Human mammaglobin is a member of the uteroglobin proteins family that has recently been tested as a specific marker for breast cancer. While low levels may be seen in normal breast tissue, expression is increased dramatically in breast cancer and is correlated with higher grade. Detection in blood and body fluids is also correlated with cancer metastasis, and its levels with prognosis. This promises to be a useful screen for early detection of breast cancer, especially in high risk individuals. Mammoglobin has also been used for immunotherapeutic targeting of breast cancer cells. However, there are some controversies regarding its diagnostic efficacy and prognostic value, which warrant further study.
Considerable progress has been made in the field of leptospiral vaccines development since its first use as a killed vaccine in guinea pigs. Despite the fact that the immunity conferred is restricted to serovars with closely related lipopolysaccharide antigen, certain vaccines have remained useful, especially in endemic regions, for the protection of high-risk individuals. Other conventional vaccines such as the live-attenuated vaccine and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) vaccine have not gained popularity due to the reactive response that follows their administration and the lack of understanding of the pathogenesis of leptospirosis. With the recent breakthrough and availability of complete genome sequences of Leptospira, development of novel vaccine including recombinant protein vaccine using reverse vaccinology approaches has yielded encouraging results. However, factors hindering the development of effective leptospiral vaccines include variation in serovar distribution from region to region, establishment of renal carrier status following vaccination and determination of the dose and endpoint titres acceptable as definitive indicators of protective immunity. In this review, advancements and progress made in LPS-based vaccines, killed- and live-attenuated vaccines, recombinant peptide vaccines and DNA vaccines against leptospirosis are highlighted.
Pulmonary function tests have been evolved as clinical tools in diagnosis, management and follow up of respiratory diseases as it provides objective information about the status of an individual's respiratory system. The present study was aimed to evaluate pulmonary function among the male and female young Kelantanese Malaysians of Kota Bharu, Malaysia, and to compare the data with other populations.
Athletes in Malaysia need to perform in a hot and humid environment due to the climatic nature of the country. Chronic supplementation of Panax ginseng (PG) (a deciduous perennial plant belonging to the Araliaceae family) enhances physical performance. As the ergogenic effect of acute supplementation of PG on endurance performance has not been explored in the Malaysian population especially in a hot and humid condition this study was taken up.
Athletes in Malaysia need to perform in a hot and humid climate. Chronic supplementation of caffeine on endurance performance have been studied extensively in different populations. However, concurrent research on the effects of acute supplementation of caffeine on cardiorespiratory responses during endurance exercise in the Malaysian context especially in a hot and humid environment is unavailable.
Onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis (LF) are human filarial diseases belonging to the group of neglected tropical diseases, leading to permanent and long-term disability in infected individuals in the endemic countries such as Africa and India. Microfilaricidal drugs such as ivermectin and albendazole have been used as the standard therapy in filariasis, although their efficacy in eliminating the diseases is not fully established. Anti-Wolbachia therapy employs antibiotics and is a promising approach showing potent macrofilaricidal activity and also prevents embryogenesis. This has translated to clinical benefits resulting in successful eradication of microfilarial burden, thus averting the risk of adverse events from target species as well as those due to co-infection with loiasis. Doxycycline shows potential as an anti-Wolbachia treatment, leading to the death of adult parasitic worms. It is readily available, cheap and safe to use in adult non-pregnant patients. Besides doxycycline, several other potential antibiotics are also being investigated for the treatment of LF and onchocerciasis. This review aims to discuss and summarise recent developments in the use of anti-Wolbachia drugs to treat onchocerciasis and LF.
Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp. have gained increasing significance as opportunistic pathogens in hospitalized patients. Carbapenem resistance is often associated with the loss and/or decrease in outer membrane proteins (OMP) and overexpression of multidrug efflux systems. However, carbapenem-hydrolysing beta-lactamases of Ambler Class B (metallo-enzymes) and Ambler Class D (oxacillinases) have also been detected in Acinetobacter spp. In this study we have investigated the role of the iron regulated outer membrane protein (IROMPs) and the loss of a 29-kDa OMP in carbapenem resistance of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus.
