Browse publications by year: 2007

Waste management and recycling practices of the urban poor: a case study in Kuala lumpur city, Malaysia

Murad MW, Siwar C

Waste Manag Res, 2007 Feb;25(1):3-13.
PMID: 17346002

This study assesses waste management and recycling practices of the urban poor households residing as squatters and in low-cost flats of Kuala Lumpur city, Malaysia. To attain the objective, the study employed some statistical techniques such as t-tests of equality of means, one-way analysis of variance, chi-squared 'likelihood ratio' tests, and simple descriptive statistics. The statistical techniques were used to determine and analyse the factors that significantly influence the environmental behaviour of the urban poor concerning solid waste management, particularly their recycling practices. The findings of the study show that the urban poor and low-income communities have been proved to behave in ways that are consistent with and conducive to environmentally friendly solid waste management. This study provides evidence that the urban poor and low-income communities are the main recyclers, re-users, and source-reducers of their household solid waste. The study, however, suggests that policies should be formulated to focus on promoting knowledge, education, and the skills of the urban poor and, in addition, to empower them as a means of improving their quality of life.

MeSH terms: Cities*; Conservation of Natural Resources*; Humans; Malaysia; Poverty/psychology*; Waste Management*
Item response bias was present in instrumental activity of daily living scale in Asian older adults

Niti M, Ng TP, Chiam PC, Kua EH

J Clin Epidemiol, 2007 Apr;60(4):366-74.
PMID: 17346611

Item response bias (also called differential item functioning, DIF) in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) occurs when members of different groups possessing the same disability level do not have the same probability of responding positively for a given item(s). This study aimed to identify the extent of DIF by gender, age, ethnicity, and dementia groups in IADL estimates in Asian (Chinese, Malays, and Indian) elderly subjects.

MeSH terms: Activities of Daily Living*; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; China/epidemiology; Dementia/epidemiology; Disability Evaluation*; Female; Humans; India/epidemiology; Malaysia/epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Population Surveillance/methods; Models, Statistical; Bias (Epidemiology); Age Distribution; Sex Distribution
Systematic placement of an enigmatic Southeast Asian taxon Eupetes macrocerus and implications for the biogeography of a main songbird radiation, the Passerida

Jønsson KA, Fjeldså J, Ericson PG, Irestedt M

Biol Lett, 2007 Jun 22;3(3):323-6.
PMID: 17347105

Biogeographic connections between Australia and other continents are still poorly understood although the plate tectonics of the Indo-Pacific region is now well described. Eupetes macrocerus is an enigmatic taxon distributed in a small area on the Malay Peninsula and on Sumatra and Borneo. It has generally been associated with Ptilorrhoa in New Guinea on the other side of Wallace's Line, but a relationship with the West African Picathartes has also been suggested. Using three nuclear markers, we demonstrate that Eupetes is the sister taxon of the South African genus Chaetops, and their sister taxon in turn being Picathartes, with a divergence in the Eocene. Thus, this clade is distributed in remote corners of Africa and Asia, which makes the biogeographic history of these birds very intriguing. The most parsimonious explanation would be that they represent a relictual basal group in the Passerida clade established after a long-distance dispersal from the Australo-Papuan region to Africa. Many earlier taxonomic arrangements may have been based on assumptions about relationships with similar-looking forms in the same, or adjacent, biogeographic regions, and revisions with molecular data may uncover such cases of neglect of ancient relictual patterns reflecting past connections between the continents.

MeSH terms: Animals; Base Sequence; Bayes Theorem; Demography*; Geography; Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases/genetics; Indonesia; Malaysia; Models, Genetic; Molecular Sequence Data; Myoglobin/genetics; Ornithine Decarboxylase/genetics; Phylogeny*; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Passeriformes/classification*; Passeriformes/genetics*
Burkholderia pseudomallei animal and human isolates from Malaysia exhibit different phenotypic characteristics

Lee SH, Chong CE, Lim BS, Chai SJ, Sam KK, Mohamed R, et al.

Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis, 2007 Jul;58(3):263-70.
PMID: 17350202

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a Gram-negative saprophytic soil bacterium, which is the etiologic agent of melioidosis, a severe and fatal infectious disease occurring in human and animals. Distinct clinical and animal isolates have been shown to exhibit differences in phenotypic trait such as growth rate, colony morphology, antimicrobial resistance, and virulence. This study was carried out to gain insight into the intrinsic differences between 4 clinical and 6 animal B. pseudomallei isolates from Malaysia. The 16S rRNA-encoding genes from these 10 isolates of B. pseudomallei were sequenced to confirm the identity of these isolates along with the avirulent Burkholderia thailandensis. The nucleotide sequences indicated that the 16S rRNA-encoding genes among the 10 B. pseudomallei isolates were identical to each other. However, the nucleotide sequence differences in the 16S rRNA-encoding genes appeared to be B. pseudomallei and B. thailandensis specific. The growth rate of all B. pseudomallei isolates was determined by generating growth curves at 37 degrees C for 72 h. The isolates were found to differ in growth rates with doubling time varying from 1.5 to 2.3 h. In addition, the B. pseudomallei isolates exhibited considerable variation in colony morphology when grown on Ashdown media, brain-heart infusion agar, and Luria-Bertani agar over 9 days of observation. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests indicated that 80% of the isolates examined were Amp(R) Cb(R) Kn(R) Gm(R) Chl(S) Te(S). Virulence of the B. pseudomallei clinical and animal isolates was evaluated in B. pseudomallei-susceptible BALB/c mice. Most of the clinical isolates were highly virulent. However, virulence did not correlate with isolate origin since 2 of the animal isolates were also highly virulent.

MeSH terms: Animals; Base Sequence; Disease Models, Animal; DNA, Bacterial/genetics; DNA, Bacterial/chemistry; DNA, Ribosomal/genetics; DNA, Ribosomal/chemistry; Humans; Malaysia; Melioidosis/microbiology*; Melioidosis/veterinary*; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; RNA, Bacterial/genetics; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; Spleen/microbiology; Virulence; Colony Count, Microbial; Survival Analysis; Burkholderia pseudomallei/classification*; Burkholderia pseudomallei/genetics; Burkholderia pseudomallei/isolation & purification; Burkholderia pseudomallei/physiology*; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Genes, rRNA/genetics; Mice
Biodiversity of chloramphenicol-resistant mesophilic heterotrophs from Southeast Asian aquaculture environments

Huys G, Bartie K, Cnockaert M, Hoang Oanh DT, Phuong NT, Somsiri T, et al.

Res. Microbiol., 2007 Apr;158(3):228-35.
PMID: 17350231

In the present study, samples of pond water, sediment and farmed species were collected at 12 fish and shrimp farms in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam to determine the biodiversity and environmental distribution of chloramphenicol-resistant (CmR) mesophilic heterotrophs in Southeast Asian aquaculture sites. Following isolation on Iso-Sensitest agar supplemented with 35mug ml(-1) Cm and dereplication using (GTG)(5)-PCR fingerprinting, 557 genotypically unique CmR strains were subjected to polyphasic identification. The 557 mesophilic heterotrophic CmR isolates represented 18 different genera largely dominated by the genera Escherichia (40.2%), Pseudomonas (11.7%), Acinetobacter (11.1%), Klebsiella (7.5%) and Bacillus (5.9%). A total of 439 CmR isolates were further assigned to 31 described species or species groups, mainly including organisms that have been associated with various human opportunistic infections such as Escherichia coli (n=219), Pseudomonas putida (n=47), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=38) and Acinetobacter baumannii (n=23). Strains of Escherichia, and most notably, of E. coli, were the only common group of CmR heterotrophs irrespective of country, sample type or farm type. Together with other predominant but less widespread groups such as acinetobacters and pseudomonads, the results of this biodiversity study suggest that E. coli can be regarded as a potential indicator of Cm resistance in Southeast Asian aquaculture environments.

