1.An Empirical Approach to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhoea: An Optimised Method for Developing Countries
Ali Safavi ; Amir Ali Safavi ; Rozita Jafari
Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences 2014;21(5):37-43
Background: We aimed to test a new approach for repairing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks and to determine the demographic, diagnostic, and treatment factors associated with the successful management of intracranial complication. Owing to the high frequency of endoscopic surgeries and the low cost of medical care in Iran, we decided to report our experience of reconstruction after CSF leaks.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed our experience in the diagnosis and management of CSF rhinorrhoea in Iran between 2005 and 2012. The locations of all pre-repair leaks were identified using simple, readily available methods. The follow-up time ranged from 2 to 72 months.
Results: Of the 37 participants, 59.5% were men and the mean age was 33 years. The success rate was 86.1%, and the most common aetiological factor was trauma (57%). The most common location was the ethmoidal fovea (45.9%), followed by the sphenoid sinus (24.3%), the cribriform plate (13.5%), and the posterior table of the frontal sinus (5.4%).
Conclusions: Medical care in Iran has considerable budget restrictions. This study advocates a practical method of treatment for patients in similar circumstances, with a success rate of 86.1% when compared to the 90.6% achieved with other techniques.
2.Interference Effect of Prior Explicit Information on Motor Sequence Learning in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients
Nahid Zahiri ; Iraj Abollahi ; Amir Masoud Arab
Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences 2017;24(1):69-80
Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most widespread disabling neurological
condition in young adults around the world. The purpose of this study was to investigate the
impact of explicit information (EI) on motor-sequence learning in MS patients.
Methods: Thirty patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), age: 29.5 (SD = 5.6)
years and 30 healthy gender-, age-, and education-matched control group participants, age: 28.8
(SD = 6.0) years, were recruited for this study. The participants in the healthy group were then
randomly assigned into an EI (n = 15) group and a no-EI (n = 15) group. Similarly, the participants
in the control group were then randomly assigned into EI (n = 15) and no-EI (n = 15) groups. The
participants performed a serial reaction time (SRT) task and reaction times. A retention test was
performed after 48 hours.
Results: All participants reduced their reaction times across acquisition (MS group:
46.4 (SD = 3.3) minutes, P < 0.001, and healthy group: 39.4 (SD = 3.3) minutes, P < 0.001). The
findings for the within-participants effect of repeated measures of time were significant (F(5.06,
283.7) = 71.33. P < 0.001). These results indicate that the interaction between group and time was
significant (F(5.06, 283.7) = 6.44. P < 0.001), which indicated that the reaction time in both groups
was significantly changed between the MS and healthy groups across times (B1 to B10). The main
effect of the group (MS and healthy) (F(1, 56) = 22.78. P < 0.001) and also the main effect of no-EI vs
EI (F(1, 56) = 4.71. P < 0.001) were significant.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that that RRMS patients are capable of learning
new skills, but the provision of EI prior to physical practice is deleterious to implicit learning.
It is sufficient to educate MS patients on the aim and general content of the training and only to
provide feedback at the end of the rehabilitative session.
