Rabies Info

Recently, local news has reported that there is a rabies outbreak in Kuching, Sarawak which has resulted in 3 victims who are now in the ICU. Dogs are being captured and probably killed next. Some animal lovers are disheartened and saying this is not the right way to kill dogs, some sarcastic people are asking animal lovers to heal the dogs, while some animal haters are asking to kill all dogs on the street. There are also people who are not very educated about rabies, and they kept harping about killing cats too as cats can also have rabies (based on their google search). Some other people added on by saying that bats, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits can also have rabies.

Let me educate you people about rabies.

1. What is rabies???

Rabies is a viral disease that is caused the virus Lyssavirus. It is transmitted to humans through the saliva of infected animals, usually through wounds or bites. Rabies usually causes seizure/convulsion, paralysis, coma, and finally death to the victim once infected.

2. Is there a cure for rabies???

No, there is no cure for rabies. However, there is a vaccine that can prevent rabies. The problem is that this vaccine is not available everywhere for every one, and it is given to certain people who have high risk of getting rabies because of constant contact with animals (eg. vets/veterinary students). However if you are already bitten by an infected animal, you can still be vaccinated but it must be done as soon as possible before the virus reaches the brain (takes around 10 days).

3. What are the signs and symptoms of rabies in humans???

Headache, fever, feel irritable, confusion, excess salivation, convulsion/seizure, muscle spasms, hallucination, paralysis, and coma.

4. Why mostly dogs transmit rabies to humans???

Dogs are found everywhere, especially stray dogs on the streets. Dogs can bite and cause wounds. Dogs secrete a lot of saliva, and the virus is transmitted through saliva into the bloodstream through wounds. Cats and bats rarely bite humans, even if they do, the bites are rarely serious enough to cause wounds.

5. How does the virus reach the brain?

The virus enters the bite wound and multiplies in the muscle at the site of bite. The virus moves up the peripheral nervous system (any nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord) to the central nervous system, up the spinal cord, finally reaching the brain. When it reaches the brain, it causes all these symptoms like headache, fever, seizure, etc.

6. Is there any other way to treat the poor rabies-infected dogs instead of killing them?

Sorry, no. There is no other way except to kill them.

7. How to know if the dogs are infected with rabies virus?

The infected dogs will be very fierce and ferocious. They will not be friendly to you. Be aware of fierce wild dogs barking, chasing and biting you.

Who discovered beta blocker and H2 receptor antagonist?

Dr. James Whyte Black, a Scottish pharmacologist discovered beta blockers and H2 receptor antagonists which saved millions of people with heart and stomach diseases. He developed the first beta blocker drug called propanolol (generic name), which was marketed as Inderalal (brand name). Then he developed an anti-ulcer drug cimetidine (generic name) marketed as Tagamet (brand name). Cimetidine is an H2 receptor antagonist used to treat stomach ulcers. 

References:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/health/23black.html?_r=0

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Black_(pharmacologist)

Deadpool Movie Review

source of pictures: http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/deadpool

On the 9th of February 2016, I watched Deadpool in the TGV cinema. So here is the summary of the movie:

Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) was diagnosed with cancer and was promised by an unknown man that he could be healed from his cancer and be transformed. He was then turned into a hideous freak with superpowers by a man named Francis through a lot of torture. Wade did not have the guts to return home to his girlfriend (Vanessa) because he did not want her to see his ugly face. He made his own costume after various funny attempts and called himself Deadpool. His mission was to hunt down the man who tortured him (Francis) in order to force him to change his face back to normal.

There was a hilarious part that I remember, when the blind woman told Deadpool that 'Love is blind.' after hearing how he did not want to return home to Vanessa because of his ugly face and Deadpool replied 'No. You are blind.' That part made everyone laughed because the woman was indeed blind and those words were right in place.

Vanessa was kidnapped by Francis to lure Deadpool out. Francis pretended to hide behind a hood as if he was Wade Wilson that Vanessa was looking for all these years. He asked another person to call Vanessa out of the bar and then hit her till she fainted. She was then kidnapped and tied up in a transparent cylinder used to torture Wade before by eliminating the oxygen content. Francis used Vanessa's mobile to call Deadpool.

Deadpool then asked for help from a Steel Man and Fire Girl (forgot their names sorry) to hunt Francis down, and together, they managed to find Francis. Deadpool ordered Francis to change his figure back but unfortunately Francis said it cannot be changed. Deadpool then killed him.

That's basically a short summary of the movie. I have never read the Marvel comic so I don't know how the story goes in the comic, but I am pretty sure there are a lot of differences. So, to all those who are going to watch Deadpool, do beware of the vulgar slang used. A lot of F*** words are used throughout the whole movie. It's more of a comedy than a horror movie. Full of actions and killings with lots of humor.

Euthanasia

What do you think of euthanasia? First of all, let me define euthanasia. It is the act of ending a life due to an incurable disease or if the patient is terminally ill. In other words, euthanasia is physician-assisted death. It is not legal in Malaysia, however don't be surprised that it is legal in some countries such as Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Netherlands was the first country that legalized euthanasia in 2002. In Asian countries, most people are against euthanasia. So are you for or against euthanasia?

I am against euthanasia because human life is precious. Can you buy human life with money? No. Unless you're a horrible kidnapper that loves selling people. I like this statement by Tharmaseelan:

"I personally feel nobody has a right to take a life when he cannot create one. Miracles do happen, what may be considered incurable today may become curable in the near of distant future. We should realize that medical science is still an imperfect and incomplete science."