MeSH terms: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology; Bacteria/drug effects; Bacteria/genetics; Bacteria/isolation & purification*; Chloramphenicol/pharmacology*; Drug Resistance, Microbial/genetics; Fishes/microbiology; Malaysia; Thailand; Vietnam; Aquaculture*; Penaeidae/microbiology; Biodiversity*
Speciation and phylogeography of the Southeast Asian Anopheles sundaicus complex

Dusfour I, Michaux JR, Harbach RE, Manguin S

Infect Genet Evol, 2007 Jul;7(4):484-93.
PMID: 17350896

Anopheles sundaicus s.l. is a malaria vector in coastal areas of Southeast Asia. Previous studies showed at least four distinct species within the complex. The present study investigated the phylogeography and the status of A. sundaicus s.l. populations from Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia with regard to A. sundaicus s.s. from Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo and A. epiroticus in Vietnam and Thailand. Three lineages recovered by analyses of Cyt-b and COI (mtDNA) confirmed the presence of A. sundaicus s.s. in Malaysian Borneo, the distribution of A. epiroticus from southern Vietnam to peninsular Malaysia, and recognised a distinct form in Indonesia that is named A. sundaicus E. The phylogenetic and demographic analyses suggest that the three species were separated during the Early Pleistocene (1.8-0.78 Myr) and experienced bottlenecks followed by a genetic expansion in more recent times. Based on the results and knowledge of the biogeography of the area, we hypothesise that the combination of cyclical island and refugium creation was the cause of lineage isolation and bottleneck events during the Pleistocene.

MeSH terms: Animals; Anopheles/classification; Anopheles/genetics*; Asia, Southeastern; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics; Geography*; Haplotypes; Larva; Mutation/genetics; Phylogeny*; Likelihood Functions; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Ecosystem; Evolution, Molecular; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer/genetics; Genetic Speciation*
Evidence of divergence with duration of residence in circulatory disease mortality in migrants to Australia

Gray L, Harding S, Reid A

Eur J Public Health, 2007 Dec;17(6):550-4.
PMID: 17353202

BACKGROUND: Very little is known about how acculturation affects health in different societal settings. Using duration of residence, this study investigates acculturation and circulatory disease mortality among migrants in Australia.
METHODS: Data from death records, 1998-2002, and from 2001 Census data were extracted for seven migrant groups [New Zealand; United Kingdom (UK)/Ireland; Germany; Greece; Italy; China/Singapore/Malaysia/Vietnam (East Asia); and India/Sri Lanka (South Asia)] aged 45-64 years. Poisson regression models were fitted to estimate the duration of residence effect (categorized in 5-year bands and also as having arrived 2-16, 17-31 and 32 years ago or more), adjusted for sex, 5-year age group and year of death, then additionally for occupational class and marital status (SES) on relative risks (RR) of CVD mortality.
RESULTS: Compared with the Australia-born population, CVD mortality was generally lower in each migrant group. Decreasing mortality with increasing duration of residence was observed for migrants from New Zealand (RR 0.95, 95% Confidence Interval 0.92-0.98, P<0.01, per 5-year increase), Greece (0.90, 0.86-0.94, P<0.01), Italy (0.94, 0.91-0.97, P<0.01) and South Asia (0.95, 0.91-0.99, P<0.01), mainly in older age groups. Trends remained after SES adjustment and also when broader categories of duration of residence were used. CVD mortality among migrants from the UK/Ireland appeared to converge towards those of the Australian-born.
CONCLUSIONS: These results show divergence in CVD mortality compared with the Australian rate for New Zealanders, Greeks, Italians and South Asians. Sustained cardio-protective behavioural practices in the Australian setting is a potential explanation.