3.Estimation of Nitrogenase Enzyme Activities and Plant Growth of Legume and Non-legume Inoculated with Diazotrophic Bacteria
Salwani Shaffie ; Amir Hamzah Ghazali ; Nazalan Najimudin
Malaysian Journal of Microbiology 2012;8(2):123-126
Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) process benefits the agriculture sector especially for reducing cost of nitrogen
fertilizer. In the process, the diazotrophs convert N2 into ammonia (NH3) which is useable by plants. The BNF process is catalysed by nitrogenase enzyme that involved protons and electrons together with evolution of H2 therefore, the assessment of N2 fixation is also available via H2 production and electron allocation analysis. Thus, the aims of this experiment were to estimate the nitrogenase enzyme activities and observe the influence of diazothrophs on growth of legume (soybean) and non legume (rice) plants. Host plants were inoculated with respective inocula; Bradyrhizobium japonicum (strain 532C) for soybean while Azospirillum brasilense (Sp7) and locally isolated diazotroph (isolate 5) for rice. At harvest, the plants were observed for plant growth parameters, H2 evolution, N2 fixation and electron allocation
coefficient (EAC) values. The experiment recorded N2 fixation activities of inoculated soybean plants at 141.2 μmol N2 h-1 g-1 dry weight nodule, and the evolution of H2 at 144.4 μmol H2 h-1 g-1 dry weight nodule. The electron allocation coefficient (EAC) of soybean was recorded at 0.982. For inoculated rice plants, none of the observations was successfully recorded. However, results for chlorophyll contents and plant dry weight of both plants inoculated with respective inocula were similar to the control treatments supplied with full nitrogen fertilization (+N). The experiment clearly showed that inoculation of diazotrophic bacteria could enhance growth of the host plants similar to plants treated
with nitrogenous fertilizer due to efficient N2 fixation process
4.The use of SPECT-CT improves accuracy of post radioiodine therapy imaging and changes the management strategy in a case of advanced follicular thyroid carcinoma
Teck Huat Wong ; Siti Zarina Amir Hassan
The Medical Journal of Malaysia 2015;70(6):356-357
This is a case of follicular thyroid carcinoma with extensive
lung, bone and brain metastases. Multi-modality treatments
including total thyroidectomy, modified radical neck
dissection, cranial radiotherapy and Iodine-131 (RAI)
therapy were instituted. Post RAI therapy planar whole body
scan showed RAI avid metastases in the skull, cervical
spine, bilateral lungs and abdomen. With the use of SPECTCT
imaging, rare adrenal metastasis and additional rib
metastasis were identified. Besides, management strategy
was altered due to detection of non-RAI avid brain and lung
metastatic lesions.
5.Selective toxicity of Caspian cobra (Naja oxiana) venom on liver cancer cell mitochondria
Babaei SHABNAM ; Fakhri AMIR ; Pourahmad JALAL
Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine 2017;7(5):460-465
Objective:To explore the cytotoxicity effects of Caspian cobra (Naja oxiana or N.oxiana) venom on hepatocytes and mitochondria obtained from the liver of HCC rats.Methods:In this study,HCC was induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN),as an initiator,and 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF),as a promoter.Rat liver hepatocytes and mitochondria for evaluation of the selective cytotoxic effect of N.oxiana venom were isolated and mitochondria and cellular parameters related to apoptosis signaling were then determined.Results:Our results showed a raise in mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS)level,swelling in mitochondria,mitochondrial membrane potential (△ψm) collapse and release of cytochrome c after exposure of mitochondria only isolated from the HCC group with the crude venom of the N.oxiana (12.5,25,and 50 μg/mL).This crude venom also induced caspase-3 activation (P < 0.001) in the hepatocytes obtained only from the HCC rat liver.Conclusions:Based on the over all results,we suggested that N.oxiana may be considered as a promising complementary therapeutic agent for the treatment of HCC.
6.Novel use of povidone iodine in fissure-in-ano.
Rajaraman DURAI ; Amir RAZVI ; Philip Ng Cheng HIN
Singapore medical journal 2010;51(10):837-838
7.Cultivated oral mucosal epithelial transplantation (COMET) andpenetrating keratoplasty in long-standing severe ocular surface injury
Ing Hong Lim ; Rohanah Alias ; Thiageswari Umapathy ; Amir Samsudin
The Medical Journal of Malaysia 2019;74(5):433-435
Ocular chemical injury is a true ophthalmic emergency
requiring immediate medical intervention. Damages can be
devastating and potentially resulting in blindness, corneal
perforation and phthisis bulbi. We describe here a
successful treatment outcome in a patient who sustained
Roper-Hall Grade 4 injury to both eyes. Patient received
medical therapy followed by serial ocular surgeries with
eventual visual recovery in one eye from counting finger to
6/15 after a decade. In conclusion, after maximum medical
therapy, a carefully planned serial surgeries of cultivated
oral mucosal epithelial transplantation (COMET) and PK has
proven beneficial for this patient with advanced limbal stem
cell deficiency (LSCD).
