Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 47 in total

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  1. Salehuddin AR, Haslan H, Mamikutty N, Zaidun NH, Azmi MF, Senin MM, et al.
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2017 Mar;10(3):211-219.
    PMID: 28442104 DOI: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2017.03.002
    Zika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that represents a public health emergency at the ongoing epidemic. Previously, this rare virus was limited to sporadic cases in Africa and Asia until its emergence in Brazil, South America in 2015, where it rapidly spread throughout the world. Recently, a high number of cases were reported in Singapore and other Southeast Asia countries. A combination of factors explains the current Zika virus outbreak although it is highly likely that the changes in the climate and high frequency of travelling contribute to the spread of Aedes vector carrying the Zika virus mainly to the tropical climate countries such as the Southeast Asia. The Zika virus is known to cause mild clinical symptoms similar to those of dengue and chikungunya and transmitted by different species of Aedes mosquitoes. However, neurological complications such as Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults, and congenital anomalies, including microcephaly in babies born to infected mothers, raised a serious concern. Currently, there is no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine available for Zika virus infection. Therefore, international public health response is primarily focused on preventing infection, particularly in pregnant women, and on providing up-to-date recommendations to reduce the risk of non-vector transmission of Zika virus.
  2. Mia MS, Begum RA, Er AC, Abidin RD, Pereira JJ
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2013 Jun;6(6):462-6.
    PMID: 23711707 DOI: 10.1016/S1995-7645(13)60075-9
    OBJECTIVE: To analyze trends of dengue incidences and deaths in Malaysia from 2000 to 2010 as well as the predominant dengue virus serotypes during the last decade.

    METHODS: We used the national data on annual reported cases, deaths, incidence rate, mortality rate, and case fatality rate of dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) as well as dengue virus serotypes prevalent in Malaysia during the last decade. Trend/ regression lines were fitted to investigate the trend of dengue incidences and deaths due to the disease for a 11-year period (2000-2010). For the distribution of national incidence rate, mortality rate, and case fatality rate of DF and DHF, descriptive statistics using mean and 95% confidence intervals (CI 39) for means, and range were applied.

    RESULTS: The number of dengue cases and number of deaths have increased, on average, by 14% and 8% per year respectively. The average annual incidence rate of DF per 100 000 populations was higher as compared to that of DHF. Conversely, the yearly mean mortality rate of DHF per 100 000 populations was greater than that of DF. The simultaneous circulation of all four dengue serotypes has been found in Malaysia. But a particular dengue virus serotype predominates for at least two years before it becomes replaced by another serotype.

    CONCLUSIONS: The dengue situation in Malaysia has worsened with an increasing number of reported cases and deaths during the last decade. The increasing trend of dengue highlights the need for a more systematic surveillance and reporting of the disease.

  3. Pang EL, Loh HS
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2017 Mar;10(3):220-228.
    PMID: 28442105 DOI: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2017.03.003
    Dengue has been ranked as one of the top emerging diseases in Asia and Latin America. Current epidemiological data may not even reflect the true burden of disease due to under-reported figures. Vector control programmes have failed to contain the disease and worst of all, no specific treatment is available at the moment. Thereby, this pushes the demand for a dengue vaccine as a long-term protective approach. Despite there are numerous vaccine candidates ahead, they could be held back by different aspects in promoting vaccine implementation. Particularly for developing nations, logistics and cost are the major hurdles that need to be addressed in order to provide a quick yet affordable medical relief. As an alternative, plant-based vaccine production system is able to offer an attractive prospect given to its advantages of biocontainment warranty, low operation cost, rapid scalability and logistics flexibility. Researches that have embarked on this scope are laid out and reviewed in terms of the feasibility of plant system to serve as a biofactory for dengue vaccine.
  4. Saraswathy Subramaniam TS, Thayan R, Yusof MA, Suppiah J, Tg Abd Rashid TR, Zawawi ZM, et al.
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2016 Feb;9(2):201-3.
    PMID: 26919957 DOI: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2016.01.016
    An efficient public health preparedness and response plan for infectious disease management is important in recent times when emerging and exotic diseases that hitherto were not common have surfaced in countries with potential to spread outside borders. Stewardship from a reference laboratory is important to take the lead for the laboratory network, to proactively set up disease surveillance, provide referral diagnostic services, on-going training and mentorship and to ensure coordination of an effective laboratory response. In Malaysia, the Institute for Medical Research has provided the stewardship for the Ministry of Health's laboratory network that comprises of hospital pathology, public health and university laboratories. In this paper we share our experiences in recent infectious disease outbreak investigations as a reference laboratory within the Ministry of Health infectious disease surveillance network.
  5. Hashim R, Roslan NA, Zulkipli FH, Daud JM
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2014 Sep;7S1:S150-4.
    PMID: 25312111 DOI: 10.1016/S1995-7645(14)60222-4
    OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the aphrodisiac property of Aplysia dactylomela (A. dactylomelan), locally known as 'dugu-dugu', which is one of the sea slug species.

