Genetic diversity represents the heritable variation both within and among populations of organisms, and in the context of this paper, among bamboo species. Bamboo is an economically important member of the grass family Poaceae, under the subfamily Bambusoideae. India has the second largest bamboo reserve in Asia after China. It is commonly known as "poor man's timber", keeping in mind the variety of its end use from cradle to coffin. There is a wide genetic diversity of bamboo around the globe and this pool of genetic variation serves as the base for selection as well as for plant improvement. Thus, the identification, characterization and documentation of genetic diversity of bamboo are essential for this purpose. During recent years, multiple endeavors have been undertaken for characterization of bamboo species with the aid of molecular markers for sustainable utilization of genetic diversity, its conservation and future studies. Genetic diversity assessments among the identified bamboo species, carried out based on the DNA fingerprinting profiles, either independently or in combination with morphological traits by several researchers, are documented in the present review. This review will pave the way to prepare the database of prevalent bamboo species based on their molecular characterization.
The ever-increasing demand for the finite source of oil has led oil production companies to produce and transport the produced crude oil as efficiently and economically as possible. One of the major concerns especially in waters like the South China Sea is the deposition of wax on the walls of the pipeline or wellbore, constricting and hindering the hydrocarbon flow. This is due to the low seabed temperatures, which can be below the wax appearance temperature (WAT), leading to the deposition of wax out of waxy crude oil through the molecular dispersion mechanism. Currently, many prevention and remedy methods are in place to overcome the problem, but most of the additives possess environmental threat, as most of the chemical solutions used are toxic, nonorganic, and costly. Hence, this paper aims to provide some insights into the effect of palm oil derivatives such as crude palm oil (CPO) and crude palm kernel oil (CPKO) on wax inhibition. The effect of aging time (i.e., immersion time) was also evaluated. A comparison was made between paraffin inhibition efficiency results (PIE %) obtained by CPO, CPKO, poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA), and triethanolamine (TEA). It was observed that the average efficiency of 81.67% was obtained when 1% CPO was added to heavy crude oil. The wax inhibition performance reached a plateau after 1.5 h of aging time for all of the investigated samples.
Global surveillance of HIV-1 subtypes for genetic characterization is hampered by the biohazard of processing and the difficulties of shipping whole blood or cells from many developing country regions. We developed a technique for the direct automated sequencing of viral DNA from dried blood spot (DBS) specimens collected on absorbent paper, which can be mailed unrefrigerated in sturdy paper envelopes with low biohazard risk. DBS were collected nonrandomly from HIV-1-infected, mostly asymptomatic, patients in five Asian countries in 1991, and shipped via airmail or hand carried without refrigeration to Bangkok, and then transshipped to North America for processing. After more than 2 years of storage, including 6 months at ambient temperatures, proviral DNA in the DBS was amplified by nested PCR, and a 389-nucleotide segment of the C2-V3 env gene region was sequenced, from which 287 base pairs were aligned and subtyped by phylogenetic analysis with neighbor-joining and other methods. From southern India, there were 25 infections with subtype C and 2 with subtype A. From Myanmar (Burma), we identified the first subtype E infection, as well as six subtype BB, a distinct cluster within subtype B that was first discovered in Thailand and that has now appeared in China, Malaysia, and Japan. From southwest China, one BB was identified, while a "classical" B typical of North American and European strains was found in Indonesia. From Thailand, five DBS of ambiguous serotype were identified as three B, one BB, and one E. A blinded control serotype E specimen was correctly identified, but a serotype BB control was not tested. Most HIV-1 in southern India appears to be env subtype C, with rare A, as others have reported in western and northern India. The subtypes BB and E in Myanmar, and the BB in China, suggest epidemiological linkage with these subtypes in neighboring Thailand. DBS are a practical, economical technique for conducting large-scale molecular epidemiological surveillance to track the global distribution and spread of HIV-1 variants.
To date, there are 16 types of CRF01_AE/B circulating recombinant forms identified, and most of them are distributed in Asian countries such as China, Malaysia, and Singapore. Previous HIV molecular epidemiological surveys showed that CRF01_AE (27.6%) and B (9.6%) subtypes are predominant strains in mainland of China. At the same time, the HIV-1 virus spreads faster in the men who have sex with men (MSM) population than in other risk groups. In Shanghai district, ∼66.0% of newly reported cases were infected through homosexual transmission. In this study, we report a novel recombinant strain of CRF01_AE/B. The near full-length genome phylogenetic tree showed that the strain clustered with the CRF01_AE reference sequence and placed in the peripheral position within the branch of the CRF01_AE strain. Subregional evolutionary results indicated that the CRF01_AE subtype was derived from cluster 4 of CRF01_AE, which is mainly distributed in northern China. The subtype B was correlated with the U.S./Europe B, which are widely prevalent in the Chinese MSM population. In recent years, a large number of recombinant forms between CRF01_AE and B strains are continuously emerging in China. Therefore, understanding the current epidemic recombinant forms will have significant implications for prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
Aim: To provide the first case series analysis for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in Malaysia.