8.Sleep Problems among Pre-School Children in Qazvin, Iran
Maryam Javadi ; Amir Javadi ; Naser Kalantari ; Shabnam Jaliloghadr ; Hamed Mohamad
Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences 2014;21(6):52-56
Background: Sleep problems are one of the main health issues raised by families. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the sleep problems of pre-school children in Iran.
Methods: Five hundred and seventy-nine children aged 3–6 years were randomly recruited from 15 kindergartens in the city of Qazvin in Iran. The Iranian version of BEARS (Bedtime problems, Excessive daytime sleepiness, Awakenings during the night, Regularity and duration of sleep and Snoring) and the Children’s Sleep Habits questionnaire (CSHQ) were completed by interviewers. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 19. The data were analysed with a Student’s t-test, chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests. A P value < 0.05 was considered significant.
Results: The study population consisted of 299 boys (51.6%) and 280 (48.3%) girls with a mean age of 4.1 years (SD 0.8). The mean body mass index (BMI) of the children was 15 (SD 2.1). The average sleep duration among the children was 10:54 h/day (SD 00:48). They went to bed late (23:18 h SD 00:48) and woke early (09:26 h; SD 01:00). Daytime sleepiness was reported by 6.9% of the participants. The incidence of awakening during the night, sleep-disordered breathing and snoring was 13.9%, 1.2% and 2.7%, respectively. Most of the children shared a room with their parents (87%) (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: The children had sleep-related problems, including a late bedtime, delayed sleep onset, daytime sleepiness, midnight awakening, sleep-disordered breathing, and snoring. Sharing a room was very common among the Iranian children.
9.The comparison of personality types in patients with vascular headache and tension-type headache
Naghmeh Mokhber ; Amir Rezaei Ardani ; Narges Yaghoobi Beglar ; Farzad Akbarzadeh
Neurology Asia 2013;18(4):377-384
Objective: This is a study to evaluate the personality types based on Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
(MBTI) in patients with chronic vascular or tension-type headache. Methods: This was a cross-sectional
study conducted on 210 patients with tension-type and vascular headache in the Mashhad city, northeast
of Iran. Patients were selected through convenience nonprobability method from December 2010 to
January 2012. They were asked to fill demographic questionnaire and MBTI. Data were analyzed
with SPSS using Mann-Whitney U, Chi-square and Fisher exact test. Results: The mean age of
participants was 33.7 ± 8.2. Patients with vascular headache were mostly female, had higher levels
of education, experienced more attacks per month and had shorter duration of headache until seeking
treatment compared to the patients with tension-type headache. There was a significant difference in
the distribution of personality types and frequency of each personality dimension between two groups.
Patients with vascular headaches were significantly more introverted, sensing, thinking and judgmental,
as compared to extraversion, intuitional, feeling, and perceiving among the tension-type headaches.
Conclusion: Since there was a significant difference in the personality type of the different headache
patients, further neuropsychological studies may throw light on the etiology of these chronic
headaches.
10.Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and Insulin Resistance in Children and Adolescent of Qazvin, Iran
Shabnam Jalilolghadr ; Amir Javadi ; Manoochehr Mahram ; Mina Farshidgohar ; Maryam Javadi
Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences 2015;22(6):32-39
Background: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) is increasing worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of MetSyn and insulin resistance (IR) in children and adolescents in Qazvin, Iran.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 338 children and adolescents aged 10–18 years old who were selected by a multistage cluster random sampling method. We performed standardised measurements of variables including waist circumference (WC), blood pressure, plasma glucose level, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), triglycerides, and insulin. MetSyn was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation criteria. IR was estimated by the homeostatic model assessment.
Results: Of the 338 total subjects, 172 were female. The overall prevalence of MetSyn and IR were 3.4% and 18.2%, respectively. There was no sex difference for the prevalence of MetSyn. A total of 185 subjects (56.4%) had one or two components of MetSyn. The most common component was low HDL levels in both sexes, which was followed by high WC in females and high fasting plasma glucose levels in males.
Conclusion: The lack of a standard definition of MetSyn in children and adolescents combined with the geographical and socioeconomic differences make it difficult to compare the results from different studies. Modification of lifestyle habits is an important strategy in preventing MetSyn and IR.