    METHODS: Two types of extractions were used; aqueous and lipid. Three doses of each A. dactylomelan extract, respectively; 50, 100, 200 mg/kg were administered (i.p.) to male mice for mounting behavior test. Sildenafil citrate or Viagra® (5 mg/kg) being positive control while negative control received saline solution.

    RESULTS: The animals treated with lipid extract at the respective dose exhibited mounting behavior, but the mounting frequency decreased at higher doses (100 and 200 mg/kg). However, all doses of aqueous extract did not show any mounting behavior. Meanwhile, in all doses of lipid extracts administered displayed significant difference (P<0.05) from the positive control. Despite this, only the lipid extract of 50 mg/kg showed significant difference (P<0.05) with negative control. This signifies that lipid extracts especially in dose 50 mg/kg have a substantial effect of aphrodisiac property. In addition, the presence of steroids was detected in the phytochemical screening of lipid extract.

    CONLUSIONS: The findings from this study provides preliminary scientific evidence that A. dactylomela could be used as an alternative medication of natural product for promoting sexual activity in men.

  6. Al-Abd NM, Nor ZM, Kassim M, Mansor M, Al-Adhroey AH, Ngui R, et al.
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2015 Sep;8(9):705-9.
    PMID: 26433654 DOI: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2015.07.034
    OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of the filarial parasites,ie.,Brugia malayi, Brugia, Brugia pahangi(B. pahangi), Dirofilaria immitisandDirofilaria repens (D. repens) in domestic and stray cats.

    METHODS: A total of 170 blood sample were collected from domestic and stray cats and examined for filarial worm parasites in two localities, Pulau Carey and Bukit Gasing, Selangor State, Malaysia.

    RESULTS: The overall prevalence of infection was 23.5% (40/170; 95% CI = 17.4-30.6). Of this, 35% (14/40; 95% CI = 22.1-50.5) and 50% (20/40; 95% CI = 35.2-64.8) were positive for single B. pahangi nd D. repens, respectively. The remaining of 15% (6/40; 95% CI = 7.1-29.1) were positive for mixed B. pahangi and D. repens. In addition, 75% of the infected cats were domestic, and 25% were strays. No Brugia malayi and Dirofilaria immitis was detected. Eighty-four cats were captured at Pulau Carey, of which 35.7% (30/84) were infected. Among the cats determined to be infected, 93% (28/30; 95% CI = 78.7-98.2) were domestic, and only 6.7% (2/30; 95% CI = 19.0-21.3) were strays. Conversely, the number of infected cats was three times lower in Bukit Gasing than in Pulau Carey, and most of the cats were stray.

    CONCLUSIONS: B. pahangi and D. repens could be the major parasites underlying filariasis in the study area. Adequate prophylactic plans should be administrated in the cat population in study area.