MeSH terms: Acculturation; Asia/ethnology; Australia; Cardiovascular Diseases/mortality*; Death Certificates; Europe/ethnology; Far East/ethnology; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mortality/trends*; New Zealand/ethnology; Transients and Migrants*; Evidence-Based Medicine*
The Vabra aspirator versus the Pipelle device for outpatient endometrial sampling

Naim NM, Mahdy ZA, Ahmad S, Razi ZR

Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol, 2007 Apr;47(2):132-6.
PMID: 17355303 DOI: 10.1111/j.1479-828X.2007.00699.x

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of the Vabra aspirator and the Pipelle device as an outpatient endometrial assessment tool.
METHOD: This was a randomised, prospective trial conducted for a period of one year.
RESULTS: A total of 147 patients were recruited, of which 71 were in the Vabra group and 76 were in the Pipelle arm. The procedure success rate in the Pipelle group was significantly higher than the Vabra arm (98.7 vs 88.7%, P=0.02). Adequate tissue yield was also significantly more in the Pipelle arm (73.3 vs 52.4%, P=0.02). Cost-benefit analysis revealed a higher average cost per patient in the Vabra group compared to the Pipelle arm.
CONCLUSION: This study proved that the Vabra aspirator was not as effective as the Pipelle device in obtaining endometrial tissue for histological diagnosis. Despite its higher price per unit, the Pipelle device was a more cost-effective tool for outpatient endometrial assessment.
Study site: Medical clinic, Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (PPUKM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

MeSH terms: Adult; Ambulatory Care/economics; Ambulatory Care/methods*; Biopsy, Needle/economics; Biopsy, Needle/instrumentation*; Biopsy, Needle/methods; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Endometrium/cytology*; Endometrium/pathology; Female; Hospitals, University; Humans; Malaysia; Metrorrhagia/diagnosis*; Middle Aged; Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; Prospective Studies
Chondrosarcoma of the mandible: a case report

Saini R, Abd Razak NH, Ab Rahman S, Samsudin AR

J Can Dent Assoc, 2007 Mar;73(2):175-8.
PMID: 17355810

Chondrosarcomas are malignant tumours of cartilaginous origin. They range from a well-differentiated growth resembling a benign cartilage tumour to a high-grade malignancy with aggressive local behaviour and the potential to metastasize. Only 5% to 10% of chondrosarcomas are known to occur in the head and neck region. A case of chondrosarcoma of the anterior region of the mandible is presented, along with a review of the relevant literature.

MeSH terms: Adult; Chondrosarcoma/pathology*; Chondrosarcoma/surgery; Female; Humans; Mandibular Neoplasms/pathology*; Mandibular Neoplasms/surgery; Neoplasm, Residual/radiotherapy
The clinical significance of immunoglobulin A deficiency

Latiff AH, Kerr MA

Ann. Clin. Biochem., 2007 Mar;44(Pt 2):131-9.
PMID: 17362578 DOI: 10.1258/000456307780117993

IgA deficiency is the most common primary immunoglobulin deficiency. The prevalence in Caucasians is around one in 500, whereas in some Asian populations it is very uncommon. Most individuals with IgA deficiency are clinically asymptomatic. Those with symptoms of immunodeficiency have predominantly sinopulmonary or gastrointestinal infections, which are more severe when associated with IgG2, IgG4 or specific antibody deficiency. IgA deficiency is believed to be one end of a spectrum of immunodeficiency with common variable immunodeficiency at the most severe end. Although primary IgA deficiency is the most commonly encountered form, secondary deficiencies due to drugs or viral infections are recognized. IgA deficiencies can be partial or transient. Primary IgA deficiency is caused by a defect of terminal lymphocyte differentiation, which leads to underproduction of serum and mucosal IgA; affected individuals have normal IgA genes. A number of non-immunoglobulin genes have been implicated in IgA deficiency. There have been many diseases reported in association with IgA deficiency, particularly autoimmune diseases. The most common association is with coeliac disease (CD), which has special significance since CD is usually diagnosed by detection of specific IgA antibodies that are obviously lacking in IgA deficiency. There is no specific treatment for patients with symptomatic IgA deficiency. Antibiotics are prescribed in those with acute infections. A significant proportion of IgA-deficient individuals are reported to have anti-IgA antibodies in their serum. Although blood or blood products given to IgA-deficient individuals can lead to severe, even fatal, transfusion reactions, such reactions are rare.

