RESEARCH DIGEST
Corticosteroid injection is more effective for pain relief than autologous blood injection for chronic plantar fasciitis
Lee TG, Ahmad TS. Intralesional autologous blood injection compared to corticosteroid injection for treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis. A prospective, randomized, controlled trial. Foot Ankle Int. 2007;28(9):984-90. [PubMed]
Primary author’s affiliation: University of Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur
In a randomised, controlled, observer-blinded clinical trial over six months, 64 patients with chronic plantar fasciitis were randomly allocated to either autologous blood or corticosteroid injection. Pain was assessed using visual analogue scale (VAS) and tenderness threshold (TT). Corticosteroid injection showed significantly lower VAS up to 3 months, and higher TT up to 6 months.
Celecoxib is as effective as naproxen for pain relief in acute migraine but causes less gastric pain
Loo CY, Tan HJ, Teh HS et al. Randomised, open label, controlled trial of celecoxib in the treatment of acute migraine. Singapore Med J. 2007;48(9):834-39 [PubMed] [Full text]
Primary author’s affiliation: Hospital Universit Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
This was a randomised, open label, controlled trial. Sixty patients with a diagnosis of migraine, based on the International Headache Society revised criteria, were randomised to take either celecoxib 400 mg (30 patients) or naproxen sodium 550 mg (30 patients). The primary outcome was headache severity (assessed by a visual analogue score) at one hour and two hours after ingestion of trial drugs for the first acute migraine episode during the study period. Patients in both groups showed significant reduction of pain at one and two hours. Although no significant difference in the magnitude of improvement was noted between the two groups, gastric pain was significantly higher in the naproxen sodium group.
Pipelle devide is more efficacious and cost-effective than Vabra aspirator for outpatient endometrial sampling
Naim NM, Mahdy ZA, Ahmad S, Razi ZR. The Vabra aspirator versus the Pipelle device for outpatient endometrial sampling. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2007;47(2):132-6. [PubMed]
Primary author’s affiliation: Hospital Universit Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
Increased coital activity does not lead to increased spontaneous labour in pregnant women at term
Tan PC, Yow CM, Omar SZ. Effect of coital activity on onset of labor in women scheduled for labor induction: a randomized controlled trial. Obstet Gynecol. 2007;110(4):820-6. [PubMed]
Primary author’s affiliation: University of Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur
In this clinical trial, 210 women with a non-urgent labour induction at term were randomised into two groups: advised coitus or neither encouraged nor discouraged regarding coitus. Women assigned to the advised-coitus group were more likely to report coital activity before delivery (60.2% vs 39.6%), but the spontaneous labour rate was no different (55.6% vs 52.0%). Caesarean delivery rate and neonatal and other secondary outcomes were also not different.
One in two medical students has emotional problems
Zaid ZA, Chan SC, Ho JJ. Emotional disorders among medical students in a Malaysian private medical school. Singapore Med J. 2007;48(10):895-9 [PubMed] [Full text]
Primary author’s affiliation: Royal College of Medicine Perak, Perak.
This is a survey of 253 medical students using General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). A cut-off point of 3/4 was regarded as positive for emotional disorder. 46.2% was assessed as possibly emotionally distressed. Statistically significant association was found between positive GHQ scores for emotional disorders and the year of study, pressure faced due to examinations, and not having a romantic relationship.
Mother’s touch has relatively high sensitivity but low specificity for the detection of fever in children
Teng CL, Ng CJ, Nik-Sherina H, Zailinawati AH, Tong SF. The accuracy of mother's touch to detect fever in children: a systematic review. J Trop Pediatr 2007 [Advance Access] [PubMed]
Primary author’s affiliation: International Medical University, Negeri Sembilan.
This is a systematic review of 10 diagnostic studies comparing mother’s touch versus a thermometer (various types) for the detection of fever in children. The meta-analysis revealed a summary sensitivity of 89.2% and summary specificity of 50%; this suggest that maternal touch is perhaps more useful to exclude fever rather than to 'rule in' fever. The conclusion is somewhat uncertain due to significant heterogeneity in the included studies.
Two out of five adults aged ³30 are hypertensive, three out of four hypertensives on treatment is uncontrolled
Rampal L, Rampal S, Azhar MZ, Rahman AR. Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in Malaysia: A national study of 16,440 subjects. Public Health 2007 [Advance Access] [PubMed]
Primary author’s affiliation: Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor.