A total of 97 children aged 1 month to 16 years (mean 6.6 years) had upper endoscopies performed in Paediatric Institute, Kuala Lumpur Hospital between January 1997 and December 1999 for various gastrointestinal symptoms. Of these 70 children were tested for Helicobacter pylori. The four most common indications for upper endoscopy were recurrent abdominal pain, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, epigastric pain and vomiting. The overall prevalence of this infection in this heterogenous group of symptomatic children was 10% (7/70). This study shows that H.pylori positivity in a routine endoscopy population is low and does not appear to be associated with specific symptoms.
Child ; seconds ; Endoscopy ; Prevalence aspects ; Helicobacter pylori

Introduction: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the ninth most common malignancy among women. Although the disease prognosis is good, less favourable outcomes are predicted in those with higher disease stages and nodal metastasis. Oestrogen- α (ER-α) expression has been associated with aggressive presentation and greater disease progression and has been proposed as a predictor for lymph node metastases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between ER expression and clinicopathological features i.e. lymph node metastasis, tumour size, extrathyroidal extension, histological variants of PTC , age groups , ethnic and gender. Methods: We studied ER-α expression in 84 cases of PTC obtained within an eight-year period (2011-2018) by immunohistochemical technique (IHC). Associations between ER-α expression and clinicopathological features were evaluated using Fisher’s exact test. The statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: ER-α was expressed in 13.1% of all the PTC cases examined (n=11/84). There were no associations observed between ER-α expression and lymph node metastasis (p=1.000), tumour size (p=0.970), extrathyroidal extension (p=0.677), variants of PTC (p=1.000), age groups (p=0.188), gender (p=0.725) or race (p=0.920). Conclusion: There was no evidence in this study to support the application of ER-α as prediction marker for lymph node metastasis or disease aggressiveness in PTC. Given that the scope of this study was limited to the protein expression of ER- α, we also propose the inclusion of molecular analysis of ESR1 gene expression, as well as inclusion of detailed clinical and radiological findings in future research investigating the role of ER-α in prognostication of PTC.

Aims: The purpose of this experiment was to determine the artificial symbiosis interaction of Herbaspirillum seropedicae (Z78) on oil palm embryogenic calli. Methodology and results: For this purpose, symbiotic associations were established between Z78 and embryogenic calli of oil palm tissue cultured. A total of five treatments involved, in particular: i) + 3.0 mg/L 2,4-D + 100% N MS medium (control), ii) + Z78 pellet cells (1 mL) + 25% N MS medium, iii) + Z78 supernatant (1 mL) + 25% N MS medium, iv) + Z78 broth culture (1 mL) + 25% N MS medium, and v) + Z78 sonicated cells (1 mL) + 25% N MS medium. All treatments were supplied with minimal N sources (25% N), ammonium nitrate and potassium nitrate, while the control was treated with 100% N sources. Treated samples were harvested on D80 and observed for biomass and diameter increment (%), formation of embryoids, and Z78 colonization. The results showed embryogenic calli in the inoculated treatments that contained depleted N produced similar result to the control treatment which contained 100% N nutrients. Positive interactions occurred between the diazotroph and host plant tissues as viewed under FESEM and EFTEM. Among the treatments, Z78 sonicated cell showed better growth of embryogenic calli compared to others. Conclusion, significance and impact study: The in vitro nitrogen-depleted artificial symbiosis environment allowed the diazotroph (Z78) to be expressed and provide the nitrogen sources and indole-3-acetic acid for cell growth. This study represents beneficial co-culture interaction effects of different inocula of diazotrophic bacterial cells with in vitro embryogenic calli of oil palm.

Colour stability of the material is an essential factor that contributes to the selection of a flexible denture material. Staining effects on the denture may result in unattractive appearance, the dissatisfaction of the wearer, and limited usage period of the denture. This study aims to identify the colour stability of the Valplast flexible denture material using three types of beverages. Methods: A total of 32 disc-shaped flexible resin materials (20 +/- 0.1 mm in diameter and thickness 3 +/- 0.1 mm) were prepared based on the manufacturer instructions. The samples were randomly divided into 4 groups of immersion: distilled water (control), coffee solution, tea solution and red wine. The samples were left in the specified immersion solution for up to 60 days. Colour changes were measured after 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 30, 45 and 60 days of immersion. Results: The samples immersed in coffee solution changed from S1 to S2, whereas samples in tea solution changed from S1 to S3. Additionally, samples in red wine changed from S1 to S4, as observed using the Valplast colour tone guide. The highest reflection measured using spectroscopy was 65.146 at 385.19 nm of the control samples, whereas the lowest reflection was 1.974 at the wavelength of 385.97 nm on the samples immersed in the red wine. Conclusion: The most significant difference can be observed in the red wine group, followed by samples in tea and coffee solutions. Moreover, increasing the immersion period causes increasing staining effect of the denture.
Craniofacial and Biomaterial Sciences Cluster, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 13200, Bertam, Penang, Malaysia 2 Institut Latihan Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (Pergigian), No.3 Jalan Sepoy Lines, 10450 Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia 3 Division of Research and Networking, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 13200, Bertam, Penang, Malaysia 4 School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Penang, Malaysia

Aims: The use of microalgae as source of natural antioxidants is under explored in Malaysia. Previous studies haveshown that microalgae contain minerals, polysaccharides, amino derivatives, carotenoids and phenolic compounds. Thisstudy aimed to determine total phenolic and flavonoid compounds and antioxidant activity when microalgae(Nannochloropsis oculata and Tetraselmis sp.) and cyanobacterium (Anabaena sp.) were subjected to abiotic stresses.Methodology and results: Treatment of sodium chloride (NaCI), sodium hypochlorite (NaOCI) and copper (Cu2+) weregiven when the cultures reached the exponential phase of growth and were collected at three different time points. Nontreatedcultures were used as controls. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined using Folin-Ciocalteauphenol reagent and aluminium chloride colorimetric assays. Antioxidant activities were measured using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity assay. Tetraselmis sp. exhibited the highest phenolic contentunder copper stress (10.35 ± 0.33 μg GAE/mg extract). Nannochloropsis oculata showed the highest total flavonoidcontent under copper stress (33.85±3.16 μg QE/mg extract). Anabaena sp. showed the highest radical scavengingactivity under NaOCI stress (96.42 ± 0.26%).Conclusion, significance and impact of study: This study showed that total phenolic, flavonoid and antioxidantactivities in treated cultures were high compared to non-treated cultures. These microorganisms could be utilized as asource of useful bioactive compounds while exploiting its abund

Leptospirosis is a febrile zoonotic disease. Routine diagnosis of leptospirosis is based on the detection of specific antibodies with serological tests. The aim of our study was to determine the usefulness of immunochromatographic assay (ICA), ImmuneMed Leptospira IgM Duo Rapid test kit from Korea, in rapid screening of acute leptospirosis in emergency cases with limited expertise. A total of 197 serum samples (93 positive, 104 negative) were selected randomly. The test has good diagnostic sensitivity 73% and specificity 90%. With positive predictive value of 87% and negative predictive value of 79%, this reassures patients have higher chance of correct diagnosis. This ICA is acceptable for screening of leptospirosis but confirmation with microscopic agglutination test should follow.
Agglutination Tests ; Antibodies* ; Diagnosis ; Emergencies ; Humans* ; Immunochromatography ; Immunoglobulin M* ; Korea ; Leptospira* ; Leptospirosis ; Mass Screening ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Serologic Tests ; Zoonoses