MeSH terms: Autoimmune Diseases/immunology; Autoimmune Diseases/metabolism; Celiac Disease/complications; Celiac Disease/immunology; Celiac Disease/metabolism; Humans; Hypersensitivity/immunology; Hypersensitivity/metabolism; Immunoglobulin A/immunology*; IgA Deficiency/complications; IgA Deficiency/metabolism; IgA Deficiency/pathology*
Comparative genome analysis of Ureaplasma parvum clinical isolates

Momynaliev K, Klubin A, Chelysheva V, Selezneva O, Akopian T, Govorun V

Res. Microbiol., 2007 May;158(4):371-8.
PMID: 17363224

Ureaplasma parvum colonizes human mucosal surfaces, primarily in the respiratory and urogenital tracts, causing a wide spectrum of diseases, from non-gonococcal urethritis to pneumonitis in immunocompromised hosts. Although the basis for these diverse clinical outcomes is not yet understood, more severe disease may be associated with strains harboring a certain set of strain-specific genes. To investigate this, whole genome DNA macroarrays were constructed and used to assess genomic diversity in 10 U. parvum clinical strains. We found that 7.6% of U. parvum genes were dispersed into one or more strains, thus defining a minimal functional core of 538 U. parvum genes. Most of the strain-specific genes (79%) were of unknown function and were unique to U. parvum. Four hypervariable plasticity regions were identified in the genome containing 93% of the variability in the gene pool (UU32-UU33, UU145-UU170, UU440-UU447 and UU527-UU529). We hypothesized that one of them (UU145-UU170) was a pathogenicity island in U. parvum and we characterized it. Thus, we propose that the clinical outcome of U. parvum infection is probably associated with this newly identified pathogenicity island.

MeSH terms: Bacterial Proteins/genetics*; Bacterial Proteins/metabolism; Humans; Molecular Sequence Data; Ureaplasma/classification*; Ureaplasma/genetics; Ureaplasma/isolation & purification; Ureaplasma/pathogenicity; Genetic Variation*; Virulence; Genome, Bacterial*; Ureaplasma Infections/microbiology; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis/methods*; Genomics*; Genomic Islands/genetics
Prevalence of illicit drug use in Asia and the Pacific

Devaney ML, Reid G, Baldwin S

Drug Alcohol Rev, 2007 Jan;26(1):97-102.
PMID: 17364842

This paper reports on the prevalence of drug use in Asia and the Pacific. It is based on the report "Situational analysis of illicit drug issues and responses in Asia and the Pacific", commissioned by the Australian National Council on Drugs Asia Pacific Drug Issues Committee. Review of existing estimates of the prevalence of people who use illicit drugs from published and unpublished literature and information from key informants and regional institutions was undertaken for the period 1998 - 2004. Estimates of the prevalence of people who use illicit drugs were conducted for 12 Asian and six Pacific Island countries. The estimated prevalence of those using illicit drugs ranges from less than 0.01% to 4.6%. Countries with estimated prevalence rates higher than 2% are Cambodia, Hong Kong, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos and Malaysia. China, Myanmar and Vietnam have estimated prevalence rates ranging between less than 0.01% and 2%. Data to estimate prevalence rates was not available for Pacific Island countries and Brunei. Estimates of the prevalence of drug use are critical to policy development, planning responses and measuring the coverage of programs. However, reliable estimates of the numbers of people using illicit drugs are rare in Asia, particularly the Pacific.

MeSH terms: Asia; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cross-Cultural Comparison*; Humans; Pacific Islands; Street Drugs*; Substance Abuse, Intravenous/epidemiology*; Substance-Related Disorders/epidemiology*
Expression of multidrug resistance (MDR) proteins and in vitro drug resistance in acute leukemias

Fazlina N, Maha A, Jamal R, Zarina AL, Cheong SK, Hamidah H, et al.

