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Biomedical subjects

N Ramli

Publications and source records attributed to N Ramli.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Magnetic resonance imaging of Asians with multiple sclerosis was similar to that of the West.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain is the most important paraclinical diagnostic test in multiple sclerosis (MS). The appearance of MRI in Asians with MS is not well defined. We retrospectively surveyed the first brain and spinal cord MRI in patients diagnosed to have MS, according to Poser's criteria in seven regions throughout Asia to define the MRI changes among Asians with MS. There were 101 patients with first brain, and 86 with first spinal cord MRI, 66 of whom had both. The brain MRI showed a mean of 17 lesions per patient in T2 weighted images, mostly asymptomatic. Almost all the lesions were in the white matter, particularly in the juxtacortical, deep and periventricular white matter. A third of the lesions were greater than 5 mm, 14% enhanced with gadolinium. There were more supratentorial than infratentorial lesions at a ratio of 7.5: 1. Ninety five percent of the spinal cord lesions were in cervical and thoracic regions, 34% enhanced with gadolinium. The lesions extended over a mean of 3.6 +/- 3.3 vertebral bodies in length. Fifty (50%) of the brain and 54 (63%) of the spinal MRI patients had the optic-spinal form of MS. The MRI of the optic-spinal and classical groups of patients were similar in appearance and distribution, except that the optic-spinal MS patients have fewer brain but longer and more severe spinal cord lesions. In conclusion, the brain and spinal cord MRI of Asian patients with MS was similar to that of the West, although, in this study, Asian MS patients had larger spinal cord lesions.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Unilateral moyamoya disease with co-existing arteriovenous malformation.

A case of an intracerebral bleed in a young man with a rare combination of arteriovenous malformation (AVM) and unilateral moyamoya disease is presented. The location of the bleed in the left basal ganglia corresponded to the area supplied by the basal moyamoya vessels. The AVM which received supply from collateral moyamoya vessels as well as normal cerebral arteries was located in the ipsilateral parieto-occipital region posterior to the basal ganglia bleed. This is the first reported cerebral AVM co-existing with a unilateral moyamoya disease in the English literature. Unusual features of the case such as the unilaterality of the angiographic abnormalities, their coexistence and hypotheses as to their development are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Changes in third ventricular size with neuroendoscopic third ventriculostomy: a blinded study.

The objective was to study the relation between changes in cerebral ventricular size and clinical outcome after neuroendoscopic third ventriculostomy (NTV) in both primary (no previous surgery) and secondary (previous CSF diversion for hydrocephalus) NTV. Changes in ventricular size were related to the need for further surgery for CSF diversion. A blinded retrospective study of the pre-NTV and post-NTV sizes of the ventricles in an unselected series of patients undergoing this procedure was done. A decrease in third ventricular size was seen in significantly more patients in the primary group than in the secondary group. Median change in third ventricle width for those who did not require further CSF diversion was significantly greater than those with no clinical benefit (p=0.01). Positive predictive power for successful outcome was highest for measures of the third ventricle; 73% and 68% for third ventricle width and height respectively, 88% for anterior to posterior commissure distance. In conclusion, third ventricular size reduces after NTV. The use of such a change as an arbiter of success in this procedure is questionable as clinically successful cases can have no change in ventricular size. It is considered that clinical outcome is the most important guide to success or failure as reduction in ventricular size is by no means guaranteed. Radiological outcomes alone may be misleading and reliance on them should be avoided.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Delayed post-irradiation bulbar palsy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

In a hospital series of 70 patients on follow-up after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, 14 patients (20%) developed delayed post-irradiation bulbar palsy 1 to 18 years after radiotherapy (mean 5.5 years). Functional disability was moderate to severe. Three patients had aspiration pneumonia with one mortality. Post-irradiation bulbar palsy was a common complication and probably resulted from direct neuronal damage.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Ventricular enlargement in multiple sclerosis: a comparison of three-dimensional and linear MRI estimates.

Atrophy of central white matter is related to irreversible clinical disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) and ventricular enlargement may be a sensitive marker of this tissue loss. Therapeutic trials in MS have provided MRI data for investigation of cerebral atrophy in MS. These studies use almost exclusively two-dimensional (2-D) images, which may be limited in the assessment of three-dimensional (3-D) structures. We used 3-D MRI data to estimate ventricular volumes in 40 patients with MS and 10 healthy controls, to look at associations with clinical disability and the stage of the disease. We then compared simple linear measures of ventricular size from conventional 2-D images, with 3-D volume estimates to establish the best available linear indices of ventricular volume. Mean ventricular volumes were increased in the patients and significantly larger in the more disabled patients. The estimated volume of the third ventricle obtained from 3-D MRI showed the strongest association with the clinical stage of the disease, duration of symptoms and levels of disability. Finally, we confirmed that in patients with MS accurate data on ventricular size can be obtained from 2-D images by two simple and convenient linear measures, the width of the third ventricle and of the anterior horn of the lateral ventricle.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Post-traumatic arachnoiditis: an unusual cause of Brown-Sequard syndrome.

Brown-Sequard syndrome (BSS) is a unilateral cord injury characterised by an ipsilateral motor deficit with contralateral pain and temperature hypoaesthesia. Although there are a variety of causes, the majority of cases are generally of neoplastic origin or are traumatic in origin. We describe a rare cause of Brown-Sequard syndrome as a result of post-traumatic arachnoiditis. Magnetic resonance imaging with the use of thin-slice high-resolution constructive interference in steady state (CISS) and T2-weighted spin-echo sequence were used to demonstrate the cause and appearance of the lesion in the spinal canal and was useful in the assessment and management of the patient. This case illustrates the usefulness of the CISS sequence in MRI for elucidating arachnoiditis.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

High resolution CISS imaging of the spine.

