Browse publications by year: 2014

Fulltext Trichodermaerin: a diterpene lactone from Trichoderma asperellum

Chantrapromma S, Jeerapong C, Phupong W, Quah CK, Fun HK

Acta Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online, 2014 Apr 1;70(Pt 4):o408-9.
PMID: 24826124 DOI: 10.1107/S1600536814004632

The title compound, C20H28O3, known as 'trichodermaerin' [systematic name: (4E)-4,9,15,16,16-penta-methyl-6-oxa-tetra-cyclo-[10.3.1.0(1,10).0(5,9)]hexa-dec-4-ene-7,13-dione], is a diterpene lactone which was isolated from Trichoderma asperellum. The structure has a tetra-cycic 6-5-7-5 ring system, with the cyclo-hexa-none ring adopting a twisted half-chair conformation and the cyclo-pentane ring adopting a half-chair conformation, whereas the cyclo-heptene and tetra-hydro-furan-anone rings are in chair and envelope (with the methyl-substituted C atom as the flap) conformations, respectively. The three-dimensional architecture is stabilized by C-H⋯O inter-actions.
Fulltext The effects of suction and pin/lock suspension systems on transtibial amputees' gait performance

Gholizadeh H, Abu Osman NA, Eshraghi A, Ali S

PLoS One, 2014;9(5):e94520.
PMID: 24827560 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0094520

The suction sockets that are commonly prescribed for transtibial amputees are believed to provide a better suspension than the pin/lock systems. Nevertheless, their effect on amputees' gait performance has not yet been fully investigated. The main intention of this study was to understand the potential effects of the Seal-in (suction) and the Dermo (pin/lock) suspension systems on amputees' gait performance.

MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Amputees/psychology; Amputees/rehabilitation*; Artificial Limbs/psychology*; Biomechanical Phenomena; Gait/physiology*; Humans; Leg/surgery; Leg Injuries/rehabilitation*; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Prosthesis Design/instrumentation; Prosthesis Design/psychology*; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tibia/injuries; Tibia/surgery; Walking/physiology; Walking/psychology; Patient Satisfaction; Spatio-Temporal Analysis
Fulltext Effect of Muslim prayer (Salat) on α electroencephalography and its relationship with autonomic nervous system activity

Doufesh H, Ibrahim F, Ismail NA, Wan Ahmad WA

J Altern Complement Med, 2014 Jul;20(7):558-62.
PMID: 24827587 DOI: 10.1089/acm.2013.0426

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the effect of Muslim prayer (salat) on the α relative power (RPα) of electroencephalography (EEG) and autonomic nervous activity and the relationship between them by using spectral analysis of EEG and heart rate variability (HRV).
METHODS: Thirty healthy Muslim men participated in the study. Their electrocardiograms and EEGs were continuously recorded before, during, and after salat practice with a computer-based data acquisition system (MP150, BIOPAC Systems Inc., Camino Goleta, California). Power spectral analysis was conducted to extract the RPα and HRV components.
RESULTS: During salat, a significant increase (p

MeSH terms: Adult; Alpha Rhythm/physiology*; Electroencephalography; Heart Rate/physiology*; Humans; Islam*; Male; Religion and Medicine; Young Adult
Clostridium perfringens surgical site infection after osteotomy for knee deformity correction in a non-immunocompromised child

Abd Rashid AH, Ramli R, Ibrahim S

Surg Infect (Larchmt), 2014 Oct;15(5):656-8.
PMID: 24828080 DOI: 10.1089/sur.2012.192

Clostridium perfringens myonecrosis following an elective surgical procedure in a previously healthy child is a rare incident.

MeSH terms: Child, Preschool; Clostridium Infections/etiology*; Clostridium perfringens/isolation & purification*; Humans; Knee/abnormalities; Knee/surgery*; Male; Osteotomy/adverse effects*; Surgical Wound Infection/microbiology*
Fulltext Engineering the lactococcal mevalonate pathway for increased sesquiterpene production

Song AA, Abdullah JO, Abdullah MP, Shafee N, Othman R, Noor NM, et al.

