts were counted, brain homogenates were cultured in confluent Vero cells, and cysts and tachyzoites were counted after 1 week. Separately, pharmacokinetic profiles (plasma and brain) were assessed after a single dose of spiramycin (400 mg/kg), metronidazole (500 mg/kg), or both. Metronidazole treatment increased the brain spiramycin area under the concentration-time curve from 0 h to ∞ (AUC(0-∞)) by 67% without affecting its plasma disposition. Metronidazole plasma and brain AUC(0-∞) values were reduced 9 and 62%, respectively, after spiramycin coadministration. Enhanced spiramycin brain exposure after coadministration reduced brain cysts 15-fold (79 ± 23 for the combination treatment versus 1,198 ± 153 for the untreated control group [P < 0.05]) and 10-fold versus the spiramycin-only group (768 ± 125). Metronidazole alone showed no effect (1,028 ± 149). Tachyzoites were absent in the brain. Spiramycin reduced in vitro reactivation. Metronidazole increased spiramycin brain penetration, causing a significant reduction of T. gondii brain cysts, with potential clinical translatability for chronic toxoplasmosis treatment.
    Matched MeSH terms: Cysts/drug therapy*; Drug Therapy, Combination; Toxoplasmosis/drug therapy*
  14. Fulltext Duration of detection of anti-BmR1 IgG4 antibodies after mass-drug administration (MDA) in Sarawak, Malaysia
    Noordin R, Muhi J, Md Idris Z, Arifin N, Kiyu A
    Trop Biomed, 2012 Mar;29(1):191-6.
    PMID: 22543621 MyJurnal
    The detection rates of brugian filariasis in three regions of Sarawak namely Central, North and South after three courses of mass drug administration (MDA) from year 2004 to 2006 was investigated. A recombinant BmR1 antigen-based IgG4 detection test, named Brugia Rapid and night blood smear for microfilaria (mf) detection were used. All three regions recorded a sharp fall in mf positive rates after a year post-MDA. Meanwhile Brugia Rapid positive rates declined more gradually to 3.8% and 5.6% of the pre-MDA levels in the Central and North regions, respectively. This study showed that in filariasis endemic areas in Sarawak, anti-filarial IgG4 antibodies to BmR1, as detected by the Brugia Rapid test, were positive for one to two years after mf disappearance.
    Matched MeSH terms: Drug Therapy/methods*; Elephantiasis, Filarial/drug therapy*
  15. Fulltext Liver Function Test Abnormalities in Experimental and Clinical Plasmodium vivax Infection
    Odedra A, Webb L, Marquart L, Britton LJ, Chalon S, Moehrle JJ, et al.
    Am J Trop Med Hyg, 2020 11;103(5):1910-1917.
    PMID: 32815508 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0491
    Liver transaminase elevations after treatment in malaria volunteer infection studies (VISs) have raised safety concerns. We investigated transaminase elevations from two human Plasmodium vivax VISs where subjects were treated with chloroquine (n = 24) or artefenomel (n = 8) and compared them with studies in Thailand (n = 41) and Malaysia (n = 76). In the VISs, alanine transaminase (ALT) increased to ≥ 2.5 × upper limit of normal (ULN) in 11/32 (34%) volunteers, peaking 5-8 days post-treatment. Transaminase elevations were asymptomatic, were not associated with elevated bilirubin, and resolved by day 42. The risk of an ALT ≥ 2.5 × ULN increased more than 4-fold (odds ratio [OR] 4.28; 95% CI: 1.26-14.59; P = 0.02) for every log10 increase in the parasite clearance burden (PCB), defined as the log-fold reduction in parasitemia 24 hours post-treatment. Although an elevated ALT ≥ 2.5 × ULN was more common after artefenomel than after chloroquine (5/8 [63%] versus 6/24 [25%]; OR 5.0; 95% CI: 0.91-27.47; P = 0.06), this risk disappeared when corrected for PCB. Peak ALT also correlated with peak C-reactive protein (R = 0.44; P = 0.012). Elevations in ALT (≥ 2.5 × ULN) were less common in malaria-endemic settings, occurring in 1/41 (2.5%) Thai patients treated with artefenomel, and in none of 76 Malaysians treated with chloroquine or artemisinin combination therapy. Post-treatment transaminase elevations are common in experimental P. vivax infection but do not appear to impact on participant safety. Although the mechanism of these changes remains uncertain, host inflammatory response to parasite clearance may be contributory.
    Matched MeSH terms: Liver Diseases/drug therapy*; Malaria, Vivax/drug therapy*; Parasitemia/drug therapy
  16. Cerebral metastases from choriocarcinoma. Results of chemotherapy
    Sen DK, Sivanesaratnam V, Chuah CY, Ch'ng SL, Singh J, Paramsothy M
    Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand, 1987;66(5):425-8.
    PMID: 3425244
