Medical Journal of Malaysia

INTRODUCTION: Little is known about the prevalence of refractive errors and amblyopia among school children on the islands of East Coast Malaysia. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of these conditions and their associated factors in this unique and remote geographical location. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This multicentre cross-sectional school-based study included 480 children aged 7 to 12 year from primary schools on the islands of the East Coast of Malaysia...

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a highly aggressive paediatric brain tumour and nowadays has not had satisfactory result, with most patients do not survive within 1 year of diagnosis. Due to its proximity to critical organs, surgery is avoided, and radiation is the mainstay of treatment. In this case report, we present a case of DIPG treated with radiation and concurrent temozolomide. A 7- year-old child was admitted with complaints of weakness in the eyelid, upper and lower limbs 2 months ago. Physical examination showed tetra paresis and bilateral cranial nerve palsy...

INTRODUCTION: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a failure of closure of the pleuro-peritoneal canal due to faulty embryogenesis caused herniation of intra-abdominal contents into the chest. There needs to be more clarity about the optimal surgical timing for CDH. The aim of this study is to determine the optimal surgical timing for CDH using a systematic review analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our study used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) 2020...

INTRODUCTION: Oesophageal atresia (EA) is a life-threatening congenital oesophageal deformity that causes considerable newborn morbidity and death. Many prognostic variables have been linked to the survival of infants with EA, although the results of the studies are still conflicting. Furthermore, studies on EA effects in developing countries still need to be included. Here, we aimed to determine the survival of children with EA and link it to prognostic variables in a particular developing country...

Inherited retinal dystrophy (IRD) is a group of phenotypes caused by mutations in visual pathways-related genes, mostly occurring at photoreceptors. This heterogeneous group includes retinitis pigmentosa (RP) recognised by bone spicule at the peripheral retina and the other is Stargardt with macular pisiform flecks. In this study, a 20- year-old male patient with RP symptoms was accompanied by a yellowish pisiform flex in the macula. However, his brother, mother and aunty have typical Stargardt disease. This study involved four persons, two males (cases 1 and 2), their mother (case 3) and aunt (case 4)...

Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA) is a rare paediatric tumour known for its local destructiveness and high recurrence rate. Surgery is the primary treatment modality for JNA, though other options, such as hormonal therapy, embolisation and radiotherapy, exist for inoperable cases. The location of the tumour makes surgical intervention challenging. A 14-year-old male presented with epistaxis and headaches as the chief complaints and was diagnosed with nasopharynx angiofibroma by computed tomography (CT) scan in 2018...

Splenic cysts are uncommon and classified into parasitic and non-parasitic origins. Non-parasitic cysts are further categorised into primary and secondary forms; primary cysts develop congenitally and progress into adulthood and secondary cysts result from factors such as abdominal trauma, infection or ischemia. This case series presents three instances of splenic cysts in children. The first case involves a splenic epidermoid cyst, the second a pseudocyst and the third a splenic epithelial cyst. All patients exhibited an abdominal lump in the left quadrant that increased in size over time, without additional symptoms...

Obstructed hemivagina and ipsilateral renal anomaly (OHVIRA) is a rare congenital malformation of the female urogenital tract characterized by a triad of uterine didelphys, obstructed hemivagina, and ipsilateral renal anomaly. It was formerly known as Herlyn Werner Wunderlich Syndrome (HWWS). The syndrome usually presents with cyclic pelvic pain following menarche. Endometriosis is a prevalent complication. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) helps in diagnosing OHVIRA syndrome and endometriosis due to its high contrast resolution and objectivity...

INTRODUCTION: Inflammation caused by diabetes can damage multiple organs, including the lungs. Vitamin D (VD) has been shown to potentially reduce inflammation and boost the immune system. VD might play a role in diabetes' inflammatory response. This study aims to elucidate the evidence regarding the lung as the target organ for DM and the possible role of VD in preventing pulmonary damage progression in the diabetes rat model. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty Sprague Dawley rats (3-monthold, 200 to 300 gm) were randomly divided into six groups, namely control (C), 4 weeks diabetes mellitus (DM1), 8 weeks DM (DM2) and three DM1 groups (VD1, VD2, and VD3) who received Vitamin D doses of 0...

INTRODUCTION: Gastric perforation is a rare occurrence, particularly in neonates. This is an emergency case in this population. The incidence of spontaneous gastric perforation in neonates is 1:2900 live births, with high mortality and morbidity rates. The primary treatment is surgical debridement and repair of the perforation, which has a high incidence of anastomotic leakage. At present, there is a plethora of studies investigating the efficacy of human dried amniotic membrane (H-DAM) technology in promoting wound healing...