FEMS Microbiol Lett, 2014 Jun;355(2):177-84.
PMID: 24828482 DOI: 10.1111/1574-6968.12469

Isoprenoids are a large, diverse group of secondary metabolites which has recently raised a renewed research interest due to genetic engineering advances, allowing specific isoprenoids to be produced and characterized in heterologous hosts. Many researches on metabolic engineering of heterologous hosts for increased isoprenoid production are focussed on Escherichia coli and yeasts. E. coli, as most prokaryotes, use the 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) pathway for isoprenoid production. Yeasts on the other hand, use the mevalonate pathway which is commonly found in eukaryotes. However, Lactococcus lactis is an attractive alternative host for heterologous isoprenoid production. Apart from being food-grade, this Gram-positive prokaryote uses the mevalonate pathway for isoprenoid production instead of the MEP pathway. Previous studies have shown that L. lactis is able to produce sesquiterpenes through heterologous expression of plant sesquiterpene synthases. In this work, we analysed the gene expression of the lactococcal mevalonate pathway through RT-qPCR to successfully engineer L. lactis as an efficient host for isoprenoid production. We then overexpressed the mvk gene singly or co-expressed with the mvaA gene as an attempt to increase β-sesquiphellandrene production in L. lactis. It was observed that co-expression of mvk with mvaA doubled the amount of β-sesquiphellandrene produced.

MeSH terms: Cloning, Molecular; Culture Media/chemistry; Erythritol/analogs & derivatives; Erythritol/metabolism; Escherichia coli/genetics; Genetic Engineering/methods*; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Mevalonic Acid/metabolism*; Plasmids/genetics; RNA, Bacterial/genetics; Sesquiterpenes/metabolism*; Lactococcus lactis/genetics*; Lactococcus lactis/metabolism; Sugar Phosphates/metabolism; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial*
Black hairy tongue in older edentulous individuals

Kannan S, Muthusamy S, Chandrasekaran B, Gopal D, Sidhu P

J Am Geriatr Soc, 2014 May;62(5):992-4.
PMID: 24828937 DOI: 10.1111/jgs.12813
MeSH terms: Aged; Diagnosis, Differential; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mouth, Edentulous/complications*; Mouth, Edentulous/diagnosis; Tongue, Hairy/complications; Tongue, Hairy/diagnosis*
A case series of α-thalassemia intermedia due to compound heterozygosity for Hb Adana [HBA2: c179G>A (or HBA1); p.Gly60Asp] with other α-thalassemias in Malay families

Alauddin H, Jaapar NA, Azma RZ, Ithnin A, Razak NF, Loh CK, et al.

Hemoglobin, 2014;38(4):277-81.
PMID: 24829075 DOI: 10.3109/03630269.2014.916720

Hb Adana [HBA2: c179G>A (or HBA1); p.Gly60Asp] is a rare hemoglobin (Hb) variant due to a mutation at codon 59 of the α2- or α1-globin gene resulting in a glycine to aspartic acid substitution. Two siblings with a unique coinheritance of Hb Adana and Hb Constant Spring (Hb CS, α142, Term→Gln, TAA>CAA; HBA2: c.427 T>C) (α(codon 59)α/α(CS)α), were compared phenotypically with another two siblings carrying the Hb Adana mutation and a 3.7 kb deletion (α(codon 59)α/-α(3.7)). Although they all had α-thalassemia intermedia (α-TI), the former were clinically more severe than the latter. The first pair of siblings presented at a much younger age than the second pair and showed lower Hb levels and significant extramedullay hemopoiesis. Another case of a hydropic fetus as a result of Hb H/Hb Adana is also described. Their clinical phenotypes and hematological parameters are all presented for comparison.

MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; Alleles; Child; Female; Hemoglobins, Abnormal/genetics*; Heterozygote*; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Pedigree; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; alpha-Thalassemia/blood; alpha-Thalassemia/diagnosis; alpha-Thalassemia/genetics*; Amino Acid Substitution; Siblings; Young Adult
Detergency stability and particle characterization of phosphate-free spray dried detergent powders incorporated with palm C16 methyl ester sulfonate (C16MES)

