The efficacy of a 2.15% imidacloprid gel bait against laboratory strain Periplaneta americana and Blattella germanica
was evaluated under laboratory conditions. The susceptibility trend of both species towards imidacloprid was: adult male
< adult female < nymphs. All stages of both species were dead within 10 days in primary poisoning testing. Periplaneta
americana adult male (LT50 = 0.47 h; LT95 = 5.24 h) died fastest, while nymphs of B. germanica took the longest time to
reach 95% mortality (LT95 = 43.84 h). In indirect exposure via secondary poisoning, only adult males of P. americana (LT50
= 100.63 h) and B. germanica (LT50 = 54.66 h) obtained 50% mortality before the testing ended. No complete mortalities
were achieved in any stages of both species within 10 days of secondary poisoning testing. Therefore, imidacloprid gel
bait used in this study was able to cause complete mortalities within less than 2 days of 10-day primary poisoning testing
but less effective in the 10-day secondary poisoning testing.
Reactive arthritis can be an elusive diagnosis especially in the elderly. A 77-year-old lady, presented with recent history of hip pain. She had been treated for urinary tract infection caused by Chlamydia sp. and had associated weight loss. She was also investigated for possible tuberculosis and occult malignancy. CT scan abdomen/pelvis and MRI revealed peri-articular muscle inflammation. Biopsy of her hip joint failed to find the causative factor. Whole body 18F-FDG PET/CT scan revealed increased FDG uptake at bilateral hip and shoulder joints. She recovered after an intensive course of antibiotics. Thus, she was diagnosed with reactive arthritis. Reactive arthritis is usually a diagnosis of exclusion made by a high index of suspicion and positive serology test. Molecular imaging can be an alternative investigation for joint pains in the elderly, which enables excellent anatomical and functional information to exclude more sinister conditions such as malignancy.
This research aims to identify the issues among female engineers in the perspective of their career success. The issues that were identified are work-life balance, gender stereotyping and slow progression on the career success. The research design is a qualitative approach by in-depth interview. The research design which consisted of ten items aimed to explore female engineers’ satisfaction of working in the construc-tion industry, unequal employment in the workplace, persistent problems in managing work-life balance, the role of gender in developing career success and also factors that positively and negatively affect the retention of female engineers in the construc-tion industry. Five participants were recruited from various construction companies in Malaysia. Four of them were interviewed via phone calls and one via electronic mail. The findings from this research show that work-life balance issue is the main issue. Other issues include gender stereotype, nature of work and the competition among male and female engineers. From these findings, one recommendation is that the top management of an organization can provide full support to the employees so that they can be more productive in the workplace and are able to balance their work and non-work responsibilities.
The search for novel biomarkers has taken centre stage in the past decades of research in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). The purpose of the present study was to determine the correlation of serum matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) with disease activity, joint damage and functional disability in patients with RA. We consecutively recruited RA patients who were under follow-up at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC). Information on the RA disease characteristics were obtained from the medical records and all RA patients were
assessed for DAS28 (disease activity score based on 28 joints) and Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) 8-item Disability Index (HAQ-DI). The hand radiographs of the RA patients were assessed for joint damage using the Modified Sharp Score (MSS). Serum MMP-3 levels from RA patients and healthy controls were measured using the ELISA method. We recruited a total of 77 RA patients and 18 healthy controls. The serum MMP-3 levels were significantly higher among the RA patients (p<0.05). There were significant correlations between the serum MMP3 levels and MSS (r =0.327) and HAQ-DI (r=0.256), both p<0.05. The mean serum MMP levels in RA patients with radiographic joint erosions was significantly higher than in patients without erosions (p<0.05). Likewise, the subjects with significant functional impairment i.e HAQ-DI ≥1; had significantly higher mean MMP-3 levels compared to RA patients without significant disability (p<0.05). Using multivariate analysis, HAQ-DI remained the independent predictor of serum MMP-3 in RA patients. Serum MMP-3 is a potential biomarker and predictor of radiographic joint damage and functional disability in RA.
Keywords: acquired joint deformity, matrix metalloproteinases, rheumatoid arthritis
In 2015, a female patient returning to Australia from Sabah, Malaysia, was diagnosed with a suspected sylvatic dengue virus type 2 (DENV-2) infection, becoming the second case of imported highly divergent dengue virus infection recorded in Australia. We describe here the complete genome sequencing of the DENV-2 strain isolated from this patient.
