Health Care Article

JOHOR BARU: Two people have died after eating the poisonous puffer fish or ikan buntal, believed to be the first such reported cases in the country.State Health department director Dr Mohd Khairi Yakub said a 54-year-old woman from Kota Tinggi and another 83-year-old woman from Kulai died from eating the fish on May 7 and June 4 respectively.

He added that 34 others from various places in the state, including here, Batu Pahat and Pontian, suffered food poisoning from eating the fish, between May 6 and June 10.

“The 34 have recovered fully,” he said here yesterday, adding that no more such cases were reported after June 10.

Although this was the first time such cases were reported, he did not rule out the possibility this may have happened before as the fish had been sold in the state over the past few years.

The puffer fish contains tetrodotoxin, a natural and lethal poison, and if the fish is not correctly cut or prepared, is very dangerous to eat. The toxin causes numbness in the mouth and attacks the nervous system, causing respiratory problems, and sometimes results in death.

Dr Mohd Khairi said the Health Ministry was warning the public not to buy or eat puffer fish, which has been mostly sold in night markets across the state.

It is believed that supply of the fish came from Kuantan.

“We seriously caution people from eating the fish, and have circulated posters and fliers warning people about eating it.

“Our officers are monitoring premises and markets in the affected areas, and we are stopping the sale of the fish anywhere it is found,” Dr Mohd Khairi added.

He advised those who fell ill after eating the fish to seek immediate medical treatment.

Those with information on the sale of the fish were urged to contact the department or nearest health offices.

Click to read more from Wikipedia: Puffer Fish

A new study by German researchers has found conclusive evidence that vitamin D really does reduce the risk of breast cancer in women, confirming anecdotal evidence. The just-released findings of a long-term study involving 1,394 breast cancer patients and an equal number of healthy women after menopause were surprisingly clear.

Women with a very low blood level of vitamin D have a considerably increased breast cancer risk. The effect was found to be strongest in women who were not taking hormones for relief of menopausal symptoms.

A connection between vitamin D level and the risk of developing breast cancer has been implicated for a long time, but its clinical relevance had not yet been proven. (more…)

An oral anti-diabetic drug, pioglitazone, has been shown to reduce clogging of arteries, lowered blood pressure, raised good cholesterol and improved on other cardio-vascular risk factors. In the study presented at the recent 57th annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology in Chicago, it was discovered that pioglitazone caused a regression of coronary atherosclerosis.

It also improved blood pressure, raised high-density lipoprotein (HDL) by 16%, and lowered triglycerides by 15% and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein by some 45%. This double-blind study was conducted by world renowned heart specialist Dr Steven Nissen, of Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, in the US.

It was carried out from August 2003 till March 2006, across 97 hospitals in North and South America. The study covered 543 diabetic patients who also have heart disease.

Datuk Dr Khoo Kah Lin, the director of the National Heart Foundation (Yayasan Jantung Malaysia), said that Type 2 diabetics constantly faced life-threatening conditions such as stroke, coronary heart disease and kidney failure due to complications arising from diabetes.

He said the outcome of the study has given diabetics new hope in managing their cardio-vascular risk factors. The study, titled Pioglitazone Effect on Regression of Intravascular Sonographic Coronary Obstruction Prospective Evaluation (Periscope), compared insulin-sensitiser pioglitazone with insulin secretagogue, glimepiride, over an 18-month period.

The result of the Periscope study indicated that, while glimepiride therapy showed a 0.73% rise in plaque (a deposit of fatty material on the inner lining of an arterial wall, which can lead to clogged arteries), pioglitazone, instead, had a 0.16% drop in plaque volume.

Khoo said: “This is the first time an oral medication has shown such an ability to reduce the clogging of
coronary arteries. “It clearly shows that with daily intake of pioglitazone, Type 2 diabetics have a lower chance of developing heart disease.

This obviously a very significant result that offers diabetics a new lease in life. “We must always be aware that Type 2 diabetes does not have a known cure but with the inclusion of pioglitazone in a diabetic heart patient, it can help prolong life.”

He added that the Periscope results showed pioglitazone did not have any ill cardio-vascular side effect that other drugs of its class had. More importantly, it had benefited Type 2 diabetics beyond controlling their blood sugar levels by reducing mortality and diseases arising from diabetic complications and preserving quality of life.