Siwayanan P, Aziz R, Bakar NA, Ya H, Jokiman R, Chelliapan S

J Oleo Sci, 2014;63(6):585-92.
PMID: 24829132

Phosphate-free spray dried detergent powders (SDDP) comprising binary anionic surfactants of palm C16 methyl ester sulfonate (C16MES) and linear alkyl benzene sulfonic acid (LABSA) were produced using a 5 kg/h-capacity co-current pilot spray dryer (CSD). Six phosphate-free detergent (PFD) formulations comprising C16MES/LABSA in various ratios under pH 7-8 were studied. Three PFD formulations having C16MES/LABSA in respective ratios of 0:100 (control), 20:80 and 40:60 ratios were selected for further evaluation based on their optimum detergent slurry concentrations. The resulting SDDP from these formulations were analysed for its detergency stability (over nine months of storage period) and particle characteristics. C16MES/LABSA of 40:60 ratio was selected as the ideal PFD formulation since its resulting SDDP has consistent detergency stability (variation of 2.3% in detergency/active over nine months storage period), excellent bulk density (0.37 kg/L), fine particle size at 50% cumulative volume percentage (D50 of 60.48 μm), high coefficient of particle size uniformity (D60/D10 of 3.86) and large spread of equivalent particle diameters. In terms of surface morphology, the SDDP of the ideal formulation were found to have regular hollow particles with smooth spherical surfaces. Although SDDP of the ideal formulation have excellent characteristics, but in terms of flowability, these powders were classified as slightly less free flowing (Hausner ratio of 1.27 and Carr's index of 21.3).

MeSH terms: Alkanesulfonates/chemistry*; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; Detergents/chemical synthesis*; Drug Stability; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Particle Size*; Phosphates; Powders; Surface-Active Agents/chemistry*; Alkanesulfonic Acids/chemistry; Physicochemical Phenomena
Feature extraction using Hough transform for solid waste bin level detection and classification

Hannan MA, Zaila WA, Arebey M, Begum RA, Basri H

Environ Monit Assess, 2014 Sep;186(9):5381-91.
PMID: 24829160 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-014-3786-6

This paper deals with the solid waste image detection and classification to detect and classify the solid waste bin level. To do so, Hough transform techniques is used for feature extraction to identify the line detection based on image's gradient field. The feedforward neural network (FFNN) model is used to classify the level content of solid waste based on learning concept. Numbers of training have been performed using FFNN to learn and match the targets of the testing images to compute the sum squared error with the performance goal met. The images for each class are used as input samples for classification. Result from the neural network and the rules decision are used to build the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) graph. Decision graph shows the performance of the system waste system based on area under curve (AUC), WS-class reached 0.9875 for excellent result and WS-grade reached 0.8293 for good result. The system has been successfully designated with the motivation of solid waste bin monitoring system that can applied to a wide variety of local municipal authorities system.

MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring; Refuse Disposal/methods*; ROC Curve; Neural Networks (Computer)*; Solid Waste/analysis*; Solid Waste/classification
Fulltext The use of hemodialysis in refractory hypercalcemia secondary to parathyroid carcinoma

Loh HH, Mohd Noor N

Case Rep Crit Care, 2014;2014:140906.
PMID: 24829837 DOI: 10.1155/2014/140906

Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare cause of hypercalcemia. Hypercalcemic crisis is a medical emergency. Hemodialysis is rarely needed to treat hypercalcaemia. We report a case of refractory hypercalcaemia secondary to parathyroid carcinoma requiring haemodialysis.
Differences in psychiatric symptoms among Asian patients with depression: a multi-country cross-sectional study

Sulaiman AH, Bautista D, Liu CY, Udomratn P, Bae JN, Fang Y, et al.

Psychiatry Clin Neurosci, 2014 Apr;68(4):245-54.
PMID: 24829935

The aim of this study was to compare the symptomatic and clinical features of depression among five groups of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) living in China, Korea, Malaysia/Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.

MeSH terms: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Depression/diagnosis*; Depression/psychology; Depressive Disorder/diagnosis*; Depressive Disorder/psychology; Far East; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Severity of Illness Index; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/psychology*; Young Adult; Self Report
Fulltext Synthesis of a nano-silver metal ink for use in thick conductive film fabrication applied on a semiconductor package

Yung LC, Fei CC, Mandeep J, Binti Abdullah H, Wee LK

PLoS One, 2014;9(5):e97484.
PMID: 24830317 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0097484

The success of printing technology in the electronics industry primarily depends on the availability of metal printing ink. Various types of commercially available metal ink are widely used in different industries such as the solar cell, radio frequency identification (RFID) and light emitting diode (LED) industries, with limited usage in semiconductor packaging. The use of printed ink in semiconductor IC packaging is limited by several factors such as poor electrical performance and mechanical strength. Poor adhesion of the printed metal track to the epoxy molding compound is another critical factor that has caused a decline in interest in the application of printing technology to the semiconductor industry. In this study, two different groups of adhesion promoters, based on metal and polymer groups, were used to promote adhesion between the printed ink and the epoxy molding substrate. The experimental data show that silver ink with a metal oxide adhesion promoter adheres better than silver ink with a polymer adhesion promoter. This result can be explained by the hydroxyl bonding between the metal oxide promoter and the silane grouping agent on the epoxy substrate, which contributes a greater adhesion strength compared to the polymer adhesion promoter. Hypotheses of the physical and chemical functions of both adhesion promoters are described in detail.

