Menopausal hormone therapy and risk of venous thromboembolism: The story so far.

Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is known to increase the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and less frequently cerebral vein thrombosis, but the absolute risk for a given patient is very low. After starting MHT, the risk of VTE seems to be at its highest, declining to the non-HRT user baseline level of risk after stopping. Whether estrogen-only or estrogen-progestin HRT combination is linked to a similar risk of VTE is unclear from the available evidence. The aim of this study is to evaluate the risks of developing VTE in relation to different types as well as different modes of administration of MHT through a database search including PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, and others in order to provide the women carers with the up-to-date and evidence-based guidelines and recommendations while counseling the post-menopausal women enquiring on use of hormonal therapies either to alleviate the menopausal symptoms or to prevent the long-term sequelae of estrogen deficiency.

On sait que l'hormonothérapie ménopausique (MHT) augmente le risque de thromboembolie veineuse (TEV), qui comprend la thrombose veineuse profonde, l'embolie pulmonaire et, moins fréquemment, la thrombose veineuse cérébrale, mais le risque absolu pour un patient donné est très faible. Après le début du MHT, le risque de TEV semble être à son plus haut niveau, diminuant jusqu'au niveau de risque de base des non-utilisatrices de THS après l'arrêt. Les preuves disponibles ne permettent pas de savoir si un THS à base d'œstrogène seul ou d'association œstroprogestative est lié à un risque similaire de TEV. Le but de cette étude est d'évaluer les risques de développer une TEV par rapport à différents types ainsi qu'à différents modes d'administration du MHT grâce à une recherche dans des bases de données comprenant PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library et autres afin de fournir aux femmes les soignants avec les lignes directrices et recommandations à jour et fondées sur des preuves tout en conseillant les femmes ménopausées qui se renseignent sur l'utilisation de thérapies hormonales, soit pour soulager les symptômes de la ménopause, soit pour prévenir les séquelles à long terme d'une carence en œstrogènes.

Ectopic Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma of the Posterior Pharynx.

Introduction: Ectopic thyroid is an uncommon condition resulting from the aberrant development of the normal thyroid gland and is usually found along the thyroglossal tract: lingual, submandibular, thyroglossal cysts, intra-tracheal and mediastinal, or, on rare occasions, in the adrenal gland, gallbladder, gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, and struma ovarii. Case Reports: We describe a novel case where primary papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) was found after a trans-oral excision of a tumor containing ectopic thyroid tissue at the posterior pharynx, an area not known to be a location for ectopic thyroid. Delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in regional cervical metastases and multifocal PTC. The female patient successfully underwent total thyroidectomy, selective cervical and central lymph node dissection, followed by adjuvant radioactive iodine ablation, with no evidence of distant metastases. Conclusions: Ectopic thyroid tissue is uncommon and may be in the posterior pharynx. The principles of management remain those of differentiated thyroid malignancy: complete surgical resection of any tumor focus, total thyroidectomy, and node dissection of involved lymph nodes, followed by adjuvant radioactive iodine in iodine-sensitive tumors.

Venous thromboembolism and pregnancy: A review of the literature.

This review aims to provide the mother carers with the most recent evidence-based guidelines in the context of managing of pregnancy-associated VTE, where an extensive search through the medical journals addressing the topic including the medical database such as Pubmed, Medline, Sience direct,Embase and others using the title and key-words in order to gather the most concerned as well as the up-to-date publications concerned with the problem under research, the search resulted in recognising pregnancy as a significant risk factor for the development of VTE, both during the prenatal and postnatal periods, with an estimated increased likelihood risk of five and sixty times, respectively and concluded that venous thromboembolism (VTE) is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality hence, all pregnant women should be assessed for the risk of developing the condition as early as possible (when scheduling a booking antenatal appointment) or even in the pre-pregnancy clinic.

A peculiar case of intususception in a pregnant woman: A diagnostic challenge.

