Infection by hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major global health-care problem. HBV is an accepted factor in the elevated risks for liver disease such as cirrhosis and development of hepatocellular carcinoma. This problem is particularly prevalent in the Asia-Pacific region which includes Malaysia. During infection, the hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) is produced in the hosts. This antigen is an important serological marker for diagnosing chronic hepatitis B. Seroconversion to anti-body (anti-HBe) corresponds to the improvement of disease prognosis. However, certain mutations such as the core promoter dual mutations (A1762G1764→T1762A1764), the codon 15 variants (C1858/ T1858) and the precore stop codon mutations (TGG→TAG) can affect the HBeAg expression. This has diagnostic and clinical implications. Besides that, the HBV can be grouped into eight genotypes (A to H). Moreover, genotypic subtypes and recombinants have been observed as well. Studies have observed that these can differ in their affiliations with the mutations above as well as with disease prognosis.
Hepatitis B virus measurement ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; Infection as complication of medical care ; MALAYSIAN ; prognostic

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is an invasive diagnostic investigation that may result in high level of anxiety and "fear of the unknown" among cardiac patients. An increment of anxiety among PCI patients will augment the level of stress and this extreme stress level will then aggravate depression. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of anxiety and depression before and after PCI. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used. It measured two elements, namely the anxiety and depression levels of patients before and after PCI.This study was conducted in the cardiology wards Anggerik and Dahlia, and Day Care of the National Heart Institute, from January to February 2006. A sample of 61 patients before and after PCI who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were recruited in this study. Of these, 40 and 38 patients before and after PCI respectively , had low anxiety levels; while 47 and 46 patients before and after PCI had low depression levels.Anxiety and depression levels before and after PCI were not significantly correlated to socio demographic status. However a significant correlation (p<0.05) was found between anxiety and depression levels before and after PCI. The low levels of anxiety and depression seen among patients before and after PCI at National Heart Institute could possibly due to the adequate facilities and health education program provided by the physician, nurses and cardiac technician.

Pregnancy is perceived by many pregnant mothers as a period of happiness in anticipation of motherhood. Not all pregnant mothers experience cheerfulness as some may experience a high anxiety and depression level for unknown reasons. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of anxiety and depression among high risk pregnant women and the factors that contribute to their level of anxiety and depression. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 38 high risk mothers whose stay in hospital exceeded more than three days in the obstetric ward of Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. A self assessment questionaire "Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale"was used to measure the level of anxiety and depression among high risk pregnant women. Of the 38 participants, 16 (42.1%) women experienced a mild level of anxiety and 22 (57.9%) experienced a severe level of anxiety. Seventeen (44.7%) women was classified as having mild depression and 21 (55.3%) severe depression. The factors contributing to the level of anxiety and depression, include those related with "lack of information on disease", "family matters" and "finance". High risk pregnant women in this study experienced a significant level of anxiety and depression during their stay in hospital. It is therefore important for nurses and doctors to be aware and sensitive to the influencing factors that cause anxiety and depression as to enable high risk pregnant mothers to enjoy their pregnancy and childbirth.

Posterior urethral valve (PUV) commonly presents during infancy. We report a case of a 5-year-old boy with Down syndrome who was diagnosed to have PUV in late childhood. He presented with recurrent left epididymo-orchitis, an uncommon but recognized com-plication of PUV. Our aim is to discuss this rare and delayed presentation of PUV in par-ticular amongst children with Down syndrome, method of diagnosis and complication of the disease if left untreated.

Globally, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus and the average life expectancy is on the rise. As diabetes mellitus is commonly associated with old age, it is very important to ensure good glucose control to reduce complications and improve quality of life. A cross sectional study was conducted among elderly diabetics in Kulim with the aim to determine the prevalence of glucose control and its associated factors. Three hundred and twenty nine respondents were chosen through stratified random sampling in all the seven health clinics in Kulim. Respondents were interviewed personally using a structured questionnaire. HbA1c level of 6.5% and below was considered as good glucose control. Prevalence of good glucose control was 22.5%. Being male (Adjusted prevalence odds ratio, APOR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.02-3.00), age of 70 years and above (APOR = 2.48, 95% CI: 1.40-4.39) and duration of diabetes less than five years (APOR = 2.10, 95% CI:1.21-3.64 ) were found to have significant association with good glucose control. As a conclusion, this study showed that the low prevalence of good glucose control was determined by gender, age and duration of illness.