Pelvimetry is the measurement of the dimensions of the pelvis, measured internally or externally, and is typically conducted with the aid of a pelvimeter. Intrapelvic dimensions, namely the intrapelvic height and width, are used to calculate pelvic area which has a moderate to high degree of heritability. Pelvic area measurements are associated with calving difficulty and have been used by producers to select for heifers to be included in their breeding herd.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) may present in the prodromal phase
of schizophrenia. However at times it is difficult to distinguish between the
pure obsession and psychotic obsessions that exist in patients. We present a
case of a patient initially diagnosed as Schizophrenia due to the disorganized
aspect of her behaviour, only to discover an extreme form of obsessions that
explained her demeanor throughout.
Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (IPEH) or Masson’s tumour is a benign vascular proliferation that mimics other malignant vascular tumour. To date, this is the fourth case of Masson’s tumour at urethra being reported in the literature. A 65-year-old female Para 2, presented with post-menopausal bleeding. Examination revealed a 4x3x3 cm growth surrounding the urethral meatus. She underwent examination under anaesthesia and excision of the periurethral mass. Histopathological examination confirmed Masson’s tumour. Diagnosis and management of this uncommon tumour at a rare location was discussed.
Keywords: angiosarcoma, endothelial hyperplasia, Masson’s tumour, urethral neoplasm, vascular neoplasm
Two new species of Biantes Simon, 1885 (Biantidae: Biantinae) are described: Biantes calyptroideus sp. nov. (male and female) from China and Biantes spatulatus sp. nov. (male and female) from Malaysia. Biantidae is recorded from China for the first time.
Dementia is typically characterized by the deterioration of cognitive abilities and is a common disorder among the elderly in Malaysia. However, behavioral and psychological symptoms are also present in approximately 90% of dementia patients.1 We report the manifestation of these symptoms in an elderly woman with dementia and the treatment thereof.
Objective: Suicide pacts are rare subsets of suicides amounting to less than 1% of suicides globally. Usually, there is one dominant participant to persuade the other by their shared experiences to agree to the suicide pact. There is also the perceived loss of a partner (which is a contributing factor in about 20% of cases) with the impending death of one member acting as a trigger.
Methods: We report a 46-year-old Burmese lady who presented with deliberate self- poisoning immediately after the death of her husband to honour a suicide pact they made. She had no previous history of psychiatric illnesses. The pact, initiated by her husband, was well planned six months prior to his death.
Result: She was discharged well after a thorough medical evaluation and supportive therapy. Input of family members knowledgeable in Buddhism helped allay her obligation to the pact citing religious reasons.
Conclusion: The case highlights a suicide pact that was initially unrecognised in the ward. In a multicultural country, psychiatrists need to be more sensitive and aware of erroneous beliefs that may lead to a suicide pact.
Esophageal cancer (EC) is the eighth most aggressive malignancy and its treatment remains a challenge due to the lack of biomarkers that can facilitate early detection. EC is identified in two major histological forms namely - Adenocarcinoma (EAC) and Squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), each showing differences in the incidence among populations that are geographically separated. Hence the detection of potential drug target and biomarkers demands a population-centric understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of EC. To provide an adequate impetus to the biomarker discovery for ESCC, which is the most prevalent esophageal cancer worldwide, here we have developed ESCC ATLAS, a manually curated database that integrates genetic, epigenetic, transcriptomic, and proteomic ESCC-related genes from the published literature. It consists of 3475 genes associated to molecular signatures such as, altered transcription (2600), altered translation (560), contain copy number variation/structural variations (233), SNPs (102), altered DNA methylation (82), Histone modifications (16) and miRNA based regulation (261). We provide a user-friendly web interface ( http://www.esccatlas.org , freely accessible for academic, non-profit users) that facilitates the exploration and the analysis of genes among different populations. We anticipate it to be a valuable resource for the population specific investigation and biomarker discovery for ESCC.
The genus Myrmarachne MacLeay, 1839 (Araneae: Salticidae) is one of the most diversified salticid groups in Southeast Asia, with 23 species previously recorded from Borneo. Based on the collections accumulated from 2004 to 2014 in the Lambir Hills National Park, we herein describe six new species: M. amabilis sp. nov., M. hashimotoi sp. nov., M. lagarosoma sp. nov., M. leptosoma sp. nov., M. salaputium sp. nov. and M. tintinnabulum sp. nov. In addition, we describe the female of M. endoi Yamasaki Ahmad, 2013 for the first time. The male-female combination in M. amabilis sp. nov., M. tintinnabulum sp. nov. and M. endoi were confirmed by DNA barcoding.
