Below the poverty line and non-communicable diseases in Kerala: The Epidemiology of Non-communicable Diseases in Rural Areas (ENDIRA) study.

Introduction: India carries the greatest burden of global non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Poverty is strongly associated with NCDs but there are few prevalence studies which have measured poverty in India, particularly in rural settings.

Methods: In Kerala, India, a population of 113,462 individuals was identified.

Can Rectal Diclofenac Prevent Post Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography Pancreatitis?

Background: Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been shown to reduce the incidence of post endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis (PEP). There were various trials using different routes and dosages of NSAIDs but meta-analysis revealed inconsistent results.

Aims: The aims of this study were to determine the efficacy of rectal diclofenac in preventing PEP and to evaluate any adverse events.

Human embryonic stem cell-derived oligodendrocyte progenitors remyelinate the brain and rescue behavioral deficits following radiation.

Radiation therapy to the brain is a powerful tool in the management of many cancers, but it is associated with significant and irreversible long-term side effects, including cognitive decline and impairment of motor coordination. Depletion of oligodendrocyte progenitors and demyelination are major pathological features that are particularly pronounced in younger individuals and severely limit therapeutic options. Here we tested whether human ESC-derived oligodendrocytes can functionally remyelinate the irradiated brain using a rat model.

Surveillance of noncommunicable diseases by community health workers in Kerala: the epidemiology of noncommunicable diseases in rural areas (ENDIRA) study.

Background: India carries the greatest burden of noncommunicable disease (NCD) globally. However, there are few contemporary, community-based studies of prevalence in India. Given the physician shortages in rural areas, large-scale, region-specific studies of NCD using community health workers (CHW) may offer a feasible means of NCD surveillance.

Blood gene signature for early hepatocellular carcinoma detection in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Purpose: Up to 25% of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients eventually develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a disease with poor prognosis unless detected early. This study identifies a blood-based RNA biomarker panel for early HCC detection in CHB.

Materials And Methods: A genome-wide RNA expression study was performed using RNA extracted from blood samples from Malaysian patients (matched HCC, CHB, controls).

Avian influenza (H7N9) virus infection in Chinese tourist in Malaysia, 2014.

Of the ≈400 cases of avian influenza (H7N9) diagnosed in China since 2003, the only travel-related cases have been in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Detection of a case in a Chinese tourist in Sabah, Malaysia, highlights the ease with which emerging viral respiratory infections can travel globally.

A review of malaria research in malaysia.

One hundred and thirteen articles related to Malaria were found in a search through a database dedicated to indexing all original data relevant to medicine published in Malaysia between the years 2000-2013. Thirty eight articles were selected and reviewed on the basis of clinical relevance and future research implications. The epidemiology of malaria has undergone a significant change over the last decade with P.

Unilateral vocal fold paralysis: can laryngoscopy predict recovery? A prospective study.

Objective: To determine the prognostic value of laryngoscopy in predicting the recovery of unilateral vocal fold paralysis.

Method: A prospective study was carried out of all patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis without a progressive lesion or arytenoid dislocation.

Results: Among the 66 candidates, 15 recovered.

Plasmodium knowlesi malaria during pregnancy.

Background: Plasmodium knowlesi is the commonest cause of malaria in Malaysia, but little is known regarding infection during pregnancy.

Methods: To investigate comparative risk and consequences of knowlesi malaria during pregnancy, we reviewed (1) Sabah Health Department malaria-notification records created during 2012-2013, (2) prospectively collected data from all females with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed malaria who were admitted to a Sabah tertiary care referral hospital during 2011-2014, and (3) malaria microscopy and clinical data recorded at a Sabah tertiary care women and children's hospital during 2010-2014.

Results: During 2012-2013, 774 females with microscopy-diagnosed malaria were notified, including 252 (33%), 172 (20%), 333 (43%), and 17 (2%) with Plasmodium falciparum infection, Plasmodium vivax infection, Plasmodium malariae/Plasmodium knowlesi infection, and mixed infection, respectively.

Changing epidemiology of malaria in Sabah, Malaysia: increasing incidence of Plasmodium knowlesi.

Background: While Malaysia has had great success in controlling Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, notifications of Plasmodium malariae and the microscopically near-identical Plasmodium knowlesi increased substantially over the past decade. However, whether this represents microscopic misdiagnosis or increased recognition of P. knowlesi has remained uncertain.

Intracranial ablative procedures for the treatment of chronic pain.

Three main techniques delineate a possible role for intracranial ablative procedures in patients with chronic pain. Recent studies demonstrate a continued need for clinical investigation into central mechanisms of neuroablation to best define its role in the care of patients with otherwise intractable and severe pain syndromes. Cingulotomy can result in long-term pain relief.

Factors influencing treatment outcome in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease: outcome of a prospective pragmatic trial in Asian patients.

Background: Predicting response to proton pump inhibitor (PPI) treatment can aid the effective management of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The aim was to investigate the predictors of symptomatic response to pantoprazole in Asian patients with GERD; the first study of its kind in Asian patients.

Methods: Asian patients with GERD symptoms (N = 209) received pantoprazole 40 mg daily for 8 weeks in a multinational, prospective, open-label study.

Congenital Extraskeletal Osteochondroma of the Web Space Displacing the Lesser Toes: A Unique Presentation.