Hematology, 2007 Feb;12(1):33-7.
PMID: 17364990

The expression of the multidrug resistance (MDR) proteins may influence the outcome of treatment in patients with acute leukemia. The aim of this study was to determine the IC50 of cytotoxic drugs (cytosine arabinoside, ara-C and daunorubicin, dnr) using the in vitro 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)2H-tetrazolium, inner salt (MTS) assay method. A total of 82 newly diagnosed acute leukemia cases (43 adult myeloid leukaemia, AML cases and 39 acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, ALL cases) and 16 relapsed cases (8 AML cases and 8 ALL cases) were studied. The MTS assay was performed using two cytotoxic drugs, dnr and ara-C. Cells were incubated with different concentrations of drugs for 4 days and the IC50 was extrapolated from the viability curve. In newly diagnosed cases, we found that childhood ALL samples showed higher IC50 values of dnr (0.040 +/- 2.320) compared to adult AML samples (0.021 +/- 0.158). In contrast, newly diagnosed adult AML samples showed higher IC50 values of ara-C (0.157 +/- 0.529) compared to childhood ALL samples (0.100 +/- 2.350). In relapsed cases, two samples of childhood ALL showed IC50 values of dnr (0.910 +/- 1.760) and ara-C (1.310 +/- 2.390), which was higher compared to childhood AML samples (0.129 +/- 0.214 and 0.210 +/- 0.003, respectively). However, there was no correlation between IC50 values of these drugs tested with clinical outcome. In conclusion, we found that MTS assay is an easy, rapid and non laborious method to study in vitro drug resistance in acute leukaemia cases.

MeSH terms: Acute Disease; Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology*; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use; Cell Survival; Child; Child, Preschool; Cytarabine/pharmacology; Daunorubicin/pharmacology; Coloring Agents/analysis; Female; Humans; Infant; Leukemia/drug therapy; Leukemia/metabolism*; Leukemia, Myeloid/drug therapy; Leukemia, Myeloid/metabolism; Male; Methylphenazonium Methosulfate/pharmacology; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Proteins/metabolism*; Recurrence; Staining and Labeling/methods; Tetrazolium Salts/analysis; Thiazoles/analysis; Tumor Cells, Cultured/drug effects; Tumor Cells, Cultured/ultrastructure; Treatment Outcome; Drug Resistance, Multiple*; P-Glycoproteins/metabolism*; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm*; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/drug therapy; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/metabolism
Development of biological process with pure bacterial cultures for effective bioconversion of sewage treatment plant sludge

Alam Z, Muyibi SA, Jamal P

J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng, 2007 Feb 15;42(3):337-44.
PMID: 17365300

Forty-six bacterial strains were isolated from nine different sources in four treatment plants namely Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) sewage treatment plant (STP), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) wastewater treatment plant-1,-2 and -3 to evaluate the bioconversion process in terms of efficient biodegradation and bioseparation. The bacterial strains isolated were found to be 52.2% (24 isolates) and 47.8% (22 isolates) in the IWK and IIUM treatment plants, respectively. The results showed that higher microbial population (9-10 x 10(4) cfu/mL) was observed in the secondary clarifier of IWK treatment plant. Among the isolates, 23 isolates were gram-positive bacillus (GPB) and gram-positive cocci (GPC), 19 isolates were gram-negative bacillus (GNB) and gram-negative cocci (GNC), and the rest were undetermined. Gram-negative cocci (GNC) were not found in the isolates from IWK. A total of 15 bacterial strains were selected for effective and efficient sludge bioconversion. All the strains were tested against sludge (1% total suspended solids, TSS) to evaluate the biosolids production (TSS% content), chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and filtration rate (filterability test). The strain S-1 (IWK1001) showed lower TSS content (0.8% TSS), maximum COD removal (84%) and increased filterability (1.1 min/10 mL of filtrate) of treated sludge followed by the strains S-11, S-14, S-2, S-15, S-13, S-7, S-8, S-4, S-3, S-6, S-12, S-16, S-17 and S-9. The pH values in the fermentation broth were affected by the bacterial cultures and recorded as well. Effective bioconversion was observed during the first three days of sludge treatment.

MeSH terms: Bacteria/isolation & purification*; Bacteria/metabolism; Biodegradation, Environmental*; Sewage/microbiology*; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Bioreactors
Rationale and methodology for a population-based study of eye diseases in Malay people: The Singapore Malay eye study (SiMES)

Foong AW, Saw SM, Loo JL, Shen S, Loon SC, Rosman M, et al.