Stress has a negative effect on student nurses well-being and can impede learning or motivate them and is conducive to learning. This study examined the perceived stress and factors that influenced daily students’ life among both the Diploma and Bachelor of Nursing students. A total of 241 nursing students were involved in this research project. Findings of this study indicated that junior nursing students (<21 years) of both cohorts perceived significantly more stress than older (≥21 years) nursing students. Second year students of the Diploma group claimed being more stressed than their peers (1st and 3rd years). Personal problems were the main issue of concern among the second year Diploma students. Workload of nursing education and fear of failing the nursing programme were the major stressors among the first year nursing students of the Bachelor cohort as compared to their seniors. A mixture of negatively and positively significant correlations was observed between academic work and clinical scores among the Diploma and Bachelor of Nursing students respectively. Both the Diploma and Bachelor of Nursing students’ stress did not influence their GPA scores. Negatively significant correlation was noted between stress and clinical scores among the Diploma of Nursing students. A negatively significant correlation was found between age and CGPA scores among the Bachelor cohort. Both male and female Diploma and Bachelor nursing students perceived no differences in stress related to their academic work. The findings of this study provide important information for nursing education at the institute examined in this study, and have implications for future research.

This study aims to determine the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and level of awareness among male outpatients in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC). A questionnaire consisting of demographic data, questions related to knowledge, attitude and practice on BPH and the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) was used for this study. Uroflowmetry and bladder scan were used to evaluate the function of the urinary tract and severity of BPH. Urine dipstick was done for glycosuria, proteinuria and haematuria. A total of 220 respondents were surveyed. The prevalence of moderately and severely symptomatic LUTS was 42.7%. The most commonly reported LUTS were nocturia (78.2%), frequency (58.2%) and incomplete emptying (44.6%). The prevalence of glycosuria, proteinuria and haematuria were 23.6%, 11.4% and 1.8% respectively. There was a significant association between increasing age with the severity of LUTS (p=0.005). Out of 102 respondents with voided urine volume greater than 150 mL, there was a significant decrease in maximum (Qmax) (p=0.039) and average (Qave) urine flow rates with every 10 years increase of age (p=0.001). The majority of respondents (59.5%) have heard of BPH before. Over 78.2% of the respondents would seek medical attention if they have LUTS with 15.9% saying they would seek traditional treatment. In conclusion, the prevalence of LUTS was high and the level of awareness was satisfactory.

Central corneal thickness plays a major role in the management of many types of glaucoma. Therefore, our aim is to determine the relationship between the severity of glaucoma measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and central corneal thickness (CCT) among normal tension and high tension glaucoma patients. This is an observational cross sectional study on 190 patients carried out in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC). Three groups of patients were identified; 60 normal tension glaucoma (NTG), 61 primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and 69 control. Patients were identified based on the glaucomatous visual field changes and previous record of intraocular pressure before treatment. Visual acuity and intraocular pressure measurements were recorded. Specular microscope was used to measure the CCT and the severity of glaucoma was evaluated objectively based on the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness using optical coherence tomography. Results showed NTG patients had significantly thinner cornea, 503.07±32.27μm compared to the control group, 517.45±31.74 μm (p=0.012). However, there was no significant difference between the CCT of POAG and NTG groups (p=0.386).Retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness was significantly different between the glaucoma and the control groups (p<0.05 in all quadrant). However, correlation between CCT and severity of RNFL thinning was only found for the POAG group but not for the NTG group. (mean RNFL and superior quadrant RNFL; r=0.251,0.401) . This study demonstrated the correlation between CCT and severity of glaucoma in POAG patients but not for the NTG group. Therefore, CCT is related to the severity of POAG-related visual loss.

Despite evidence showing that structured rehabilitation after stroke improves functional outcomes, providing seamless rehabilitation from hospital to community has been elusive. The service provided should be able to accommodate variable degree of impairments and needs of the stroke survivors. This study aimed to assess the outcome of a multidisciplinary-based outpatient rehabilitation service for stroke patients living in the community. Patients who were discharged from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre after an acute stroke were referred to the Combined Stroke Rehabilitation Clinic (CSRC). Post stroke patients were assigned individually designed programs which were problem based and used task specific activities to achieve desired goals. Patients were reviewed on a regular basis either up to completion of the 2 year-program, or are able to be discharged to the community, whichever is earlier. Modified Barthel Index (MBI) and Berg Balance Scores (BBS) were used for monitoring. A total of 68 patients were managed in CSRC for two years since its initiation, with mean age of 62.4 years (SD 12.4) with the mean duration of stroke when first reviewed in CSRC was 11.5 months (SD 11.9). Majority of patients (64.7%) received either two or three types of intervention. Both MBI and BBS demonstrated significant improvement over 12-months period (p value of 0.006 and 0.017 respectively). CSRC proved that structured rehabilitation intervention was beneficial in terms of functional status and improvement in balance to post-stroke patients.

Amitraz poisoning is rare and there has been no reported cases in the Malaysian literature. Ingestion of this compound carries many life threatening side effects. We describe a case of Amitraz poisoning in an 18 years old young adult. He developed hypotension, required ventilatory support and a day of intensive care unit stay. He had a quick recovery after he was treated symptomatically and was discharged well after 3 days.