Adult intussusception presents a diagnostic challenge given its non-specific symptoms. It is not as common as in infants and young children. Traditionally, diagnostic steps are invariably fit for normal adults, but not in pregnancy which faces certain limitations. A 40-year-old pregnant mother, gravida 9 para 8 at 34-week gestation, complained of intermittent epigastric pain for 2 days, requiring hospitalization. She soon developed minimal per rectal bleeding that was ruled out as hemorrhoid. Imaging was limited due to her pregnancy status. She later developed spontaneous delivery to a premature baby. Computed tomography (CT) revealed an ileocolic intussusception, which was confirmed via exploratory laparotomy. Histology was consistent with inflammatory fibroid polyp. Acute abdomen in pregnancy can be due to various causes, thus a high index of suspicion and early CT abdomen might help in early diagnosis and treatment. The benefit of doing CT on the mother and the risk of CT on the fetus is to be weighed as the timely diagnosis can prevent bowel ischemia and reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. Surgery remains the definite management in adult intussusception and an exact diagnosis can be made during the operation.

Small RNA datasets of drug-susceptible Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains from Sabah, Malaysia.

These datasets present a list of small RNAs from three drug-susceptible Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains isolated from Sabah, Malaysia. Sputum samples were obtained from three tuberculosis patients belonging to different districts. The bacteria were detected using GeneXpert MTB/RIF, isolated and cultured in BACTECTM MGITTM 320, and tested for their drug susceptibility. Total RNAs were extracted, sequenced, and analyzed using bioinformatic tools to filter out small RNA present in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. Small RNA sequencing generated total raw reads of 63,252,209, 63,636,812, and 61,148,224 and total trimmed reads (15-30 nucleotides) of 51,533,188, 53,520,197, and 51,363,772 for Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain SBH49, SBH149, and SBH372, respectively. The raw data were submitted to the Sequence Read Archive (SRA) database of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) under the accession numbers of SRX16744291 (SBH49), SRX16744292 (SBH149), and SRX16744293 (SBH372). Small RNAs play important roles in cellular processes such as cell differentiation, cell signaling, development of resistance to antibiotics and immune response, and metabolism regulation. The small RNAs determined here could provide further insights into various cellular processes crucial for Mycobacterium tuberculosis survivability and a better understanding of their gene regulation which ultimately opens a new pathway for combating tuberculosis infection.

SARS-CoV-2-induced liver injury: A review article on the high-risk populations, manifestations, mechanisms, pathological changes, management, and outcomes.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 is an infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and was declared a global pandemic with more than 500 million reported cases and more than 6 million deaths worldwide to date. Although it has transitioned into the endemic phase in many countries, the mortality rate and overall prognosis of the disease are still abysmal and need further improvement. There has been evidence that shows the significance of SARS-CoV-2-related liver injury. Here, we review the literature on the various spectrum of SARS-CoV-2 infection-induced liver injury and the possible mechanisms of damage to the hepatobiliary system. This review aimed to illustrate the latest understanding regarding SARS-CoV-2-induced liver injury including the high-risk populations, the characteristic clinical manifestations, the possible pathogenic mechanism, the pathological changes, the current suggestions for clinical treatment for various spectrum of populations, and the prognosis of the condition. In conclusion, SARS-CoV-2 patients with a liver injury warrant close monitoring as it is associated with the more severe and poorer outcome of the infection.

Delayed presentation of a huge abdominopelvic mass during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Giant ovarian cysts are rare in developed countries due to advanced achievements in medical diagnostics. However, in the midst of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, patients with non-COVID-19-related illnesses tend to delay their health-seeking attention; thus, they had presented late. Case presentation: A 25-year-old single lady complained of a 3-month worsening abdominal pain and distention. She was initially well but neglected the symptoms due to the COVID-19 situation, yet came to our attention after she developed obstructive symptoms. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen revealed a huge cystic lesion from the pelvic area, which later was found to be from the right ovary upon urgent laparotomy exploration. The histopathological examination was consistent with mucinous cystadenoma of the ovary. Discussion: Acute non-COVID-19-related emergencies have decreased, as evidenced by reduced visits to the Emergency Department, and the number of abdominal CT scans. An emergency case like a huge abdominopelvic mass deserves an extensive radiologic examination as clinical assessment alone may not be adequate. Preoperative CT is superior to ultrasonography in getting the extent of the lesion, local infiltration, staging purpose, and surgical intervention. Pathology with a variety of spectrums such as mucinous neoplasm deserves to be investigated, evaluated, and resected even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: A giant abdominopelvic cystic mass can present emergency havoc during the COVID-19 pandemic. Urgent surgical intervention is mandatory by using full protection and exercising extreme precaution, regardless of the preoperative screening to avoid unnecessary viral transmissions.

