Impact of educational outreach intervention on enhancing health care providers' knowledge about statin therapy prescribing in Malaysian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Rationale: Previous research reported underutilization of statin therapy among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Improving health care providers' awareness and understanding of the benefits and risks of statin treatment could be of assistance in optimizing the statin prescribing process.

Aims And Objectives: This study aimed to assess health care providers' knowledge related to statin therapy and the impact of educational outreach intervention based on the perceived knowledge.

Cardiac magnetic resonance assessment of diastolic dysfunction in acute coronary syndrome.

Chest pain is an important presenting symptom. However, few cases of chest pain are diagnosed as acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the acute setting. This results in frequent inappropriate discharge and major delay in treatment for patients with underlying ACS.

Statin Therapy Prescribing for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Review of Current Evidence and Challenges.

Use of statin therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been recommended by most clinical guidelines. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among T2DM patients. It has been proved that statins are effective for primary or secondary CVD prophylaxis.

Characterisation of Myocardial Injury via T1 Mapping in Early Reperfused Myocardial Infarction and its Relationship with Global and Regional Diastolic Dysfunction.

Background: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) advances in imaging techniques, permits the ability to accurately characterise tissue injury post myocardial infarction. Pre-contrast T1 mapping enables this through measurement of pre-contrast T1 relaxation times. We investigate the relationship between T1 characterisation of myocardial injury with global and regional diastolic function.

Role of cardiovascular magnetic resonance in assessment of acute coronary syndrome.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the western world and is becoming more important in the developing world. Recently, advances in monitoring, revascularisation and pharmacotherapy have resulted in a reduction in mortality. However, although mortality rates have declined, the burden of disease remains large resulting in high direct and indirect healthcare costs related to CVDs.

Cardiac magnetic resonance, transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography: a comparison of in vivo assessment of ventricular function in rats.

In vivo assessment of ventricular function in rodents has largely been restricted to transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). However 1.5 T cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) have emerged as possible alternatives.

An unusual cause of cardiac failure.

Left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is a rare cardiomyopathy characterized by deep intertrabecular recesses communicating with the main ventricular chamber. Cardiac magnetic resonance offers high spatial resolution, and thereby substantial aptitude for the diagnosis of LVNC. Additional clinically relevant information, including thrombus and myocardial fibrosis evaluation, can be readily acquired.

Recurrent in-stent restenosis with total occlusion remedied with drug-eluting balloon angioplasty.

We report a 69 year old female who presented with chest pain to the Emergency Department of the National Heart Institute Malaysia. Her history revealed that she had had 2 separate episodes of chest pain beginning in 2002, resulting in total occlusion of her mid left anterior descending artery (LAD) requiring percutaneous coronary intervention and stenting on both occasions. Cine angiogram on her current admission revealed recurrent target lesion in-stent restenosis with total occlusion of the distal LAD.

Institutional hypertension control in Malaysia: a multicenter study focusing on gender and cardiovascular risk factor profile difference.

The prevalence of hypertension in Malaysia is alarmingly high. The National Survey in 2006 showed 43% of people aged ≥30 had hypertension and among treated patients, only 26% reached the target blood pressure (BP) of <140/90 mmHg. We evaluated BP control in tertiary institutions in Malaysia and the difference in hypertension control between genders and within specific cardiovascular risk factor groups.

Can a bronchoscopist reliably assess a patient's experience of bronchoscopy?

Objectives: Bronchoscopy is an essential investigative tool in many respiratory complaints. The procedure can be unpleasant for both bronchoscopists and patients. To the best of our knowledge, there are only a few studies that correlate the bronchoscopist's satisfaction with that of the patient's during bronchoscopy.

Blood pressure control among diabetic hypertensives under cardiology follow-up at a regional hospital in rural Malaysia.

Three hundred thirty-one consecutive patients presenting with hypertension to the outpatient medical clinic of Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital, Kuantan, Malaysia were screened and 150 patients with concurrent diabetes were enrolled into a cross-sectional study. The majority of patients were male (60.6%) with a mean age of 60.

Immediate postpartum cardiorespiratory collapse: a management quandary.

A 35-year-old multiparous woman was found unresponsive, tachypnoeic, hypoxic and in shock 4 h postpartum. The ECG revealed S1 Q3 T3, a right bundle branch block pattern and right-axis deviation. The computed tomography of her pulmonary arteries revealed bilateral pulmonary artery thrombosis with dilated right ventricle.

Invasive rhinocerebral mucormycosis with orbital extension in poorly- controlled diabetes mellitus.

Rhinocerebral mucormycosis is an invasive fungal sinusitis with a high mortality rate, especially in immunocompromised patients. A 70-year-old woman, with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus, presented with a one-month history of non-specific headaches associated with progressive swelling of her left eye. Computed tomography of the brain and orbits showed the extensive involvement of bilateral intranasal sinuses, orbits, extraocular muscle and soft tissues.

Severe left anterior descending artery stenosis with proximal arteriovenous malformation presenting as acute myocardial infarction.

Congenital coronary artery anomalies are rare, with an incidence of about 0.06-1.3 percent of all patients undergoing cardiac catheterisation.

Compliance to national guidelines on the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Malaysia: a single centre experience.

Introduction: Malaysia has a high rate of smoking prevalence and the figure is increasing. Although there has been many local and regional studies on the prevalence and symptomatology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients, data is lacking on the degree of compliance to national management guidelines in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Methods: 86 patients who attended the respiratory outpatient clinic of the Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia were enrolled into a prospective, observational study.

Prevalence and risk factors for menstrual disorders among systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

Introduction: This study aims to determine the prevalence and the types of menstrual disorders among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to identify factors that influence their development.

Methods: 61 patients with SLE were enrolled into a cross-sectional, observational study at the medical outpatient clinic, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia. A total of 120 healthy women were selected randomly to act as the control group.

Renal cell carcinoma in a von Hippel-Lindau syndrome: when should phaeochromocytoma be anticipated?

A 39-year-old man was diagnosed with von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, which was associated with retinal haemangioblastoma, cervical cord haemangioblastoma and bilateral renal cell carcinoma. He subsequently underwent an arterial embolisation and cervical laminectomy, following a spinal angiogram of the cervical lesion. He also had a right radical nephrectomy, with no perioperative complications.

Systemic lupus erythematosus presenting as parotitis and secondary Sjogren's syndrome.

A 38-year-old woman presented with right-sided parotid swelling, dry mouth and dry eyes of one year duration. Her Schirmer's test and sialometry were positive and histopathology showed lymphoplasmacytic infiltration. She also had concomitant normochromic , normocytic anaemia and mild haematuria.