Malaysia
Search
Sign In
Change Password
Points
Sign Out
Infectious Diseases
Top Medical News
The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has created a shift in the conduct of healthcare, particularly in the use of digital technology in enabling virtual experiences for both physicians and patients, as suggested by experts in the recently concluded 2020 Virtual Forum of the Asia Pacific Medical Technology Association (APACMed 2020).
Nasopharyngeal and throat swabs have the best clinical sensitivity for the molecular detection of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), especially in its early stages, according to a recent Singapore study. However, the performance of these upper respiratory specimens deteriorates beyond the first week of the disease, or when pneumonic symptoms start to manifest.
A prospective, single-centre cohort study in 50 patients demonstrates the feasibility of bedside neuroimaging with low-magnetic field portable MRI in intensive care settings and reports a 40 percent prevalence of neuronal abnormalities among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
COVID-19 infection among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Singapore, while relatively rare, may be largely due to transmission via household/family or social interaction, a study showed.
For paediatric pneumonia with fast breathing (tachypnoea), the WHO*-recommended treatment with amoxicillin is still the preferred regimen, suggests the RETAPP** study.
An ounce of prevention has proven to be worth a pound of cure in Taiwan, where preventive measures against COVID-19, such as basic mask-wearing and hand-sanitizing, have simultaneously contained COVID-19 and led to a decline in other infectious diseases, as reported in a study.
Patients with COVID-19 who experience an ischaemic stroke may have worse outcomes, including greater stroke severity and mortality risk, than those without COVID-19, findings from the Global COVID-19 Stroke Registry showed.
Special Reports
XOFLUZA – Baloxavir marboxil 20 mg and 40 mg FC tab
Influenza or influenza-like illness (ILI) is defined as an acute respiratory infectionwith measured fever ≥38°C and cough with an onset within the last 10 days.1 In aninterview with Dr Gogillan Sevaratnam, an occupational health physician from theOccupational Safety and Health Unit, Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL), he spoke onthe importance of vaccination in the prevention of influenza, and how healthcareworkers (HCWs) are a priority target group for vaccination.
Macrolide antibiotics are derived from the Streptomycesspecies. These contain either 14-membered (erythromycin [ERM],clarithromycin [CAM], roxithromycin [RXM]), 15-membered(azithromycin [AZM]) or 16-membered (spiramycin, josamycin,midecamycin) macrocyclic lactone rings. They inhibit proteinsynthesis by reversibly binding to the 23S ribosomal RNA (rRNA)in the 50s subunit of the bacterial ribosome. Traditionally,macrolides are used as first-line agents in respiratory, skin,soft tissue, and urogenital infections, and they are also activeagainst gram-positive cocci and atypical pathogens.
Invasive meningococcal disease is a life-threatening bacterial infection caused by Neisseria meningitidis that can progress rapidly and cause permanent disability.
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) remains as one of the world’s leading causes of mortality in global public health. Dr Charles Hicks shared his insights into the increasing role of dolutegravir (DTG; Tivicay, GSK) – an integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) – in HIV therapy during the 4th National AIDS Conference 2018 at Swiss Garden International Hotel and Residences, Kuala Lumpur.
Urogenital infections remain a major reason for women to visit their family physician and their subsequent referral to obstetrics and gynaecology or urology specialists. The association between abnormal vaginal microbiota and an increased risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), as well as an increased rate of preterm labour, indicates the need to better understand and manage urogenital health in women. Probiotics are “live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”. As such, there is a sound rationale for using probiotics to maintain female vaginal and bladder health.
At the 40th Malaysian Paediatric Association Annual Congress held on 6 September 2018 at the Ipoh Convention Centre, Dr Yong Junina Fadzil discussed the applications of a hexavalent vaccine in optimizing paediatric vaccination schedules. Meanwhile, Dato’ Dr Musa Mohd Nordin shared his insights into the paediatric influenza ‘landscape’ in the region and highlighted the importance of regularly vaccinating paediatric patients.
Conference Reports
With much remains controversial regarding the possible transmission route of SARS-CoV-2 virus, a study reveals yet another surprise worthy of caution in the hospital setting.
Recycling tenofovir after failure of first-line treatment vs switching to second-line zidovudine is associated with better care retention, adherence, and viral load suppression in HIV patients, especially when combined with atazanavir boosted with ritonavir, a new study presented at AIDS 2020 Virtual has shown.
HIV-1 RNA viral suppression is comparable between tenofovir alafenamide (TAF)/emtricitabine (FTC) + dolutegravir (DTG), tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF)/FTC + DTG, and TDF/FTC/efavirenz (EFV) regimens, according to updated results of the ADVANCE trial.
A dolutegravir-based regimen continued to show noninferiority to a low-dose efavirenz-based regimen after 96 weeks for the initial treatment of HIV-1 infection, according to the updated results of the NAMSAL* trial presented at AIDS 2020.
The once-daily single-tablet combination therapy comprising darunavir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (D/C/F/TAF) yields high virologic response rates over 96 weeks in patients with HIV-1, regardless of the presence of neurologic and/or psychiatric comorbidities (NPCs), a subgroup analysis presented at the AIDS 2020 virtual conference has shown.
The concomitant use of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) in young women with HIV initiating an antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen containing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) may lead to worsening of bone mineral density (BMD) loss, data presented at AIDS 2020 have shown.
Rapid treatment initiation with a single-tablet regimen comprising darunavir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (D/C/F/TAF) demonstrated a high virological response rate in patients with acute or early HIV-1* infection, according to a subgroup analysis of the DIAMOND** study presented at AIDS 2020.
