A national study on the prevalence of obesity among 16,127 Malaysians.

Unlabelled: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in all states of Malaysia with the aim to determine the prevalence of obesity among Malaysians aged fifteen years and above and factors associated. A stratified two-stage cluster sampling design with proportional allocation was used. Trained interviewers using a standardized protocol obtained the weight and height measurements and other relevant information.

Hand carried echocardiography screening for LV systolic dysfunction in a pulmonary function laboratory.

Aims: Dyspnea is a common indication for pulmonary evaluation but also a common symptom in heart failure. Identification of dyspneic patients with significant LV systolic dysfunction is critical because of high morbidity of untreated heart failure. We sought to determine whether screening patients referred for pulmonary function testing (PFT) using a hand carried ultrasound (HCU) device could identify LV systolic dysfunction.

Facial motion analysis of acid burn victims--development of a new facial motion impairment index.

Objectives: Evaluation of facial movement is necessary for the assessment of motor deficits and planning reconstructive surgery in facial burns. Clinicians recognise the need for an accurate and reproducible method of functional assessment. We propose a new facial functional impairment index (FFII) for assessing facial motor dysfunction due to severe burn injury and provide inter/intra-patient comparison for documenting rehabilitation.

Management of fractures of metacarpals and phalanges and associated risk factors for delayed healing.

Objective: To assess the type of fractures of metacarpal and phalanges of hand and their treatment plan, investigate the risk factors (infection, segmental bone loss, associated soft tissue injuries) for the development of delayed union of the fracture site.

Methods: This descriptive study was conducted at Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery Unit, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi. It included 120 patients who attended Accident and Emergency Department with metacarpals and phalanges fractures during August 2005 to January 2006.

Postmortem interrogation and retrieval of implantable pacemakers and defibrillators: a survey of morticians and patients.

Introduction: Recent recalls of pacemakers and defibrillators cast a spotlight on product reliability. Universal postmortem device analysis could yield valuable information, but little data exist on the rate and feasibility of device examinations following death. This study investigated how morticians manage pacemakers and defibrillators and surveyed morticians and device patients regarding routine postmortem device interrogation and explantation.

Cases of chemical assault worldwide: a literature review.

We reviewed 24 studies of chemical burns by means of assault in the last 40 years. We describe 771 cases of chemical assault in total. Jamaica had the largest absolute number of cases.

Rapid assessment of left ventricular systolic function in a pacemaker clinic using a hand-carried ultrasound device.

Objective: Pacemaker recipients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction are potential candidates for upgrades to implantable defibrillators or cardiac resynchronization devices. This study sought to determine if a hand-carried ultrasound (HCU) device could be used for rapid, inexpensive identification of LV dysfunction in a busy pacemaker clinic.

Materials And Methods: Eighty patients undergoing routine pacemaker check were enrolled.

Sarcoidosis and MIF gene polymorphism: a case-control study in an Irish population.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor is a key pro-inflammatory mediator. A 5-CATT repeat functional polymorphism within the promoter of the gene was previously associated with the lowest promoter activity. It was hypothesised that patients exhibiting a 5-CATT allele would have a less aggressive inflammatory response with an associated less severe clinical phenotype in sarcoidosis.

Kirschner wire pin tract infection rates between percutaneous and buried wires in treating metacarpal and phalangeal fractures.

Objective: To compare pin tract infection rate between percutaneous and buried placement of Kirschner (K-) wiring for hand fractures.

Study Design: Quasi--experimental study.

Place And Duration: Plastic, Reconstructive, Hand and Burn Surgery Unit, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, from September 2005--February 2006.

Gender difference in metacarpal descent of fifth metacarpal.

Objective: To determine the difference in metacarpal descent of fifth metacarpal between men and women.

Study Design: Descriptive study.

Place And Duration: The outpatient department of plastic, reconstructive and hand surgery at Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, from August 2005 to February 2006.

Psychosocial outcomes derived from an acid burned population in Bangladesh, and comparison with Western norms.

Assault by acid burns typically results in severe disfigurement, yet the psychosocial impact of this injury is so far unreported. This study provides the first empirical data using standardised assessment scales, from 44 acid burns survivors in Bangladesh. Compared with published norms, individuals show high levels of psychological distress including social anxiety and avoidance, anxiety and depression.

Early intrahepatic antigen-specific retention of naïve CD8+ T cells is predominantly ICAM-1/LFA-1 dependent in mice.

We have previously shown that naïve CD8+ T cells recognizing their cognate antigen within the liver are retained and undergo activation in situ, independent from lymphoid tissues. Intrahepatic primary T cell activation results in apoptosis and may play a crucial role in the ability of the liver to induce tolerance. Although adhesion molecules required for intrahepatic retention of T cells that have undergone previous extra-hepatic activation have been characterized, adhesive interactions involved in selective antigen-dependent intrahepatic retention of naïve CD8+ T cells have not been investigated.

Superficial ulnar artery terminating in a normal ulnar artery.

Routine dissection of the left upper limb of an 86-year-old male cadaver showed a superficial ulnar artery that anastomosed with the ulnar artery. The superficial ulnar artery arose from the third part of the axillary artery, coursed distally over the flexor muscles of the forearm, and terminated by anastomosing with the ulnar artery in the distal third of the forearm. Arterial and neural variations were also observed on the contralateral side.

Role for macrophage migration inhibitory factor in asthma.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an immunologic regulator that is expressed in inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. We investigated MIF's role in asthma using genetic approaches in a mouse model and in a cohort of asthma patients. Mice genetically deficient in MIF that were primed and aerosol-challenged with ovalbumin showed less pulmonary inflammation and lower airway hyperresponsiveness than genetically matched, wild-type controls.

Migration matters: regulatory T-cell compartmentalization determines suppressive activity in vivo.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a fundamental role in the suppression of different immune responses; however, compartments at which they exert suppressive functions in vivo are unknown. Although many groups have described the presence of Tregs within inflammatory sites, it has not been shown that inflamed tissues are, indeed, the sites of active suppression of ongoing immune reactions. Here, by using alpha(E)+ effector/memory-like Tregs from fucosyltransferase VII-deficient animals, which lack E/P-selectin ligands and fail to migrate into inflamed sites, we analyzed the functional importance of appropriate Treg localization for in vivo suppressive capacity in an inflammation model.

Effect of surfactants on the cementation of cadmium.

The cementation of cadmium ions (Cd(2+)) from aqueous solution onto zinc was studied in two batch reactors, a batch stirred reactor lined with a cylindrical zinc sheet and another that used a rotating zinc cylinder. The rate of cadmium removal was studied as a function of speed of rotation, initial cadmium concentration, and the addition of certain surfactants and their mixtures. Rotational speed and initial cadmium concentration affect the rate of cadmium cementation.

Convincing an Asian community of the importance of flu vaccination.

Increasing the uptake of flu vaccination in an area with a large Bangladeshi population required a tailored approach to getting the message across. Every opportunity to communicate the issues was taken by the staff of the Healthy Living Centre, including using the topic as subject matter in a class for those improving their spoken English.