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Fulltext Gender identity disorder is not simply two in one

Syed Masroor, A., Abdul Ghani, K.

International Medical Journal Malaysia, 2013;12(2):83-85.
MyJurnal

A Case Report on Gender Identity Disorder with Recurrent Depressive Disorder is presented. Individuals having this disorder often exhibit discomfort about their actual anatomic gender, and they may have wished to alter their bodies. Sex role-stereotypes adopted during childhood are the beliefs, characteristics and behaviors of individual cultures that are considered normal and appropriate for boys and girls to possess. These "norms" are influenced by one's family and friends, the mass-media, and their community. Since some cultures disapprove of cross-gender behavior, it often results in significant problems for affected individuals and those in close relationships with them. The importance of treatment is not only because of the high rate of mental-health problems, including Depression but with higher suicide rate among untreated transsexual people than in the general population. These problems are not usually related to the gender identity issues themselves, but the social and cultural responses to gender-deviated individuals. An example which classically illustrates Gender Identity Disorder is the case of a young man from Brunei Darussalam, who was seen and treated. This
contribution will highlight the cultural and religious perspective of this Disorder.

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei
Fulltext Genetic population structure of red snapper (Lutjanus malabaricus) and orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coiodes) in Brunei and Sabah

Sulaiman ZH, Abdul Rahman KH, Ying TY, Taha HH, Muhd Taha NH

Integr Zool, 2008 Sep;3(3):208-15.
PMID: 21396070 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-4877.2008.00098.x

The genetic population structure of red snapper Lutjanus malabaricus and orange-spotted grouper Epinephelus coiodes in Brunei and Sabah was investigated using allozyme electrophoresis. Samples were collected from three sites in Brunei for E. coiodes and from three sites in Brunei and Sabah for L. malabaricus. A total of 22 loci and 16 loci were scored, respectively. The index of fixation (F(ST) ) for the E. coiodes population was 0.176 but, in general, it lacked within-population structuring. The F(ST) was particularly high between Brunei Bay/Jerudong and Brunei Bay/ Kuala Belait, suggesting genetic subdivision on a small spatial scale. Isolation of Brunei Bay from the South China Sea may constrain the movement of adult fishes and larval dispersal, thereby reducing homogeneity among subpopulations. All variable loci for E. coiodes were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium except for MDH* and GTDHP* (P < 0.01), in which two subpopulations showed an excess of heterozygotes (P < 0.01). The study on the L. malabaricus population showed a heterozygote deficit of approximately 60% in variable loci (F(ST) genetic variation within population = 0.45; P < 0.05); however, the mean observed heterozygosity for the population far exceeded L. malabaricus populations in Australia and Indonesia. A F(ST) value of 0.076 revealed moderate genetic differentiation among subpopulations of L. malabaricus. The genotypes were likely to be drawn from the same distribution in Jerudong and Kuala Belait. This study infers that sustainable management of snapper and grouper resources in Brunei waters must take into account the presence of a single stock and two stocks, respectively.

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei
Rasch model of the child perceptions questionnaire in multi-country data

Stamm TA, Omara M, Bakerc SR, Foster Page L, Thomson WM, Benson PE, et al.

J Dent, 2020 02;93:103267.
PMID: 31866414 DOI: 10.1016/j.jdent.2019.103267

OBJECTIVE: To be fit-for-purpose, oral health-related quality of life instruments must possess a range of psychometric properties which had not been fully examined in the 16-item Short Form Child Perceptions Questionnaire for children aged 11 to 14 years (CPQ11-14 ISF-16). We used advanced statistical approaches to determine the CPQ's measurement accuracy, precision, invariance and dimensionality and analyzed whether age range could be extended from 8 to 15 years.
METHODS: Fit to the Rasch model was examined in 6648 8-to-15-year-olds from Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Germany, United Kingdom, Brazil and Mexico.
RESULTS: In all but two items, the initial five answer options were reduced to three or four, to increase precision of the children's selection. Items 10 (Shy/embarrassed) and 11 (Concerned what others think) showed an 'extra' dependency between item scores beyond the relationship related to the underlying latent construct represented by the instrument, and so were deleted. Without these two items, the CPQ was unidimensional. The three oral symptoms items (4 Food stuck in teeth, 3 Bad breath and 1 Pain) were required for a sufficient person-item coverage. In three out of 14 items (21 %), Europe and South America showed regional differences in the patterns of how the answer options were selected. No differential item functioning was detected for age.
CONCLUSION: Except for a few modifications, the present analysis supports the combination of items, the cross-cultural validity of the CPQ with 14 items and the extension of the age range from 8 to 15 years.
CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The valid, reliable, shortened and age-extended version of the CPQ resulting from this study should be used in routine care and clinical research. Less items and a wider age range increase its usability. Symptoms items are needed to precisely differentiate between children with higher and lower quality of life.

