MACB CKD Task Force updated recommendations for reporting estimated glomerular filtration rate and albuminuria in adults.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common clinical condition with significant health risks for patients and is widely recognised as a major public health concern. Laboratory medicine plays a crucial role in both diagnosing and managing CKD, as diagnosis and staging rely on estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and evaluating albuminuria (or proteinuria). It was evident that the laboratory assessment of CKD in Malaysia is not standardised.

Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma: The Great Masquerader.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) has been regarded as the rarest form of thyroid malignancy, which entails around 2% of thyroid malignancies. It traditionally presents with rapidly enlarging anterior neck swelling with obstructive symptoms. Due to its rich blood supply and lymphatic drainage, the thyroid gland is resistant to infection.

Lifestyle intervention improves cardiometabolic profiles among children with metabolically healthy and metabolically unhealthy obesity.

Background: In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in the metabolic phenotype among children with obesity characterized by the absence of associated cardiometabolic risk factors (CRFs), known as metabolically healthy obesity (MHO), as opposed to those with metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO). This study investigated the effect of lifestyle intervention on CRFs among children with MHO and MUO.

Methods: A total of 102 school-aged children with obesity (54 girls and 48 boys) aged 8-16 years completed a 16-week school-based lifestyle modification intervention program, MyBFF@school Phase I.

Acrocyanosis as a rare presentation of drug-induced cutaneous vasculitis: a case report.

Background: Acrocyanosis is characterised by persistent bluish discolouration of the extremities, resulting from reduced peripheral blood flow leading to increased oxygen extraction. The aetiology can be divided into primary and secondary causes. While primary acrocyanosis is generally painless and has a benign course, secondary causes may lead to complications.

The rate of blood culture contamination and common organisms isolated in Malaysian public hospitals.

Introduction: Blood culture contamination remains a dilemma issue in the diagnosis of bloodstream infection. However, to date, there is no national data on blood culture contamination and the common organism isolated in Malaysia. This is a pioneer multi-centre study involving public hospitals with medical microbiologists in Malaysia to determine the blood culture contamination rate and the common organism isolated.

Cost of cardiovascular disease events in patients with and without type 2 diabetes and factors influencing cost: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are non-communicable diseases that impose a significant economic burden on healthcare systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the hospital treatment cost for cardiovascular disease events (CVDEs) in patients with and without diabetes and identify factors influencing cost.

Method: We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional study using administrative data from three public tertiary hospitals in Malaysia.

Challenges of status epilepticus management in a resource-limited setting: A review.

Status epilepticus (SE) is a life-threatening neurological condition with significant mortality. Rapid management is essential to minimize the mortality and disability of SE. Two recent trials provided evidence to guide SE management in early and established stages.

Clinical and economic impact of medication administration errors among neonates in neonatal intensive care units.

Despite efforts in improving medication safety, medication administration errors are still common, resulting in significant clinical and economic impact. Studies conducted using a valid and reliable tool to assess clinical impact are lacking, and to the best of our knowledge, studies evaluating the economic impact of medication administration errors among neonates are not yet available. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the potential clinical and economic impact of medication administration errors in neonatal intensive care units and identify the factors associated with these errors.

Uncommon Site Presentation: A Case Report of Extraparotid Warthin's Tumor.

Warthin's tumor, also known as adenolymphoma or papillary cystadenoma lymphomatosum, is a benign tumor almost exclusively found in the parotid gland and is the second most common type of benign parotid tumor. Its manifestation as an extraparotid lesion is rare, with a low incidence in the submandibular gland. In this context, we present a case of Warthin's tumor of the submandibular gland in a 66-year-old man who presented with a painless lateral cystic cervical mass.

A hierarchical cluster analysis for clinical profiling of tofacitinib treatment response in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Tofacitinib is the first oral JAK inhibitor approved for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). To enhance our understanding of tofacitinib drug response, we used hierarchical clustering to analyse the profiles of patient who responded to the treatment in a real-world setting. Patients who commenced on tofacitinib treatment were selected from 12 major rheumatology centres in Malaysia.

Fishing Out a Bone From the Neck.

Foreign body ingestion is a common medical issue in Asian populations. Fish bones are the most commonly ingested foreign bodies due to the practice of cooking fish whole with bones intact, unlike in Western countries where fish are typically prepared as fillets or patties. Patients who have swallowed fish bones usually present with foreign body sensations, odynophagia, and pricking sensations during deglutination.

Assessment on Inpatient Glycaemic Control in General Medical Wards, Putrajaya Hospital.

Background: Inpatient hyperglycaemia is common and associated with poor outcomes such as increased mortality and prolonged hospital stay. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of inpatient hyperglycaemia and glycaemic control in Putrajaya Hospital, Malaysia. Secondary objectives were to compare the length of stay (LOS), 30-day readmission rate, and death between controlled and uncontrolled glycaemic groups.

