Genitourinary tuberculosis in developing countries comprises approximately 15-20% of extrapulmonary cases of tuberculosis.1 Tuberculosis of the prostate is an uncommon clinical condition with less than 5% of genitourinary tuberculosis involving the prostate,2,3 and tuberculous prostatic abscesses are unusual presentation. The following case illustrated a case of prostatic tuberculosis abscess in an immune-compromised patient

Introduction: Ketamine is frequently abused nowadays as a recreational drug. Case reports are emerging since 2007 to describe a new clinical entity of severe bladder dysfunction associated with chronic abuse of street ketamine. Clinical presentation: Severe lower urinary tract symptoms of urinary frequency and urgency which are refractory to conventional treatment. Quality of life is adversely affected as a consequence. Chronic kidney disease will develop in advanced cases. Investigation findings: The urine is sterile on culture. Ultrasound will show reduced bladder capacity with thickened bladder wall. In advanced stage, hydronephrosis and renal impairment will develop. Treatment: Patients should be advised to stop street ketamine use immediately. Anticholinergic medication could be tried to alleviate the symptoms. Refractory cases with dilatation of the upper urinary tract might need urinary diversion. Conclusion: Awareness of this new condition is essential in diagnosis. Early intervention offers better treatment outcome.

A health screening was done in UNIMAS in August 2008 for 237 undergraduate students. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and blood pressure (BP) were measured for all subjects. Total cholesterol and glucose levels were checked for those who fulfilled the screening criteria. The proportion of participants with cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors was high. The strategies for health promotion should not only be targeted to the older community but also to the younger community.

Hydroxyapatite is the main component of the bone which is a potential biomaterial substance that can be applied in orthopaedics. In this study, the biocompatibility of this biomaterial was assessed using an in vitro technique. The cytotoxicity and genotoxicity effect of HA2 and HA3 against L929 fibroblast cell was evaluated using the MTT Assay and Alkaline Comet Assay respectively. Both HA2 and HA3 compound showed low cytotoxicity effect as determined using MTT Assay. Cells viability following 72 hours incubation at maximum concentration of both HA2 and HA3 (200 mg/ml) were 75.3 +/- 8.8% and 86.7 +/- 13.1% respectively. However, the cytotoxicity effect of ZnSO4.7H2O as a positive control showed an IC50 values of 46 mg/ml (160 microM). On the other hand, both HA2 and HA3 compound showed a slight genotoxicity effect as determined using the Alkaline Comet Assay following incubation at the concentration 200 mg/ml for 72 hours. This assay has been widely used in genetic toxicology to detect DNA strand breaks and alkali-labile site. The percentage of the cells with DNA damage for both substance was 27.7 +/- 1.3% and 15.6 +/- 1.0% for HA2 and HA3 respectively. Incubation of the cells for 24 hours with 38 microg/ml (IC25) of positive control showed an increase in percentage of cells with DNA damage (67.5 +/- 0.7%). In conclusion, our study indicated that both hydroxyapatite compounds showed a good biocompatibility in fibroblast cells.
Biocompatible Materials/*toxicity ; Bone Substitutes/*toxicity ; Cell Survival/drug effects ; *DNA Damage ; Hydroxyapatites/*toxicity ; L Cells (Cell Line) ; *Mutagenicity Tests ; *Prostheses and Implants

Introduction and Objectives There are limited studies conducted on the needs of cancer survivorsin developing countries like Malaysia. This qualitative study aimed at exploring the post-treatmentimpact and needs of prostate cancer survivors.Method: A qualitative study design was used. One in-depth interview and four focus groupdiscussions were conducted with 24 prostate cancer survivors (age range: 58–79 years) fromgovernment and private hospitals in Malaysia in 2013. Trained researchers used a topic guide toguide the interviews, which were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, checked and managed withNvivo 10 software. A thematic approach was used to analyse the data.Result: Three main themes emerged from the analysis: (a) impact of prostate cancer on thesurvivors, (b) support needed for coping and (c) information needs. Prostate cancer has animportant impact on the survivors’ lifestyle after treatment. Some of them have to live with thepost-treatment side effects. They were anxious about the possibility of relapse. In addition tofamily and peer support, there were participants who felt that spiritual support was important inhelping them cope with the possibility of relapse. The survivors felt that they did not receive enoughinformation about post-treatment care, dietary measures and supplements for relapse prevention,treatment and prognosis.Conclusion: Prostate cancer has a significant impact on the survivor’s lifestyle, emotional andphysical health. They need information and emotional support from the healthcare professionals,family and peers. Therefore, it is important for healthcare providers to explore the needs of prostatecancer survivors and provide the necessary support.