MeSH terms: Electronics; Ink*; Metals/chemistry; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Oxides/chemistry; Polymers; Powders; Semiconductors*; Silanes/chemistry; Solvents; Surface Properties; Temperature; Silver Compounds/chemistry*; Metal Nanoparticles/chemistry*
Weighted voting-based consensus clustering for chemical structure databases

Saeed F, Ahmed A, Shamsir MS, Salim N

J Comput Aided Mol Des, 2014 Jun;28(6):675-84.
PMID: 24830925 DOI: 10.1007/s10822-014-9750-2

The cluster-based compound selection is used in the lead identification process of drug discovery and design. Many clustering methods have been used for chemical databases, but there is no clustering method that can obtain the best results under all circumstances. However, little attention has been focused on the use of combination methods for chemical structure clustering, which is known as consensus clustering. Recently, consensus clustering has been used in many areas including bioinformatics, machine learning and information theory. This process can improve the robustness, stability, consistency and novelty of clustering. For chemical databases, different consensus clustering methods have been used including the co-association matrix-based, graph-based, hypergraph-based and voting-based methods. In this paper, a weighted cumulative voting-based aggregation algorithm (W-CVAA) was developed. The MDL Drug Data Report (MDDR) benchmark chemical dataset was used in the experiments and represented by the AlogP and ECPF_4 descriptors. The results from the clustering methods were evaluated by the ability of the clustering to separate biologically active molecules in each cluster from inactive ones using different criteria, and the effectiveness of the consensus clustering was compared to that of Ward's method, which is the current standard clustering method in chemoinformatics. This study indicated that weighted voting-based consensus clustering can overcome the limitations of the existing voting-based methods and improve the effectiveness of combining multiple clusterings of chemical structures.

MeSH terms: Algorithms; Artificial Intelligence; Cluster Analysis*; Drug Discovery*; Databases, Pharmaceutical*
Antimicrobial and in vitro wound healing properties of novel clay based bionanocomposite films

Mishra RK, Ramasamy K, Lim SM, Ismail MF, Majeed AB

J Mater Sci Mater Med, 2014 Aug;25(8):1925-39.
PMID: 24831081 DOI: 10.1007/s10856-014-5228-y

The present study investigates the development of methyl cellulose (MC)-sodium alginate (SA)-montmorillonite (MMT) clay based bionanocomposite films with interesting wound healing properties. The differential scanning calorimetry analysis of the composite films revealed presence of single glass transition temperature (Tg) confirming the miscible nature of the ternary blended films. The increase in MMT ratio in the composite films reduced the mobility of biopolymer chains (MC/SA) which increased the Tg of the film. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that dispersion of clay (MMT) at nano level significantly delayed the weight loss that correlated with higher thermal stability of the composite films. It was observed that the developed films were able to exhibit antimicrobial activity against four typical pathogenic bacteria found in the presence of wound. The developed films were able to significantly inhibit (10 mg/ml) the growth of Enterococcus faecium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In vitro scratch assay indicated potential wound closure activities of MC-2-4 bionanocomposite films at their respective highest subtoxic doses. In conclusion, these ternary bionanocomposite films were found to be promising systems for wound healing applications.

MeSH terms: Aluminum Silicates*; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology*; Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; Cells, Cultured; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Microscopy, Electron; Pseudomonas aeruginosa/drug effects; Thermogravimetry; Wound Healing*; Enterococcus faecium/drug effects; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Nanocomposites*; In Vitro Techniques
Motorcycles entering from access points and merging with traffic on primary roads in Malaysia: behavioral and road environment influence on the occurrence of traffic conflicts

Abdul Manan MM

Accid Anal Prev, 2014 Sep;70:301-13.
PMID: 24831271 DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2014.04.009