A Case of Cobra Bite Complicated with Basilar Artery Occlusion.

Snakebite is one of the most common complaints related to wilderness medicine. Venomous snakebite manifestation is divided into local and systemic envenomation. For the group, the most feared complication is respiratory muscle paralysis due to neurotransmitter malfunction at the neuromuscular junction level which leads to respiratory insufficiency.

Corrigendum to "Fetal acalvaria with lateral cleft lip and palate: A rare presentation" [Radiology Case Reports 19 (2024) 374-377].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.radcr.

Real-world evaluation of care for type 2 diabetes in Malaysia: A cross-sectional analysis of the treatment adherence to guideline evaluation in type 2 diabetes (TARGET-T2D) study.

Aim: Given a lack of data on diabetes care performance in Malaysia, we conducted a cross-sectional study to understand the clinical characteristics, control of cardiometabolic risk factors, and patterns of use of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), who were managed at publicly-funded hospitals between December 2021 and June 2022.

Methods: Patients aged ≥18 years with T2D from eight publicly-funded hospitals in the Greater Kuala Lumpur region, who had ≥2 outpatient visits within the preceding year and irrespective of treatment regimen, were eligible. The primary outcome was ≥2 treatment target attainment (defined as either HbA1c <7.

A retrospective record review of tuberculous infections in rheumatoid arthritis patients on biologics in Malaysia.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to analyse the clinical characteristics of patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving biologics therapy and investigate the association between types of biologics and tuberculosis (TB) infections in 13 tertiary hospitals in Malaysia.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective study that included all RA patients receiving biologics therapy in 13 tertiary hospitals in Malaysia from January 2008 to December 2018.

Results: We had 735 RA patients who received biologics therapy.

Fetal acalvaria with lateral cleft lip and palate: A rare presentation.

We report a case of acalvaria diagnosed prenatally via ultrasound and MRI. Acalvaria is a rare, fatal congenital condition characterized by the absence of flat bones of the cranial vault, dura mater, and its associated muscles with an intact central nervous system. A 41-year-old gravida 5, para 2 + 2A, presented to us at 26 weeks gestation age (GA) with ultrasound findings of a fragile and hypomineralized skull in the fetus.

Paediatric new onset type 1 diabetes and diabetic ketoacidosis during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia.

Aims: Despite emerging evidence of increased paediatric diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) worldwide following the COVID-19 pandemic, studies in Asia are lacking. We aimed to determine the frequency, demographics, and clinical characteristics of new onset type 1 DM (T1DM) during the pandemic in Malaysia.

Methods: This is a retrospective multicenter study involving new onset T1DM paediatric patients in Klang Valley, Malaysia during two time periods ie 18th September 2017-17th March 2020 (pre-pandemic) and 18th March 2020-17th September 2022 (pandemic).

Clinical features and mutational analysis of X-linked agammaglobulinemia patients in Malaysia.

Background: Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) is a cytoplasmic protein involved in the B cell development. X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) is caused by mutation in the gene, which results in very low or absent B cells. Affected males have markedly reduced immunoglobulin levels, which render them susceptible to recurrent and severe bacterial infections.

Estimating the Risk of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Parents of Children with ADHD and the Association with Their Children's Disease Severity and Adherence to Medication.

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterised by inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Up to half of the affected children have a parent with ADHD. In this study, the risk of ADHD among parents of ADHD children was estimated.

Impact of a training program on hospital pharmacists' patient-centered communication attitudes and behaviors.

Background: Effective communication that integrates the value of patient-centered care is important in healthcare encounters. Communication skills training (CST) has been indicated as effective in improving patient-centered communication behaviors. However, there is a paucity of studies on the impact of CST among Malaysian hospital pharmacists.

A 6-Month Open-Label Study of Vortioxetine among Cancer Patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

Objective: Vortioxetine is a monoaminergic drug with a novel multimodal mechanism of action. We investigated its efficacy on depressive symptoms, cognitive function, and quality of life among cancer patients.

Methods: In this multicenter, open-label, single-arm, observational study, patients received flexible doses of Vortioxetine for a period of six months.

Vitamin D status and clinical implications in the adult population of Malaysia: a position paper by the Malaysian Vitamin D Special Interest Group.

Purpose: Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency is common among populations globally, and in Asia and Malaysia. The purpose of this Position Paper is to propose recommendations for both clinicians and non-clinicians to promote vitamin D sufficiency in Malaysian adults. Formation of a national multisector, multidisciplinary alliance is also proposed to progress initiatives relating to safe sun exposure, adequate vitamin D intake through food fortification, and vitamin D supplementation for high-risk groups.