In a study of Malaysians of different racial groups, 1,510 sera (908 from Malays, 371 from Chinese and 231 from Indians) were identified for their protease inhibitor (Pi) types. The gene frequencies for the alleles PiM, PiS and PiX in Malays were, respectively, 0.979, 0.015, and 0.007. In Chinese, the frequencies were 0.981, 0.019 and 0.000, and in Indians they were 0.976, 0.24, and 0.000. It is interesting that the usually rare PiX type is found in appreciable frequency in the Malays. Two different types with unusual behavior and obscure origin were also found.
The importance of self-care to improve health and social well-being is well recognised. Nevertheless, there remains a need to encourage people to better understand how their body works, and how to keep it healthy. Because of its important role, part of this understanding should be based on why the immune system must be supported. This highly complex system is essential for defending against pathogens, but also for maintaining health throughout the body by preserving homeostasis and integrity. Accordingly, the immune system requires active management for optimal functioning and to reduce the risk of chronic diseases. In addition to regular exercise, healthy sleeping patterns, cultivating mental resilience, adequate nutrition through healthy and diverse dietary habits is key to the daily support of immune function. Diet and the immune system are closely intertwined, and a poor diet will impair immunity and increase the risk of acute and chronic diseases. To help elucidate the roles of primary healthcare providers in supporting individuals to engage in self-care, an international group of experts reviewed the evidence for the roles of the immune system in maintaining health and for nutrition in daily immune support, and discussed implications for population health and clinical practice.
The Mi III phenotype of the Miltenberger subsystem (or GP Mur) is relatively common in Southeast Asia especially along the south-east coast lines of China and Taiwan. The term anti-"Mia" describes antibodies that react with the Mi III phenotype. Since the Peninsula Malaysian population is a multiethnic one with a significant proportion of Chinese, a study was conducted into the prevalence of anti-"Mia" in patients from its 3 major ethnic groups--Chinese, Malays and Indians, as well as the GP Mur phenotype in blood donors (healthy individuals). Blood samples from 33,716 patients (general and antenatal) were screened for anti-"Mia" from January 1999 to December 2000. The investigation for the GP Mur phenotype representing the corresponding sensitizing antigen complex was carried out in 655 blood donors. Serum anti-"Mia" antibody was found to be the third most commonly occurring antibody detected in our patients and was found in all the ethnic groups. The antibody was detected in 0.2% of 33,716 antenatal and general patients with a prevalence in Chinese of 0.3%, Malay 0.2% and Indian 0.2%. The detection of these antibodies in the ethnic groups other than the Chinese is a noteworthy finding as such information is not well documented. The GP Mur red cell phenotype was detected in 15/306 (4.9%) of Chinese blood donors, a lower prevalence than in Chinese populations in other countries in the region. More significant was its detection in the Malays (2.8%) and the Indians (3.0%). Because of the many reports of clinical problems associated with the "Mia" antibody including the causation of fetal hydrops and haemolytic transfusion reactions, it is warranted that the GP Mur red cells be included in screening panels for group and screen procedures in countries with a significant Asian population.
Serum ferritin and haemoglobin estimates were carried out on 78 first time blood donors with a view to determining iron store status. Of these 30 were Malays, 20 were Chinese and 28 were Indians. The ferritin level in Malay donors ranged from 16-160 mg/ml (mean 83 +/- 49.4 mg/ml in chinese donors is ranged from 36-500 mg/ml (mean 242.8 +/- 132 mg/ml), and in the Indian donors it ranged from 5 - 270 mg/ml (mean 94.6 +/- 67.9 mg/ml). The haemoglobin concentration for the whole group was 14.9 +/- 1.49 g/dl. There was no correlation of haemoglobin concentration with serum ferritin levels.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in the serum of 31 patients with histologically confirmed primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC) from Malaysia and Indonesia was quantitated by densitometric scanning of autoradiograms obtained by Southern blot DNA hybridization, after electrophoresis using a 32P DNA cloned into plasmid pBR325 as a probe. This quantitation after electrophoresis is more informative than the usual spot hybridization technique. Five of the 31 sera were positive for HBV DNA. Levels ranged between 1.36 pq and 143.18 pq per ml of serum, and the levels of HBsAg, anti-HBs, anti-HBc, HBeAg and anti-HBe in the serum were serologically determined. All five sera positive for HBV DNA were also positive for HBsAg. Three of the five positive for HBV DNA were positive for HBeAg and negative for anti-HBe. Two of the sera positive for HBV DNA were negative for HBeAg but positive for anti-HBe. All sera negative for HBV DNA were also negative for HBeAg. Many sera which were negative for HBV DNA and HBeAg were positive for HBsAg. Of the 31 sera from PHC patients, 23 had at least one HBV marker positive (74.2%).
The prevalence of coinfection, superinfection and chronic infection with the hepatitis delta virus (HDV) was studied in 324 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive Malaysians. Of these, 10.0% (5/50) had coinfection, 5.7% (11/194) had superinfection, but none of the 80 patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) or primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC) had chronic infection with HDV. The overall HDV infection was 4.9% (16/324). One of the coinfection cases acquired the HDV infection as early as 1982. HDV superinfection was detected mainly among IV drug abusers (20% or 7/35) and promiscuous males and females (13.6% or 3/22). They were all asymptomatic. Only 0.8% (1/125) apparently healthy blood donors was infected with HDV. None of the 12 multi-transfused patients examined were positive. Malaysia is the only Southeast Asian country examined so far in which HDV infection was detected. The reason could be that the IV drug abusers and the sexually promiscuous groups missed being examined in the other countries. Comparing the HDV infection rates in 4 categories of infected Malaysians (viz. acute hepatitis B patients, IV drug abusers, blood donors and CLD patients) with those of other countries, it was noted that the Malaysian rates were similar to the lowest in the range of prevalence rates of each category in the latter group. The rate of coinfection in a preliminary study in 1982-84 (9.0% or 1/11) was not very different from that obtained to date (10.0% or 5/50).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
110 normal, healthy adults were tested for antibody to hepatitis A (anti-HA) type IgG and 86 (78.2%) were found to be positive. An age-specific prevalence wasfound to be lowest in the lower agegroup and highest in the higher age-group. Out of 24 IgG positive individuals, only one was found to have type IgM. No significant difference in the incidence ofanti-HA type IgG was found between 42 patients in the Urology Unit, General Hospital, Kuala Lumpur and normal individuals (P > 0.1). 15 patients diagnosed as viral hepatitis were investigated for HA V IgG and IgM antibodies. 13 (86.7%) were positive for type IgG. Of this, only five (33%) were positive for the type IgM, suggesting that HA V is the cause of acute viral hepatitis in 33% of cases admitted to hospital as viral hepatitis.
A study of Kuala Lumpur blood donors for HBsAG, anti-HBc and DNA polymeraes showed that 5.5% in the sample population was positive for HBsAG, 50.1% for anti-HBc and 10.1% for DNA polymerase activity. There was no significant difference of the HBsAG among the Malay, Chinese and Indian groups. However, a significant difference was observed for the anti-HBc and DNA polymerase activity between the Indian and the Malay/Chinese groups. Both analysis were significantly lower in the Indians but there was no significant difference between the Chinese and the Malays.