Methods: Patient records were studied from rheumatology clinics in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital and Putrajaya Hospital in Malaysia.
Results: Thirty-one patients from two rheumatology centres were studied. Thirteen patients (41.9%) were male and 18 patients (58.1%) were female. Nineteen patients (61.3%) were Malays, four (12.9%) were Chinese, seven (22.6%) were Indians and one (3.2%) was a Sikh. The majority of patients were in the >.50 years age-group (11 [35.5%]) followed by the 41-50 years age-group (10 [32.3%]). Thirteen patients (41.9%) had the disease since 41-50 years of age. Twenty-three patients (77.4%) had no family history of PsA. Twenty-three patients (74.2%) had psoriasis first, seven (22.6%) had arthritis first and one (3.2%) developed psoriasis and arthritis at the same time. Twenty-four patients (77.4%) had positive activity correlation for skin and arthritis. The majority of patients had symmetrical arthritis (20 [64.5%]) and chronic plaque-like lesions (22 [71.0%]). These patients were on NSAIDS and methotrexate (14 [45.2%]). One patient (3.6%) needed surgery for joint replacement.
Conclusion: Patients who were diagnosed as having PsA were Malays, age group of more than 50, disease onset at 41-50 years of age, no family history, had symmetrical and chronic plaque lesions, had psoriasis first and needed NSAIDS and methotrexate.
Objective: To determine the epidemiological, clinical and laboratory features of the patients with gout, on follow up in Rheumatology Outpatient Clinic, Hospital Seremban.
Methods: This was a retrospective study. Case notes of all our existing gout patients were reviewed, and data on demography, clinical features, associated conditions, and laboratory findings were noted.
Results: 54 patients were studied, 48 (89%) were male and 6 (11%) were female at the ratio of M : F = 8:1, 30 (57%) of them had the onset of symptoms at their 3rd and 4th decades of life. The majority were the Malays 39 (72%), followed by the Indians 11 (20%) and the Chinese 4 (8%). Commonly associated conditions were hypertension in 37 (68.5%), obesity (BMI of 30 and above) in 36 (66.7%) and hyperlipidaemia in 36 (66.7%) of them. Mixed hyperlipidaemia (High TG and LDL cholesterol) were found in 19 (53%). Underlying history of diabetes mellitus 7 (13%), alcohol consumption 8 (15%), smoking habits 22 (40%) and family history of gout 18 (33%). Half of our patients 27 (50%) had at least 2 or more joints involvement. 28 (52%) of them had tophaceous gout. Among those with tophaceous gout, 18 (64%) had renal impairment with serum creatinine of .150mmol/l. 6 (31.5%) of the patients with renal impairment found to have renal calculi on ultrasonography.
Conclusion: There was male predominance in our group of patients which was consistent with other reported epidemiological studies. Hypertension, mixed hyperlipidaemia and obesity were common associated conditions while diabetes mellitus, smoking and family history of gout were not. The majority of gout patients in our clinic were Malays and due to religious reasons, alcohol was not a common associated factor. Half of our patients had multiple joints involvement and more than half also had tophaceous gout. There was high incidence of renal impairment seen in patients with tophaceous gout. These could be due to delay in seeking medical treatment, present of renal calculi and possibly contributed by associated hypertension and diabetes mellitus.
Introduction: Gout is a clinical syndrome resulting from the deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Recent studies have shown gout to be a significant metabolic disorder. However, there has been insufficient information on the clinical spectrum in the Malaysian population.
Objective: This study is conducted to review the clinical characteristics of patients with gout.