  7. Mohammad NA, Al-Mekhlafi HM, Moktar N, Anuar TS
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2017 May;10(5):491-497.
    PMID: 28647187 DOI: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2017.05.001
    OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of Blastocystis among underprivileged communities living in rural Malaysia.

    METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 253 participants aged between 1 and 85 years. Stool samples were examined using Wheatley's trichrome stain after in-vitro cultivation in Jones' medium to detect the presence of Blastocystis. Information pertaining to the demography, socioeconomic and environment were collected using pre-validated questionnaires.

    RESULTS: The total prevalence of Blastocystis infection was 40.7%. The multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that age ≥15 years (OR = 2.72; 95% CI = 1.47-5.04) and presence of infected family members (OR = 8.56; 95% CI = 4.47-16.38) were the significant risk factors associated with blastocystosis in these communities.

    CONCLUSIONS: Blastocystosis is revealed through this study to be still prevalent among Orang Asli communities in rural Malaysia. The two main approaches that should be implemented by the public health authority in battling this infection would be the screening of other family members and giving treatment to the infected individuals. Moreover, it is imperative for health education on good personal and food hygiene practices are provided in order to reduce the morbidity and transmission of Blastocystis infection among the Orang Asli in their communities meaningfully.

  8. Kingsley PV, Arunkumar G, Tipre M, Leader M, Sathiakumar N
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2016 Jun;9(6):515-24.
    PMID: 27262061 DOI: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2016.04.003
    Melioidosis is a severe and fatal infectious disease in the tropics and subtropics. It presents as a febrile illness with protean manifestation ranging from chronic localized infection to acute fulminant septicemia with dissemination of infection to multiple organs characterized by abscesses. Pneumonia is the most common clinical presentation. Because of the wide range of clinical presentations, physicians may often misdiagnose and mistreat the disease for tuberculosis, pneumonia or other pyogenic infections. The purpose of this paper is to present common pitfalls in diagnosis and provide optimal approaches to enable early diagnosis and prompt treatment of melioidosis. Melioidosis may occur beyond the boundaries of endemic areas. There is no pathognomonic feature specific to a diagnosis of melioidosis. In endemic areas, physicians need to expand the diagnostic work-up to include melioidosis when confronted with clinical scenarios of pyrexia of unknown origin, progressive pneumonia or sepsis. Radiological imaging is an integral part of the diagnostic workup. Knowledge of the modes of transmission and risk factors will add support in clinically suspected cases to initiate therapy. In situations of clinically highly probable or possible cases where laboratory bacteriological confirmation is not possible, applying evidence-based criteria and empirical treatment with antimicrobials is recommended. It is of prime importance that patients undergo the full course of antimicrobial therapy to avoid relapse and recurrence. Early diagnosis and appropriate management is crucial in reducing serious complications leading to high mortality, and in preventing recurrences of the disease. Thus, there is a crucial need for promoting awareness among physicians at all levels and for improved diagnostic microbiology services. Further, the need for making the disease notifiable and/or initiating melioidosis registries in endemic countries appears to be compelling.
  9. Khatun M, Alam SMS, Khan AH, Hossain MA, Haq JA, Alam Jilani MS, et al.
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2017 Aug;10(8):753-759.
    PMID: 28942823 DOI: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2017.08.002
    OBJECTIVE: To establish a suitable method of diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) using peripheral blood, spleen or bone marrow aspirates.

    METHODS: Peripheral blood, bone marrow and spleen aspirate samples were collected from clinically suspected VL patients (n = 26). A new PCR primer pair (MK1F/R) was designed targeting kinetoplast mini circle DNA sequences of Leishmania donovani, and Leishmania infantum, and was used to diagnose VL along with some other established primers for VL in polymerase chain reactions. Test was validated by comparing with several other diagnostic methods.

    RESULTS: The designed primer set showed 100% specificity and 98% sensitivity in detecting VL using blood samples, when compared with more invasive samples: bone marrow or spleen aspirates.