Pneumaturia and faecaluria: Symptoms leading to a life-saving diagnosis.

Background: Colonic diverticulosis is often asymptomatic, but it can complicate bleeding, abscess and stricture. Pneumaturia and faecaluria are unexpected manifestations of colonic diverticulitis complicated by colovesical fistula formation. Case presentation: This case report highlighted a 57-year-old man who presented with lower abdominal pain which was associated with pneumaturia and fecaluria. He was diagnosed with colovesical fistula after being misdiagnosed with other diseases from various clinic visits. Direct fluoroscopy was performed and a diverticular fistula of the sigmoid colon was confirmed by computed tomography of the abdomen. Hartmann's procedure and resection of the posterior wall of the bladder were resected. Conclusion: Pneumaturia and faecaluria are common but distinct manifestations of complicated diverticular diseases. Attention should be paid to general practitioners to achieve proper referral, hence early treatment and prevention of disease-related complications.

Surgery for deep infiltrating rectal endometriosis-Selecting the right approach.

Endometriosis involving the bowel is a form of deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE). The endometriotic lesions can infiltrate the bowel layers mimicking a malignancy. The majority of bowel involvement happens in the colon and rectum. We report our experience in surgically managing rectal endometriosis in two patients, one via a conservative approach and the other with a more radical approach and their associated short-term and long-term outcomes are observed. In principle, surgery remains the mainstay of treatment in managing rectal DIE with adjuvant hormonal therapy. The selection of surgical approach should be based on disease factors such as the size of the lesions and extent of the disease, patient factors including fitness for surgery and expectations as well as logistics and resource limitations.

Case Report: Unusual High-Grade Diffuse Leptomeningeal Glioneuronal Tumor Mimicking Tuberculous Meningitis in a Child From an Endemic Region.

Background: Diffuse leptomeningeal glioneuronal tumor (DL-GNT) is a new entity described in the 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) classification of brain tumors. While DL-GNT is predominantly an indolent tumor that affects young boys, high-grade DL-GNT is unusual and seldom reported in children. Case Presentation: In this report, we describe the challenges and pitfalls associated with diagnosing this high-grade variant in a tuberculosis-endemic region. We highlight the importance of identifying non-typical imaging findings, i.e., non-enhancing cystic lesions with high T2 signal along the leptomeningeal surface, that may expedite the diagnosis of this condition. Histopathologic correlations with MR spectroscopy findings are also discussed. Conclusion: We provide the first clinical imaging report of utilizing MR spectroscopy to distinguish DL-GNT from tuberculosis with histopathologic correlation.

Different domains of dengue research in the Philippines: A systematic review and meta-analysis of questionnaire-based studies.

BACKGROUND: Dengue is the most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral disease of humans worldwide, including southeast Asia region. This review provides a comprehensive overview of questionnaire-related dengue studies conducted in the Philippines and evaluates their reliability and validity in these surveys. METHODS: A review protocol constructed by a panel of experienced academic reviewers was used to formulate the methodology, research design, search strategy and selection criteria. An extensive literature search was conducted between March-June 2020 in various major electronic biomedical databases including PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE and ScienceDirect. A systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) were selected as the preferred item reporting method. RESULTS: Out of a total of 34 peer-reviewed dengue-related KAP studies that were identified, 15 published from 2000 to April 2020 met the inclusion criteria. Based on the meta-analysis, a poor mean score was obtained for each of knowledge (68.89), attitude (49.86) and preventive practice (64.69). Most respondents were equipped with a good knowledge of the major clinical signs of dengue. Worryingly, 95% of respondents showed several negative attitudes towards dengue prevention, claiming that this was not possible and that enacting preventive practices was not their responsibility. Interestingly, television or radio was claimed as the main source of gaining dengue information (range 50-95%). Lastly, only five articles (33.3%) piloted or pretested their questionnaire before surveying, of which three reported Cronbach's alpha coefficient (range 0.70 to 0.90). CONCLUSION: This review indicates that to combat the growing public health threat of dengue to the Philippines, we need the active participation of resident communities, full engagement of healthcare personnel, promotion of awareness campaigns, and access to safe complementary and alternative medicines. Importantly, the psychometric properties of each questionnaire should be assessed rigorously.

