Natural rubber from hevea brasiliensis trees (Thailand, RRIM 600 clone) of different age (8, 20, and 35 years) were characterized by size exclusion chromatography coupled with online viscometry according to their distribution of molar mass and branching index at a temperature of 70 degrees C using cyclohexane as solvent. Washing with an aqueous solution of sodium dodecylsulfate and subsequent saponification purified the natural rubber samples. With this procedure physical branching points caused by phospholipids, proteins and hydrophobic terminal units, mainly fatty acids, of the natural rubber (cis-1,4-polyisoprene) molecule, could be removed leading to completely soluble polymer samples. All samples investigated possess a very broad (10 to 50,000 kg/mol) and distinct bimodal molar mass distribution. With increasing age the peak area in the low molar mass region decreases favoring the peak area in the high molar mass region. By plotting the branching index as a function of the both, the molar mass and the age of the trees.
Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has progressed rapidly since its introduction about five decades ago. There is now an increasing demand for transplant physicians in both public and private domains to perform this procedure in view of significant improvement of remission rates in haematological malignancies and increasing indications of HSCT. Peripheral blood has largely replaced bone marrow as the preferred source of haematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Transplantation-related mortality and morbidity rates have considerably decreased because of improved conditioning regimens, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing methods, supportive care, and most importantly, prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment of serious infections. New transplantation strategies, such as reduced intensity transplantation, have extended the use of allogeneic transplant to patients with older age and co-morbidities. Current efforts are focused on ways to increase the donor pool and to improve the long term outcome of HSCT survivors in particular to reduce the relapse rate and the late effects of HSCT. This article summarizes the sources and procurement of HSC, the types and process of HSCT, indications for HSCT and complications associated with HSCT with particular reference to the current practice within the local settings.
This study describes the prevalence of selected cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors screened in patients 30 years and above attending a health centre in Cheras, Selangor. The study involved 3772 patients screened from March 2002 to June 2008. Risk factors screened included blood pressure, height, weight, serum total cholesterol, random blood sugar levels and smoking status. Majority of respondents were between 40 and 49 years of age (58.1%), males (64.7%) and ethnic Malays (74.4%). About two thirds (62.6%) were found to be overweight or obese, two fifths (40.2%) had hypercholesterolemia, a third (34.2%) had hypertension and 31.6% were smokers at some time. Overall 87% and 60% had at least one and two CVD risk factors respectively. Prevalence of four of the five risk factors screened was highest among the Malay middle aged men and lowest among the Chinese. Thus a substantial proportion of middle aged men were at high risk of CVD. Our findings show the need for ongoing monitoring of CVD risk factors and implementation of effective preventive strategies.
Despite their proven value in reducing morbidity and mortality in different grades of heart failure, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors continue to be underused. One reason for this is clinicians' apprehension of first-dose hypotension. We conducted a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled parallel group study to investigate the effect of various ACE inhibitors on first-dose hypotension. Eighty unselected patients were randomised into five treatment groups: placebo, captopril 6.25 mg, enalapril 2.5 mg, perindopril 2 mg and lisinopril 2.5 mg. Blood pressure was measured at baseline, half hourly for two hours and hourly for three hours after drug treatment. The maximum drops in mean arterial pressure (in mmHg +/- SD) were placebo 5.89 +/- 2.65, perindopril 5.29 +/- 2.49, enalapril 13.28 +/- 3.31, lisinopril 15.04 +/- 5.74 and captopril 16.76 +/- 5.74 (all p < 0.05 vs placebo except for perindopril). Perindopril, unlike the other ACE inhibitors studied, did not produce first-dose hypotension following its initiation in patients with congestive heart failure.
Carcinoma of the biliary tract is a rare complication of choledochal cysts. Furthermore, the greater predisposition of the cyst wall to neoplastic change has been cited as additional justification for cyst excision rather than on-site internal drainage as the primary choice of operation. The report concerns a patient who developed cholangiocarcinoma despite excision of a choledochal cyst and presented with symptoms of biliary obstruction within one year of the operation. Although this is a rare complication, the need for careful long-term follow-up is supported by this observation.
Osteomyelitis in children has various clinical manifestations causing diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties. Inappropriate treatment of acute osteomyelitis may lead to chronic, serious and complicated condition. Chronic osteomyelitis continues to be a major cause of morbidity and disability in children living in developing countries. We present three cases of tibial osteomyelitis that have different presentations and sequalae. Our intention is to alert our colleagues, particularly primary physicians, regarding the variety of presentation and the important of early diagnosis and treatment to reduce the risk of morbidity following osteomyelitis.
A case is presented to illustrate the difficulties
encountered in the clinical diagnosis of an intraocular mass. The fundus was not visible ophthalmoscopically because of opaque media. The anterior surface of the iris showed three discrete hyperpigmented nodular patches. Ultrasound showed an intraocular mass occupying half the posterior segment. The eye did not have useful vision and was enucleated after a clinical diagnosis of malignant melanoma of the choroid was made. The eye did not contain a melanoma but an organised blood clot after an extensive vitreous haemorrhage because of systemic hypertension.
