Comparison of two methods for bacteriocin typing of Serratia marcescens.

Two methods of bacteriocin susceptibility typing for Serratia marcescens were compared. A total of 80 epidemiologically unrelated isolates from patients in a single hospital were typed by the cross-streaking method and the mitomycin C-induced (spotting) method. The cross-streaking method was found to be more discriminatory than the spotting method. Using the cross-streaking method, it was possible to differentiate 50 bacteriocin groups out of the 80 isolates, whereas only 31 groups could be obtained with the spotting method. The reproducibility and percentage typability of the cross-streaking method (82.5 and 93.75%, respectively) were found to be as good as, if not better than, those of the spotting method (78.75 and 90.0%, respectively). Other factors, such as lower economic cost, technical simplicity, and the relative ease in the scoring of results, indicate a preference for the cross-streaking method. The findings of this study support the choice of the cross-streaking method for the bacteriocin typing of S. marcescens in epidemiological studies.     

Prevalence of chlamydial antibody in Malaysians.

A single antigen indirect immunofluorescence test was used to screen for chlamydial antibody among Malaysian infants, children, sexually active adults and prostitutes. Of 794 serum samples tested, 361 (45.5%) were positive. Seropositivity increased with age and sexual activity and ranged from 10 to 16% among children under 10 years old to 94.4% among prostitutes. Pregnant women and female adolescents showed a higher antibody prevalence than nonpregnant and older women. Six (13%) infants under 6 months of age were positive for chlamydial IgM.     

Dens evaginatus on a wisdom tooth: A diagnostic dilemma. Case report

Pericoronitis is the most common odontogenic problem associated with the wisdom tooth in young men and women. Patients may present with problems associated with infection, swelling and pain. However, other associated pathology such as caries, periodontal disease and referred pain from the temporomandibular joint must be investigated when treating pain from the wisdom tooth. The authors wish to present a case in which the pain from a wisdom tooth was due to a fractured dens evaginatus. The importance of this dental anomaly should not be overlooked.     

Unusual tooth sensation due to maxillary sinusitis--a case report

Maxillary sinusitis can cause pain or discomfort to the maxillary dentition but no report of patients complaining of a "jumping tooth sensation" during sinusitis has been recorded in the literature. This article presents a case of an unusual localised sensation from a maxillary right second premolar experienced while undergoing root canal treatment. This sensation was felt during walking while the patient was suffering an episode of influenza. This sensation first occurred following debridement of the root canal. However, it persisted even after the root canal had been sealed. A hypothetical explanation of this manifestation is proposed.     

Comparative analysis of extra-nodal NK/T-cell lymphoma and peripheral T-cell lymphoma: significant differences in clinical characteristics and prognosis

Aim:  We aimed to compare the frequencies, clinical characteristics, and prognostic factors of peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) vs. extra-nodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma and to characterize the subtypes of extra-nodal NK/T-cell lymphoma. Methods:  We reviewed 97 consecutive patients with PTCL and extra-nodal NKT lymphoma from 2000 to 2006. During this period, a total of 780 patients with malignant lymphomas were treated in our center. The diagnostic criteria used were based on the WHO classification system of malignant lymphomas. Results:  Extra-nodal-NK/T-cell lymphoma and PTCL comprised 5.0% (39/780) and 7.4% (58/780) of all cases. Of the PTCL cases, histology was PTCL-NOS in 25, anaplastic large cell in 11, angioimmunoblastic T cell in 18 and other subtypes in four patients. Compared with PTCL, extra-nodal NK/T-cell lymphoma was associated with a significantly inferior rates of complete remission (33% vs. 53%, P  = 0.05) and 3 yr overall survival (29.5% vs. 47.5%, P  = 0.003). On multivariate analysis, extra-nodal NK/T-cell histology was independently associated with decreased survival. Further analysis into this subtype showed the nasal variant ( n  = 25) differed significantly from extra-nasal variant ( n  = 14) in terms of stage at presentation (stages III/IV, 36% vs. 79%), international prognostic index scores (high intermediate or high IPI scores, 24% vs. 64%), complete remission rates (48% vs. 7%), and median survival (10 months vs. 1 month, P  < 0.0001). Conclusions:  Extra-nodal NK/T-cell lymphoma was associated with a poorer prognosis compared with PTCL and is likely to comprise two distinct variants with different clinical behavior and prognosis.     

Distribution of group B streptococcal serotypes in Malaysia

A total of 350 strains of group B streptococci (308 from adults and 42 from neonates) were serotyped. The majority of the isolates from adult patients were from the genito-urinary tract and most of the neonatal isolates were from babies less than 10 days old. Serotype III was the predominant type among all groups of patients and accounted for 50.9% of all serotypes. The second and third most frequently occurring serotypes were II and Ic respectively. Together with type III they made up 87% of the isolates.