An Amyand’s hernia is characterised as the presence of the appendix in an inguinal hernial sac. During laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gallbladder polyps, an incidental Amyand’s hernia was discovered in a 75-year-old female patient. On examination, the hernia contained an appendiceal mucocele but no evidence of perforation. An open appendicectomy with tension-free mesh repair was performed for the hernia. The histopathological report of the appendix was a low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm (LAMN), an entity that is just as rare as an Amyand’s hernia. The patient had the right inguinal swelling for over 10 years but it was thought to be an inguinal intramuscular cyst as reported on a previous abdominal ultrasound. Mucocele of the appendix may have a benign or malignant appendiceal progress, leading to individualised diagnosis and treatment. We review an Amyand’s hernia with LAMN and discuss the asymptomatic tendency yet malignant potential of appendiceal mucoceles along with treatment strategies.

Hyperlipidemia is a condition of high lipid levels in the plasma and often linked with the deposition of lipid droplets in the aorta which initiate the progression of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a common cardiovascular disorder initiated by the formation of foams cells in the vascular wall which leads to turbulent blood flow, injury to the endothelial layer and subsequent vascular thrombosis. Since the early 1980’s, Golden-Syrian hamsters have been widely used as an animal model in the research of hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis. The use of hamsters in the hyperlipidemic and atherosclerotic model is due to their lipoprotein profile that is closer to human setting, sensitive to high-fat high-cholesterol (HFHC) diet and a suitable rodent model. Atherosclerosis can be induced in hamsters through dietary challenge with HFHC diet. Over the decades, coconut oil (CNO) was commonly used as the source of fat in the diet design of high saturated fatty acids (SFA) composition. In this review, we summarized published literature with designs involving CNO plus cholesterol-induced hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis or both. The factors that may influence the ability of CNO and cholesterol combination to induce hyperlipidemia such as the period of dietary intervention, hamster strains and the dietary amount were evaluated and summarized.

Abstract The attenuation degree labelled on hearing protectors is based on internationally set standards. The attenuation is measurement in laboratories using methodology of real-ear attenuation at threshold (REAT), microphone in-real ear (MIRE) and acoustics test feature (ATF). The measured attenuation gap from the actual workplace is a problematic predicament. The conceptual review of how far these methods affect the gap could embark future researches. Therefore, a conceptual review of the conducted methodologies according to standards for attenuation which include Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) and Single Number Rating (SNR) are discussed in this paper. 23 papers from ProQuest, EBSCOhost and Google Scholar databases are chronologically reviewed. Summarily, the improved attenuation measurement methods will help close the gap between laboratory data and field performance and subsequently will better prevent Noise-Induced Hearing Loss. Most of the latest findings after year 2010 were in agreement with the studies in 2000 to 2009.

Abstract Introduction: Accumulation of heavy metals through seafood consumption constitutes a significant potential threat to human health. Biomonitoring of whole blood heavy metals level gave an insight into the internal body burden to the exposure of heavy metals. The aims of this study were to assess the blood heavy metals (arsenic and lead) level among the coastal community of Melaka and to determine their association with sociodemographic background and potential sources of heavy metals accumulation. Methods: Respondents were recruited through purposive sampling technique based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The questionnaires were distributed to obtain sociodemographic information, the frequency of seafood intake and smoking habit. Blood samples were obtained on a voluntary basis. A total of 63 respondents completed all the information required. The heavy metals concentration in blood was determined by inductively coupled plasma- mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results: The blood arsenic (BAs) concentration of respondents was 0.076 (0.059 – 0.107) µg/L and the blood lead (BPb) concentration of respondents was 1.204 (0.670 – 2.094) µg/L respectively. A significant association was observed between seafood-based product frequency intake and BPb concentration (p < 0.05). Other seafood frequency intake and background factors were not significantly associated with the BAs and BPb concentration of respondents. Conclusion: The findings showed that arsenic and lead levels in the blood of respondents along the coastal area of Melaka did not exceed the blood heavy metals reference levels and there was also lack of associations between blood heavy metals concentration and the potential factors of heavy metals accumulation studied.