Case report: A giant hemorrhagic adrenocortical carcinoma causing cardiorespiratory embarrassment.

BACKGROUND: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare aggressive tumor that can be hormone or non-hormone secreting. It is usually associated with fatal outcomes due to its physiological hormonal interaction. We report a successful anaesthetic and surgical management for a patient who presented to us with a huge hemorrhagic ACC which was complicated with acute respiratory failure. CASE PRESENTATION: A 56-year-old lady presented to us with progressive abdominal distension and right hypochondriac pain for two months. She was anemic with elevated liver enzymes. Urgent computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis showed a huge right supra renal mass. She subsequently developed respiratory failure due to splinting of diaphragm, of which successfully underwent an emergency exploratory laparotomy. Subsequent endocrine and histopathological work up showed an adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). DISCUSSION: Suprarenal masses usually originate from the adrenal glands. They should be investigated to rule out phaeochromocytoma, which originate from the inner adrenal medulla or outer cortex to form ACC. The latter usually occur in women and of poor prognosis. Huge ACC may cause acute respiratory failure by way of splinting of diaphragm. Both anaesthetic and surgical teams should be well trained in handling patients who undergo adrenal surgeries. CONCLUSION: A giant hemorrhagic functional ACC is extremely uncommon with very poor prognosis. Such conditions should be investigated to rule out phaeochromocytoma. Its potential neuro-hormonal interactions and anatomical correlations can cause fatal perioperative cardio-respiratory embarrassment. The anaesthetic and surgical teams should be capable in managing the hemodynamic instabilities that may present during surgical manipulation and resection of a large ACC.

Gastric duplication cyst with a red flag presentation: a case report.

Gastric duplication cyst (GDC) is a rare congenital malformation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Despite being benign in the entity, its complications vary from an asymptomatic abdominal mass to fulminant or massive GI bleeding. A 28-year-old lady presented with unexplained GI haemorrhage, in which the upper endoscopy showed a classic feature of GI stromal tumour. The preoperative diagnosis was also confirmed by the computed tomography. She subsequently underwent surgical resection and the final histopathology was consistent with a benign entity of GDC.

Development and validation of a structured survey questionnaire on knowledge, attitude, preventive practice, and treatment-seeking behaviour regarding dengue among the resident population of Sabah, Malaysia: an exploratory factor analysis.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have reported a significant association of knowledge, attitude and preventive practice (KAP) regarding dengue infection among community's resident in endemic areas. In this study we aimed to assess and develop a reliable and valid KAP survey on the subject of dengue that is suitable for the resident population of Sabah, Malaysia. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2019 to February 2020 involving 468 respondents. Information on the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants (six items), their KAP (44, 15 and 18 items on knowledge, attitude and practice, respectively) and treatment-seeking behaviour (five items) towards dengue was collected using a structured questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS and R software in the R Studio environment. The knowledge section was analysed by two-parameter logistic item response theory (2-PL IRT) using ltm package. The construct validity and reliability of items for sections on attitude, practice and treatment-seeking behaviour were analysed using psy package. RESULTS: For the knowledge section, only 70.5% (31/44) of items were within or close to the parameter acceptable range of -3 to + 3 of difficulty. In terms of discrimination, 65.9% (29/44) of items were within or close to the acceptable range of 0.35 to 2.5, and 24 items (54.5%) failed to fit the 2-PL IRT model (P < 0.05) after assessing by goodness-of-fit analysis. Only eight items were reliable and retained in the attitude section with a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) test value of > 0.7, while based on the communalities, 11 items in the attitude section were excluded due to very low h2, factor loading values and low correlation with the total (< 0.5). The practice section was found suitable for factor analysis because the KMO value was > 0.7. The communalities of the practice section showed that seven items had low h2 values (< 0.3), which were therefore excluded from further analysis, and only 11 items were retained. CONCLUSIONS: The KAP items retained in the final version of the survey were reliable and valid to be use as a questionnaire reference when conducting future similar studies among the population of Sabah.