This paper uses data from an observational study, conducted at access points in straight sections of primary roads in Malaysia in 2012, to investigate the effects of motorcyclists' behavior and road environment attributes on the occurrence of serious traffic conflicts involving motorcyclists entering primary roads via access points. In order to handle the unobserved heterogeneity in the small sample data size, this study applies mixed effects logistic regression with multilevel bootstrapping. Two statistically significant models (Model 2 and Model 3) are produced, with 2 levels of random effect parameters, i.e. motorcyclists' attributes and behavior at Level 1, and road environment attributes at Level 2. Among all the road environment attributes tested, the traffic volume and the speed limit are found to be statistically significant, only contributing to 26-29% of the variations affecting the traffic conflict outcome. The implication is that 71-74% of the unmeasured or undescribed attributes and behavior of motorcyclists still have an importance in predicting the outcome: a serious traffic conflict. As for the fixed effect parameters, both models show that the risk of motorcyclists being involved in a serious traffic conflict is 2-4 times more likely if they accept a shorter gap to a single approaching vehicle (time lag <4s) and in between two vehicles (time gap <4s) when entering the primary road from the access point. A road environment factor, such as a narrow lane (seen in Model 2), and a behavioral factor, such as stopping at the stop line (seen in Model 3), also influence the occurrence of a serious traffic conflict compared to those entering into a wider lane road and without stopping at the stop line, respectively. A discussion of the possible reasons for this seemingly strange result, including a recommendation for further research, concludes the paper.

MeSH terms: Accidents, Traffic/prevention & control*; Accidents, Traffic/psychology; Accidents, Traffic/statistics & numerical data; Automobile Driving/psychology*; Environment Design*; Humans; Malaysia; Motorcycles*; Logistic Models
Fulltext COGNAC: a web server for searching and annotating hydrogen-bonded base interactions in RNA three-dimensional structures

Firdaus-Raih M, Hamdani HY, Nadzirin N, Ramlan EI, Willett P, Artymiuk PJ

Nucleic Acids Res, 2014 Jul;42(Web Server issue):W382-8.
PMID: 24831543 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gku438

Hydrogen bonds are crucial factors that stabilize a complex ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecule's three-dimensional (3D) structure. Minute conformational changes can result in variations in the hydrogen bond interactions in a particular structure. Furthermore, networks of hydrogen bonds, especially those found in tight clusters, may be important elements in structure stabilization or function and can therefore be regarded as potential tertiary motifs. In this paper, we describe a graph theoretical algorithm implemented as a web server that is able to search for unbroken networks of hydrogen-bonded base interactions and thus provide an accounting of such interactions in RNA 3D structures. This server, COGNAC (COnnection tables Graphs for Nucleic ACids), is also able to compare the hydrogen bond networks between two structures and from such annotations enable the mapping of atomic level differences that may have resulted from conformational changes due to mutations or binding events. The COGNAC server can be accessed at http://mfrlab.org/grafss/cognac.

MeSH terms: Hydrogen Bonding; Nucleic Acid Conformation; RNA/chemistry*; Software*; Internet; Molecular Sequence Annotation
Are the spatio-temporal parameters of gait capable of distinguishing a faller from a non-faller elderly?

Mortaza N, Abu Osman NA, Mehdikhani N

Eur J Phys Rehabil Med, 2014 Dec;50(6):677-91.
PMID: 24831570

Fall is a common and a major cause of injuries. It is important to find elderlies who are prone to falls. The majority of serious falls occur during walking among the older adults. Analyzing the spatio-temporal parameters of walking is an easy way of assessment in the clinical setting, but is it capable of distinguishing a faller from a non-faller elderly? Through a systematic review of the literature, the objective of this systematic review was to identify and summarize the differences in the spatio-temporal parameters of walking in elderly fallers and non-fallers and to find out if these parameters are capable of distinguishing a faller from a non-faller. All original research articles which compared any special or temporal walking parameters in faller and non-faller elderlies were systematically searched within the Scopus and Embase databases. Effect size analysis was also done to standardize findings and compare the gait parameters of fallers and non-fallers across the selected studies. The electronic search led to 5381 articles. After title and abstract screening 30 articles were chosen; further assessment of the full texts led to 17 eligible articles for inclusion in the review. It seems that temporal measurements are more sensitive to the detection of risk of fall in elderly people. The results of the 17 selected studies showed that fallers have a tendency toward a slower walking speed and cadence, longer stride time, and double support duration. Also, fallers showed shorter stride and step length, wider step width and more variability in spatio-temporal parameters of gait. According to the effect size analysis, step length, gait speed, stride length and stance time variability were respectively more capable of differentiating faller from non-faller elderlies. However, because of the difference of methodology and number of studies which investigated each parameter, these results are prone to imprecision. Spatio-temporal analysis of level walking is not sufficient and cannot act as a reliable predictor of falls in elderly individuals.

