1. Examination of the polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic (PAGE) and SDS-PAGE patterns of snake venoms shows that these patterns are useful for species differentiation (and hence identification) for snakes of certain genera but have only limited application for snakes from some other genera, due either to the marked individual variations in the venoms or the lack of marked interspecific differences within the same genus. 2. There is no substantial intersubspecific difference in the electrophoretic patterns of the venoms. 3. In general there are no common characteristics in the electrophoretic patterns of the venom at the generic level because of the wide variations in the electrophoretic patterns of venoms of snakes within the same genus. 4. At the familial level, the venoms of Elapidae exhibited SDS-PAGE patterns distinct from those of Crotalidae.
1. The protease, phosphodiesterase, alkaline phosphomonoesterase, L-amino acid oxidase, acetylcholinesterase, phospholipase A, 5'-nucleotidase, hyaluronidase, arginine ester hydrolase, procoagulant, anticoagulant and hemorrhagic activities of ten samples of venoms from seven taxa of sea snakes were examined. 2. The results show that venoms of sea snakes of both subfamilies of Hydrophiinae and Laticaudinae are characterized by a very low level of enzymatic activities, except phospholipase A activity and, for some species, hyaluronidase activity. 3. Because of the low levels of enzymatic activities and the total lack of procoagulant and hemorrhagic activities, venom biological properties are not useful for the differentiation of species of sea snakes. Nevertheless, the unusually low levels of enzymatic activities of sea snake venoms may be used to distinguish sea snake venoms from other elapid or viperid venoms.
1. The hemorrhagic, procoagulant, anticoagulant, protease, arginine ester hydrolase, phosphodiesterase, alkaline phosphomonoesterase, 5'-nucleotidase, hyaluronidase, phospholipase A and L-amino acid oxidase activities of 50 venom samples from 20 taxa of rattlesnake (genera Crotalus and Sistrurus) were examined. 2. The results show that notwithstanding individual variations in the biological activities of Crotalus venoms and the wide ranges of certain biological activities observed, there are some common characteristics at the genus and species levels. 3. The differences in biological activities of the venoms compared can be used for differentiation of the species. Particularly useful for this purpose are the thrombin-like enzyme, protease, arginine ester hydrolase, hemorrhagic and phospholipase A activities and kaolin-cephalin clotting time measurements.
Malayan cobra (Naja naja sputatrix) venom was found to exhibit an in vitro anticoagulant activity that was much stronger than most common cobra (genus Naja) venoms. The most potent anticoagulants of the venom are two lethal phospholipase A2 enzymes with pI's of 6.15 and 6.20, respectively. The anticoagulant activity of the venom is due to the synergistic effect of the venom phospholipase A2 enzymes and polypeptide anticoagulants. Bromophenacylation of the two phospholipase A2 enzymes reduced their enzymatic activity with a concomitant drop in both the lethal and anticoagulant activities.
An acidic, lethal phospholipase Az was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from the venom of the Malayan cobra (Naja naja sputatrix). The enzyme has an isoelectric point of 5.58, a molecular weight of 12000, and a medium lethal dose (LD50) of 0.86 micrograms/g in mice by intravenous injection. The enzyme also exhibited weak anticoagulant and edema-forming activities. The amino acid composition of the enzyme is similar to those of other cobra venom phospholipases Az.
1. The hemorrhagic, procoagulant, anticoagulant, phosphodiesterase, alkaline phosphomonoesterase, 5'-nucleotidase, hyaluronidase, arginine ester hydrolase, phospholipase A, L-amino acid oxidase and protease activities of 26 samples of venoms from 13 species of Bothrops were determined, and the Sephadex G-75 gel filtration patterns for some of the venoms also examined. 2. The results show that while there are considerable individual variations in the biological activities of many of the Bothrops venoms tested, there are some common characteristics at the genus and species levels. 3. The differences in the biological properties of the Bothrops venoms tested can be used for the differentiation of most Bothrops species examined.
The IgM-globulin levels were determined for 5,167 cord-sera of apparently normal infants and 281 sera of defective infants aged 4 months and younger. The significant level for IgM-globulin in neonates was found to be 20 mgm/dl (2 SD above mean of the normal) above which the level was regarded as abnormally raised. Significant levels of IgM-globulin were found in 0.2% (11/5, 167) ofnormal neonates and in 40.6% (114/281) of defective infants which is more than 200 times the normal value. Combining the normal and abnormal rates, an overall figure of 23 intrauterine infections per 1,000 live births were obtained for Malaysia. The advantages and disadvantages of the use of serum IgM-globulin elevations for the diagnosis of intrauterine infections were discussed.
