International consensus recommendations for the optimal prioritisation and distribution of surgical services in low-income and middle-income countries: a modified Delphi process.

Objectives: To develop consensus statements regarding the regional-level or district-level distribution of surgical services in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) and prioritisation of service scale-up.

Design: This work was conducted using a modified Delphi consensus process. Initial statements were developed by the International Standards and Guidelines for Quality Safe Surgery and Anesthesia Working Group of the Global Alliance for Surgical, Obstetric, Trauma and Anesthesia Care (G4 Alliance) and the International Society of Surgery based on previously published literature and clinical expertise.

Evaluating Cataract Surgical Rate through Smart Partnership between Ministry of Health, Malaysia and Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council.

Introduction: Cataract is the leading cause of blindness. About 90% of cataract blindness occurs in low- and middle-income countries. The prevalence of blindness and low vision in any country depends on the socioeconomic status, the availability of medical and healthcare facilities, and the literacy of the population.

Early phase oncology clinical trials in Malaysia: current status and future perspectives.

Historically, the majority of oncology clinical trials are conducted in Western Europe and North America. Globalization of drug development has resulted in sponsors shifting their focus to the Asia-Pacific region. In Malaysia, implementation of various government policies to promote clinical trials has been initiated over a decade ago and includes the establishment of Clinical Research Malaysia, which functions as a facilitator and enabler of industry-sponsored clinical trials on a nationwide basis.

The effects of super spreading events and movement control measures on the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia.

This paper aims to develop an automated web application to generate validated daily effective reproduction numbers (Rt) which can be used to examine the effects of super-spreading events due to mass gatherings and the effectiveness of the various Movement Control Order (MCO) stringency levels on the outbreak progression of COVID-19 in Malaysia. The effective reproduction number, Rt, was estimated by adopting and modifying an Rt estimation algorithm using a validated distribution mean of 3.96 and standard deviation of 4.

PICK-ing Malaysia's Epidemic Apart: Effectiveness of a Diverse COVID-19 Vaccine Portfolio.

Malaysia rolled out a diverse portfolio of predominantly three COVID-19 vaccines (AZD1222, BNT162b2, and CoronaVac) beginning 24 February 2021. We evaluated vaccine effectiveness with two methods, covering 1 April to 15 September 2021: (1) the screening method for COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and symptomatic COVID-19; and (2) a retrospective cohort of confirmed COVID-19 cases for COVID-19 related ICU admission and death using logistic regression. The screening method estimated partial vaccination to be 48.

Modelling infectious diseases with herd immunity in a randomly mixed population.

The conventional susceptible-infectious-recovered (SIR) model tends to magnify the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases, and thus the estimated total infections and immunized population may be higher than the threshold required for infection control and eradication. The study developed a new SIR framework that allows the transmission rate of infectious diseases to decline along with the reduced risk of contact infection to overcome the limitations of the conventional SIR model. Two new SIR models were formulated to mimic the declining transmission rate of infectious diseases at different stages of transmission.

Mapping timely access to emergency and essential surgical services: The Malaysian experience.

Background: Surgical conditions form a significant proportion of the global burden of disease. Since the 2015 World Health Assembly resolution A68.15, there is recognition that the provision of essential surgical care is an integral part of universal access to health care.

RACS and its Fellows: a contribution to sustainable healthcare improvement in South East Asia.

The question of whether small non-government organizations with comparatively small budgets can make a substantial contribution to sustainable improvement in health care in low- and middle-income countries is crucial to funding global surgical projects. The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and its Fellows have partnered with local organizations and clinicians to deliver a wide range of projects in South East Asia. These projects have proved sustainable and have increased healthcare capacity in these nations.

Tracking the early depleting transmission dynamics of COVID-19 with a time-varying SIR model.

The susceptible-infectious-removed (SIR) model offers the simplest framework to study transmission dynamics of COVID-19, however, it does not factor in its early depleting trend observed during a lockdown. We modified the SIR model to specifically simulate the early depleting transmission dynamics of COVID-19 to better predict its temporal trend in Malaysia. The classical SIR model was fitted to observed total (I total), active (I) and removed (R) cases of COVID-19 before lockdown to estimate the basic reproduction number.

Potential Health Impacts of Bauxite Mining in Kuantan.

Bauxite mining is not known to most Malaysian except recently due to environmental pollution issues in Kuantan, Pahang. Potential impacts are expected to go beyond physical environment and physical illness if the situation is not controlled. Loss of economic potentials, and the presence of unpleasant red dust causing mental distress, anger and community outrage.

Responding to the Potential of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Importation into Malaysia.

The current Ebola outbreak, which is the first to affect West African countries, has been declared to have met the conditions for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization (WHO). Thus, the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Malaysia has taken steps to strengthen and enhanced the five core components of preparedness and response to mitigate the outbreak. The National Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) commands, controls and coordinates the preparedness and response plans for disasters, outbreaks, crises and emergencies (DOCE) related to health in a centralised way.

External branch of the superior laryngeal nerve monitoring during thyroid and parathyroid surgery: International Neural Monitoring Study Group standards guideline statement.

