Dental treatment under general anaesthesia may be needed for some children and adolescents due to medical or behaviour problem. The objective of the study is to identify the type of treatment that has been carried out under GA in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM). A retrospective record review study from hospital records of dental patients (under 18 years old) receiving dental treatment under GA from 2003 until 2007 were retrieved from the database. Information such as the reason for GA, and the type of treatment provided was recorded in data sheet. The data were analyzed using SPSS 12.0.1 for Windows. It was checked and verified for errors. A total of 349 cases were treated of which 43.6% had medical problems. Patients were mostly diagnosed to have rampant caries (77.1%) and some of them have behavioural problems (34.4%). Treatment pattern in deciduous dentition revealed more extraction (97.8%) as compared to restoration (75.7%) whereas in permanent dentition more restoration was done (24.3%) as compared to extraction (2.2%). Majority of the restorations were done using Glass Ionomer Cements (47.5%). Biopsy (4.3%) contributed mainly to the surgery (24.1%) done during GA. General anesthesia is necessary when dental disease is interfering with health and general well-being of patient and it can facilitated dental treatment allowing dentists to benefit from improved treatment conditions and provide a higher quality of care.

Muslim relies on the structure or guideline of shari’ah or the maqasid al-shariah, which consist of five essential values, namely preservation/protection of faith, life, intellect, property, and dignity/lineage – to guide them in discovering guiding principles for new concerns such as posed by neuroscience. Like in the case of brain imaging technology, there is in need for proper explanation within Islamic and among the Muslim scientists/scholars on how Islamic beliefs, values, and practices might cumulatively provide ‘different’ meanings to the practice and application of this technology, or whether it is in line with the shari’ah – in the context of preservation of health and protection of disease. This paper highlights the Islamic mechanism for neuroethics as basis for a holistic ethical framework of neuroscience to cope with its new, modern, and emerging technologies in the globalised world, and how Muslim should response to such changes.
Religion and Medicine ; Neuroscience

A cross sectional pilot study using convenient sampling method was conducted to evaluate various immunological parameters in preterm babies and term babies. Cord blood from 36 preterm and 36 term babies was taken and the following parameters were determined: Immunoglobulin G, A and M, Complement 3 and 4 and NBT. The results showed that NBT was significantly reduced in preterm babies compared to term babies (7.5% versus 12.0%; p= 0.001). The complement levels, C3 (0.5114 versus 0.7192 g/l; p<0.001) and C4 (0.07 versus 0.14g/l; p<0.001) were significantly lower in preterm babies than in the term babies. The mean IgG level in preterm babies was significantly lower than in term babies (9.5583 versus 14.2806 g/l, p<0.001). IgM (0.1 versus 0.2g/l; p<0.001) and IgA (0.210 versus 0.225g/l; p=0.036l) levels were significantly lower in the preterm than in term babies. In conclusion, we found that NBT reduction, IgG, IgA, IgM, C3 and C4 levels were significantly lower in the preterm compared to term babies.

Introduction: SABINA III assessed short-acting β2-agonist (SABA) prescription patterns and their association with asthma-related outcomes globally. Herein, we examined SABA prescription and clinical outcomes in the Malaysian cohort of SABINA III. Methods: In this observational, cross-sectional study, patients (≥12 years) were recruited between July and December 2019 from 15 primary and specialty care centres in Malaysia. Prescribed asthma treatments and severe exacerbation history within 12 months prior and asthma symptom control during the study visit were evaluated. Associations of SABA prescription with asthma control and severe exacerbation were analysed using multivariable regression models. Results: Seven hundred thirty-one patients (primary care, n=265 [36.3%]; specialty care, n=466 [63.7%]) were evaluated. The prevalence of SABA over-prescription (≥3 SABA prescriptions/year) was 47.4% (primary care, 47.1%; specialty care, 47.6%), 51.8% and 44.5% among all patients and patients with mild and moderate-to-severe asthma, respectively. Altogether 9.0% (n=66) purchased SABA without a prescription; among them, 43.9% (n=29) purchased ≥3 inhalers. The mean (standard deviation) number of severe asthma exacerbations was 1.38 (2.76), and 19.7% (n=144) and 25.7% (n=188) had uncontrolled and partly controlled symptoms, respectively. Prescriptions of ≥3 SABA inhalers (vs 1–2) were associated with lower odds of at least partly controlled asthma (odds ratio=0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.27–0.67) and higher odds of having severe exacerbation(s) (odds ratio=2.04; 95% CI=1.44–2.89). Conclusion The prevalence of SABA over-prescription in Malaysia is high, regardless of the prescriber type, emphasising the need for healthcare providers and policymakers to adopt latest evidence-based recommendations to address this public health concern.
Asthma ; Malaysia