Ophthalmic Epidemiol, 2007 Jan-Feb;14(1):25-35.
PMID: 17365815

Although there are approximately 200 million people of Malay ethnicity living in Asia, the burden and risk factors of blinding eye diseases in this ethnic group are unknown. This study summarizes the rationale and study design of a population-based study of eye diseases among adult Malays in Singapore.

MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Cross-Sectional Studies; Epidemiologic Methods; Eye Diseases/ethnology*; Female; Humans; Malaysia/ethnology; Male; Middle Aged; Surveys and Questionnaires; Risk Factors; Singapore/epidemiology; Prevalence
Infrared tomography: data distribution system and software development for real-time velocity measurement

Abdul Rahim R, Pang JF, Chan KS, Leong LC, Sulaiman S, Abdul Manaf MS

ISA Trans, 2007 Apr;46(2):131-45.
PMID: 17367791

The data distribution system of this project is divided into two types, which are a Two-PC Image Reconstruction System and a Two-PC Velocity Measurement System. Each data distribution system is investigated to see whether the results' refreshing rate of the corresponding measurement can be greater than the rate obtained by using a single computer in the same measurement system for each application. Each system has its own flow control protocol for controlling how data is distributed within the system in order to speed up the data processing time. This can be done if two PCs work in parallel. The challenge of this project is to define the data flow process and critical timing during data packaging, transferring and extracting in between PCs. If a single computer is used as a data processing unit, a longer time is needed to produce a measurement result. This insufficient real-time result will cause problems in a feedback control process when applying the system in industrial plants. To increase the refreshing rate of the measurement result, an investigation on a data distribution system is performed to replace the existing data processing unit.

MeSH terms: Computer Systems; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted/methods*; Infrared Rays*; Motion; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted*; Software*; Software Design; Tomography, Optical/methods*; Data Compression/methods*
Biological detoxification of Cr(VI) using wood-husk immobilized Acinetobacter haemolyticus

Zakaria ZA, Zakaria Z, Surif S, Ahmad WA

J Hazard Mater, 2007 Sep 5;148(1-2):164-71.
PMID: 17368716

Acinetobacter haemolyticus, a Gram-negative aerobic locally isolated bacterium, immobilized on wood-husk showed the ability to detoxify Cr(VI) to Cr(III). Wood-husk, a natural cellulose-based support material, packed in an upward-flow column was used as support material for bacterial attachment. Around 97% of the Cr(VI) in wastewater containing 15 mg L(-1) of Cr(VI) was reduced at a flow rate of 8.0 mL min(-1). The wastewater containing Cr(VI) was added with liquid pineapple wastewater as nutrient source for the bacteria. Electron microscopic examinations of the wood-husk after 42 days of column operation showed gradual colonization of the wood-husk by bacterial biofilm. The use of 0.1% (v/v) formaldehyde as a disinfecting agent inhibited growth of bacteria present in the final wastewater discharge. This finding is important in view of the ethical code regarding possible introduction of exogenous bacterial species into the environment.

MeSH terms: Acinetobacter/cytology; Acinetobacter/metabolism*; Aerobiosis; Bacterial Adhesion; Biodegradation, Environmental*; Chromium/metabolism*; Industrial Waste/prevention & control*; Water Pollutants, Chemical/metabolism*; Wood/microbiology; Water Purification/methods*; Ananas
Distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS) and phenolic endocrine disrupting chemicals in South and Southeast Asian mussels

Isobe T, Takada H, Kanai M, Tsutsumi S, Isobe KO, Boonyatumanond R, et al.