This study was conducted to monitor the susceptibility status of Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) larvae in the Sunda Islands of Indonesia against various organophosphates and organochlorines. Larval bioassay was performed in accordance with the World Health Organization standard protocol. Field-collected and reference strains of Ae. aegypti larvae were tested against diagnostic doses of eight larvicides belonging to organophosphates and organochlorines, namely bromophos (0.050 mg/liter), chlopyrifos (0.002 mg/liter), fenitrothion (0.020 mg/liter), fenthion (0.025 mg/liter), malathion (0.125 mg/liter), temephos (0.012 mg/liter), DDT (0.012 mg/liter), and dieldrin (0.025 mg/liter). Mortality rates of larvae were recorded at 24-h posttreatment. This study showed that Ae. aegypti larvae from Padang, Samarinda, Manggarai Barat, and South Central Timor were susceptible to both fenitrothion and dieldrin (mortality rates ≥ 98%). About 6 out of 10 field strains of Ae. aegypti larvae were resistant (<80% mortality rates) against fenthion, whereas Ae. aegypti larvae from Kuningan, Samarinda, Sumba, and South Central Timor exhibited some degrees of resistance (mortality rates 80-98%). All field-collected Ae. aegypti larvae were resistant against diagnostic doses of chlorpyrifos, malathion, temephos, and DDT with mortality rates ranging from 0 to 74.67%. Continued insecticide susceptibility studies are essential to identify the efficacy of insecticides for an improved dengue vector control and to delay the development of insecticide resistance.
The Barsine hypoprepioides (Walker, 1862) species-group is reviewed. Forty seven species and one subspecies belong to the species-group. Among them, fifteen species and one subspecies are new for science and described in the present paper: B. amoenissima sp. n. (Myanmar), B. selene sp. n. (Thailand and Laos), B. cao sp. n. (Thailand, Laos and Vietnam), B. speideli sp. n. (SE China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam), B. mesomene sp. n. (NE India, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam), B. pandeia sp. n. (Vietnam), B. karenkensis wushipheri ssp. n. (S Taiwan), B. euryphaessa sp. n. (Vietnam), B. ivanovamariae sp. n. (Vietnam and SE China), B. eos sp. n. (Thailand), B. mene sp. n. (Thailand), B. syntypicoida sp. n. (Malaysia and Indonesia), B. dubatolovi sp. n. (The Philippines), B. visaya sp. n. (The Philippines), B. nemea sp. n. (The Philippines) and B. kishidai sp. n. (The Philippines). Eight new combinations are established: B. parameia (Rothschild, 1913), comb. n. B. takamukui (Matsumura, 1927), comb. n., B. karenkensis (Matsumura, 1930), comb. n., B. rhipiptera (Wileman West, 1928), comb. n., B. chi (Roepke, 1946), comb. nov., B. salakia (Schaus, 1922), comb. n., B. marginis (Fang, 1991), comb. nov. and B. dentata (Wileman, 1910), comb. nov. The lectotype is designated for Lithosia hypoprepioides Walker, 1862. Adults, male and female genitalia of all species are illustrated.
The species of Estheria Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Tachinidae) from the East Palearctic and Oriental regions are reviewed. Eighteen species are recognized: the fourteen previously described, E. acuta (Portschinsky, 1881), E. alticola Mesnil, 1967, E. bucharensis (Kolomiets, 1974), E. cinerella Mesnil, 1967, E. cristata (Meigen, 1826), E. decolor (Pandellé, 1896), E. flavipennis Herting, 1968, E. lacteipennis Mesnil, 1967, E. maculipennis Herting, 1968, E. magna (Baranov, 1935), E. nigripes (Villeneuve, 1920), E. pallicornis (Loew, 1873), E. petiolata (Bonsdorff, 1866) and E. picta (Meigen, 1826), and four species described as new to science, E. hirtinerva Zhang Shima sp. nov. (W China, Nepal), E. prostata Zhang Shima sp. nov. (W China, Nepal), E. tibetensis Zhang Shima sp. nov. (W China, Nepal) and E. wangi Zhang Liang sp. nov. (W China, Pakistan). Estheria acuta and E. decolor are newly recorded for China, E. magna is newly recorded for Malaysia, Pakistan and Vietnam, and E. pallicornis is newly recorded for Nepal. An identification key to the 18 species of Estheria so far known from the East Palearctic and Oriental regions is included, together with 126 figures of heads and habitus of males and females, and male terminalia and known distributions.