    Of 36 cases of choriocarcinoma treated at the University Hospital Kuala Lumpur during 1980-84 inclusive, 6 patients were found to have cerebral metastases. Intrathecal methotrexate and combination chemotherapy were started in all cases, with monitoring of tumor growth by serial beta-HCG assays and CT scanning of brain and lung. Chemotherapy was reduced because of severe toxicity in 2 patients, one of whom received radiotherapy to the brain. Four patients (66%) have now been in remission for 2.5-6 years. Two did not respond to therapy and died. The factors involved in therapy and response are discussed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Brain Neoplasms/drug therapy; Choriocarcinoma/drug therapy*; Uterine Neoplasms/drug therapy*
  17. Dose and duration of opioid use in patients with cancer and noncancer pain at an outpatient hospital setting in Malaysia
    Zin CS, Rahman NA, Ismail CR, Choy LW
    Pain Pract, 2017 07;17(6):774-781.
    PMID: 27676695 DOI: 10.1111/papr.12525
    BACKGROUND: There are currently limited data available on the patterns of opioid prescribing in Malaysia. This study investigated the patterns of opioid prescribing and characterized the dosing and duration of opioid use in patients with noncancer and cancer pain.
    METHODS: This retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted at an outpatient hospital setting in Malaysia. All prescriptions for opioids (dihydrocodeine, fentanyl, morphine, and oxycodone) issued between January 2013 and December 2014 were examined. The number of prescriptions and patients, the distribution of mean daily dose, annual total days covered with opioids, and annual total opioid dose at the individual level were calculated and stratified by noncancer and cancer groups.
    RESULTS: A total of 1015 opioid prescriptions were prescribed for 347 patients from 2013 to 2014. Approximately 41.5% of patients (N = 144/347) and 58.5% (N = 203/347) were associated with noncancer and cancer diagnosis, respectively. Oxycodone (38.0%) was the highest prescribed primarily for the noncancer group. The majority of patients in both noncancer (74.3%) and cancer (60.4%) groups were receiving mean daily doses of < 50 mg morphine equivalents. The chronic use of opioids (> 90 days per year) was associated with 21.8% of patients in the noncancer group and 17.5% in the cancer group.
    CONCLUSIONS: The finding from this study showed that 41.5% of opioid users at an outpatient hospital setting in Malaysia received opioids for noncancer pain and 21.8% of these users were using opioids for longer than 90 days. The average daily dose in the majority of patients in both groups of noncancer and cancer was modest.
    Study site: outpatient clinic, hospital, Malaysia
    Matched MeSH terms: Neoplasms/drug therapy; Pain/drug therapy; Cancer Pain/drug therapy*
  18. Characterisation and in vitro antimicrobial activity of biosynthetic silver-loaded bacterial cellulose hydrogels
    Gupta A, Low WL, Radecka I, Britland ST, Mohd Amin MC, Martin C
    J Microencapsul, 2016 Dec;33(8):725-734.
    PMID: 27781557 DOI: 10.1080/02652048.2016.1253796
    Wounds that remain in the inflammatory phase for a prolonged period of time are likely to be colonised and infected by a range of commensal and pathogenic microorganisms. Treatment associated with these types of wounds mainly focuses on controlling infection and providing an optimum environment capable of facilitating re-epithelialisation, thus promoting wound healing. Hydrogels have attracted vast interest as moist wound-responsive dressing materials. In the current study, biosynthetic bacterial cellulose hydrogels synthesised by Gluconacetobacter xylinus and subsequently loaded with silver were characterised and investigated for their antimicrobial activity against two representative wound infecting pathogens, namely S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. Silver nitrate and silver zeolite provided the source of silver and loading parameters were optimised based on experimental findings. The results indicate that both AgNO3 and AgZ loaded biosynthetic hydrogels possess antimicrobial activity (p 
    Matched MeSH terms: Pseudomonas Infections/drug therapy; Staphylococcal Infections/drug therapy; Wound Infection/drug therapy
  19. Fulltext Effect of HIV and malaria parasites co-infection on immune-hematological profiles among patients attending anti-retroviral treatment (ART) clinic in Infectious Disease Hospital Kano, Nigeria
    Jegede FE, Oyeyi TI, Abdulrahman SA, Mbah HA, Badru T, Agbakwuru C, et al.
    PLoS One, 2017;12(3):e0174233.
    PMID: 28346490 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174233
    BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and malaria co-infection may present worse health outcomes in the tropics. Information on HIV/malaria co-infection effect on immune-hematological profiles is critical for patient care and there is a paucity of such data in Nigeria.

    OBJECTIVE: To evaluate immune-hematological profiles among HIV infected patients compared to HIV/malaria co-infected for ART management improvement.

    METHODS: This was a cross sectional study conducted at Infectious Disease Hospital, Kano. A total of 761 consenting adults attending ART clinic were randomly selected and recruited between June and December 2015. Participants' characteristics and clinical details including two previous CD4 counts were collected. Venous blood sample (4ml) was collected in EDTA tube for malaria parasite diagnosis by rapid test and confirmed with microscopy. Hematological profiles were analyzed by Sysmex XP-300 and CD4 count by Cyflow cytometry. Data was analyzed with SPSS 22.0 using Chi-Square test for association between HIV/malaria parasites co-infection with age groups, gender, ART, cotrimoxazole and usage of treated bed nets. Mean hematological profiles by HIV/malaria co-infection and HIV only were compared using independent t-test and mean CD4 count tested by mixed design repeated measures ANOVA. Statistical significant difference at probability of <0.05 was considered for all variables.

    RESULTS: Of the 761 HIV infected, 64% were females, with a mean age of ± (SD) 37.30 (10.4) years. Prevalence of HIV/malaria co-infection was 27.7% with Plasmodium falciparum specie accounting for 99.1%. No statistical significant difference was observed between HIV/malaria co-infection in association to age (p = 0.498) and gender (p = 0.789). A significantly (p = 0.026) higher prevalence (35.2%) of co-infection was observed among non-ART patients compared to (26%) ART patients. Prevalence of co-infection was significantly lower (20.0%) among cotrimoxazole users compared to those not on cotrimoxazole (37%). The same significantly lower co-infection prevalence (22.5%) was observed among treated bed net users compared to those not using treated bed nets (42.9%) (p = 0.001). Out of 16 hematology profiles evaluated, six showed significant difference between the two groups (i) packed cell volume (p = <0.001), (ii) mean cell volume (p = 0.005), (iii) mean cell hemoglobin concentration (p = 0.011), (iv) absolute lymphocyte count (p = 0.022), (v) neutrophil percentage count (p = 0.020) and (vi) platelets distribution width (p = <0.001). Current mean CD4 count cell/μl (349±12) was significantly higher in HIV infected only compared to co-infected (306±17), (p = 0.035). A significantly lower mean CD4 count (234.6 ± 6.9) was observed among respondents on ART compared to non-ART (372.5 ± 13.2), p<0.001, mean difference = -137.9).

    CONCLUSION: The study revealed a high burden of HIV and malaria co-infection among the studied population. Co-infection was significantly lower among patients who use treated bed nets as well as cotrimoxazole chemotherapy and ART. Six hematological indices differed significantly between the two groups. Malaria and HIV co-infection significantly reduces CD4 count. In general, to achieve better management of all HIV patients in this setting, diagnosing malaria, prompt antiretroviral therapy, monitoring CD4 and some hematology indices on regular basis is critical.

    Matched MeSH terms: Malaria/drug therapy*; HIV Infections/drug therapy*; Coinfection/drug therapy*
  20. Medical history and its significance
    Ramanathan K, Jin LE, Keat TC, Omar-Ahmad DU
    Dent J Malaysia Singapore, 1970 May;10(1):15-34.
    PMID: 5271011
    Matched MeSH terms: Drug Therapy
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