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Biomedical subjects

P S Ng

Publications and source records attributed to P S Ng.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

A double-blind randomized controlled trial of oral misoprostol and intramuscular syntometrine in the management of the third stage of labor.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of oral misoprostol 400 mug with intramuscular syntometrine in the management of the third stage of labor. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a double-blind randomized controlled trial conducted in a tertiary care hospital. Three hundred and fifty-five women randomized to receive either oral misoprostol 400 mug or intramuscular syntometrine in the third stage of labor were studied. The change in hemoglobin level from before to 48 h after delivery, use of additional oxytocics and treatment related side effects were the main outcome measures. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of the change in hemoglobin level and mean blood loss. The incidence of shivering was significantly higher in the misoprostol group whilst that of vomiting was significantly higher in the syntometrine group. There were no differences in the incidence of nausea, headache, diarrhea and pyrexia between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Orally administered misoprostol at a dose of 400 mug is an acceptable alternative in preventing post-partum blood loss, as measured by the peri-partum change in hemoglobin level and was not associated with an increased incidence of side effects.

Administration, Oral↗

A randomised trial of carbetocin versus syntometrine in the management of the third stage of labour.

OBJECTIVE: Syntometrine is an effective uterotonic agent used in preventing primary postpartum haemorrhage but has adverse effects including nausea, vomiting, hypertension and coronary artery spasm. Carbetocin is a newly developed long-acting oxytocin analogue that might be used as an uterotonic agent. We compare the efficacy and safety of intramuscular (IM) carbetocin with IM syntometrine in preventing primary postpartum haemorrhage. DESIGN: Prospective, double-blinded, randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Delivery suite of a university-based obstetrics unit. POPULATION: Women with singleton pregnancy achieving vaginal delivery after and throughout 34 weeks. METHODS: Three hundred and twenty-nine eligible women were randomised to receive either a single dose of 100 microgram IM carbetocin or 1 ml IM syntometrine (a mixture of 5 iu oxytocin and 0.5 mg ergometrine) at the end of second stage of labour. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Difference in haemoglobin drop measured 2 days after delivery between the two groups. RESULTS: There was no difference in the drop of haemoglobin concentration within the first 48 hours between the two groups. The incidence of additional oxytocic injections, postpartum haemorrhage (blood loss > or = 500 ml) and retained placenta were also similar. The use of carbetocin was associated with significant lower incidence of nausea (relative risk [RR] 0.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04-0.78), vomiting (RR 0.1, 95% CI 0.01-0.74), hypertension 30 minutes (0 versus 8 cases, P < 0.01) and 60 minutes (0 versus 6 cases, P < 0.05) after delivery but a higher incidence of maternal tachycardia (RR 1.68, 95% CI 1.03-3.57). CONCLUSIONS: IM carbetocin is as effective as IM syntometrine in preventing primary postpartum haemorrhage after vaginal delivery. It is less likely to induce hypertension and has a low incidence of adverse effect. It should be considered as a good alternative to conventional uterotonic agents used in managing the third stage of labour.

Adult↗

Outcome in laparoscopic management of persistent adnexal mass during the second trimester of pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the safety of laparoscopic management for persistent adnexal mass in the second trimester of pregnancy. METHODS: Between April 1994 and March 2003, 67 consecutive women underwent laparoscopic removal of adnexal masses that had persisted into the second trimester of pregnancy in an academic tertiary referral center. Operative complications, pregnancy, and labor outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS: The median gestation was 10.5 weeks (range, 5-25 weeks) at diagnosis and 16 weeks (range, 12-25 weeks) at the time of operation. Only two women required for conversion to laparotomy. Cystectomy was performed for 55 women, oophorectomy for 9 women and fenestration in 3 women. There were no intraoperative complications or major postoperative complications. No women were given tocolytic therapy, and none experienced uterine contractions. There was one spontaneous abortion 6 weeks after the operation, and one patent was lost to follow up. Of the remaining 65 women, the median gestation at delivery was 39 weeks (range, 33-42 weeks), and the median birthweight was 3,160 g (range, 2,220-4,200 g). CONCLUSIONS: Laparosocpic surgery for persistent adnexal masses in the second trimester of pregnancy is safe when performed by experienced surgeons.

