Objective: To report on the incidence, and the clinical and laboratory features of patients seen at the University of Malaya Medical Centre with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis. Methods: The charts of all patients admitted to the adult neurology ward with encephalitis over an 18- month period from January 2010 to June 2011 were reviewed. Diagnosis of anti-NMDAR encephalitis was based on the presence of encephalitis plus antibody against the NMDAR. Two other paediatric patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis seen over the same period were also included in this report. Results: There was a total of 10 patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis seen over the study period. The mean age was 18.1 years (range 9-29 years). Eight patients were female, two male. Five were Malay and fi ve were Chinese. All patients had prominent psychiatric symptoms, followed by epileptic seizures. Nine patients had a movement disorder, orofacial dyskinesia being the commonest, and all had autonomic involvement. None had an underlying tumour. Treatments consisted of corticosteroid, plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). The clinical outcome was variable, with full recovery (2), substantial recovery (3), partial recovery (4), and mortality (1) seen. Remarkably, the eight adult cases of anti-NMDAR encephalitis accounted for 50% of the 16 cases of encephalitis seen during the study period. Conclusion: Anti-NMDAR encephalitis may be a relatively common cause of adult encephalitis among certain Asian groups. None of our cases was paraneoplastic in origin.

Accidental carbon monoxide poisoning in countries with cold climates is commonly related to indoor heating. This condition appears to be relatively uncommon in tropical Asian countries and therefore the diagnosis may be unsuspected. We report a case of a Malaysian patient who presented with a severe, and ultimately fatal, delayed (biphasic) neuropsychiatric syndrome due to carbon monoxide poisoning. The diagnosis was made only when a history compatible with carbon monoxide poisoning subsequently surfaced, and neuroimaging demonstrated the typical pallidal lesions, associated with marked leukoencephalopathy, seen in this condition. Our case is unique because the poisoning occurred in the setting of indoor operation of a portable electricity generator in a karaoke centre because of power failure. Karaoke is a highly popular form of entertainment in many parts of Asia and we suggest that a high index of suspicion of carbon monoxide poisoning is required in this setting.

10.3969/j.issn.1000-3606.2013.06.005

OBJECTIVETo study the toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) Arg753Gln gene polymorphisms of acne patients of Gan-depression induced qi stagnation syndrome and damp-heat in the interior syndrome, thus laying the foundation for genetics studies on its occurrence.

METHODSThe distribution and the frequency of allelic genes were studied in 75 acne patients of damp-heat in the interior syndrome, and 87 acne patients with Gan-depression induced qi stagnation syndrome, as well as 70 healthy subjects (as the normal control group) using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique.

RESULTSThere was significant difference in the frequency of the genotype Arg/Gln + Gln/Gln in the TLR2 Arg753Gln genetic polymorphisms [26. 44% (23/87) in Gan-depression induced qi stagnation syndrome, 41.33% (31/75) in damp-heat in the interior syndrome, and 12.86% (9/70) in the normal control group] (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe existence of 753Gln allele in the Arg753Gln of TLR2 increased the onset risk of acne patients of Gan-depression induced qi stagnation syndrome and damp-heat in the interior syndrome.

Acne Vulgaris ; diagnosis ; ethnology ; genetics ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Phenotype ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Qi ; Toll-Like Receptor 2 ; genetics ; Young Adult

Objective To explore the gene expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT)in childhood acute non- lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) and its clinical implication. Methods Expression of hTERT mRNA was detected in HL - 60 leukemia cell line, 14 ANLL children and 11 healthy children by reverse transcriptase- polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR). Results hTERT gene was expressed in HL-60 cell line, ANLL children (11/14) and healthy children (2/11). The expression of hTERT gene was observed in all subtypes of ANLL. Furthermore, there were statistically significant differences in expression levels of hTERT gene between children with ANLL and healthy children (t = 5.034 P = 0). Conclusions The up - regulation of gene expression of hTERT may play a very important role in the progression of children ANLL. The detection of hTERT expression may be a useful additional method for monitoring the state of illness.