Extraskeletal osteochondroma is a rare benign tumor that occurs predominantly in the soft tissues of the hands and feet. The congenital occurrence of this lesion in children is very rare. We report the case of a 9-year-old male who presented with slowly progressive swelling in his left third web space since birth that was painful with prolonged walking and had displaced his fourth toe further laterally, causing both functional and cosmetic problems.

A study protocol for a randomised open-label clinical trial of artesunate-mefloquine versus chloroquine in patients with non-severe Plasmodium knowlesi malaria in Sabah, Malaysia (ACT KNOW trial).

Introduction: Malaria due to Plasmodium knowlesi is reported throughout South-East Asia, and is the commonest cause of it in Malaysia. P. knowlesi replicates every 24 h and can cause severe disease and death.

Aneurysmal bone cyst of medial end of clavicle in a child, a rare case report.

Aneurysmal bone cyst is a locally aggressive benign tumor accounting for 3 % of all benign bone tumors. It most commonly arises from ends of long bones and relatively rare in flat bones. Clavicle is a very rare site for bone tumors with secondaries more common than primaries.

Electrospun biodegradable elastic polyurethane scaffolds with dipyridamole release for small diameter vascular grafts.

Acellular biodegradable small diameter vascular grafts (SDVGs) require antithrombosis, intimal hyperplasia inhibition and rapid endothelialization to improve the graft patency. However, current antithrombosis and antiproliferation approaches often conflict with endothelial cell layer formation on SDVGs. To address this limitation, biodegradable elastic polyurethane urea (BPU) and the drug dipyridamole (DPA) were mixed and then electrospun into a biodegradable fibrous scaffold.

Polymeric nanoparticles for targeted radiosensitization of prostate cancer cells.

One of the many issues of using radiosensitizers in a clinical setting is timing daily radiation treatments to coincide with peak drug concentration in target tissue. To overcome this deficit, we have synthesized a novel nanoparticle (NP) system consisting of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NPs conjugated with prostate cancer cell penetrating peptide-R11 and encapsulated with a potent radio-sensitizer 8-dibenzothiophen-4-yl-2-morpholin-4-yl-chromen-4-one (NU7441) to allow prostate cancer-specific targeting and sustained delivery over 3 weeks. Preliminary characterization studies showed that the R11-conjugated NPs (R11-NU7441 NPs) had an average size of about 274 ± 80 nm and were stable for up to 5 days in deionized water and serum.

Brodie's abscess of the posterior ilium: a rare cause for low back pain in children.

Brodie's abscess of the pelvis is very rare in healthy children. It can be missed because of its varied presentation. We present an 11-year-old boy who presented with low back pain.

Absence of Helicobacter pylori is not protective against peptic ulcer bleeding in elderly on offending agents: lessons from an exceptionally low prevalence population.

Aim. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is exceptionally rare in population from the north-eastern region of Peninsular Malaysia.

Liposome encapsulated soy lecithin and cholesterol can efficiently replace chicken egg yolk in human semen cryopreservation medium.

Cryopreservation of spermatozoa plays a significant role in reproductive medicine and fertility preservation. Chicken egg yolk is used as an extender in cryopreservation of human spermatozoa using glycerol egg yolk citrate (GEYC) buffered medium. Even though 50% survival of spermatozoa is generally achieved with this method, the risk of high levels of endotoxins and transmission pathogens from chicken egg yolk is a matter of concern.

Dual-responsive polymer-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for drug delivery and imaging applications.

We reported the synthesis and characterization of dual-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-acrylamide-chitosan) (PAC)-coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for controlled and targeted drug delivery and imaging applications. The PAC-MNPs size was about 150nm with 70% iron mass content and excellent superparamagnetic properties. PAC-MNPs loaded with anti-cancer drug doxorubicin showed dual-responsive drug release characteristics with the maximum release of drugs at 40°C (∼78%) than at 37°C (∼33%) and at pH of 6 (∼55%) than at pH of 7.

Calcium sulfate as bone graft substitute in the treatment of osseous bone defects, a prospective study.

Background: Calcium sulfate belongs to synthetic ceramic group of bone graft substitutes having an osteoconductive property. Calcium sulfate is an easily available, economic bone graft substitute. It is a bio-inert material which over a period of weeks get resorbed and fibrovascular tissue takes its place which eventually allows neovascularisation and bone formation within the area.

Polymeric nanoparticles for pulmonary protein and DNA delivery.

Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) are promising carriers of biological agents to the lung due to advantages including biocompatibility, ease of surface modification, localized action and reduced systemic toxicity. However, there have been no studies extensively characterizing and comparing the behavior of polymeric NPs for pulmonary protein/DNA delivery both in vitro and in vitro. We screened six polymeric NPs: gelatin, chitosan, alginate, poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA), PLGA-chitosan and PLGA-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), for inhalational protein/DNA delivery.

Plumbagin, a vitamin K3 analogue, abrogates lipopolysaccharide-induced oxidative stress, inflammation and endotoxic shock via NF-κB suppression.

Plumbagin has been reported to modulate cellular redox status and suppress NF-κB. In the present study, we investigated the effect of plumbagin on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxic shock, oxidative stress and inflammatory parameters in vitro and in vivo. Plumbagin inhibited LPS-induced nitric oxide, TNF-α, IL-6 and prostaglandin-E2 production in a concentration-dependent manner in RAW 264.