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei
Fulltext Pulmonary sarcoidosis

Snelling MRJ, Kam CM

Singapore Med J, 1966 Dec;7(4):240-3.
PMID: 6036643

Three cases of intrathoracic sarcoidosis are described, one in a Malay from Brunei and two in Indians from Malaya

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei/ethnology
Fulltext Trans-national conservation and infrastructure development in the Heart of Borneo

Sloan S, Campbell MJ, Alamgir M, Lechner AM, Engert J, Laurance WF

PLoS One, 2019;14(9):e0221947.
PMID: 31532810 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221947

The Heart of Borneo initiative has promoted the integration of protected areas and sustainably-managed forests across Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. Recently, however, member states of the Heart of Borneo have begun pursuing ambitious unilateral infrastructure-development schemes to accelerate economic growth, jeopardizing the underlying goal of trans-boundary integrated conservation. Focusing on Sabah, Malaysia, we highlight conflicts between its Pan-Borneo Highway scheme and the regional integration of protected areas, unprotected intact forests, and conservation-priority forests. Road developments in southern Sabah in particular would drastically reduce protected-area integration across the northern Heart of Borneo region. Such developments would separate two major clusters of protected areas that account for one-quarter of all protected areas within the Heart of Borneo complex. Sabah has proposed forest corridors and highway underpasses as means of retaining ecological connectivity in this context. Connectivity modelling identified numerous overlooked areas for connectivity rehabilitation among intact forest patches following planned road development. While such 'linear-conservation planning' might theoretically retain up to 85% of intact-forest connectivity and integrate half of the conservation-priority forests across Sabah, in reality it is very unlikely to achieve meaningful ecological integration. Moreover, such measure would be exceedingly costly if properly implemented-apparently beyond the operating budget of relevant Malaysian authorities. Unless critical road segments are cancelled, planned infrastructure will fragment important conservation landscapes with little recourse for mitigation. This likelihood reinforces earlier calls for the legal recognition of the Heart of Borneo region for conservation planning as well as for enhanced tri-lateral coordination of both conservation and development.

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei
Cnestusquadrispinosus, a new species of xyleborine ambrosia beetle from Thailand and Borneo (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae, Xyleborini)

Sittichaya W, Beaver RA

Zookeys, 2018.
PMID: 30429655 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.795.28384

A new species, Cnestusquadrispinosus, is described from Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, and East Malaysia (Sabah). It is compared to three related species of Cnestus which lack a mycangial tuft of hairs on the pronotum, and have an impressed elytral declivity.

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei
Fulltext Integrative taxonomy and analysis of species richness patterns of nocturnal Darwin wasps of the genus Enicospilus Stephens (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Ophioninae) in Japan

Shimizu S, Broad GR, Maeto K

Zookeys, 2020;990:1-144.
PMID: 33269011 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.990.55542

