Public School Exam

   Nowadays, so many pupils/students score straight A’s in public school examination unlike in the past years. Is this really showed that our boys/girls are clever enough & deserve for that or is this just  a manipulation of the marking scheme? During my school days, the passing mark for any paper/subject was about 50%. It was very hard to see the boys/girls scored straight A’s.

   Private tuition classes, is it due to these? The teachers & schools are competing  among themselves to achieve a higher number of straight A’s achievers. They are doing this without thinking of a nature development of the pupils/students. The good pupils/students are not necessarily must be very high achievers. They must be taught to be excelling in both, academically and spiritually. Some of them are just memorise whatever they have learnt in the classrooms without being able to elaborate further on certain issues/questions. We have seen some of these great boys/girls did not get good results while they were in the university. They only graduated with a just borderline CGPA.  They cannot even think….

Thyroid - Diseases & Treatment

   Thyroid gland secretes the major hormones T3 (triiodothyronine) & T4 (thyroxine) which are  very important in our body metabolisms (stimulates a conversion process of oxygen & nutrients into energy). Iodine is vital for the normal function of the thyroid gland.

   The common diseases related to the thyroid gland are:

1. Hypothyroidism: underactive thyroid gland.

2. Hyperthyroidism: overactive thyroid gland.

3. Thyrotoxicosis: excess production of thyroid hormones.

4. Thyroid storm: life threatening due to excessive thyroid hormones.

5. Thyroid cancer: an abnormal growth rate of thyroid cell/tissue.

   When the thyroid is overactive (hyperthyroidism) or develops cancer, radioactive I-131 is given for killing thyroid cells.  Iodine is trapped & organified by only thyroid cells with just small amount goes into gastrointestinal & urinary system.

   Normally, a treatment for hyperthyroidism & thyroid cancer is either by one or combination of these; drug medication, surgery (thyroidectomy) & radioiodine ablation. Not even a single surgeon can claim he/she could perform a real full thyroidectomy. There will be some remnant tissue left. This remnant tissue must be treated (ablated) using I-131 (75-150mCi/g of thyroid). A normal dose (activity) for hyperthyroidism is <30 mCi while for thyroid cancer is 30-200 mCi.

   Any thyroid medication must be stopped (carbimazole: 7 days/thyroxine: 4 weeks) prior to scanning/treatment. Patient must fast at least for 4 hours before the procedure in order to enhance the absorption of I-131. Fasting can also prevent patient from vomiting (& thus reduce a possibility of I-131 contamination).

   Prior to I-131 scanning/therapy,  patient must not take any iodine-containing foods such as vitamins containing iodine, iodized salt, sea fish & shellfish, seafood, canned fruits/vegetables, tea  & lemonade.

   A few days after receiving I-131, patient normally tends to have one or all of these:

a.    neck tenderness.

b.    dry mouth.

c.    nausea, sore throat, & vomiting.

d.    salivary glands may swell. 

   Breast-feeding or fathering children is strictly must be stopped for 6 months after I-131 treatment. This treatment is also not recommended for a pregnant or nursing woman & pregnancy should be delayed for at least 6-12 months after receiving treatment. It can affect fertility in men too.

Our Syahiran

   Abdullah Syahiran Arfan is our second child & the only our living son. His SPM result (sat in 2011) was just average. Indeed, he was among the clever pupil during his primary school days. However, when he was in secondary school & living in a school hostel, he has changed a little bit. Maybe the school environment contributed to this change. He is now waiting for pursuing his study in polytechnic & other skill learning institutions. Hopefully, our only son will get a place in a polytechnic for his brighter future ahead….

CHILLI

Chilli;   Capsicum 

The plant is herb/shrub, up to 2m tall. Its flowers are white with a purple tinge & grouped in the forks of leaves. The fruits are conical or elliptical. They are orange, red or yellow at maturity & contain numerous seeds. There are many species of chillies, ranging from large to small & vary in hotness from mild to incendiary-like potency. Chewing of chillies may cause a burning sensation of the tongue & mouth but is normally harmless. For all eye exposures, just rinse with water for 15 minutes, followed by medical help.

Chilli can contain as much as six times the amount of vitamin C as a single orange. They also contain high amounts of the antioxidant beta-carotene, which supports the cardiovascular system & as well as helps maintain the health of the eyes & skin, and immune system. Green chillies also contain vitamins B & E and are a good source of iron & potassium. 

The study by the researchers at the University of Tasmania (published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, July 2006) reported that the regular consumption of chillies can help our body control insulin levels (by up to about 60%).

Health & Medical Benefits:

1.   Capsaicin (contains a neuropeptide) – anti-inflammatory agent.

2.    Eating chili is good to sinus congestion, sinus pain & headaches and provides pain relief for migraines/cluster headaches.