Spatial resolution remains one of the major problems and goals in spinal imaging. The high spatial resolution afforded by a novel sequence, constructive interference in steady state (CISS), provides a further refinement to MRI, the modality of choice in the investigation of suspected intraspinal pathology. Both complex and subtle abnormalities are more fully elucidated using CISS. It is now used in our institution as an adjunct to conventional imaging sequences in the diagnostic evaluation of complex intraspinal pathology. The anatomical information provided by CISS is of particular value in planning surgical interventions, most notably in the management of intraaxial and extraaxial cystic abnormalities, dysraphic malformations and disturbances of cerebrospinal fluid circulation, including post-traumatic and post-surgical scarring.

Arachnoiditis↗
PubMed1999

Brown-Sequard syndrome after management of vertebral hemangioma with intralesional alcohol. A case report.

STUDY DESIGN: This report describes Brown-Sequard syndrome after intralesional injection of absolute alcohol into vertebral hemangioma. OBJECTIVE: To discuss whether the described technique is safe in the management of vertebral hemangiomas. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The management of vertebral hemangiomas remains controversial. There have been reports of successful management using intralesional absolute alcohol. METHODS: The clinical and radiologic features of the reported complication are detailed. RESULTS: Intralesional injection of absolute alcohol caused Brown-Sequard syndrome. CONCLUSION: This case shows that intralesional alcohol injection cannot be considered a safe technique for management of vertebral hemangiomas with spinal cord compression.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Degradation of beta 1-->6 galactofuranoside linkages in the polysaccharide of Fusarium sp. M7-1 by endo-beta-galactofuranosidase from Bacillus sp.

A polysaccharide, in which the main part of the side chains were depleted, was prepared from the acidic polysaccharides of Fusarium sp. M7-1 by digestion with lyase of Cellulomonas sp. and mild acid treatment. This polysaccharide was degraded into several fragments, neutral oligosaccharides, neutral polysaccharide, and acidic polysaccharide, by an enzyme, endo-beta-galactofuranosidase, produced by Bacillus sp. The main components of the oligosaccharides were isolated and identified as Gal[sequence: see text] The molecular mass of the neutral polysaccharide fragment was estimated to be about 6000 Da by gel filtration chromatography. The polysaccharide fragment consisted of an alpha 1-->6 linked mannan main chain to which various sugars, namely Glc, Man, and Rha were attached through alpha 1-->3 (or 2) linkages. The molecular mass of the acidic polysaccharide fragment was estimated to be about 6000 Da from the amounts of the reducing terminal galactose. The chemical structures of the oligosaccharides derived from the acidic polysaccharide fragment by mild acid hydrolysis were identified as reported structural units [Iwahara et al., J. Biochem., 112, 355-359 (1992)]. The structure of the mild-acid-resistant part of the acidic polysaccharide fragment was assumed to be a polyuronide to which various sugars such as Glc, Man, and GlcNac are attached as the side chains. The linkage modes of each sugar are not clear.

Bacillus↗
PubMed1995

Isolation and identification of novel acidic oligosaccharides derived from glycoproteins of Fusarium sp. M7-1.

Four novel oligosaccharide chains were isolated from the glycoproteins of Fusarium sp. M7-1. Their chemical structures were resolved mainly by 400 MHz NMR spectrometry and mass spectrometry. The following structures were identified. Man alpha 1-->2Man-ol-6-P, Man alpha 1-->2Man alpha 1-->2Man-ol-6-P, Rha alpha 1-->2Man alpha 1-->2Man alpha 1-->2Man-ol-6-P, and GlcNAc alpha 1-->4GlcA alpha 1-->2(GlcNAc alpha 1-->4)GlcA alpha 1-->2Galf beta 1-->6(Rha alpha 1-->2)Man-ol.

Carbohydrate Conformation↗
PubMed1995

Isolation and characterization of a novel endo-beta-galactofuranosidase from Bacillus sp.

A soil bacterium capable of growing on a polysaccharide-containing beta(1-->6)galactofuranoside residues derived from the acidic polysaccharide of Fusarium sp. as a carbon source has been isolated. From various bacteriological characteristics, the organism was identified as a Bacillus sp. The bacterium produced beta-galactofuranosidase inductively in the culture media. The most effective inducer for the beta-galactofuranosidase production was a polysaccharide containing beta(1-->5) or beta(1-->6)-linked galactofuranoside residues, but gum arabic, gum guar, gum ghati, arabinogalactam, araban, and pectic acid did not induce the enzyme. The enzyme had three different molecular weight forms. The low molecular-weight form was purified by a combination of Toyopearl HW-55 and DEAE-Toyopearl 650S column chromatographies, and preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 67,000 by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme was most active at pH 6 and 37 degrees C, and was stable between pH 4 to 8 at 5 degrees C. The action of the enzyme was inhibited by the addition of Cd2+, Co2+, Hg2+, Zn2+, iodoacetic acid, and EDTA. The purified enzyme cleaved beta(1-->5) and beta(1-->6)-linked galactofuranosyl chains. Based upon the mode of liberation of galactofuranosyl residues from pyridylamino-beta(1-->6)-linked galactofuranoside oligomers, the enzyme can be classified as an endo-beta-galactofuranosidase that randomly hydrolyzes the linkage.

Bacillus↗
PubMed1983

Assessment of infectiousness of male Malaysian blood donors.

HBeAg and anti-HBe were determined in the blood of 189 male blood donors. The incidence of HBsAg was 6.9% while that for HBeAg and anti-HBe was 1.6 and 18%, respectively. Of the 13 samples positive for HBsAg, two (15.4%) were positive for HBe while six (46.2%) were positive for anti-HBe. One specimen was negative for HBsAg but was positive for HBeAg and anti-HBe. The observations are discussed.

Adult↗