Adnexal Diseases↗

A multicentre randomized controlled trial of oral misoprostol and i.m. syntometrine in the management of the third stage of labour.

Postpartum haemorrhage accounts for nearly 28% of maternal mortality in developing countries. Syntometrine is an effective and commonly used oxytocic in preventing postpartum haemorrhage, but it requires a controlled storage environment and i.m. administration. Misoprostol is an orally active uterotonic agent. A total of 2058 patients having a singleton pregnancy, low risk for postpartum haemorrhage and vaginal delivery were randomized to receive either 1 ml syntometrine or 600 microgram misoprostol for the management of the third stage of labour. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the mean blood loss, the incidence of postpartum haemorrhage and the fall in haemoglobin concentration. The need for additional oxytocic injection was significantly higher in the misoprostol group [relative risk (RR) 1.62, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.34-1.96], but that of manual removal of placenta was reduced (RR 0.29, 95% CI 0.09-0.87). Shivering and transient pyrexia were more common in the misoprostol group. Oral misoprostol might be used in the management of the third stage, especially in situations where the use of syntometrine is contraindicated and facilities for storage and parenteral administration of oxytocics are limited.

Administration, Oral↗

Pathologic evaluation of sentinel lymph nodes in colorectal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The identification of lymph node metastases in colorectal resection specimens is necessary for accurate tumor staging. However, routine lymph node dissection by the pathologist yields only a subset of nodes removed surgically and may not include those nodes most directly in the path of lymphatic drainage from the tumor. Intraoperative mapping of such sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) has been reported in cases of melanoma and breast cancer. We applied a similar method to cases of colorectal carcinoma, with emphasis on the pathology of the SLNs. METHODS: Eighty-three consecutive patients with colorectal carcinoma were evaluated after intraoperative injection of 1 to 2 mL of 1% isosulfan blue dye (Lymphazurin) into the peritumoral subserosa. Blue-stained lymph nodes were suture-tagged by the surgeon within minutes of the injection for identification by the pathologist, and a standard resection was performed. Designated SLNs were sectioned at 10 levels through the block; a cytokeratin immunostain (AE1) was also obtained. To evaluate the possibility that increased detection of metastases in the SLN might be solely due to increased histologic sampling, all initially negative non-SLNs in the first 25 cases were sectioned also at 10 levels. RESULTS: Sentinel lymph nodes were identified intraoperatively in 82 (99%) of 83 patients and accounted for 152 (11.9%) of 1275 lymph nodes recovered, with an average of 1.9 SLNs per patient. A total of 99 positive lymph nodes (38 positive SLNs and 61 positive non-SLNs) were identified in 34 node-positive patients. The SLNs were the only site of metastasis in 17 patients (50%), while 14 patients (41%) had both positive SLNs and non-SLNs. Three patients (9%) had positive non-SLNs with negative SLNs, representing skip metastases. In patients with positive SLNs, 91 (19%) of 474 total lymph nodes and 53 (12%) of 436 non-SLNs were positive for metastasis. In patients with negative SLNs, 8 (1%) of 801 total lymph nodes and 8 (1.2%) of 687 non-SLNs were positive for metastasis. Multilevel sections of 330 initially negative non-SLNs in the first 25 patients yielded only 2 additional positive nodes (0. 6%). All patients with positive SLNs were correctly staged by a combination of 4 representative levels through the SLN(s) together with a single cytokeratin immunostain. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative mapping of SLNs in colorectal carcinoma identifies lymph nodes likely to contain metastases. Focused pathologic evaluation of the 1 to 4 SLNs so identified can improve the accuracy of pathologic staging.

Adult↗

An open non-comparative pilot study with azithromycin in the treatment of non-gonococcal urethritis in the sexually transmitted disease clinics in Hong Kong.