MeSH terms: Accidental Falls/economics; Accidental Falls/prevention & control; Accidental Falls/statistics & numerical data*; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Postural Balance/physiology*; Female; Gait/physiology*; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Walking/physiology*; Databases, Bibliographic; Risk Assessment/methods; Spatio-Temporal Analysis
New method for the isolation of endothelial cells from large vessels

Ataollahi F, Pingguan-Murphy B, Moradi A, Wan Abas WA, Chua KH, Abu Osman NA

Cytotherapy, 2014 Aug;16(8):1145-52.
PMID: 24831838 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2014.01.010

Numerous protocols for the isolation of bovine aortic endothelial cells have been described in the previous literature. However, these protocols prevent researchers from obtaining the pure population of endothelial cells. Thus, this study aimed to develop a new and economical method for the isolation of pure endothelial cells by introducing a new strategy to the enzymatic digestion method proposed by previous researchers.

MeSH terms: Animals; Aorta/cytology*; Cattle; Cell Separation; Endothelium, Vascular/cytology*; Fibroblasts/cytology; Flow Cytometry; Cell Culture Techniques/methods*; Endothelial Cells/cytology*
Fulltext Laboratory-confirmed case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in Malaysia: preparedness and response, April 2014

Premila Devi J, Noraini W, Norhayati R, Chee Kheong C, Badrul AS, Zainah S, et al.

Euro Surveill, 2014 May 08;19(18).
PMID: 24832116

On 14 April 2014, the first laboratory-confirmed case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection was reported in Malaysia in a man in his mid-fifties, who developed pneumonia with respiratory distress, after returning from a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. The case succumbed to his illness three days after admission at a local hospital. The follow-up of 199 close contacts identified through contact tracing and vigilant surveillance did not result in detecting any other confirmed cases of MERS-CoV infection.

MeSH terms: Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use; Communicable Disease Control; Humans; Malaysia; Middle Aged; Population Surveillance; Respiratory Tract Infections/diagnosis*; Respiratory Tract Infections/drug therapy; Respiratory Tract Infections/virology; Saudi Arabia; Syndrome; Travel; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Contact Tracing*; Fatal Outcome; Coronavirus/genetics*; Coronavirus/isolation & purification; Coronavirus Infections/diagnosis*; Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy; Coronavirus Infections/virology; Disease Notification; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Oseltamivir/therapeutic use
Two new species of Quasithelazia Maplestone, 1932 (Nematoda: Acuariidae) from Malaysia, with an amended diagnosis and review of the genus

Mutafchiev Y, Mariaux J, Georgiev BB

Syst Parasitol, 2014 Jun;88(2):103-17.
PMID: 24832183 DOI: 10.1007/s11230-014-9483-6

Quazithelazia rostrata n. sp. from Ceyx erithaca (L.) (type-host) and Alcedo euryzona Temminck (Coraciiformes, Alcedinidae) and Q. alata n. sp. from Enicurus ruficapillus Temminck (Passeriformes, Muscicapidae) are described from vicinities of Gombak Biological Station, Selangor, Malaysia; both species are parasitic under the koilin lining of the gizzard. Paratypes of Schistogendra pelargopsis Nandi, De & Majumdar, 1985, a parasite of Pelargopsis capensis (L.) (Alcedinidae) from India, are redescribed and the species is recognised as a junior synonym of the type-species of Quasithelazia, Q. tenuis Maplestone, 1932 (new synonymy), a species originally described from Halcyon smyrnensis (L.) (Alcedinidae) in India. An amended diagnosis of the genus Quasithelazia Maplestone, 1932 is proposed. Currently, this genus includes eight species occurring in the Old World, six of them parasitic in kingfishers (Alcedinidae) and two species parasitic in flycatchers (Muscicapidae). These include, inter alia, Q. halcyoni n. comb. for Viktorocara halcyoni Ryzhikov & Khokhlova, 1964 from Halcyon smyrnensis and H. pileata (Boddaert) in Vietnam and the Russian Far East, Q. microcordonis n. comb. for Rusguniella microcordonis Schmidt & Kuntz, 1971 from Halcyon coromanda major (Temminck & Schlegel) in Taiwan and Q. multipapillata n. comb. for Schistogendra multipapillata Zhang, 1993 from Tarsiger cyanurus (Pallas) (Muscicapidae) in China. Comparative morphological data for Quasithelazia spp. are presented. Schistogendra oligopapillata Zhang & An, 2002 from domestic ducks in China is considered a species incertae sedis.

MeSH terms: Animals; Birds/parasitology*; Female; Malaysia; Male; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Nematoda/classification*; Nematoda/ultrastructure*; Species Specificity

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