Unlabelled: Intraoperative neural monitoring (IONM) during thyroid surgery has gained widespread acceptance as an adjunct to the gold standard of visual identification of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN). Contrary to routine dissection of the RLN, most surgeons tend to avoid rather than routinely expose and identify the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (EBSLN) during thyroidectomy or parathyroidectomy. IONM has the potential to be utilized for identification of the EBSLN and functional assessment of its integrity; therefore, IONM might contribute to voice preservation following thyroidectomy or parathyroidectomy.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis using PAX8- and PPARG-specific probes reveals the presence of PAX8-PPARG translocation and 3p25 aneusomy in follicular thyroid neoplasms.

At the present time, the differentiation between follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) and adenoma can be made only postoperatively and is based on the presence of capsular or vascular invasion. The ability to differentiate preoperatively between the malignant and benign forms of follicular thyroid tumors assumes greater importance in any clinical setting. The PAX8-PPARG translocation has been reported to occur in the majority of FTC.

Emergency thyroid surgery: a surgical challenge.

Background: Acute life threatening presentations of thyroid disease are uncommon. The aim of this study was to review our experience of emergency thyroid surgery with regard to the incidence, management and outcome to this approach.

Methods: Forty patients who underwent emergency thyroid surgery from December 1998 to December 2007 were prospectively accrued in this study.

Total thyroidectomy: the procedure of choice for toxic goitre.

Objective: Over the years, subtotal thyroidectomy has been the mainstay of treatment for toxic goitre; however, total thyroidectomy is increasingly being considered as the procedure of choice. This study aimed to review our experience with total thyroidectomy in toxic goitre and evaluate the outcome of this procedure.

Methods: A total of 67 consecutive patients who were diagnosed with toxic goitres and had total thyroidectomy from January 2003 to February 2005 were included in this prospective open study.

Follicular thyroid carcinoma with direct tumour extension into the great cervical veins and right atrium: is transcervical thrombectomy a safe option?

Direct tumour extension into the internal jugular veins (IJV) and right atrium in thyroid cancer is extremely uncommon. We report three cases of advanced thyroid cancer invading into the IJV and right atrium. All three patients had well-differentiated thyroid cancer and presented with typical clinical picture of the superior cava syndrome coupled with significant compressive symptoms.

Hypercalcaemic crisis: immediate parathyroidectomy and intraoperative intravenous calcium infusion improves outcome.

The hypercalcaemic crisis of hyperparathyroidism is an endocrine emergency that is invariably fatal if untreated. Despite emergency parathyroidectomies to treat hypercalcaemic crisis, mortality rates remain high. The rapid decline of serum calcium levels after removal of an adenoma and its adverse effect on the heart contributes to the development of postoperative complications and death.

Large fungating thyroid cancers: a unique surgical challenge.

Large goitres are common in the developing world, particularly in Asia and Africa. Nonetheless, large fungating goitres are extremely rare and represent a unique challenge to surgeons. Surgery should always be considered, when the general condition of the patient permits, to provide a better quality of life as it offers the only hope of long-term survival.

Prevertebral soft tissue measurements in thyroid enlargement: the value of lateral neck radiographs.

Background: Measurement of prevertebral soft tissue is commonly used to assess prevertebral abnormalities, such as retropharyngeal abscess or injury to the cervical spine. In the presence of goitres, the widened prevertebral tissue seen on plain lateral neck radiograph may be diagnostic of an enlarged tubercle of Zuckerkandl (ZT), which may be responsible for most pressure symptoms. The aim of this study was to substantiate the value of plain lateral neck radiographs in preoperative demonstration of enlarged ZT.

Overview of breast cancer in Malaysian women: a problem with late diagnosis.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Malaysian women. There is a marked geographical difference in the worldwide incidence of breast cancer, with a higher incidence in developed countries compared to developing countries. From 1998 to 2001, new cases of breast cancer presenting to the breast clinics at Hospital Kuala Lumpur and University Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia, were reviewed; the race, age and stage at presentation were analysed.

Spectrum of breast cancer in Malaysian women: overview.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Malaysian women. Nonetheless, in Malaysia there is a marked geographical difference in the incidence of breast cancer with advanced stage of presentation. The breast clinic in Kuala Lumpur Hospital diagnosed approximately 150 to 200 new cases of breast cancer a year.

Chronic granulomatous mastitis: diagnostic and therapeutic considerations.

To review the clinical presentation, histopathological features, and optimal treatment of chronic granulomatous mastitis, the authors conducted a retrospective study of 25 women admitted to a teaching hospital in Malaysia between January 1998 and December 2000 who met the required histologic criteria. The primary outcome measures were morbidity and recurrence of the disease. Thirteen patients presented with a breast mass clinically mimicking breast cancer, and 12 patients had breast induration and abscess formation.

Recurrent laryngeal nerve in thyroid surgery: a critical appraisal.

Background: Identification and preservation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) is of major concern in surgery of the thyroid gland. The purpose of this study was to review the surgical anatomy of the nerve and to describe its relationship to other important structures.

Methods: A total of 325 patients were accrued in this prospective non-randomized study from January 1999 to December 2000.

A reappraisal of thyroid surgery under local anaesthesia: back to the future?

Background: Thyroid surgery is usually performed under general anaesthesia. However, for a selected group of patients, local anaesthesia may be preferable. The aim of this study was to review the authors' experiences with local anaesthesia with regard to the safety and outcome of this approach.