Background: A national eye survey was conducted in 1996 to determine the prevalence of blindness and low vision and their major causes among the Malaysian population of all ages.

Methods: A stratified two stage cluster sampling design was used to randomly select primary and secondary sampling units. Interviews, visual acuity tests, and eye examinations on all individuals in the sampled households were performed. Estimates were weighted by factors adjusting for selection probability, non-response, and sampling coverage.

Results: The overall response rate was 69% (that is, living quarters response rate was 72.8% and household response rate was 95.1%). The age adjusted prevalence of bilateral blindness and low vision was 0.29% (95% CI 0.19 to 0.39%), and 2.44% (95% CI 2.18 to 2.69%) respectively. Females had a higher age adjusted prevalence of low vision compared to males. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of bilateral low vision and blindness among the four ethnic groups, and urban and rural residents. Cataract was the leading cause of blindness (39%) followed by retinal diseases (24%). Uncorrected refractive errors (48%) and cataract (36%) were the major causes of low vision.

Conclusion: Malaysia has blindness and visual impairment rates that are comparable with other countries in the South East Asia region. However, cataract and uncorrected refractive errors, though readily treatable, are still the leading causes of blindness, suggesting the need for an evaluation on accessibility and availability of eye care services and barriers to eye care utilisation in the country.

Method: Cross sectional postal survey of three cohorts of United Kingdom military personnel comprising Gulf veterans (n=3531), those who had served in Bosnia (n=2050), and those serving during the Gulf war but not deployed there (Era cohort, n=2614).

Results: Sensitivity to at least one everyday chemical was reported by a considerable proportion of all three cohorts, and particularly by veterans of the Gulf war (Era: 14%; Bosnia: 13%; Gulf: 28%).

Conclusion: Reported chemical sensitivities were common in all three military cohorts. Our understanding of chemical sensitivities remains limited and objective evidence for a causal link between low level exposures to chemicals and reported symptoms is lacking. Given their frequency in the population, further work in this area is necessary.

BACKGROUND: Haemorrhagic radiation proctitis frequently presents as a problem in management. We analysed the technique of formalin dab in its management. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty patients presenting with haemorrhagic radiation proctitis and treated with formalin dab were prospectively analysed. RESULTS: Twelve patients ceased to bleed following one session of formnalin dab. Six patients needed more than one session to effect haemostasis. Two of three patients with torrential bleeding failed to respond to formalin dab and required surgical excision of the rectum. CONCLUSION: Formalin dab is a simple, effective and safe treatment modality in the management of chronic haemorrhagic radiation proctitis, and hence should be considered as the initial treatment modality for such a condition.

The goal of this study was to determine the membranous protection of the abducens nerve in the petroclival region. The petroclival portion of the abducens nerve was studied in ten dissections from five cadaveric head specimens. One of the heads was used for histological sections. Four heads were injected with colored latex for microsurgical dissections. The histological sections were prepared from petroclival dura mater, embedded in paraffin blocks, stained, sectioned in the axial, coronal, and sagittal planes, and evaluated by light microscopy. The abducens nerve was covered by a dural sleeve and arachnoidal membrane during its course within the petroclival area. Following the petrous apex, the abducens nerve was fixed by a sympathetic plexus and connective tissue extensions to the lateral wall of the cavernous segment of the internal carotid artery and to the medial wall of Meckel's cave. Fibrous trabeculations inside the venous space were attached to the dural sleeve. The lateral clival artery accompanied the dural sleeve of the abducens nerve and supplied the petroclival dura mater. The arterioles accompanying the abducens nerve through the subarachnoid space supplied the nerve within the dural sleeve. The arachnoid membrane covered the abducens nerve within the dural sleeve to the petrous apex, and arachnoid granulations found on the dural sleeve protruded into the venous space. The extension of the arachnoid membrane to the petrous apex and the presence of arachnoid granulations on the dural sleeve suggest that the subarachnoid space continues in the dural sleeve.

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Objectives

To examine the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in veterans of the Gulf war with or without unexplained physical disability (a proxy measure of ill health) and in similarly disabled veterans who had not been deployed to the Gulf war (non-Gulf veterans).

Design

Two phase cohort study.

Setting

Current and ex-service UK military personnel.

Participants

Phase 1 consisted of three randomly selected samples of Gulf veterans, veterans of the 1992-7 Bosnia peacekeeping mission, and UK military personnel not deployed to the Gulf war (Era veterans) who had completed a postal health questionnaire. Phase 2 consisted of randomly selected subsamples from phase 1 of Gulf veterans who reported physical disability (n=111) or who did not report disability (n=98) and of Bosnia (n=54) and Era (n=79) veterans who reported physical disability.

Main outcome measure

Psychiatric disorders assessed by the schedule for clinical assessment in neuropsychiatry and classified by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition.

Results

Only 24% (n=27) of the disabled Gulf veterans had a formal psychiatric disorder (depression, anxiety, or alcohol related disorder). The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in non-disabled Gulf veterans was 12%. Disability and psychiatric disorders were weakly associated in the Gulf group when confounding was adjusted for (adjusted odds ratio 2.4, 99% confidence interval 0.8 to 7.2, P=0.04). The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was similar in disabled non-Gulf veterans and disabled Gulf veterans ( 19% v 24%; 1.3, 0.5 to 3.4). All groups had rates for post-traumatic stress disorder of between 1% and 3%.

