Perception of telemedicine among medical practitioners in Malaysia during COVID-19.

The novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has brought unprecedented changes in the way conventional health care is delivered. This study examined if clinicians' perceptions regarding telemedicine and its barriers to implementation in Malaysia have changed during this pandemic. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Malaysian medical doctors of various specialties in four urban healthcare facilities between June 2020 and July 2020.

Public and private sectors collective response to combat COVID-19 in Malaysia.

Over the last year, the dangerous severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread rapidly around the world. Malaysia has not been excluded from this COVID-19 pandemic. The resurgence of COVID-19 cases has overwhelmed the public healthcare system and overloaded the healthcare resources.

Chondrogenesis of human adipose derived stem cells for future microtia repair using co-culture technique.

Conclusion: In conclusion, these result showed HADSCs could differentiate into chondrocytes-like cells, dependent on signaling induced by TGF-β3 and chondrocytes. This is a promising result and showed that HADSCs is a potential source for future microtia repair. The technique of co-culture is a positive way forward to assist the microtia tissue.

The formation of human auricular cartilage from microtic tissue: An in vivo study.

Objectives: This study aimed to isolate, culture-expand and characterize the chondrocytes isolated from microtic cartilage and evaluate its potential as a cell source for ear cartilage reconstruction. Specific attention was to construct the auricular cartilage tissue by using fibrin as scaffold.

Study Design: Cell culture experiment with the use of microtic chondrocytes.

Effect of Growth Factor Supplementation on the Hair Cell Specific Markers of Cells Harvested from Basilar Membrane.

Objective: Loss of auditory hair cells is a major cause of deafness. The presence of auditory progenitor cells in the inner ear raises the hope for mammalian inner ear cell regeneration. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of growth factor supplementations, namely a combination of epidermal growth factor (EGF), insulin-like growth factor (IGF), and beta (β)-fibroblast growth factor (βFGF), on the expression of hair cell-specific markers by cells harvested from the cochlear membrane.

Age and Gender Effects on Wideband Absorbance in Adults With Normal Outer and Middle Ear Function.

Purpose: This study examined the effects of age and gender on wideband energy absorbance in adults with normal middle ear function.

Method: Forty young adults (14 men, 26 women, aged 20-38 years), 31 middle-aged adults (16 men, 15 women, aged 42-64 years), and 30 older adults (20 men, 10 women, aged 65-82 years) were assessed. Energy absorbance (EA) data were collected at 30 frequencies using a prototype commercial instrument developed by Interacoustics.

Mastoid abscess in acute and chronic otitis media.

Background: Mastoid abscess remains a recognised complication of otitis media despite the advent of antibiotics. The objectives of this study were to describe the risk factors in patients with mastoid abscess following acute and chronic otitis media and discuss the management of this infection.

Method: A retrospective analysis was done on all patients who underwent mastoidectomy for mastoid abscess from January 2002 to December 2007.

Human serum is an advantageous supplement for human dermal fibroblast expansion: clinical implications for tissue engineering of skin.

Background: Standard fibroblast culture medium usually contains fetal bovine serum (FBS). In theory, unknown risks of infection from bovine disease or immune reaction to foreign proteins may occur if standard culture method is used for future human tissue-engineering development. Human serum (HS) theoretically would be another choice in providing a safer approach and autologous clinically reliable cells.

Relation of distortion product otoacoustic emission with tinnitus.

Objective: To investigate cochlear outer hair cell function based on distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) in patients with tinnitus.

Study Design: This is a case control study.

Subjects And Methods: The subjects are patients who attended the Otorhinolaryngology Clinic in Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia over a period of 19 months from April 2005 until October 2006.

Management of iatrogenic facial nerve palsy and labyrinthine fistula in mastoid surgery.

A 6-year review of complications of mastoid surgery between June 1995 and June 2001 revealed five cases with serious iatrogenic complications from mastoid surgery, of which four were facial nerve palsy and two were labyrinthine fistula. One of these patients had concomitant facial nerve palsy and labyrinthine fistula. There were two cases of complete facial nerve palsy (House Brackmann grade VI) and two cases of incomplete palsy (House Brackmann grades IV and V).

Complications of otitis media requiring surgical intervention.

Background: Although the incidence of complications of otitis media that require surgical interventions has decreased substantially over the past few years, it is a prevailing condition for which clinicians should remain vigilant.

Methods: We conducted a 3-year review [June 1998 to June 2001] in our hospital of surgical records of patients with complications of otitis media that were treated surgically.

Results: There were 16 patients with complications of otitis media, of which nine [56%] were intracranial; brain abscess and lateral sinus thrombosis were the most common intracranial complications.

Vestibular nerve section in a child with intractable Menière's disease.

Clinical presentation of Menière's disease in children is not as typical as in adults. The triad of vertigo, tinnitus and deafness are not usually elicited, diagnosis often being made after years of follow up and batteries of investigation. A case of Menière's disease in a 3-year-old boy is presented.