Healthy Malaysians from various parts of Peninsular Malaysia were examined for CF antibodies against cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2. CMV antibodies were detected in 1114 out of 1556 persons (71.6%) and HSV antibodies were detected in 954 persons out of 1554 (61.4%). The age distribution patterns were similar for the two infections, with maximum prevalence at 5 - 14 years of age. Prevalence was higher in women than in men. There were no significant differences among the Malay, Chinese, and Indian groups of the population with respect to CMV, 72 - 78% possessing antibodies, but in the case of HSV, 76% of the Chinese had antibodies, compared with 57 - 60% of the Malays and Indians. More than 90% of newborn infants had CMV and HSV CF antibodies, confirming the highly immune status of childbearing women in Malaysia. No CMV-specific IgM was detected in the Malaysian neonates examined but this does not exclude the possibility of congenital infection.
Of the five diseases generally recognised as causing congenital defects, viz., toxoplasmosis, rubella, cy tomegaloviral infection, herpes simplex and syphilis (TORCHES) studied in Malaysia, rubella was found to be the most important. A total of 574 children with features of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) were examined for rubella-specific IgM (in infants four months and below), and for rubella HAl antibodies (in children six months to four-years-old), and compared with 374 normal children of the same age groups. Whereas the prevalence rate of rubella in normal children was only 1.3%, in children with CRS (multiple defects) it was 87.3%; with congenital heart disease 71.0%; with congenital cataract 64.0%; with deafness 60.1%; with rash 30.8%; with hepatomegaly 17.1%; with mental retardation 4.1 %. Congenital rubella was not important as a cause of neonatal jaundice (0.9%)
and CNS defects (0%).
1. The hemorrhagic, procoagulant, anticoagulant, phosphodiesterase, alkaline phosphomonoesterase, 5'-nucleotidase, hyaluronidase, arginine ester hydrolase, phospholipase A, L-amino acid oxidase and protease activities of 31 samples of venom from three species of Agkistrodon (A. bilineatus, A. contortrix and A. piscivorus) and 10 venom samples from five other related species belonging to the same tribe of Agkistrodontini were examined. 2. The results indicate that interspecific differences in certain biological activities of the Agkistrodon venoms are more marked than individual variations of the activities, and that these differences can be used for differentiation of the species. Particularly useful for this purpose are the phosphodiesterase, arginine ester hydrolase and anticoagulant activities of the venoms. 3. Venoms of the subspecies of A. contortrix and A. piscivorus do not differ significantly in their biological activities.
1. The hemorrhagic, procoagulant, anticoagulant, phosphodiesterase, hyaluronidase, alkaline phosphomonoesterase, 5'-nucleotidase, arginine ester hydrolase, phospholipase A, L-amino acid oxidase and protease activities of 26 samples of venoms of 13 taxa of Vipera were determined and the Sephadex G-75 gel filtration patterns for some of the venoms were also examined. 2. The results indicate the presence of certain common characteristics among the venoms, particularly if V. russelli is excluded from the comparison. The results also support the recently proposed reassignment of V. russelli to a separate genus. 3. The data show that information on venom biological properties can be used for differentiation of venoms of many species of Vipera. Particularly useful for this purpose are the protease, phosphodiesterase, phospholipase A and the procoagulant activities and the Sephadex G-75 gel filtration patterns of the venoms.
1. The intravenous median lethal doses (LD50), protease, phosphodiesterase, alkaline phosphomonoesterase, L-amino acid oxidase, acetylcholinesterase, phospholipase A, 5'-nucleotidase, hyauronidase and anticoagulant activities of fourteen samples of venoms from the four common species of krait (Bungarus caeruleus, Bungarus candidus, Bungarus multicinctus and Bungarus fasciatus) were examined. 2. The results indicate that even though there are individual variations in the biological properties of the krait venoms, interspecific differences in the properties can be used for differentiation of the venoms from the four species of Bungarus. Particularly useful for this purpose are the LD50's and the contents of 5'-nucleotidase and hyaluronidase of the venoms.