    CONCLUSIONS: The newly designed primer MK1F/R could be a better alternative for PCR based diagnosis of VL using less invasive sample, peripheral blood instead of bone marrow or spleen aspirates.

  10. Hong GW, Hong SL, Lee GS, Yaacob H, Malek SN
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2016 Jan;9(1):8-18.
    PMID: 26851779 DOI: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2015.12.003
    OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cytotoxic activity of the hexane and ethyl acetate extracts of Curcuma mangga rhizomes against human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines (HT29).

    METHODS: The cytotoxic activity of the hexane and ethyl acetate extracts of Curcuma mangga rhizomes against human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines (HT29) was determined by using the SRB assay.

    RESULTS: The ethyl acetate extract showed a higher cytotoxic effect compared to the hexane extract. Morphological changes of the HT29 cells such as cell shrinkage, membrane blebbling and formation of apoptotic bodies while changes in nuclear morphology like chromatin condensation and nuclear fragmentation were observed. Further evidence of apoptosis in HT29 cells was further supported by the externalization of phosphatidylserine which indicate early sign of apoptosis.

    CONCLUSIONS: The early sign of apoptosis is consistent with the cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 checkpoint which suggests that the changes on the cell cycle lead to the induction of apoptosis in HT29.

  11. Miguel-Oteo M, Jiram AI, Ta-Tang TH, Lanza M, Hisam S, Rubio JM
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2017 Mar;10(3):299-304.
    PMID: 28442114 DOI: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2017.03.014
    OBJECTIVE: To develop a new technique for diagnosis of Plasmodium knowlesi and at the same time to be able to discriminate among the diverse species of Plasmodium causing human malaria.

    METHODS: In this study the nested multiplex malaria PCR was redesigned, targeting the 18S rRNA gene, to identify the fifth human Plasmodium species, Plasmodium knowlesi, together with the other human Plasmodium (Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae) by amplified fragment size using only two amplification processes and including an internal reaction control to avoid false negatives.

    RESULTS: The technique was validated with 91 clinical samples obtained from patients with malaria compatible symptoms. The technique showed high sensitivity (100%) and specificity (96%) when it was compared to the reference method employed for malaria diagnosis in the Instituto de Salud Carlos Ⅲ and a published real-time PCR malaria assay.

    CONCLUSIONS: The technique designed is an economical, sensitive and specific alternative to current diagnosis methods. Furthermore, the method might be tested in knowlesi-malaria endemic areas with a higher number of samples to confirm the quality of the method.

  12. Sahu PS, Lim YAL, Mahmud R, Somanath SD, Tan CT, Ramachandran CP
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2017 Apr;10(4):332-340.
    PMID: 28552103 DOI: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2017.03.024
    Seizures due to neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a neglected human-to-human transmitted disorder and an emerging problem worldwide. A substantial portion of recent onset seizures is known to be attributed to NCC in Taenia solium (T. solium) endemic areas where populations which neither raise pigs nor eat pig meat are also at risk. High prevalence of NCC causing epilepsy has been reported in the underdeveloped areas of Southeast Asia (SEA) however, only fragmentary information on its incidence is available in countries like Malaysia. In Malaysia T. solium infection was previously thought to be infrequent due to Muslim population majority and the religious prohibition of consuming pork, but it is not totally absent. There is an evident lack of knowledge and awareness of the actual burden, routes of transmission, and the impact of NCC in this region. The problem is assumed to be more prevalent particularly in cities because of the frequent inflow of possibly T. solium infected individuals or carriers among those who migrate from neighboring endemic countries to Malaysia. The issue of imported cases that are likely to be emerging in Malaysia is highlighted here. An accurate quantification of regional burdens of epilepsy due to NCC in Malaysia is warranted considering the disease emergence in its neighboring countries. It is suggested that the importance of NCC be recognized through quantification of its burden, and also to collect epidemiological data for its subsequent elimination in line of World Health Organization's mission for control of cysticercosis as a neglected tropical disease. In this review the need as well as a strategy for neuro-care center screening of epilepsy cases, and various issues with possible explanations are discussed. It is also proposed that NCC be declared as a reportable disease which is one of the eradicable public health problems in SEA.
  13. Shahfiza N, Osman H, Hock TT, Shaari K, Abdel-Hamid AH
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2015 Jun;8(6):451-6.
    PMID: 26194829 DOI: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2015.05.012
    OBJECTIVE: To determine the metabolic response associate with dengue infection based on human gender metabolic differences by means of (1)H NMR-spectrometry.