Study methods: In this cross-sectional study 52 patients with gout were recruited. The records of 13 patients from National University of Malaysia Hospital and 39 patients from Putrajaya Hospital, attending the rheumatology clinic between October and December 2005 were reviewed. Results: Gout was found predominantly among ethnic Malays 83%, and Chinese 17% in these centers. The male to female ratio was 12 :1. The peak age of onset of the disease was less than 40 years in 46% of the subjects. Primary gout in females was seen after menopause. 37% cases had a definitive hereditary incidence. At the first presentation 83% had acute monoarthritis and 17% acute polyarticular arthritis. Podagra was seen in 62%. Peripheral joints involvement was seen in 81% patients. Tophaceous gout was seen in 42%. In 85% cases the disease had a chronic polyarticular course, whereas in 15% the disease remained only at a single joint. In 10% cases, there was associated sero-negative arthritis. Associated disorders included hypertension (65%), diabetes mellitus (33%), dyslipidemia (56%), ischemic heart disease (23%), urate nephropathy (39%), uric acid nephrolithiasis (2%). In 88% of cases, there was associated hyperuricaemia. Most of the patients were overweight with body mass index 25-29 (39%) and obese with body mass index 30-70 (36%). Conclusions: Gout is not an unusual disorder in our centre. The age of onset of gout occurred much earlier with forty-six per cent of patients having their first attack of gout before the age of 40. Primary gout in females was seen after menopause. Majority of patients first presented with acute monoarthritis, of which sixty-two per cent presented with podagra. The incidence of tophi was high. Patients with gout should be screened for other associated disorders like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia and obesity.
Objective: This study aimed to determine the association between the personality traits and
social factors with compliance to anti-hypertensive pharmachotherapy. Methods: This cross
sectional study was conducted from 1st of June until 31st of December 2004, which involved
Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Primary Polyclinic in Bandar Tasik Selatan,
Cheras and Salak Polyclinic in Sepang, Selangor. A total of 200 patients who fulfilled all the inclusion criteria, were selected as respondents. This study used the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I) for the psychiatric diagnoses and personality characteristics were assessed by using Personality Assessment Schedule (PAS) Results: The prevalence rate of non-compliance was 38.5%. Paranoid personality trait (27.3%) was the most common type of personality traits that associated with non-compliance to the medications prescribed. The results of this study revealed a statistically significant difference between drug compliance and age, race, gender and the site where the study was conducted. No association was found between patients’ education level, occupation, income, marital status, family history of hypertension and personality traits and drug compliance. Conclusion: This study suggested that drug compliance among hypertensive patients was influenced by the presence of psychosocial factors. Hence, it is important for medical practitioners to understand these factors and administer treatment more individual.
Objective: To study the effect of depressive disorders, severity of depression and, sociodemographic factors on drug compliance among hypertensive patients at primary care clinics. Methods: A total of 201 hypertensive patients on treatment for at least 3 months who attended the HUKM Primary Care Clinic and Salak Polyclinic were selected for this study. Patients were screened for depressive disorders using the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) and those who scored 8 and more were further interviewed to establish a diagnosis using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Patients who were diagnosed to have depressive disorders were further rated for the severity of the illness by using Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD). Drug compliance was assessed during a 2 month follow up using the pill counting method (ratio 0.8 – 1.2 considered as compliant). Results: The prevalence of non-compliance among hypertensive patients was 38.3%. There was no association between the diagnosis of depressive disorders and drug compliance. Among the 12 patients who had depressive disorders, severity of depression as rated by HAMD, showed significant association with drug compliance (Mann-Whitney test z = -2.083, p
Objective: To investigate the correlation between sexual desire and sexual arousal among Malaysian women in a primary care setting. Methods: The Malay Version of Female Sexual Function Index (MVFSI) was used to assess low sexual desire and lack of sexual arousal among the respondents. A total of 230 married women aged 18 – 70 years old participated in this study. Their sociodemographic, marital profiles and correlation between low sexual desire and lack of sexual arousal were examined. Results: More than 60% respondents with low sexual desire have co-exist low sexual arousal and 94.4% respondents with high sexual desire do have high sexual arousal ( χ²= 79.6, p
During the five-year period from January 1985 to December 1989 a total of 27,208 women, representing 44.0% of the total female population over age 15 years in Brunei Darussalam, underwent a cytologic examination. The majority of them were Malays (62.32%), followed by Chinese (22.23%), while the remainder were the expatriate population living in the country. High grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (moderate dysplasia) was detected in 88 women (3.3/1,000), high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (carcinoma in situ) was seen in 32 women (1.22/1,000), and invasive carcinoma was found in 43 women (1.37/1,000). The overall detection rate for cervical cancer was 2.79/1,000 women in the population screened. In Brunei Darussalam Malay women marry at an early age, 44% by the age of 19 years, leading to sexual contact before the age of 20. However, the incidence of cervical cancer is low among them. This could be because they belong to the Orthodox Muslim Society, in which promiscuity is not permitted. Hence, multiple sex partners could be an important factor in the etiology of cervical cancer, confirming the current trend of thought that cervical cancer is a sexually transmitted disease. A comparison of the epidemiologic risk factors among the various races living in Brunei Darussalam is made.