INTRODUCTION: Cholestasis is bile flow disruption that leads to bile accumulation, which could lead to liver fibrosis. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) has a hepatoprotective effect. Glutathione (GSH) is an endogenous antioxidant that plays a role in maintaining the function and structure of liver cells. This study aimed to examine the effect of UDCA-GSH combination therapy in multiple doses on liver function in the Sprague-Dawley rats' liver fibrosis model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a randomised post-testonly study...

INTRODUCTION: There are some complications that can arise after surgery, like surgical site infection (SSI). In hernia repair, SSI incidence is low. Hence, the clinical practice guideline (CPG) published by the HerniaSurge Group (THG) does not recommend prophylactic antibiotics for hernia repair. Despite the unnecessary use of prophylactic antibiotics, regarding patient safety, prophylactic antibiotics can be used. However, each hospital has its own CPG and recommended antimicrobials based on the infection cases in its site...

INTRODUCTION: Ischaemic stroke induces oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage, inflammation and senescence and the decrease of cognitive function. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that has a neuroprotective effect to repair the function of the nervous system. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of vitamin D on memory function, p16, p21 (senescence), and nerve growth factor (NGF) mRNA expression on the hippocampus after transient global cerebral ischemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was designed as quasiexperimental with a control group that only received posttests...

INTRODUCTION: The number of inflammatory bowel diseases cases has increased throughout the years. Since, the current therapeutic methods have their adverse effects, this is leading to the development of alternative therapy derived from natural products. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present study, our objective was to explore the potential of Citrus aurantifolia peel extract (CAPE) on 2, 4, 6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) induced colitis in mice. Twenty-eight male Balb/c mice were divided into four groups: (1) normal group, (2) TNBS group, (3) 125 mg/kg CAPE group and (4) 250 mg/kg CAPE group...

INTRODUCTION: Intussusception is a prevalent paediatric emergency condition. The standard of care involves the reduction using air or fluid enema is considered a safe procedure. Sedation-induced muscle relaxation thus optimising the treatment. We present a comprehensive 6- year study involving non sedative reduction (NSR) versus sedative reduction (SR) utilising ketamine and midazolam. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted between January 2017 and July 2023 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia...

INTRODUCTION: Ischaemic stroke induces oxidative stress with SOD2 downregulation, and BAX upregulation producing apoptosis. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble hormone that has a neuroprotective effect. The aim of this study is to elucidate the role of vitamin D in memory function, oxidative stress and apoptosis in transient global brain schaemic injury (TGBII) model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: TGBII was performed in male Wistar rats (3 to 5 months, 150 to 300 g) which underwent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) for 20 minutes, then reperfused for 10 days (BCCAO group, n = 6)...

INTRODUCTION: Muscle health in diabetes mellitus (DM) is often neglected, which leads to muscle wasting. Increased reactive oxygen species in DM could decrease antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD-1) and -2 (SOD-2) and inhibit calcineurin (CN) and PGC-1α signalling pathways. Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is known as a potent antioxidant and activators of CN and PGC-1α. This study aimed to determine the effect of CGA on mRNA expressions of SOD-1, SOD-2, CN and PGC-1α in inhibiting the progression of DM to muscle wasting...

INTRODUCTION: Conjoined twins (CT) is a rare congenital disorder characterised by the presence of malformations associated with secondary abnormal conjoined organ changes and abnormal hemodynamic superimposed effects about 1 in every 200 identical twin pregnancies, between 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 100,000 live births. The aim of this study is to describe the characteristics of conjoined twins. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective descriptive study. All medical records of conjoined twins who were admitted to Hasan Sadikin Bandung General Hospital from January 1st, 2015, to June 30th, 2023, were reviewed for gender, conjoined type, birth order, risk factor and treatment...

INTRODUCTION: Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) is a disorder caused by the failure of neural crest migration leading to an aganglionic colon and functional obstruction. Transabdominal Yancey-Soave pull-through is one of the definitive therapies for this condition. Prognostic factors, including sex, aganglionosis type, age at definitive surgery, nutritional status, eosinophilia and lymphocytosis, might influence the outcomes of the pull-through. We evaluated the functional outcomes of HSCR patients after Yancey- Soave surgery and associated them with the prognostic factors...

INTRODUCTION: Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) is a congenital disorder caused by the absence of ganglion cells, which leads to a functional obstruction in infants. HSCR is divided into short, long and total colon aganglionosis (TCA). However, post-operative outcome assessment of patients with long-segment and TCA is scarce. We determined the functional outcomes, Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis (HAEC) and complications of long-segment and TCA HSCR's children following pull-through surgery...