    METHODS: The mid-stream urine collected from both male and female patients diagnosed with dengue fever at Penang General Hospital and fourty-three healthy individuals were analyzed with (1)H NMR spectroscopy, followed by chemometric multivariate analysis. NMR signals which highlighted in the OPLS-DA S-plot were further selected and identified using Human Metabolome Database, Chenomx Profiler.

    RESULTS: The results pointed out that NMR urine profiling was able to capture human gender metabolic differences that are important for the distinction of classes of individuals of similar physiological conditions; infected with dengue. Distinct differences between dengue infected patients versus healthy individuals and subtle differences in male versus female infected with dengue were found to be related to the metabolism of amino acid and tricarboxylic acid intermediates cycle.

    CONCLUSIONS: The (1)H NMR metabolomic investigation combined with appropriate algorithms and pattern recognition procedures, gave an evidence for the existence of distinct metabolic differentiation of individuals, according to their gender, modulates with the infection risk.

  14. Hussain RM, Razak ZNRA, Saad WMM, Mustakim M
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2017 Jul;10(7):685-695.
    PMID: 28870345 DOI: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2017.07.009
    OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Wall. Ex Nees (A. paniculata) on expressions and activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase and alkylhydroperoxide reductase C in Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) with respect to its survival in vitro.

    METHODS: Antioxidative property of methanolic leaves extract of A. paniculata (0.06 mg/mL). Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by its ability to reduce hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) toxicity against S. aureus ATCC 25923 [(3.8 × 108) cfu/mL]. Effects of the extract on expressions of katA (encoding catalase), sodA and sodM [encoding superoxide dismutases (SODs)], and ahpC [encoding alkylhydroperoxide reductase C (AhpC)] in S. aureus were determined by RT-qPCR and corresponding enzyme activity assays were performed. Nitroblue tetrazolium reduction (NBT) assay was performed to determine effects of the extract on intracellular and extracellular levels of O2- in S. aureus.

    RESULTS: Cells challenged with 7.5 mmol/L H2O2 showed 0% survival in 30 min whereas 25% survived after treatment with the extract and H2O2. Cells that were treated with the extract alone had 43% survival in the same exposure period. Expressions of sodA and sodM genes in extract-treated cells were lowered 0.8-fold and 0.7-fold, respectively with decrease in total SOD activity of 26.8 U compared to untreated cells, 32.4 U (P 

  15. Rajoo Y, Mahmud R, Xiang NR, Omar SF, Kumar G, Lim YA, et al.
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2015 Apr;8(4):334-6.
    PMID: 25975509 DOI: 10.1016/S1995-7645(14)60341-2
    We report a case of a patient with Schistosoma mansoni infection who presented with liver cirrhosis and splenomegaly. She was diagnosed by a serological test and Kato-Katz thick smear stool examination. The patient was a 52-year-old woman from Sudan who came to Malaysia for a week to visit her sons. The patient lives in the middle of Rabak region, Sudan, a highly endemic area for schistosomiasis where her daily routine includes rearing of cows and farming. The site of toilet and sources of drinking water are canals and wells; both infested with snails. Patient had a long history of exposure and coming into contact with water from these canals and wells.
  16. Yu KX, Wong CL, Ahmad R, Jantan I
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2015 Dec;8(12):1006-1012.
    PMID: 26706671 DOI: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2015.11.011
    OBJECTIVE: To investigate the larvicidal activity, inhibition effect on development, histopathological alteration and morphological aberration induced by the extracts derived from seaweeds Bryopsis pennata (B. pennata), Sargassum binderi (S. binderi) and Padina australis in Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti) larvae and to characterize the phytochemical components of the three seaweeds.

