Abstract : Malaysian adolescents are susceptible for an unhealthy and poor dietary practice with an augmented intake of energy-dense food items and reduced intake of nutritious food. Distinctive environmental factors are considered to influence their dietary practice, among which the major contributor is the school food environment where they spent most of their time. This study was to determine the relationship between the public secondary school students’ perception towards their school food environment and their dietary practice involving a sample size of 118 students of Form 1, 2 and 4 from all states of Malaysia. All the data was collected using online platforms through validated and pretested school food environment questionnaire and analysed using IBM SPSS 26. The students had a moderate level of perception (mean= 0.50 ± 0.02) and practice (mean= 2.73 ± 0.04) towards the school food environment. There were significant differences between the students’ perception towards the school food environment and variables namely ethnic groups (Malay, Chinese and Indian) (p-value = 0.001*), father’s education status (p-value = 0.019*), mother’s education background (p-value = 0.038*), and father’s employment status (p-value = 0.014*) respectively. There was a significant, positive, and moderate relationship between students’ perception and practice on healthy diet in school environment (p-value <0.001; r=0.246;). After adjusted for confounding variables, the relationship between students’ perception and practice on healthy diet in school environment remain significant (p-value = 0.007*; r = 0.246). The developments and strategies a healthy school food environment are crucial to enhance their perception and improve their dietary practice in the school canteen..
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Abstract : Despite advances in thoracic oncology, the prevalence of primary bronchopulmonary carcinoma (BPC) has been rising for some years. It still represents the leading cause of cancer mortality among males in Morocco and throughout the globe. The aim of this study is to characterize the epidemiological, clinical, prognostic, anatomopathological and molecular features of lung cancer in patients treated at the oncology center of Sheikh Zaid International University Hospital in Rabat. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 158 cases of primary BPC, that were reported at the oncology center of the Sheikh Zaid international university hospital in Rabat. In our cohort, the male preponderance was clearly observed with 140 men (88.6%) versus 18 women (11.4%), with a sex ratio of 7.8 men to one woman. The mean age of the patients at the time of diagnosis was 63.7±10.1 years with extremes of age ranging from 16 to 87 years. The age group between 60 and 69 years represents 48.11% of patients. Smoking was found in 96 patients, i.e. 60.8% of the population studied, including 2 patients who also used cannabis. Alcoholism was found in 32 patients (20.3%). The tobacco-alcohol association was noted in 31 patients, i.e. 19.6%. Diabetes, AHT and tuberculosis were the personal medical history most associated with lung cancer with rates of 15.18%, 14.55% and 5.69% respectively. Chest pain was the dominant symptom in 43 subjects being 27.21%, followed by dyspnea in 18.89% of cases, cough in 17.08% of cases, hemoptysis in 8.86% of cases, weight loss in 6.96% of cases and dysphonia in 3.16% of cases. A significant association (p-value<0.001) was found between the manifestation of chest pain and smoking in men. The tumors were mostly located in the right lung, 42.40% of cases, followed by the left lung accounting with 38.60% of cases. The most frequent histological type was adenocarcinoma (58.86%), followed by squamous cell carcinoma (19.62%) and small cell carcinoma (7.59%). Secondary localizations were objectified, mainly bone (20.88%) and brain (18.89%). EGFR mutation was frequent (23.07% of all patients diagnosed), despite the low number of patients who could perform molecular tests. In the light of the present work, our results are broadly in accordance with the findings of other national and international studies. However, despite its usefulness in the early detection of BPC, molecular diagnostics are still seriously limited in Morocco. As a result, tobacco control measures are critical for lowering the prevalence of this disease..
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Abstract : Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common compression neuropathy caused by the compression of median nerve in the carpal tunnel. Nerve conduction study is the gold standard investigation for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. Ultrasonography is now considered an important diagnostic tool in carpal tunnel syndrome. The current study aimed to evaluate the role of ultrasound in the detection of CTS in the study population. A total of 42 patients with clinical suspicion of carpal tunnel syndrome were included in the study. The patients underwent both NCS and ultrasonography. The Cross sectional area (CSAc) of the median nerve was measured at the pisiform, the flattening ratio at the level of hook of hamate, and the CSAp at the level of proximal third of pronator quadratus was measured and we calculated ΔCSA (CSAc- CSAp). Loss of normal echogenicity of the nerve with diffuse hypoechogenicity was also considered for the diagnosis of CTS. ΔCSA with a threshold of 2mm2 showed the highest sensitivity and specificity to diagnose CTS in our study population. It had a sensitivity of 94.3% and specificity of 100%. The CSA of the median nerve at the pisiform had a sensitivity of 94.3% when a cut-off value of 10mm2 was used. The mean CSA at pisiform among the study population was 12.88mm2 with a standard deviation of 3.74. The sensitivity of the flattening ratio in diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome was 31.4% and the sensitivity of nerve edema (nerve hypoechogenicity) was 54.2%. We conclude that ultrasonography could be considered a cheap and non-invasive diagnostic modality for the initial assessment and early diagnosis of idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome. High frequency ultrasound can demonstrate anatomical changes in the median nerve occurring due to compression within the carpal tunnel. Among the 4 ultrasound parameters, ΔCSA was found to be the most useful ultrasound parameter to diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome..
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Abstract : A 47-year-old woman was admitted to the gynaecological clinic with a severe abdominal and lower abdominal pain and a significant enlargement of this area. Ultrasonography (USG) performed during examination showed with a smooth-walled fluid space of mixed hypoechogenicity measuring 12.65cm x 12.72cm in the right ovary. Computed tomography (CT) confirmed the presence of a pathological lesion. Tumour was surgically removed and histopathological examination diagnosed lesion as the adenocarcinoma of intermediate differentiation grade. A genetic analysis detected a previously unclassified variant of the BRCA2 gene alteration in the exon 18, which could be associated with the hereditary breast cancer or OC. Because of the non-specific symptoms and the risk of early metastasis, systematic follow-up is recommended..
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Abstract : Leiomyosarcoma is a rare malignant tumour composed of the smooth muscle cells. It is one of the most common sarcoma subtype. It usually occurs in middle-aged or older people, usually in the fifth decade of life. The most common location of the leiomyosarcoma is the retroperitoneal space and the abdominal cavity, although it can be diagnosed in unusual locations such as the ovary. The main symptom of leiomyosarcoma is the presence of a pathological mass in the locations characteristic for the tumour. There are no characteristic predispositions in the affected patients. The diagnosis of a leiomyosarcoma requires the involvement of multiple medical disciplines. In a 53-year-old female patient a large, pathological mass was found within the pelvis during palpation. After imaging and histological examinations a laparotomy and total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral excision of the fallopian tubes, greater web removal and anappendectomy was performed. The lesion located on the left ovary was anomental tumour measuring 21.0cm x 22.0cm x 13.0cm. The microscopic and immunohistochemical evaluation diagnosed mass as a leiomyosarcoma T2N0M0 St IIB tumour. After surgery, the patient received four cycles of chemotherapy, which included doxorubicin and dacarbazine. A follow-up CT scan showed the presence of a cystic lesion adjacent to the vaginal stump on the right side and rectum, raising the suspicion of the recurrence..
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