3.   Study (Cancer Research, March 2006) concluded that capsaicin could stop the spread of prostate cancer.

4.   A Berkley neurobiology research reported that capsaicin/chilli consumption to be ‘protective against stomach cancer’.

5.   Eating chilli could also lower the cholesterol level.

6.   Studies have shown that eating chilli kills 80% of prostrate cancer cells & can even prevent them forming.

7.   Eating chilli can ease the pain caused by Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), because it contains a pain-killing neuropeptide.

8.   When applied topically, capsaicin provides pain relief from osteoarthritis & may help ease pain from diabetic neuropathy.

9.   Eating chilli can prevent blood clotting.

My Great Mother (1935-2012)

   My great, inspiring & caring mother, Putieh binti Ibrahim has been called by the Al-Mighty Allah at about 5.00 a.m. on 5th March 2012, about 5 months after my father Idris bin Hussain passed away.

   I received a phone call from my big brother at about 10.30 p.m. on 4th March, telling that my mother was in dying condition. Due to very heavy sleepiness, I decided to have some sleep then. I set my hp to give an alarm on 2.00 a.m. 5th March. Exactly at 2.00 a.m., I woke up. After telling my beloved wife about the news, we prepared ourselves, leaving for my hometown. We left our home at 3.00 in the morning. On our way, I received 2 sms from my siblings, saying that our beloved mom has passed away at 5.00 a.m. With strong will, I just kept driving to Bukit Kuang so that we could arrive on time. We arrived safely at 8.00 a.m. I rushed then to give a last warm kiss to my late mother. She was in smile looking face. The body of our beloved caring mother was finally laid to rest in peace at Bukit Kuang Muslim cemetery at about 12.30 p.m.

   She was so humble & hard working mother. She was also very friendly to her children, friends & neighbours. She always had very wise advice & great vision. She was a very strict mother when it comes to educational & religious matters.

   Stay calm over there, mother. We, your children are going to miss you. We will surely remember your wisdom advices. We will be together, no matter what would happen.

Ya Allah, Ya Rahman, Ya Rahim. Please do accept Putieh binti Ibrahim with Your Unlimited Mercy and shower her with Your Utmost Blessings & Forgiveness.

Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.

   When the month of Rabiul Awal comes, every Muslim around the globe is busy with the celebration of Maulidur Rasul (birthday of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.). Every occasion is filled with story telling a life of Prophet, marhaban, berzanji, salawat & some food feast. A special parade for this occasion has also normally been organised.

   Not wrong to organise such activities but is it truly enough for us to just remember Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. once in a year while the rest of the year we just forget it? We as the Muslims should remember Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. every second of our life. We also have to practise whatever the teachings brought by him s.a.w. in our daily life. Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. was not only a great leader but he was also a super icon that we should follow.

“And We have not sent you (Muhammad s.a.w.) but as a mercy to the worlds”. [Al-Quran, Al-Anbia 107]

My 1st Oral Presentation at National Seminar

VOLUME ESTIMATION USING SPECT TECHNIQUE 

¹Abdullah Waidi Idris, ¹Arihasliza Ariffin, ²Ahmad Zakaria

 

¹School of Health Sciences, USM, Kelantan. 

²Dept. of Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy & Oncology, School of Medical Sciences, USM, Kelantan.

 National Seminar on Medical Physics;

27^th & 28^th August 2005; De Rhu Beach Resort, Kuantan, Pahang

Jointly Organised by: International Islamic University Malaysia

 & Malaysian Association of Medical Physics (MAMP)

Abstract

The objective of this study is to estimate the volume of organ of different sizes using the Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) technique. This method was chosen due to the 3-dimensional data imaging compared to the 2-dimensional data planar imaging.

          In this study, the acrylic phantom (with various sizes of cylindrical insert of known volume simulating the ‘hot’ lesion) had been used. This phantom was filled with 20 mCi of ^99mTc. The data was then acquired using gamma camera and SPECT system using LEHR collimator, 64 x 64 matrix size and 64 views of projection (30 seconds per projection). Subsequently, the acquired data were  reconstructed using the filtered back-projection technique: Ramp and Butterworth filter: order = 5, cut-off frequency = 0.35 Nyquist.

          The radius of each cylinder was measured and the volumes were  calculated by  this formula ; V = πr² Х pixel size Х total number of slice. Then, a regression analysis was made for true and calculated volumes of each cylinder.

          The correlation coefficient obtained was 0.988 with a different percentage of less than 20%. As conclusion, this SPECT technique can be applied to  estimate a size of any lesion in a clinical study.