The predominantly tropical ophionine genus Enicospilus Stephens, 1835 is one of the largest genera of Darwin wasps (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae), with more than 700 extant species worldwide that are usually crepuscular or nocturnal and are parasitoids of Lepidoptera larvae. In the present study, the Japanese species of Enicospilus are revised using an integrative approach (combined morphology and DNA barcoding). On the basis of 3,110 specimens, 47 Enicospilus species are recognised in Japan, eight of which are new species (E. acutus Shimizu, sp. nov., E. kunigamiensis Shimizu, sp. nov., E. limnophilus Shimizu, sp. nov., E. matsumurai Shimizu, sp. nov., E. pseudopuncticulatus Shimizu, sp. nov., E. sharkeyi Shimizu, sp. nov., E. takakuwai Shimizu, sp. nov., and E. unctus Shimizu, sp. nov.), seven are new records from Japan (E. jilinensis Tang, 1990, E. laqueatus (Enderlein, 1921), E. multidens Chiu, 1954, stat. rev., E. puncticulatus Tang, 1990, E. stenophleps Cushman, 1937, E. vestigator (Smith, 1858), and E. zeugos Chiu, 1954, stat. rev.), 32 had already been recorded in Japan; three (E. biharensis Townes, Townes & Gupta, 1961, E. flavicaput (Morley, 1912), and E. merdarius (Gravenhorst, 1829)) have been erroneously recorded from Japan based on misidentifications, and four names that were previously on the Japanese list are deleted through synonymy. The following taxonomic changes are proposed: E. vacuus Gauld & Mitchell, 1981, syn. nov. (= E. formosensis (Uchida, 1928)); E. multidensstat. rev.; E. striatus Cameron, 1899, syn. nov. = E. lineolatus (Roman, 1913), syn. nov. = E. uniformis Chiu, 1954, syn. nov. = E. flatus Chiu, 1954, syn. nov. = E. gussakovskii Viktorov, 1957, syn. nov. = E. striolatus Townes, Townes & Gupta, 1961, syn. nov. = E. unicornis Rao & Nikam, 1969, syn. nov. = E. unicornis Rao & Nikam, 1970, syn. nov. (= E. pungens (Smith, 1874)); E. iracundus Chiu, 1954, syn. nov. (= E. sakaguchii (Matsumura & Uchida, 1926)); E. sigmatoides Chiu, 1954, syn. nov. (= E. shikokuensis (Uchida, 1928)); E. yamanakai (Uchida, 1930), syn. nov. (= E. shinkanus (Uchida, 1928)); E. ranunculus Chiu, 1954, syn. nov. (= E. yezoensis (Uchida, 1928)); and E. zeugosstat. rev. = E. henrytownesi Chao & Tang, 1991, syn. nov. In addition, the following new regional and country records are also provided: E. flavocephalus (Kirby, 1900), E. puncticulatus, and E. vestigator from the Eastern Palaearctic region, E. laqueatus from the Eastern Palaearctic and Oceanic regions, and E. maruyamanus (Uchida, 1928) from the Oriental region; E. abdominalis (Szépligeti, 1906) from Nepal, E. flavocephalus from Laos, E. formosensis from Laos and Malaysia, E. insinuator (Smith, 1860) from Taiwan, E. maruyamanus from India and Philippines, E. nigronotatus Cameron, 1903, E. riukiuensis (Matsumura & Uchida, 1926), and E. sakaguchii from Indonesia, E. pungens from 14 countries (Australia, Bhutan, Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, and Taiwan), and E. yezoensis from South Korea. An identification key to all Japanese species of Enicospilus is proposed. Although 47 species are recognised in the present study, approximately 55 species could potentially be found in Japan based on ACE and Chao 1 estimators. The latitudinal diversity gradient of Enicospilus species richness is also tested in the Japanese archipelago based on the constructed robust taxonomic framework and extensive samples. Enicospilus species richness significantly increases towards the south, contrary to the 'anomalous' pattern of some other ichneumonid subfamilies.

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei
A note on an epidemic of smallpox in Brunei in 1904

Sheppard WS

Journal of the Malaya Branch of the British Medical Association, 1904.

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei
Bats Are Acoustically Attracted to Mutualistic Carnivorous Plants

Schöner MG, Schöner CR, Simon R, Grafe TU, Puechmaille SJ, Ji LL, et al.

Curr Biol, 2015 Jul 20;25(14):1911-6.
PMID: 26166777 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.05.054

Mutualisms between plants and animals shape the world's ecosystems. In such interactions, achieving contact with the partner species is imperative. Plants regularly advertise themselves with signals that specifically appeal to the partner's perceptual preferences. For example, many plants have acquired traits such as brightly colored, fragrant flowers that attract pollinators with visual, olfactory, or--in the case of a few bat-pollinated flowers--even acoustic stimuli in the form of echo-reflecting structures. However, acoustic attraction in plants is rare compared to other advertisements and has never been found outside the pollination context and only in the Neotropics. We hypothesized that this phenomenon is more widespread and more diverse as plant-bat interactions also occur in the Paleotropics. In Borneo, mutualistic bats fertilize a carnivorous pitcher plant while roosting in its pitchers. The pitcher's orifice features a prolonged concave structure, which we predicted to distinctively reflect the bats' echolocation calls for a wide range of angles. This structure should facilitate the location and identification of pitchers even within highly cluttered surroundings. Pitchers lacking this structure should be less attractive for the bats. Ensonifications of the pitchers around their orifice revealed that this structure indeed acts as a multidirectional ultrasound reflector. In behavioral experiments where bats were confronted with differently modified pitchers, the reflector's presence clearly facilitated the finding and identification of pitchers. These results suggest that plants have convergently acquired reflectors in the Paleotropics and the Neotropics to acoustically attract bats, albeit for completely different ecological reasons.

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei
Fulltext A new species of Clavicornaltica (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), discovered and described on a field course to Kuala Belalong, Brunei

Schilthuizen M, Berenyi AEA, Limin A, Brahim A, Cicuzza D, Eales AJ, et al.

Biodivers Data J, 2019.
PMID: 30740026 DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.7.e32555

Background: Clavicornaltica is a genus of very small flea beetles living in the leaf litter layer of Asian forests, easily sampled with Winkler extraction. The genus is presumably very rich in species, but their taxonomy is hampered by their small size and morphological uniformity.
New information: On a 'taxon expedition'-style field course at Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre in Brunei Darussalam (Borneo), a new species, Clavicornaltica belalongensis n. sp., was discovered and taxonomically treated by the course participants. We also present the first DNA barcodes for the genus.