Enhanced muscle strength is seen when resistance exercise is combined with the consumption of nutritional supplements. Although there is a limited number of studies available about the efficacy of gamma oryzanol supplementation with resistance exercise in humans, but its usage as a nutritional supplement for strength is common in athletes. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of gamma oryzanol supplementation during 9-week resistance training on muscular strength and anthropometric measurements of young healthy males.
Sago (Metroxylin sagu) is one of the main sources of native starch. In Malaysia sago dishes are commonly eaten with sugar. However, other societies use sago as a staple food item instead of rice or potato. The study was undertaken to investigate the effect of ingestion of different physical forms of sago supplementation on plasma glucose and plasma insulin responses, as compared to the white bread supplementation in man, during resting condition.
Various materials have been used as scaffolds to suit different demands in tissue engineering. One of the most important criteria is that the scaffold must be biocompatible. This study was carried out to investigate the potential of HA or TCP/HA scaffold seeded with osteogenic induced sheep marrow cells (SMCs) for bone tissue engineering.
A wealth of information concerning the essential role of renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) in the regulation of renal function and mean arterial blood pressure homeostasis has been established. However, many important parameters with which RSNA interacts are yet to be explicitly characterized. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the impact of acute renal denervation (ARD) on sodium and water excretory responses to intravenous (iv) infusions of either norepinephrine (NE) or angiotensin II (Ang II) in anaesthetized spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).
Regulation of renal function and haemodynamics are under a direct control from the renal sympathetic nerves and renal denervation produces overt diuresis and natriuresis in several mammalian species. However, the inter-related series of changes in renal function and haemodynamics following acute renal denervation (ARD) is not fully understood. Thus, we aimed to investigate and relate the changes in renal function and haemodynamics following acute unilateral renal denervation in anaesthetized Sprague Dawley (SD) rats.
DNA mismatch repair gene (MMR) abnormalities are seen in 95 per cent of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) and 10-15 per cent of sporadic colorectal cancers. There are no data on MMR abnormalities in Malaysian colorectal cancer patients. This study was aimed to determine the frequency of abnormal MMR gene protein expression in colorectal carcinoma in Northern Peninsular Malaysia using immunohistochemistry.
Leptospirosis is a widespread zoonotic disease and a public health problem, particularly in tropical and subtropical countries. Varied clinical manifestations of the disease frequently lead to misdiagnosis resulting in life-threatening multi-organ complications. Therefore, early laboratory investigation using an appropriate diagnostic approach is crucial. In the present study, a potential protein marker was identified and evaluated for its usefulness in the serodiagnosis of acute leptospirosis.
Prevalence of adult-type hypolactasia is known to vary among different countries and in different ethnic populations in the same country. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the prevalence of hypolactasia and lactose intolerance in three different ethnic populations living in similar environmental conditions in Malaysia. The correlation between different symptoms and lactose intolerance test was also studied.
Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a leading cause of viral encephalitis in Southeast Asia. It is a serious public health issue in India, and cases have been emerging in newer areas of the country. Although vaccination efforts have already been initiated in the country since 2006 and later through the Universal Immunization Programme in 2011, still a significant reduction in the number of cases has to be achieved since an escalating trend of JE incidence has been reported in certain States such as Assam, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Moreover, fresh cases of JE have been reported from certain pockets in Odisha as well. Despite the mass JE vaccination programme implemented in prioritized endemic zones in the country in 2011, a shift in the age group of JE virus (JEV) infection was noticed affecting the adult population in West Bengal. The recent detection of the circulation of genotype I (GI) in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh and the co-circulation of GI and genotype III (GIII) in West Bengal are probably a warning signal for the public health personnel to strengthen the surveillance system in all endemic hotspots in the country. The abrupt emergence of JEV genotype V (GV) in China and Korea in 2009, after its first detection in Malaya in 1952, endemic countries have been cautioned to strengthen their surveillance, because GV has been suspected of getting dispersed efficiently in other parts of Asia. Moreover, the reduced protection efficiency of the JEV GIII-based vaccine against the JEV genotype V further warrants careful evaluation of the ongoing vaccination strategies in the endemic countries, anticipating the possible incursion of GV and its impact on future control strategies. In view of the above facts, the present communication reviews the current knowledge on the molecular epidemiology of JEV in India vis-a-vis the global scenario and discusses the future priorities in JEV research in India for effectively designing control strategies.