Ultrasound findings of plasma leakage as imaging adjunct in clinical management of dengue fever without warning signs

@#ed as outpatients. Ultrasonographyevidence of plasma leakage either pleural effusion,thickened gallbladder wall, ascites or pericardial effusionwere compared with clinical findings and laboratoryparameters for plasma leakage. Results: Of the 83 dengue patients, eventually 72.3% haddengue fever with warning signs and 6.0% had severedengue fever. There were 38 patients who had subclinicalplasma leakage at initial presentation, 84.2% and 7.9% ofthem then progressed to dengue fever with warning signsand severe dengue respectively. There was a minimalagreement between serial bedside ultrasound andhaematocrit level in the detection of plasma leakage(observed kappa 0.135). Conclusions: Serial bedside ultrasound is an adjunctprocedure to physical examination and may detect plasmaleakage earlier compared to haemoconcentration. The earlyusage of serial ultrasound is of paramount importance indetecting dengue patients who are at risk of progressing tosevere dengue.

Antioxidant Enzymes in Tears Among Malay Age-related Macular Degeneration Patients

@#Introduction: Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is an ocular degenerative disorder that associated with impairment of central vision. Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of ARMD. The aim of this study was to determine the level of antioxidant enzymes (catalase and glutathione peroxidase) in tears among Malay ARMD patients. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted between September 2015 and November 2017 among Malay ARMD patients. Schirmer paper was used to collect the tear samples. The level of catalase and glutathione peroxidase level in tears was evaluated using commercially available oxidative stress marker kits. Results: A total of 136 Malay ARMD patients were recruited into the study with 68 controls. Mean tear catalase and glutathione peroxidase levels were significantly lower in ARMD patients (1348.97 SD 109.11 µM and 453.87 SD 41.96 U/L respectively) as compared to the control group (1453.38 SD 38.87 µM and 502.28 SD 34.29 U/L respectively) (P<0.001 and P<0.001 respectively). Late ARMD has lower mean of catalase level in tears as compared to early ARMD (P=0.044). Based on subtypes of neovascular late ARMD, neovascular ARMD has lower mean catalase level in tears compared to idiopathic polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (IPCV) (P=0.031). Conclusion: This study showed that antioxidant enzyme might play an important factor in the pathogenesis of ARMD.

Median Survival Time of Endometrial Cancer Patients with Lymphovascular Invasion at the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia

Background: Endometrial cancer is the most common gynaecologic malignancy among females worldwide. The purpose of this study was to determine the median survival time of endometrial cancer patients at the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Methods: A list of 121 endometrial cancer cases registered at Hospital USM between 2000 until 2011 was retrospectively reviewed. The survival time of the endometrial cancer patients was estimated by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Log-rank tests were performed to compare the survival of the patients based on socio-demographics and clinical presentation. Results: Only 108 patients, 87.0%, were included who were of Malay ethnicity. Previous history included menopause in 67.6% of patients and diabetes mellitus in 39.8% of patients; additionally, 63.4% of patients were nulliparous. Tumour staging was as follows: 24.5% stage I, 10.8% stage II, 26.5% stage III and 38.2% stage IV. The overall median survival time of the endometrial cancer patients was 70.20 months (95% confidence interval (CI): 51.79, 88.61). The significant factors were age, the presence of lymphovascular invasion and treatment received. Conclusion: The overall survival of endometrial cancer was low. A prospective study needs to be carried out to discover more effective and accurate tests for the early detection of endometrial cancer.

Reporting Statistical Results in Medical Journals

Statistical editors of the Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences (MJMS) must go through many submitted manuscripts, focusing on the statistical aspect of the manuscripts. However, the editors notice myriad styles of reporting the statistical results, which are not standardised among the authors. This could be due to the lack of clear written instructions on reporting statistics in the guidelines for authors. The aim of this editorial is to briefly outline reporting methods for several important and common statistical results. It will also address a number of common mistakes made by the authors. The editorial will serve as a guideline for authors aiming to publish in the MJMS as well as in other medical journals.