(source: http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2015/02/26/euthanasia-and-living-wills-in-malaysia/)

Do you understand? We, human beings do not have the right to take away life that is so precious and is given by God. Only God can create life, so He is the One who decides when the person must go. Here is the most famous bible verse for those everyone including those living and those who are dying:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Trust Jesus, because He has died for us and saved us from our sins. If you believe in Him, then you will be saved. You body may die, but your soul will be saved. You will live with Him in Heaven. Forever. And that's eternal life.

How to Deal with Medical Ethics

Healthcare professionals usually face many ethical dilemmas in their practice especially in hospitals. Sometimes, they do not know whether they should follow their decisions, or follow their patient's decisions. Should there be any serious consequences of a decision made, who is to be blamed? The physician or the patient?

Let's learn about the 4 basic principles of medical ethics:

1. Autonomy
-The patient decides what to do with his/her own body.
-The doctor has to respect the patient's decision even if it appears to be medically wrong.
-For example, the patient has the right to refuse a chemotherapy treatment for his cancer because he does not want to suffer from the side effects. The doctor has to respect the patient's decision to refuse the treatment although the treatment is for the patient's own good.

2. Beneficence
-The healthcare professional knows what is the best for the patient.
-For example, the doctor has to consider both the benefits and harms of a treatment before making the right decision for the patient.

3. Nonmaleficence
-Obeys the Hippocratic Oath that states 'First do no harm',
-Healthcare professional must not cause any harm either intentionally or unintentionally to the patient.
-For example, a doctor must be aware of 'double effect' which means a treatment that is intended for good causes harm to the patient.

4. Justice
-The healthcare professional must be fair when offering treatments to patients.
-The focus must be on the medical care of the patient, not on the financial impact of the healthcare professional.
-However, this can be complicated. For example of issues on justice: Which health professional should help to pay when a patient could not afford a drug treatment?

I hope that all health professionals will always hold on to these 4 principles of ethics in making a decision. Healthcare involves a lot of dilemmas so equip yourselves with these principles for the decision-making process! Good luck and all the best in your medical practice. :)

Medicine in Russia

Most Malaysian want to be doctors, am I right? Whether it is due to genuine interest, peer influence or parental pressure, please consider the real reasons you want to pursue medicine. Majority of those with straight A+ or straight As in SPM or CGPA4.0 in pre-U, would surely choose medicine I can assure you. If they like physics, they'll choose engineering. If they like biology, they'll choose medicine. If you are one of those who choose medicine, do think of the real reason why you want to pursue medicine because it will be asked in every interview. One of the most commonly asked and also the hardest question to answer. About 90% of candidates could not answer that question convincingly. 

If you don't want any interview, consider Russia. You can get in without any interview, you just need to apply to the agent (for example: Medic Ed Consultant Sdn. Bhd) and they will get you the offer letter within a week. It is quite cheap compared to local private unis. Studying in Kursk State Medical University (KSMU) which is one of the top unis in Russia, costs only RM146000. If you are interested in cheap fees for medicine, do consider KSMU. It is recognized by Malaysian gov, MMC, and WHO.   

Here is more info about Russian unis from the Medic Ed website:
http://www.mediced.com.my/russia

FYI, I'm not paid to promote Medic Ed, just kindly sharing to those who want to fulfill their dreams as doctors if they are rejected by public unis, and cannot afford private unis. 

Pre-University Options after SPM

There are many pre-universities in Malaysia that you can choose after your SPM. First of all, make up your mind whether you want to study in public universities, private universities, or overseas. If you choose to study in public universities, there are only 3 pre-university options: matriculation, asasi (foundation) or form 6. If you choose to study overseas, take A Levels, IB Diploma, AUSMAT (australian matriculation) or SAM (south australian matriculation). You may use asasi/matriculation to apply overseas, but there are very limited courses as they are not widely recognized. STPM (form 6) is widely recognized but it is hard to score so not many people use the results to apply overseas. However, you can use any pre-university results to enter private universities.

Below, I will list the pros and cons of the common pre-university routes taken:
1. Matriculation
pros:
-very fast, only 1 year
-very easy to get into public universities
-very easy to score 4.0 and a co-curricular marks of 100 (of course you need to work hard and be active)
-many past year and tutorial questions to practice
-allowance given
-cheap, around RM550 for the whole course

cons:
-you may have to live very far away (eg. you are from Terengganu but you get matric in Johor)
-long hours of classes, 8-5pm, sometimes there are night classes too
-if you get below CGPA 4.0, you can say goodbye to your first choice in public universities especially for critical courses like medicine, dentistry and pharmacy.

2. Asasi
pros:
-very fast, normally 1 year
-you can enter degree in that specific university you did your asasi in
-you get allowance too
-exposed to uni life at an earlier age, step into uni at the age of 18

cons:
-there is a possibility you may NOT get your first choice in that uni
-you cannot apply to other public uni (except for PASUM and asasi UiTM)
-you don't get many friends from other uni during degree, unlike those from matric have friends almost everywhere
-maybe harder to get? you need really good SPM results
-very limited places

3. Form 6 (STPM)
pros:
-extremely cheap
-the only pre-U that can enter public, private and overseas uni
-you will do so much better than your matric peers in uni because 'susah-susah dahulu, senang-senang kemudian'
-get to enjoy school life (unless you hate school)

cons:
-1.5 years, around 2 years if include the holidays and waiting time for results
-harder to score (doesn't mean its impossible)
-you might not get your first choice in uni if your results are not really good
-you'll be 1 year older than matric peers in your 1st year in uni

4. A Levels
pros:
-recognized internationally, higher chance to go overseas for degree
-easier to score excellent results
-get to enjoy college life

cons:
-expensive!! around RM30k++
-cannot enter public uni (if you're aiming for overseas don't look at public uni)

As a conclusion, whatever pre-U that you take, think wisely what you want to do and where you want to go, so that you won't regret in the future. :)