The aim of this study is to find out the efficacy and safety of azithromycin in the treatment of males with uncomplicated non-gonococcal urethritis. It is an open, non-comparative study carried out in the major sexually transmitted disease clinics in Hong Kong. The subjects were 45 male outpatients with clinical symptoms and signs of acute non-gonococcal urethritis. Patients presenting with acute urethritis were examined and non-gonococcal urethritis were examined and non-gonococcal urethritis was daignosed by the positive urethral smear for white blood cells but negative for gonococcus. They were given a single 1 gram oral dose of azithromycin at the clinic. Follow-ups after one and two weeks to examine for cure and adverse events were made. The result showed that 35 out of 42 evaluable patients were cleared of urethritis. Only 2 out of 22 chlamydial antigen positive patients still remained positive at the last visit. Adverse events were not uncommon but all were only mild. We concluded that 1 gram single dose of azithromycin was effective and well tolerated in the treatment of non-gonococcal urethritis in male patients.

Acute Disease↗

Confirmation of drugs of abuse in urine drug screens by direct exposure probe mass spectrometry.

A direct exposure probe (DEP) mass spectrometric method was developed to confirm the presence of cocaine (C), phencyclidine (P), benzoyl ecognine (BE) and 11-norcarboxy tetrahydrocannabinol (11-nor-c-THC) in previously screened urine specimens. Essentially, a urine sample is lyophilized overnight and reconstituted in 30 microliters of a 3:1 mixture of ethyl acetate:methanol. One microliter is placed on a rhenium filament and left to air dry. The specimen was analyzed by negative ion chemical ionization DEP using ammonia as reagent gas at 0.20 Torr with an ion source temperature of 100 degrees C. An electronics setting of 1700 V (EM), 0.30 mA filament current, and 100 eV with scanning at m/z 100-650 (1 sec/SCAN) resulted in simple spectra with easily identifiable molecular ions for C, BE, P and 11-nor-c-THC. The sensitivity of the assay was 1 ng for the drugs of abuse. The method was validated by analyzing 50 urine samples that have been previously screened and confirmed for drugs at the University of Illinois Toxicology Laboratory. The results showed that the DEP method confirmed 87%, 71%, 100%, and 85% of the BE, C, P and 11-nor-c-THC. In summary, a rapid and sensitive DEP method for the confirmation of drugs of abuse in urine has been developed which can serve as a useful adjunct to gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric confirmation.

Cocaine↗

Analysis of retinoids by direct exposure probe mass spectrometry.

Recently, our laboratory has investigated the depletion of Vitamin A and its metabolites in experimental animals. High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used to measure retinal oxidase activity by monitoring the conversion of retinaldehyde (RALD) to retinoic acid (ROIC). In order to obtain more information about these compounds, a Direct Exposure Probe mass spectrometric method was developed to confirm the presence of ROIC and RALD in HPLC peaks. A rapid negative ion chemical ionization (NICI) method using ammonia as reagent gas was developed to detect the presence of ROIC and RALD with picogram sensitivity. The ROIC and RALD peaks were collected from HPLC, extracted with hexane, evaporated under nitrogen and reconstituted in ethanol before placing onto a rhenium filament with current programmed from 0-1.3 A at 50 mA/sec. The instrument employed was a Finnigan 4510 operated in the NICI mode and scanned from m/z 100-650 with a source temperature of 80 C. Other parameters were electron energy 140 eV and filament current at 0.25 mA. Prominent ions were generated at m/z 284 and m/z 300 for RALD and ROIC which were subsequently monitored in the selected ion monitoring mode. In summary, we have developed a rapid retinoid identification method (2.5 minutes) which is more sensitive (pg vs ng) than HPLC and does not require elaborate sample preparation or derivitization. This method can be used as an important adjunct to HPLC enzyme studies.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

Cerebrospinal fluid changes in experimental cardiopulmonary bypass using hemodilution with glucose water.

Cardiopulmonary bypass using hemodilution with isotonic glucose water was performed on seven dogs. Intense systemic metabolic acidosis, hyponatremia, hypochloremia, and hyperglycemia were accompanied by only comparatively small changes in the corresponding cerebrospinal fluid values. The data suggested that in the present study, cardiopulmonary bypass was not associated with gross disruptions of the barriers for bicarbonate, sodium, chloride, and glucose between blood and cerebrospinal fluid.

Animals↗