Conclusions

Most disabled Gulf veterans do not have a formal psychiatric disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder is not higher in Gulf veterans than in other veterans. Psychiatric disorders do not fully explain self reported ill health in Gulf veterans; alternative explanations for persistent ill health in Gulf veterans are needed.

What is already known on this topicGulf veterans report medically unexplained symptoms more often than non-Gulf veteransThe clinical characteristics of ill health in Gulf veterans are not well known, and factors associated with ill health in Gulf veterans are poorly understoodWhat this study addsMost ill Gulf veterans do not have a formal psychiatric disorderThe rates for post-traumatic stress disorder are lowPsychiatric morbidity is not strongly associated with ill health in Gulf veteransThe rates for somatoform disorders are three times greater in disabled Gulf veterans than they are in disabled non-Gulf veterans

Two dipstick assays for the detection of Brucella- and typhoid-specific immunoglobulin M, recently developed by the Royal Tropical Institute of The Netherlands, were evaluated by use of 85 plasma samples from Egyptian patients. Both dipsticks were simple and accurate rapid diagnostic assays, and they can be useful adjuncts for the diagnosis of typhoid fever and brucellosis.

Objective:

To obtain the views of faculty members of the College of Medicine, King Faisal University on Arabization of medical education.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was conducted in the College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Dammam, between January and June 2001 using a standardized 41-item questionnaire to obtain the views of faculty members in both basic science and clinical departments on issues relating mainly to scientific research. The responses were recorded on a 5-point scale: strongly agree, agree, undecided, disagree and strongly disagree. A couple of questions were used to probe the issue of publications in Arabic and translations into Arabic.

Results:

The response rate of faculty was 67% (74 of a total of 110 faculty members). The participating faculty members included 22 professors, 27 associate professors, 23 assistant professors and 2 lecturers belonging to 24 departments (6 basic sciences, 18 clinical). Thirty- four members (45.9%) were in favor of Arabization and 40 (54%) were against.

Conclusions:

Faculty members form the backbone for the implementation of Arabization in medical education. The opinions obtained in this preliminary survey of the faculty of the College of Medicine at King Faisal University indicate that we are still far from achieving this goal in our medical education.

The progesterone receptor knockout mouse demonstrated progesterone's importance to parity-induced mammary tertiary branching and lobuloalveologenesis. Because early parity provides significant protection against breast cancer whereas prolonged exposure to premenopausal ovarian progesterone (or to postmenopausal supplementations thereof) has been linked to breast cancer risk, this steroid can be considered to exhibit contrasting roles in breast cancer etiology. This review describes the important mouse models that have contributed to our understanding of progesterone's role in mammary gland development and neoplasia. We conclude by emphasising the urgent need to identify the molecular targets of the progesterone receptor, and to determine whether these targets are modulated differently by the progesterone receptor isoforms (A and B) during mammary morphogenesis and tumorigenesis.

Pharmacokinetics of propranolol (PRN) given orally were studied in twelve cirrhotic Malay patients [10 males, 2 females], aged 33–62 years [49.83±9.17], body weight 39–72 kg [58.0±8.46] and height 142–168 cm [158.8±7.89] following single 20 mg and steady-state 20 mg tds for 7 days dosing of PRN. Blood samples were withdrawn hourly up to 48 hours. PRN concentrations in the plasma were assayed by HPLC with oxprenolol as the internal standard. Pharmacokinetic parameters were analysed using a non-linear regression program MultiForte. Area under the curve (AUC) as performed using the linear trapezoidal rule. Student’s t-test was used to test for statistical significance and AUC in Malay cirrhotic patients was found to be much bigger than that observed in Caucasians. Steady-state AUC was significantly increased following multiple dosing (961.31±7.47 vs 2954.19±1153.34 ng.hr/ml), however, the volume of distribution (Vd) declined (543.89±292.91 vs 224.14±1003.12 L) significantly compared to that of a single dose. The apparent systemic clearance (CL) was significantly reduced at steady-state (436.04±209.4 vs 129.51±48.42 ml/min) in comparison to single dose therapy. The peak plasma concentration (Cpmax) was greatly increased at steady-state (54.32±22.37 vs 136.10±38.63 ng/ml). Based on the AUC, PRN bioavailability was greater in cirrhotic Malay patients compared to Caucasians who took only 20 mg instead of 80 mg doses. The decline in drug clearance following steady-state was due to saturation of the metabolizing capacity of hepatic enzymes and a decreased portal blood flow. Reduced Vd was believed to be caused by increased drug-receptor interactions and decreased tissue/protein binding of PRN in these patients.

The discovery that c-fos, a proto-oncogene, has a role in pain, has triggered extensive research on the consequences of c-fos expression. It has been shown that c-fos, through its protein form, FOS, leads to expression of dynorphin gene and subsequently dynorphin protein which is implicated in the development of a pain state. This mini review looks at the properties of c-fos and the consequences of its expression following noxious (painful) stimulation.