1. The hemorrhagic, procoagulant, anticoagulant, protease, phosphodiesterase, alkaline phosphomonoesterase, L-amino acid oxidase, acetylcholinesterase, arginine ester hydrolase, phospholipase A, 5'-nucleotidase and hyaluronidase activities of 39 samples of venoms from 13 species (15 taxa) of Australian elapids were determined and the Sephadex G-75 gel filtration patterns for some of the venoms were also examined. 2. The results indicate that Australian elapid venoms can be divided into two groups: procoagulant Australian venoms (including N. scutatus, N. ater, O. scutellatus, O. microlepidotus, P. porphyriacus, T. carinatus, H. stephensii and P. textilis) and non-procoagulant Australian venoms (including A. superbus, P. colletti, P. australis, P. guttatus and A. antarcticus). 3. The non-procoagulant Australian venoms exhibited biological properties similar to other elapid venoms, while the procoagulant Australian venoms exhibited some properties characteristic of viperid venoms. 4. The data show that information on venom biological properties can be used for differentiation of many species of Australian elapids. 5. Particularly useful for this purpose are the hyaluronidase, alkaline phosphomonoesterase, acetylcholinesterase, and the procoagulant activities and the Sephadex G-75 gel filtration patterns of the venoms.
Sera from one hundred and fifty nine Malaysian individuals were screened for the prevalence of delta markers. These included 15 HBsAg positive homosexuals, 16 acute hepatitis B cases, 9 chronic hepatitis B patients, 13 healthy HBsAg carriers and 106 intravenous (i.v.) drug abusers, of whom 27 were positive for HBsAg only and the rest were anti-HBc IgG positive but HBsAg negative. The prevalence of delta markers in the homosexuals was found to be 6.7%, in the HBsAg positive drug abusers 17.8%, in acute hepatitis B cases 12.5%. No evidence of delta infection was detected in healthy HBsAg carriers, chronic hepatitis B cases and HBsAg negative i.v. drug abusers. With reference to i.v. drug abusers, the prevalence of delta markers was higher in Malays (23%) than in Chinese (7%) although the latter had a higher HBsAg carrier rate. Although the HBsAg carrier rate in the homosexuals was high, their delta prevalence rate was low as compared to drug abusers. In Malaysia, as in other non-endemic regions, hepatitis delta virus transmission appeared to occur mainly via the parenteral and sexual routes. This is the first time in Malaysia that a reservoir of delta infection has been demonstrated in certain groups of the population at high risk for hepatitis B.
Surgery for the persistent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is almost 50-years-old. It started with Robert Gross in 1938 who successfully ligated the PDA in a seven-year-old girl.! Incomplete obliteration, ligatures cutting through the ductus and recanalisation of the ductus remained troublesome possibilities with this method of dealing with the PDA. Dividing the ductus and suturing each divided end separately would eliminate these possibilities. Gross was quick to recognise this and advocated division in all cases to remove any doubt of incomplete obliteration. 2 Jones supported this concept but also stressed that division and suture of the PDA was not to be taken lightly for the fatal consequence that could arise from inexperience.f There were those who continued to have satisfactory results with ligation of the PDA and persisted with this method (Blalock." Clagett, Kirklin, Ellis and Coolev.' Panagopoulos, Tatooles, Aberdeen, Waterston and Bonham Carter"}, The debate continues between ligation on one hand, and division and suture on the other and it appears currently to favour the latter. This paper reviews our experience with surgery for the PDA over the past five years.
This is a case of a 38-year-old married woman presenting with major depressive disorder one month after the birth of her third child. The depressive episode began in the context of interpersonal difficulties with her husband. In addition, she was also battling an internal conflict of continuing to pursue her career dream as an obstetrician and fulfilling her responsibility as a wife and a mother. Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) was selected as the treatment choice as an evidence-based peripartum treatment that could specifically address the two presenting problem areas, i.e., marital interpersonal dispute and role transition. This paper provides an illustration of IPT sessions conducted with verbatim selections of the sessions.
Despite significant advances in medicine, death remains a certainty for every living human being. End-of-life care decision-making is not made easier in a multi-cultural and multi-religious society like Malaysia. As such, planning for one's death by making Advance Decisions can be immensely valuable as it can help healthcare providers in Malaysia to understand better the preferences and wishes of their patients. However, compared to other countries, there is currently no specific legislation on any form of Advance Decisions in Malaysia despite many doctors voicing a need for them. Unlike the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in the UK, the Malaysian Mental Health Act 2001 does not cover all instances of incapacity and only applies to those who suffer from a mental disorder as defined in the Act. In the absence of legislation, one could look to ethical guidelines, especially from the Malaysian Medical Council, but find that this can sometimes be problematic. It is argued that a concerted effort involving all relevant parties is required to develop a pragmatic and viable Advance Decisions frameworkl in Malaysia.