    METHODS: Larvicidal activity of the seaweeds towards the larvae of Ae. aegypti was determined according to WHO. The inhibition effect of seaweeds was assessed by determining the mortality, adult emergence rate, larval and pupa duration of the treated larvae. Histopathological effect on midgut epithelium of larvae and morphological aberration induced by the methanol extracts were examined. Phytochemical analysis was done to determine the presence of alkaloids, saponins, steroids and terpenoids in the seaweeds.

    RESULTS: Chloroform partition of B. pennata extract exhibited the strongest larvicidal activity (LC50 = 82.55 μg/mL), followed by methanol extract of B. pennata (LC50 = 160.07 μg/mL) and chloroform partition of S. binderi extract (LC50 = 192.43 μg/mL). The methanol extract of S. binderi exhibited the strongest effect on prolongation of larval period (1.5-fold longer as compared to control) and resulted in strongest inhibition effect in adult emergence (98.67%). The histopathological study showed that larvae treated with seaweed extracts had cytopathological alteration of the midgut epithelium. The morphological observation revealed that the anal papillae and terminal spiracles of larvae were the common sites of aberrations.

    CONCLUSIONS: The study provided information on various effects of seaweed extracts on Ae. aegypti. Further investigation on identifying the active compounds and their mechanisms of action is recommended.

  17. Zahari A, Ablat A, Sivasothy Y, Mohamad J, Choudhary MI, Awang K
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2016 Apr;9(4):328-332.
    PMID: 27086149 DOI: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2016.03.008
    OBJECTIVE: To study antiplasmodial and antioxidant activities of the isolation of alkaloids from the active dichloromethane extract of Alseodaphne corneri.

    METHODS: Phytochemical studies of the crude extract led to the isolation of six alkaloids using recycle high performance liquid chromatography and preparative thin layer chromatography. The antiplasmodial activity of the isolated compounds was evaluated using the histidine-rich protein II assay. The isolated alkaloids were also tested for their antioxidant activity using three different assays; DPPH, ferric reducing ability of plasma and metal chelating assays.

    RESULTS: Malaria infection caused the formation of free radicals which subsequently led to oxidative stress and apoptosis. The antioxidant properties of the alkaloids under investigation revealed that in addition to the antiplasmodial activity, the alkaloids could also prevent oxidative stress. (+)-laurotetanine and (+)-norstephasubine exhibited strong antiplasmodial activities with IC50 values of 0.189 and 0.116 μM, respectively.

    CONCLUSIONS: Interestingly, the two most potent compounds that exhibit antiplasmodial activity also exhibit good antioxidant activities. The crude dichloromethane extract and the isolated compounds exert substantial antiplasmodial and antioxidative activities which in turn suppress oxidative stress and cause less damage to the host.

  18. Hossain MA, Shah MD, Gnanaraj C, Iqbal M
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2011 Sep;4(9):717-21.
    PMID: 21967695 DOI: 10.1016/S1995-7645(11)60180-6
    OBJECTIVE: To detect the in vitro total phenolics, flavonoids contents and antioxidant activity of essential oil, various organic extracts from the leaves of tropical medicinal plant Tetrastigma from Sabah.

    METHODS: The dry powder leaves of Tetrastigma were extracted with different organic solvent such as hexane, ethyl acetate, chloroform, butanol and aqueous methanol. The total phenolic and total flavonoids contents of the essential oil and various organic extracts such as hexane, ethyl acetate, chloroform, butanol and aqueous ethanol were determined by Folin - Ciocalteu method and the assayed antioxidant activity was determined in vitro models such as antioxidant capacity by radical scavenging activity using α, α-diphenyl- β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method.