Environ Monit Assess, 2007 Dec;135(1-3):423-40.
PMID: 17370135

A comprehensive monitoring survey for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phenolic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) utilizing mussels as sentinel organisms was conducted in South and Southeast Asia as a part of the Asian Mussel Watch project. Green mussel (Perna viridis) samples collected from a total of 48 locations in India, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines during 1994-1999 were analyzed for PAHs, EDCs including nonylphenol (NP), octylphenol (OP) and bisphenol A (BPA), and linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) as molecular markers for sewage. Concentrations of NP ranged from 18 to 643 ng/g-dry tissue. The highest levels of NP in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Indonesia were comparable to those observed in Tokyo Bay. Elevated concentrations of EDCs were not observed in Vietnam and Cambodia, probably due to the lower extent of industrialization in these regions. No consistent relationship between concentrations of phenolic EDCs and LABs were found, suggesting that sewage is not a major source of EDCs. Concentrations of PAHs ranged from 11 to 1,133 ng/g-dry, which were categorized as "low to moderate" levels of pollution. The ratio of methylphenanthrenes to phenanthrene (MP/P ratio) was >1.0 in 20 out of 25 locations, indicating extensive input of petrogenic PAHs. This study provides a bench-mark for data on the distribution of anthropogenic contaminants in this region, which is essential in evaluating temporal and spatial variation and effect of future regulatory measures.

MeSH terms: Animals; Asia, Southeastern; Benzhydryl Compounds; Environmental Monitoring*; Geography; Phenols/analysis*; Phenols/pharmacokinetics; Polycyclic Hydrocarbons, Aromatic/analysis*; Polycyclic Hydrocarbons, Aromatic/pharmacokinetics; Seawater/chemistry; Sewage/chemistry; Time Factors; Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis*; Water Pollutants, Chemical/pharmacokinetics; Biomarkers/analysis; Rivers/chemistry; Bivalvia/metabolism*; Bivalvia/chemistry; Endocrine Disruptors/analysis*; Endocrine Disruptors/pharmacokinetics
Fulltext Reemergence of endemic Chikungunya, Malaysia

AbuBakar S, Sam IC, Wong PF, MatRahim N, Hooi PS, Roslan N

Emerg Infect Dis, 2007 Jan;13(1):147-9.
PMID: 17370532

Chikungunya virus infection recently reemerged in Malaysia after 7 years of nondetection. Genomic sequences of recovered isolates were highly similar to those of Malaysian isolates from the 1998 outbreak. The reemergence of the infection is not part of the epidemics in other Indian Ocean countries but raises the possibility that chikungunya virus is endemic in Malaysia.

MeSH terms: Adult; Chikungunya virus/genetics; Chikungunya virus/isolation & purification*; Child; Female; Humans; Malaysia/epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Phylogeny; Alphavirus Infections/epidemiology*; Alphavirus Infections/virology*; Communicable Diseases, Emerging/epidemiology
Profile of poisoning admissions in Malaysia

Rajasuriar R, Awang R, Hashim SB, Rahmat HR

Hum Exp Toxicol, 2007 Feb;26(2):73-81.
PMID: 17370864

We retrospectively reviewed poisoning admissions to all government health facilities from 1999 to 2001, in an effort to expand our current knowledge on poisoning in Malaysia to a level that better reflects a nationwide burden. There were 21 714 admissions reported with 779 deaths. The case-fatality rate was 35.88/1000 admissions. The majority of admissions (89.7%) and deaths (98.9%) occurred in adults. Some 55.1% of all admissions were female, mostly involving pharmaceutical agents. Male poisoning admissions were more often due to chemical substances. The prevalence of poisoning and death was highest among Indians compared to all other races in Malaysia. Overall, the majority of poisoning admissions were due to pharmaceutical agents, with agents classified as non-opioid analgesics, anti-pyretics and anti-rheumatics the most common. Pesticides accounted for the largest number of fatalities. It was also the commonest substance reported in cases of intentional self-harm. Most cases of poisoning admissions occurred due to accidental exposure (47%), followed by cases of intentional self-harm (20.7%). Overall, this study has managed to contribute substantial additional information regarding the epidemiology of poisoning in Malaysia, highlighting important issues, such as the rampant poisonings involving pesticides and analgesics, as well as the high prevalence of poisoning among Indians in Malaysia.

MeSH terms: Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data*; Hospitals, Public/statistics & numerical data; Humans; Malaysia/epidemiology; Pesticides/poisoning; Poisoning/epidemiology*; Solvents/poisoning; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions

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