The challenges and risk of laboratory handling on a histology specimen during COVID-19 pandemic.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has taken the world into turmoil by surprise. The rapid spreading of this virus has led to an exponential increase in the number of cases. It has created a public health disaster, causing a collapse of the health system in every part of the world. Many sectors in the health area are affected, including histopathology services. The challenges and risk of viral transmission can come from various aspects and levels. For COVID-19 tests, there are even cases of no direct contact with the specimens; the specimens received infection from individuals of unknown status. The fixatives used for histopathology specimens are believed to be inactivated viruses, which can be an inactivate coronavirus. Even so, precautions have to be put in place to prevent the spread of infection to laboratory personnel, especially to those handling underfixed and fresh frozen cytology samples. Precautions must also be taken when dealing with histopathology services, by wearing full personal protective equipment and by executing other standard safety measures. The purpose of this review is to highlight the challenges faced in managing histopathology services in our centre during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Different Domains of Dengue Research in Malaysia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Questionnaire-Based Studies.

This review provided a systematic overview of the questionnaire-related dengue studies conducted in Malaysia and evaluated their reliability and validity used in the questionnaires. An extensive literature search was conducted using various electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Medline, and ScienceDirect. Systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) were selected as the preferred item reporting method. Out of 88 identified dengue-related, 57 published from 2000 to April 2020 met the inclusion criteria and were included. Based on the meta-analysis, a poor mean score was obtained for knowledge (49%), attitude (44%), and preventive practice (55%). The study showed that the level of knowledge on cardinal signs and modes of transmission for dengue virus were highest among health care workers, followed by students (international and local) and lastly community residents. In treatment-seeking behaviours, only half of the respondents (50.8%) would send their child to the nearest health clinics or hospitals when a child became restless or lethargic. The acceptance rate for dengue vaccine, bacteria (Wolbachia), as a vector for dengue control and self-test diagnostic kit for dengue showed considerably high (88.4%, 70%, and 44.8%, respectively). Health belief model (HBM) constructs, such as perceived barriers, perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, self-efficacy, and perceived benefit influence prevention practices. Lastly, only 23 articles (40.3%) had piloted or pretested the questionnaire before surveying, in which three reported Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.70-0.90). A need for active participation of communities and healthcare personnel, promotion of awareness, and safe complementary medicines, as well as assessment of psychometric properties of questionnaire use in dengue surveys in Malaysia, in order for assessing dengue reliably and valid.

Malignant ulcer: a great mimicker of gastric plasmablastic lymphoma.

Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is an uncommon human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated lymphoma, with a predilection to develop in the oral cavity. It usually has a plasmablastic morphology with weak or no expression of B cell-associated markers. Among non-HIV patients, it tends to occur in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, lymph nodes, and skin. We experience a 74-year-old male who presented with abdominal discomfort, altered bowel habit, loss of weight, and loss of appetite with a palpable abdominal mass. Upper endoscopy revealed multiple dish-like and raised nodular mass with a central ulcer in the stomach and duodenum. The histology was consistent with high-grade lymphoma of the plasmablastic type. The immunohistochemistry was positive for plasma cells marker of CD38 and CD138, but negative for the lymphocytic marker of CD45, as well as mature T and B cell marker of CD3 and CD20. Unfortunately, the patient succumbed due to sepsis without completion of his investigations and treatments.

Malignant Subcutaneous Perivascular Epithelioid Cell Tumor of Anterior Abdominal Wall.

Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComas) are a family of rare mesenchymal tumors with discrete histological and immunohistochemical characteristics. Even rarer among them are cutaneous and subcutaneous PEComas. We describe a 34-year-old woman who presented with a large anterior abdominal subcutaneous lesion showing intact overlying skin and no obvious invasion of the abdominal musculature. A wide local excision was performed. Histopathology revealed a solitary tumor measuring 75 × 55 × 90 mm with epithelioid cells in nests with thin fibrovascular septa and spindle cells. Resection margins were clear with no invasion to the skin or rectus sheath. Tumor cells were positive for HMB-45 but negative for other markers. This is the largest subcutaneous PEComa reported to date.