    RESULTS: The total phenolic contents of the essential oil and different extracts as gallic acid equivalents were found to be highest in methanol extract (386.22 mg/g) followed by ethyl acetate (190.89 mg/g), chloroform (175.89 mg/g), hexane (173.44 mg/g), and butanol extract (131.72 mg/g) and the phenolic contents not detected in essential oil. The antioxidant capacity of the essential oil and different extracts as ascorbic acid standard was in the order of methanol extract > ethyl acetate extract >chloroform> butanol > hexane extract also the antioxidant activity was not detected in essential oil.

    CONCLUSIONS: The findings show that the extent of antioxidant activity of the essential oil and all extracts are in accordance with the amount of phenolics present in that extract. Leaves of Tetrastigma being rich in phenolics may provide a good source of antioxidant.

  19. Zain RM, Ibrahim N, Ismail S, Suppiah J, Mat Rahim NA, Thayan R
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2017 Jan;10(1):75-78.
    PMID: 28107870 DOI: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2016.12.005
    OBJECTIVE: To determine drug resistance mutations and the HIV-1 subtypes among antiretroviral treatment naive HIV-1 patients in Peninsular Malaysia.

    METHODS: A total of 45 samples from four hospitals that provide HIV viral load services were subjected to the amplification of the protease and two third of reverse transcriptase regions of the pol gene by RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing. Drug resistance mutation (DRM) interpretation reports the presence of mutations related to protease inhibitors (PIs), Nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) and Non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) based on analysis using Stanford HIV database program.

    RESULTS: DRMs were identified in 35% of patients, among which 46.7% of them showed minor resistance to protease inhibitor with A71V and L10l were the commonest DRMs detected. About 21.4% and 50.0% of patients had mutations to NRTIs and NNRTIs, respectively. CRF01_AE was found to be the predominant HIV-1 subtype.

    CONCLUSIONS: These findings have served as an initial crucial data in determining the prevalence of transmitted HIV-1 drug resistance for the country. However, more samples from various parts of the country need to be accumulated and analyzed to provide overall HIV-1 drug resistance in the country.

  20. El-Garj FMA, Wajidi MFF, Avicor SW
    Asian Pac J Trop Med, 2016 10;9(10):973-978.
    PMID: 27794391 DOI: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2016.07.024
    OBJECTIVE: To clone cytochrome P450 from Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti) and determine the characteristics using bioinformatics tools.

    METHODS: Cytochrome P450 of Ae. aegypti was amplified using polymerase chain reaction, cloned and sequenced. Evolutionary relationship of the sequence was inferred and bioinformatics tools were used to predict subcellular localisation, signal peptide, transmembrane helix, phosphorylation, O-glycosylation, secondary and tertiary structures of the deduced protein.

    RESULTS: Polymerase chain reaction rather amplified a cytochrome P450 pseudogene which was named CYP4H44P (GenBank accession number KF779932). The pseudogene has 1537 nucleotides and an open reading frame of 335 amino acids containing cytochrome P450 motifs except the WxxxR motif. It is highly homologous to CYP4H28 and CYP4H28v2. Phylogenetic analysis and evolutionary divergence showed strong clustering with CYP4H28 alleles and least divergence from the alleles respectively. The deduced protein was predicted to be found in the cytoplasm and likely to be phosphorylated but devoid of signal peptide, transmembrane helix and O-glycosylated sites. The secondary and tertiary structures were also generated.

    CONCLUSIONS: A cytochrome P450 pseudogene, CYP4H44P was cloned from Ae. aegypti. The pseudogene is homologous with CYP4H28 alleles and seems to have recently diverged from this group. Isolating this pseudogene is an important step for evaluating its biological role in the mosquito and for the evolutionary analysis of Ae. aegypti CYPs.

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