Intracranial atherosclerosis is one of the leading causes of ischemic stroke and occurs more commonly in patients of Asian, African or Hispanic origin than in Caucasians. Although the histopathology of intracranial atherosclerotic disease resembles extracranial atherosclerosis, there are some notable differences in the onset and severity of atherosclerosis. Current understanding of intracranial atherosclerotic disease has been advanced by the high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HRMRI), a novel emerging imaging technique that can directly visualize the vessel wall pathology. However, the pathological validation of HRMRI signal characteristics remains a key step to depict the plaque components and vulnerability in intracranial atherosclerotic lesions. The purpose of this review is to describe the histological features of intracranial atherosclerosis and to state current evidences regarding the validation of MR vessel wall imaging with histopathology.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Atherosclerosis ; Autopsy ; Hispanic Americans ; Humans ; Intracranial Arteriosclerosis* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Microscopy* ; Pathology ; Stroke

OBJECTIVETo explore the minimum observed adverse effect level(LOAEL) and intensity of pathogenesis of tin mine dust.

METHODSA cohort study design with retrospective assessment of exposure was used. Selected 4,471 male tin miners who were exposed to tin at least one year during 1960 to 1974 and were compared with 4,797 pottery dust exposed workers in the same way designed. Statistical analysis system SAS, PROC LIFETEST were used to perform the non-parameter calculation by Life Table method.

RESULTSTin mine cohort subjects were followed up to December 31, 1994. The percentage of miners who developed silicosis was 21.7% (971/4,471). 81% of the patients had been exposed to dust before 1958. The cumulative total dust exposure(CTD) was significantly correlated with silicosis risk. The risk of silicosis was 0.012 when CTD was less than 50 mg/m-3.year-1. The risk of silicosis was increased to 0.971 when CTD was beyond 400 mg.m-3.year-1. However, the risk of silicosis was only 0.369 for dust exposed workers in pottery factories when CTD was beyond 400 mg.m-3.year-1.

CONCLUSIONThere was significant relationship between cumulative dust exposure and the incidence of silicosis in tin exposed workers. And silicosis induced by tin mine dust is more serious than the pottery dust.

Cohort Studies ; Dust ; Humans ; Mining ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects ; Silicosis ; etiology ; Tin

There are 50-100 million dengue infections each year, but dengue encephalitis is relatively uncommon. The aetiology of neuronal injury is proposed to be due to direct viral neurotropism or host immune response-mediated inflammation causing neuronal damage. We report a case of severe dengue encephalitis, presenting during the acute viraemic phase of the disease. This was associated with inflammation and haemorrhage of the internal medullary lamina of both thalami which, to our knowledge, has not yet been reported in other infections of the central nervous system.
Dengue

Despite the success of colonoscopy screening and recent advances in cancer treatment, colorectal cancer (CRC) still remains one of the most commonly diagnosed and deadly cancers, with a significantly increased incidence in developing countries where people are adapting to Western lifestyle. Diet has an important impact on risk of CRC. Multiple epidemiological studies have suggested that excessive animal protein and fat intake, especially red meat and processed meat, could increase the risk of developing CRC while fiber could protect against colorectal tumorigenesis. Mechanisms have been investigated by animal studies. Diet could re-shape the community structure of gut microbiota and influence its function by modulating the production of metabolites. Butyrate, one of the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which act as a favorable source for colonocytes, could protect colonic epithelial cells from tumorigenesis via anti-inflammatory and antineoplastic properties through cell metabolism, microbiota homeostasis, antiproliferative, immunomodulatory and genetic/epigenetic regulation ways. In contrast, protein fermentation and bile acid deconjugation, which cause damage to colonic cells through proinflammatory and proneoplastic ways, lead to increased risk of developing CRC. In conclusion, a balanced diet with an increased abundance of fiber should be adopted to reduce the risk and prevent CRC.
Animals ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Diet ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Humans

In order to determine the status of Enterobius vermicularis infection among schoolchildren in suburban areas of Myanmar, 761 primary schoolchildren in 3 different townships around Yangon City were subjected to a survey using cello-tape anal swabs. The subjected schoolchildren were 383 boys and 378 girls who were 5-7 years of age. Only 1 anal swab was obtained from each child. The overall egg positive rate of E. vermicularis was 47.2% (359 positives), and sex difference was not remarkable (48.6% in boys and 45.8% in girls). However, the positive rate was the highest in South Dagon (54.6%) followed by Hlaing Thayar (43.8%) and North Dagon (34.8%). This difference was highly correlated with the living standards of the people in each township. Nucleotide sequence of the 5S rDNA from the eggs on the cello-tape (2 children) revealed 99.7% identity with that of E. vermicularis reported in GenBank. The results indicated that E. vermicularis infection is highly prevalent among primary schoolchildren around Yangon, Myanmar.
Animals ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Enterobiasis/diagnosis/*epidemiology/*parasitology ; Enterobius/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Myanmar/epidemiology ; Parasite Egg Count ; Prevalence ; Students/statistics & numerical data