Dengue shock syndrome (DSS) is a potentially critical and life-threatening concern, especially in children of tropical countries. The serum cortisol levels in severe DSS or later stages of DSS are limited references. We prospectively studied an association between of serum cortisol as well as interleukin levels and the severity of DSS in pediatric patients. A prospective cross-sectional study of 35 consecutive DSS cases (3 months to 16 years old) admitted to our institution from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020 was conducted. Serum cortisol, IL-6, and IL-10 were measured at T0 (shock recognition) and T12 (12 hours after T0); their values were presented as median and interquartile ranges (25%-75%). Severe DSS included patients with impalpable pulses or systolic blood pressure < 70 mmHg, recurrent shock, and prolonged shock. In contrast, non-severe DSS presented circulatory failure without any features of severe DSS. A total of 8 (22.8%) severe DSS patients expressed the cortisol (T0) significantly lower compared to the non-severe DSS group (7.3 μg/dl versus 14.3 μg/dl, p=0.008). In severe DSS, there was a minimal change in cortisol levels between T0 and T12 (7.3 μg/dl and 4.7 μg/dl p>0.05), whereas the decrease is significant in their counterparts (14.3 μg/dl to 5.6 μg/dl, p<0.005). Additionally, there were moderate correlations between IL-6 (T0), IL-10 (T0), IL-10 (T12) and total fluid requirement (Spearman's rho = 0.47, 0.4, and 0.36, respectively; p<0.05). Our study demonstrated that adrenal dysfunction was present in patients with severe and non-severe DSS, as noted by cortisol level at T12. In addition, IL-6 and IL-10 levels are correlated with the total fluid requirement, which is a marker of DSS severity. Further studies could reveal how adrenal dysfunction in pediatric patients with DSS can affect outcomes and the potential roles of interleukin levels in fluid management strategy.
This study describe the reproductive biological characteristics and population parameters of the goby, Pseudapocryptes elongatus (Cuvier, 1816), in the coastal mud flat areas of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. A total of 1058 specimens was collected from January 2004 to June 2005 and results showed that the breeding season occurred with two spawning peaks in July and October. Length at first maturity (L(m)) was 15.4 and 16.3 cm for females and males, respectively. The batch fecundity estimates ranged from 2,652 to 29,406 hydrated oocytes per ovary in the fish ranging from 12.8 to 22.4 cm TL. Length frequency data of the goby ranging from 9.0 to 24.0 cm TL were analyzed using the FiSAT II software. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters were determined as L8 = 25.9 cm, K = 0.66 year(-1) and t(o) = - 0.26 year(-1). The longevity (t(max)) of the goby was estimated to be 4.55 years. There were two recruitment peaks with very different magnitudes and the means of these two peaks were separated by an interval of 5 months. Length at first capture (L(c)) was 10.05 cm, the instantaneous fishing mortality rate (F = 1.38 year(-1)) and natural mortality rate (M = 1.46 year(-1)) accounted for 49 and 51% of the total mortality (Z = 2.84 year(-1)), respectively. Relative yield-per-recruit and biomass-per-recruit analyses gave E(max) = 0.65, E0.1 = 0.55 and E0.5 = 0.33. Results show that the fish stock is subjected to growth overexploitation.
A phylogenetic analysis of VP1 and VP4 nucleotide sequences of 52 recent CVA16 strains demonstrated two distinct CVA16 genogroups, A and B, with the prototype strain being the only member of genogroup A. CVA16 G-10, the prototype strain, showed a nucleotide difference of 27.7-30.2% and 19.9-25.2% in VP1 and VP4, respectively, in relation to other CVA16 strains, which formed two separate lineages in genogroup B with nucleotide variation of less than 13.4% and less than 16.3% in VP1 and VP4, respectively. Lineage 1 strains circulating before 2000 were later displaced by lineage 2 strains.
Besides traditional chemical stabilizers, polymer emulsion that is considered as a nontraditional
chemical stabilizer had been introduced recently. Among polymer emulsions, Canlite and
Probase have been widely used for soil stabilization. The aim of this paper is to investigate the
effectiveness of Laterite soil stabilization treated by Canlite-liquid and Probase-liquid soil stabilizers.
A testing program, scheduled to achieve the overall objectives of this study was conducted to
determine the basic properties of Laterite soil, establish the relationship between the compaction
characteristics (maximum dry density and optimum moisture content) with the amount of polymer
emulsion and last but not least to compare the strength of the Canlite-treated and Probase-treated
Laterite soil. The effects of both polymer soil stabilizers – Canlite and Probase – were examined. The
optimum moisture content of the mixtures was used as a reference to determine the water content for
the preparation of all the specimens and later used in the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) test.
The laboratory test results showed that the additional amount of Canlite and Probase have improved
the physical properties, liquid limit and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the Laterite soil.
The compressive strength of the treated Laterite was found varied and depends on the type of
stabilizers, quantity of additives and curing time. From the UCS tests, it was found that Probase
improves the strength of the Laterite more than Canlite.
This study is a result of an analysis of free and conjugated phytoestrogens daidzein, genistein, daidzin, genistin and coumesterol in human cord blood plasma using LCMS. Cord blood was collected from urban and rural populations of Malaysia (n=300) to establish a simple preliminary database on the levels of the analyzed compounds in the collected samples. The study also aimed to look at the levels of phytoestrogens in babies during birth as this may have a profound effect on the developmental process. The sample clean up was carried out by solid-phase extraction using C18 column and passed through DEAE sephadex gel before analysis by LCMS. The mean concentrations of total phytoestrogens were daidzein (1.4+/-2.9 ng/ml), genistein (3.7+/-2.8 ng/ml), daidzin (3.5+/-3.1 ng/ml), genistin (19.5+/-4.2 ng/ml) and coumesterol (3.3+/-3.3 ng/ml). Distribution of phytoestrogen was found to be higher in samples collected from rural areas compared to that of urban areas.