Neuroendocrine carcinomas of the breast are uncommon tumors known to occur in the elderly. While focal neuroendocrine differentiation may be noted in many ductal and lobular carcinomas, the term neuroendocrine carcinoma is to be applied when more than 50% of the tumor shows such differentiation. This case report details the cytological features of a neuroendocrine carcinoma that was encountered in our hospital. The fine needle aspiration (FNA) smears showed discohesive polygonal cells with abundant cytoplasm, many of which contained eosinophilic granules located at one pole. Histology of the mastectomy and axillary lymph nodes specimen from this patient showed features of neuroendocrine carcinoma--solid type, with metastasis, confirmed with immunohistochemistry. The patient is disease free seven months after surgery. This case highlights the need to closely observe cytological details to identify this rare tumor that may otherwise appear to be invasive duct carcinoma--not otherwise specified on FNA. The implications of diagnosing neuroendocrine differentiation for prognosis and management are also discussed.
Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine ; Fine needle biopsy, NOS ; differentiation ; Case Report ; Breast

A cross-sectional study was undertaken to compare patients’ level of recall on verbal and written information about orthodontic treatment. Participants were the patients and par-ents attending the orthodontic screening clinic, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Participation was voluntary. Participants were placed into two groups. One group was given only written information in the form of an information leaflet, while another group was given only verbal information. The information content comprising of 13 items was based on the Patient Information Leaflet published by the British Orthodontic Society. Both groups received similar content of information in their preferred languages. Self administered close-ended questionnaire forms were given to the subjects after 15 mi-nutes to assess the level of recall. The answers from both groups were compared. Data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 15.0. Chi-square test (p=0.05) was con-ducted to determine the effect of the method of information on the percentage of recall. A total of 79 subjects volunteered to participate in the study. There were more females than males. The majority were found to have achieved secondary level formal education. Comparison of each question item showed no significant difference between those who were provided with verbal or written information. Both groups showed a high proportion of correct responses. In conclusion, there was no difference in the patients’ level of recall whether the orthodontic patient was given verbal or written information.

Background: The high prevalence and impacts of orofacial pain (OFP) have caused major sufferings to individuals and society. The purpose of the study was to investigate the problems and impacts of OFP among a group of Malaysian aborigines. The objectives were to determine (i) the prevalence, aetiology, duration, severity, types and persistence of OFP during the past 3 months preceding the study; (ii) its associated impact on daily performance; and (iii) the measures taken for pain relief. Methods: This is a cross sectional study carried out in Kuala Lipis, Pahang involving 6 villages of Orang Asli Bateq and Semai. Study sample was chosen using convenient sampling including adults aged 16 years and above. Participants were invited for an interview using structured questionnaire followed by clinical examination. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS ver12. Results: Response rate was low at 20% (n = 140). Over one-quarter (26.4%) of the sample experienced OFP in the previous 3 months. Toothache was found to be the main aetiology (83.3%) followed by gingival pain (18.9%), temporomandibular joint (10.8%) and facial pain (8.1%). Mean duration of pain was 9.8 days for toothache, 162.4 days for gingival pain, 7.3 days for TMJ and 5.7 days for facial pain. Of those who had OFP, over half rated the pain as moderate (37.8%) and severe (29.7%) and most of the pain was ‘intermittent’ in nature (81.1%). Over half (62.2%) admitted the pain had disappeared during the interview. In terms of pain relief, 56.8% of the sample used traditional medicine. The pain had impacted on the chewing ability (70.3%, p=0.01), ability to sleep at night (73.0%, p<0.001), levels of anxiety (70.3%), ability to perform daily chores (33.3%) and social life (35.1%) of the Orang Asli sample. Conclusion: This study suggests the prevalence of OFP was high among the Orang Asli sample, which imposed considerable physical and psychological impacts on daily life.