Most in vivo body composition methods rely on assumptions that may vary among different population groups as well as within the same population group. The assumptions are based on in vitro body composition (carcass) analyses. The majority of body composition studies were performed on Caucasians and much of the information on validity methods and assumptions were available only for this ethnic group. It is assumed that these assumptions are also valid for other ethnic groups. However, if apparent differences across ethnic groups in body composition 'constants' and body composition 'rules' are not taken into account, biased information on body composition will be the result. This in turn may lead to misclassification of obesity or underweight at an individual as well as a population level. There is a need for more cross-ethnic population studies on body composition. Those studies should be carried out carefully, with adequate methodology and standardization for the obtained information to be valuable.
Molecular characterization of the compound heterozygous condition - (G)gamma((A)gammadeltabeta)(o)/beta-thalassemia - in four families showing mild beta-thalassemia intermedia was carried out using DNA amplification techniques. Using the Amplification Refractory Mutation System (ARMS) to confirm the beta-mutations and DNA amplification to detect the 100-kb Chinese-specific (G)gamma((A)gammadeltabeta)(o)-deletion, ()two families were confirmed to possess (G)gamma((A)gammadeltabeta)(o)/beta-thalassemia with the IVSII No. 654 beta(+)-allele. In the third family, the (G)gamma((A)gammadeltabeta)(o)-deletion was confirmed in the father and the mother was a beta-thalassemia carrier with the cd 41-42 beta(o)-allele. Their affected child with (G)gamma((A)gammadeltabeta)(o)/beta-thalassemia was found to be transfusion dependent. The same (G)gamma((A)gammadeltabeta)(o)-deletion and beta-thalassemia (cd 41-42) was also confirmed in a fourth family. In addition, the mother was also diagnosed with Hb H disease (genotype -alpha(3.7)/-(SEA)). Both the children were found to possess (G)gamma((A)gammadeltabeta)(o)/beta-thalassemia but they were not transfusion dependent and this could be due to co-inheritance of alpha-thalassemia-2 (genotype-alpha(3.7)/alphaalpha) in the children together with their compound heterozygous condition.
A case of haemoglobin H (HbH) disease associated with pregnancy is presented and discussed in the light of reports in the literature. The variable symptomatology is commented upon, although mild to moderate chronic haemolytic anaemia seems to be a constant feature. The roles of folic acid supplements and of splenectomy; the avoidance of oxidant drugs, and the mode of inheritance in HbH disease are briefly commented upon. Available reports indicate that HbH disease probably has no adverse effect on pregnancy. However, the association of the two conditions is uncommon, and reports are too few, therefore, to allow definite conclusions on the outcome in all instances.
The Malaysian people consist of several ethnic groups including the Malay, the Chinese, the Indian and the Orang Asli (aboriginal Malaysians). We collected blood samples from outpatients of 2 hospitals in the State of Selangor and identified 27 glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD)-deficient subjects among these ethnic groups. In the Malay, G6PD Viangchan (871GA, 1311CT, IVS11 nt93TC) and G6PD Mahidol (487GA) types, which are common in Cambodia and Myanmar, respectively, were detected. The Malay also had both subtypes of G6PD Mediterranean:the Mediterranean subtype (563CT, 1311CT, IVS11 nt93TC) and the Indo-Pakistan subtype (563CT, 1311C, IVS11 nt93T). In Malaysians of Chinese background, G6PD Kaiping (1388GA), G6PD Canton (1376GT) and G6PD Gaohe (95AG), which are common in China, were detected. Indian Malaysians possessed G6PD Mediterranean (Indo-Pakistan subtype) and G6PD Namoru (208TC), a few cases of which had been reported in Vanuatu and many in India. Our findings indicate that G6PD Namoru occurs in India and flows to Malaysia up to Vanuatu. We also discovered 5 G6PD-deficient cases with 2 nucleotide substitutions of 1311CT and IVS11 nt93TC, but without amino-acid substitution in the G6PD molecule. These results indicate that the Malaysian people have incorporated many ancestors in terms of G6PD variants.
Study site: Kajang District Hospital and the Hospital Orang Asli Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia