Virgin Coconut Oils (VCO) were prepared from fresh-dry (grated coconut route), chilling and thawing, enzymatic and fermentation method in this study. All of the VCO produced conformed physicochemically to the standards established by the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC) and Codex Alimentarius Commission. The highest FA (fatty acid) is lauric acid in all of the VCO and ranged from 46.36 – 48.42 %, while the principal TAG (triacylglycerol) is LaLaLa (La: Lauric) with 17.94 – 19.83 % of the total TAG. Tocopherol analysis showed the presence of beta, gamma and delta tocopherols at low levels. In all, the physicochemical, FA and TAG analyses of the VCO extracted from different methods showed some significant differences, while the tocopherol content does not differ significantly among the different types of extraction methods used.
Heat stroke is a medical emergency which may lead to mortality unless diagnosed early and treated effectively. Heat stroke may manifest rapidly, hence making it difficult to differentiate it from other clinical causes in a collapsed victim.(1) We are presenting a case report of twelve patients who were admitted to our emergency department from a music festival held on 13-15th of March 2014. They developed complications arising from a combination of severe adverse weather condition, prolonged outdoor physical exertion due to long hours of dancing and drug-use, resulting in heat stroke. Three of them died while the remaining patients survived. Their condition was initially misdiagnosed as a classical illicit drug overdose. This was based on the history of drug ingestion by some of the patients who attended the music festival on that day. The information in this case report aims, to create awareness amongst members of the medical team on duty in outdoor events, pre hospital responders and ED physicians when treating and managing similar cases in the future. In addition it is intended to warn the organizers of such events to take adequate precautions to avoid such tragedies in the future.
The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to an increase in the number of critically ill patients requiring intensive care unit admissions and mechanical ventilation. The sequential effect is that these patients may then require a tracheostomy. Tracheostomy guidelines were established to help minimise the risk of viral transmission to the personnel performing the procedure. Safety measures regarding preoperative planning, surgical technique and nursing care are important to minimise the risk of transmission to medical personnel. We describe our experience in conducting tracheostomies for two COVID-19 patients at a referral centre in Sabah, Malaysia.
Since 2000, human malaria cases in Malaysia were rapidly reduced with the use of insecticides in Indoor Residual Spray (IRS) and Long-Lasting Insecticide Net (LLIN). Unfortunately, monkey malaria in humans has shown an increase especially in Sabah and Sarawak. The insecticide currently used in IRS is deltamethrin K-Othrine® WG 250 wettable granule, targeting mosquitoes that rest and feed indoor. In Sabah, the primary vector for knowlesi malaria is An. balabacensis a species known to bite outdoor. This study evaluates an alternative method, the Outdoor Residual Spray (ORS) using a novel formulation of deltamethrin K-Othrine® (PolyZone) to examine it suitability to control knowlesi malaria vector in Sabah, compared to the current method. The study was performed at seven villages in Sabah having similar type of houses (wood, bamboo and concrete). Houses were sprayed with deltamethrin K-Othrine® (PolyZone) at two different dosages, 25 mg/m2 and 30 mg/m2 and deltamethrin K-Othrine® WG 250 wettable granule at 25 mg/m2, sprayed indoor and outdoor. Residual activity on different walls was assessed using standard cone bioassay techniques. For larval surveillances, potential breeding sites were surveyed. Larvae were collected and identified, pre and post spraying. Adult survey was done using Human Landing Catch (HLC) performed outdoor and indoor. Detection of malaria parasite in adults was conducted via microscopy and molecular methods. Deltamethrin K-Othrine® (PolyZone) showed higher efficacy when sprayed outdoor. The efficacy was found varied when sprayed on different types of wall surfaces. Deltamethrin K-Othrine® (PolyZone) at 25 mg/m2 was the most effective with regards to ability to high mortality and effective knock down (KD). The vector population was reduced significantly post-spraying and reduction in breeding sites as well. The number of simian malaria infected vector, human and simian malaria transmission were also greatly reduced.