Although this paper makes a special appeal to workers in Malaya it will be found interesting and instructive by the many medical men elsewhere who have been perplexed by the confusing nomenclature of rats and related animals. The author describes the following, which are the six common house and field animals of Malaya popularly called "rats ". A. Rodentia: Muridae. (1) Rattus rattus (Sp. R.r. diardi; R. r. argentiventer; R. r. jalorensis. (2) R. norvegicus. (3) R. exulans. (4) Mus musculus. (5) Bandicota bengalensis. B. Insectivora: Soricidae. (6) Suncus caeruleus, the musk shrew which is grossly slandered by being called a rat; it is an insectivore and the author states that there is no evidence of its being concerned in the transmission of any disease. A clear description is given of the habits, external appearance, skull characters, and association, if any, with disease, of each of the above animals. The animals chiefly concerned in the transmission of disease in Malaya are stated as being R. r. diardi (murine typhus), and R. r. argentiventer, (scrub typhus and probably leptospirosis). Plague is not occurring at present in Malaya. Medical men in Malaya are fortunate in being provided in this and other papers with simple practical guides to the local fauna which are important from the public health point of view. [See also this Bulletin, 1949, v. 46, 245, 247.] John W. D. Megaw.
Di dalam kertas ini, pendekatan dalam mentakrifkan ketakpastian titik data melalui pendekatan konsep nombor kabur yang sedia ada dapat diitlakkan. Pengitlakan ini termasuk pentakrifan ketakpastian data yang akan menjadi titik data kabur (titik kawalan kabur) selepas ditakrifkan oleh konsep nombor kabur. Kemudian, kajian ini juga membincangkan tentang proses pengkaburan (operasi potongan-alfa) terhadap titik data kabur tersebut dalam bentuk segitiga nombor kabur diiringi dengan beberapa teorem dan juga pembuktiannya. Selain itu, kami juga turut memodelkan titik data kabur tersebut melalui fungsi lengkung yang sedia ada iaitu fungsi lengkung Bezier. Selepas itu, turut dicadangkan juga ialah proses penyahkaburan terhadap titik data kabur selepas operasi potongan-alfa diimplementasikan bagi memperoleh penyelesaian titik data kabur rangup sebagai keputusan akhir yang turut dimodelkan melalui fungsi lengkung Bezier dengan disertai beberapa teorem bagi memahami bentuk data tersebut.
Makalah ini menunjukkan dua jenis peringkat Persamaan Pembezaan Separa (PPS) dalam versi teritlak daripada kaedah PPS Bloor-Wilson. Modifikasi terhadap parameter a(u, v) dalam persamaan tersebut diilustrasikan melalui beberapa contoh. Kelebihan dan kekurangan terhadap aplikasinya juga dibincangkan.
Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti model statistik terbaik bagi mewakili set data melampau untuk salah satu bahan pencemaran udara iaitu zarah terampai (PM10). Data dari enam buah stesen pengawasan kualiti udara di sekitar Lembah Klang dari tahun 2009 hingga 2011 digunakan dalam kajian ini. Dalam penentuan taburan terbaik, taburan parametrik dan taburan tak berparameter telah diuji. Dua siri data melampau yang digunakan ialah siri data maksimum bulanan dan siri data melangkaui ambang bagi PM10. Seterusnya, dua taburan parametrik iaitu Taburan Melampau Teritlak (GEV) dan Taburan Pareto Teritlak (GPD) masing-masing dipadankan kepada siri data maksimum bulanan dan siri data melangkaui ambang. Kaedah penganggaran parameter L-momen dan ujian kebagusan penyuaian Anderson Darling digunakan dalam pemilihan taburan parametrik terbaik yang juga menentukan kaedah pemilihan data melampau yang mana lebih baik. Bagi kaedah tak berparameter, penganggaran fungsi ketumpatan kernel (KDE) digunakan untuk menentukan taburan terbaik PM10 melampau. Hasil pengiraan ralat min kuasa dua (MSE) mendapati taburan tak berparameter merupakan taburan terbaik bagi data melampau PM10 di kebanyakan stesen kajian. Taburan terbaik bagi setiap stesen kajian seterusnya digunakan bagi menghitung tempoh ulangan PM10 yang sangat berguna bagi pihak yang terbabit.
Bartonelloses are emerging infectious diseases that are common in humans and animals worldwide. Several Bartonella species associated with companion animals such as Bartonella henselae and Bartonella rochalimae are species with zoonotic implications and have become a global concern. Other Bartonella species associated with wild animals, however, remain underappreciated particularly in the developing regions of the world. To explore further on this neglected bacterial agent, Leptocyclopodia ferrari (Nycteribiidae) bat flies collected from Cynopterus brachyotis (Pteropodidae), an endemic fruit bat species in Southeast Asia, were molecularly examined for the presence of Bartonella. Both 16 S-23 S ribosomal RNA intergenic spacer region and citrate synthase gene sequences exhibited less than 95 % similarity to all previously reported Bartonella spp. Further phylogenetic analysis revealed a novel clade of this Bartonella sp. with high bootstrap support. The vectorial capacity of bat flies in transmitting this novel pathogen merits further investigation.
St. John's wort is an herb, long used in folk medicine for the treatment of mild depression. Its antidepressant constituent, hyperforin, has properties such as chemical instability and induction of drug-drug interactions that preclude its use for individual pharmacotherapies. Here we identify the transient receptor potential canonical 6 channel (TRPC6) as a druggable target to control anxious and depressive behavior and as a requirement for hyperforin antidepressant action. We demonstrate that TRPC6 deficiency in mice not only results in anxious and depressive behavior, but also reduces excitability of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons and dentate gyrus granule cells. Using electrophysiology and targeted mutagenesis, we show that hyperforin activates the channel via a specific binding motif at TRPC6. We performed an analysis of hyperforin action to develop a new antidepressant drug that uses the same TRPC6 target mechanism for its antidepressant action. We synthesized the hyperforin analog Hyp13, which shows similar binding to TRPC6 and recapitulates TRPC6-dependent anxiolytic and antidepressant effects in mice. Hyp13 does not activate pregnan-X-receptor (PXR) and thereby loses the potential to induce drug-drug interactions. This may provide a new approach to develop better treatments for depression, since depression remains one of the most treatment-resistant mental disorders, warranting the development of effective drugs based on naturally occurring compounds.
Cortisol, commonly known as the "stress hormone," plays a critical role in the body's response to stress. Elevated cortisol levels have been associated with various mental disorders, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Consequently, researchers have explored cortisol modulation as a promising avenue for treating these conditions. However, the availability of research on cortisol as a therapeutic option for mental disorders is limited, and existing studies employ diverse methodologies and outcome measures. This review article aimed to provide insights into different treatment approaches, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological, which can effectively modulate cortisol levels. Pharmacological interventions involve the use of substances, such as somatostatin analogs, dopamine agonists, corticotropin-releasing hormone antagonists, and cortisol synthesis inhibitors. Additionally, non-pharmacological techniques, including cognitivebehavioral therapy, herbs and supplements, transcranial magnetic stimulation, lifestyle changes, and surgery, have been investigated to reduce cortisol levels. The emerging evidence suggests that cortisol modulation could be a promising treatment option for mental disorders. However, more research is needed to fully understand the effectiveness and safety of these therapies.