1.Lumbar Morphometry: A Study of Lumbar Vertebrae from a Pakistani Population Using Computed Tomography Scans.
Muhammad M ALAM ; Muhammad WAQAS ; Hussain SHALLWANI ; Gohar JAVED
Asian Spine Journal 2014;8(4):421-426
STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. PURPOSE: To describe the characteristics of lumbar vertebrae of Pakistani patients reporting at a tertiary care hospital and compare with studies from other populations. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Several studies have been conducted to determine morphometry of lumbar vertebrae. Most of the studies involve Caucasian populations, still data on other populations still sparse. This is the first study describing lumbar morphometry of a Pakistani population. METHODS: An observational study was conducted based on a review of thin-cut (3 mm) computed topographic images of lumbar vertebrae. Two-hundred and twenty vertebrae from forty-nine patients were studied, and various dimensions were analyzed. RESULTS: Generally, the size of the vertebrae, vertebral canals and recesses were found to be greater in male patients. The difference was statistically significant for transverse and anteroposterior diameters of the vertebral bodies and sagittal diameter of pedicles on the left side (p<0.05). Comparison of populations revealed statistically significant differences in pedicle dimensions between Pakistani population and others. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides anatomical knowledge of the lumbar region in a sample population of Pakistan. There were significant differences in various dimensions of lumbar vertebrae between female and male patients. This would prove to be critical for performing a safe operation.
Cross-Sectional Studies
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Female
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Humans
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Lumbar Vertebrae*
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Lumbosacral Region
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Male
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Observational Study
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Pakistan
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Spine
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Tertiary Healthcare
2. Novel PCR primers to diagnose visceral leishmaniasis using peripheral blood, spleen or bone marrow aspirates
Mahbuba KHATUN ; S.M. Sabbir ALAM ; M. Anwar HOSSAIN ; Muhammad Manjurul KARIM ; Abed Hussain KHAN ; Jalaluddin Ashraful HAQ ; Md. Shariful ALAM JILANI ; Mohammad Tariqur RAHMAN
Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine 2017;10(8):753-759
Objective To establish a suitable method of diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) using peripheral blood, spleen or bone marrow aspirates. Methods Peripheral blood, bone marrow and spleen aspirate samples were collected from clinically suspected VL patients (n = 26). A new PCR primer pair (MK1F/R) was designed targeting kinetoplast mini circle DNA sequences of Leishmania donovani, and Leishmania infantum, and was used to diagnose VL along with some other established primers for VL in polymerase chain reactions. Test was validated by comparing with several other diagnostic methods. Results The designed primer set showed 100% specificity and 98% sensitivity in detecting VL using blood samples, when compared with more invasive samples: bone marrow or spleen aspirates. Conclusions The newly designed primer MK1F/R could be a better alternative for PCR based diagnosis of VL using less invasive sample, peripheral blood instead of bone marrow or spleen aspirates.
3.A Two Years Retrospective Study on Epidemiology Characteristics of Sexually Transmitted Infections From Malaysian Private Healthcare Perspective
Shafiq Aazmi ; Fadzilah Mohd Nor ; Tengku Shahrul Anuar ; Tengku Nur Syahirah Tengku Kamaruzaman ; Muhammad Nazri Aziz ; Nabila Ibrahim ; Mohd Fakharul Zaman Raja Yahya ; Azdayanti Muslim ; , Farida Zuraina Mohd Yusof
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2021;17(No.4):268-274
Introduction: Sexually transmitted Infections (STIs) are major public health concerns reaching an all-time high, globally. In Malaysia data on the prevalence of STIs remains scarce which limits the understanding of STI transmission
dynamics and the role of interventions in the control of STIs. The aim of this study is to determine the epidemiology
characteristics of STIs mainly from Malaysian private healthcare institutions. Method: A two years (2016 and 2017)
retrospective review was conducted on 160 multiplex RT-PCR STI reports from KPJ hospitals, Malaysia. Results:
There were 65 (40.6 %) patients positive STIs [male: 21/65 (32.3 %); female: 44/65 (67.7 %)]. The STIs was prevalent among young adults (56/65; 86.2 %) from the central region (46/65; 70.8 %). Females had 1.7 times greater risk
to develop STI (20 per 100) and two times higher chance to have multiple STIs (10 per 100) in comparison to male.
The single STIs was caused mainly by U. parvum (N=17). In males, U. urealyticum (N=3) and C. trachomatis (N=3)
were prevalent, while U. parvum (N=15) was prevalent in females. There were 19 dual infections of STIs which were
commonly caused by U. parvum and M. hominis (N=5). There were seven STIs cases caused by three pathogens
concurrently including U. urealyticum, U. parvum and C. trachomatis (N=2) and U. urealyticum, M. genitalium
and C. trachomatis (N=2). Females from urban communities have higher risk in comparison to males for developing
multiple STIs. Conclusion: This study provides an imperative platform for temporal trends of STIs in Malaysia which
reflects the health status of certain populations that warrant immediate public health interventions.