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei
Fulltext Status of the undisturbed mangroves at Brunei Bay, East Malaysia: a preliminary assessment based on remote sensing and ground-truth observations

Satyanarayana B, M Muslim A, Izzaty Horsali NA, Mat Zauki NA, Otero V, Nadzri MI, et al.

PeerJ, 2018;6:e4397.
PMID: 29479500 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4397

Brunei Bay, which receives freshwater discharge from four major rivers, namely Limbang, Sundar, Weston and Menumbok, hosts a luxuriant mangrove cover in East Malaysia. However, this relatively undisturbed mangrove forest has been less scientifically explored, especially in terms of vegetation structure, ecosystem services and functioning, and land-use/cover changes. In the present study, mangrove areal extent together with species composition and distribution at the four notified estuaries was evaluated through remote sensing (Advanced Land Observation Satellite-ALOS) and ground-truth (Point-Centred Quarter Method-PCQM) observations. As of 2010, the total mangrove cover was found to be ca. 35,183.74 ha, of which Weston and Menumbok occupied more than two-folds (58%), followed by Sundar (27%) and Limbang (15%). The medium resolution ALOS data were efficient for mapping dominant mangrove species such asNypa fruticans,Rhizophora apiculata,Sonneratia caseolaris,S. albaandXylocarpus granatumin the vicinity (accuracy: 80%). The PCQM estimates found a higher basal area at Limbang and Menumbok-suggestive of more mature vegetation, compared to Sundar and Weston. Mangrove stand structural complexity (derived from the complexity index) was also high in the order of Limbang > Menumbok > Sundar > Weston and supporting the perspective of less/undisturbed vegetation at two former locations. Both remote sensing and ground-truth observations have complementarily represented the distribution ofSonneratiaspp. as pioneer vegetation at shallow river mouths,N. fruticansin the areas of strong freshwater discharge,R. apiculatain the areas of strong neritic incursion andX. granatumat interior/elevated grounds. The results from this study would be able to serve as strong baseline data for future mangrove investigations at Brunei Bay, including for monitoring and management purposes locally at present.

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei
Sejarah awal Kepulauan Melayu: lima buah negeri warisan Sarawak yang hilang

Sanib Said

CREAM : Current Research in Malaysia (Penyelidikan Terkini di Malaysia), 2012;1(1):21-50.
MyJurnal

Sejarah awal negara Malaysia yang terdapat dalam pensejarahan Asia Tenggara telah menjadi sumber rujukan di peringkat sekolah dan juga universiti. Periode dari 100EU hingga 1400EU lazimnya mengandungi naratif ringkas mengenai kerajaan tua. Semenanjung Tanah Melayu mewarisi negeri-kerajaan tua Kataha (Kedah), Langkasuka, Panpan, Chihtu dan Baruas yang telah lama terdapat dalam buku sejarah. Bagaimanapun Sarawak kini tidak mewaris apa-apa sedangkan pesisir pantai Borneo di sebelah barat, selatan dan timur terdapat banyak negeri-kerajaan tua seperti Sambas, Mempawah, Pontianak, Landak, Sukadana, Sampit, Banjarmasin, Kutei, Pasri, Bolongan dan Brunei. Terdapat kekosongan dari segi masa dan ruang dalam pensejarahan negeri Sarawak kini. Kajian yang lebih teliti terhadap beberapa sumber primer peribumi di Arkipelago Melayu seperti Silsilah Raja-Raja Brunei dan karya Jawa, Nagarakertagama, telah membongkar beberapa toponim seperti Sarawak, Samarahan, Saribas, Kalaka dan Malanau yang kini merupakan pusat pentadbiran negeri itu. Sumber primer peribumi telah menyatakan bahawa toponim ini adalah negeri yang pernah menjadi jajahan takluk Majapahit selepas itu di bawah Brunei pula. Karangan ini tuba memaparkan naratif ringkas seperti pendekatan yang terdapat dalam pensejarahan Asia Tenggara dan Semenanjung Malaysia. Akhirnya karangan ini mencadangkan negeri kerajaan awal yang diwarisi oleh negeri Sarawak sekarang dinobatkan ke dalam buku sejarah kurikulum sejarah Negara.

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei
Kesatuan ekonomi ASEAN: model undang-undang terma tidak adil dalam kontrak pengguna ASEAN

Samna Shaik Ahmad Yusoff, Azimon Abdul Aziz, Suzanna Mohamed Isa

CREAM : Current Research in Malaysia (Penyelidikan Terkini di Malaysia), 2012;1(1):189-230.
MyJurnal

Kesatuan Ekonomi ASEAN (AEC) merupakan realisasi matlamat akhir integrasi ekonomi yang diasaskan pada pemusatan keinginan negaranegara ASEAN untuk meluaskan intergrasi ekonomi melalui inisiatif baru dan sedia ada dalam kerangka masa yang telah ditetapkan. Dalam merealisasikan salah satu tindakan AEC yang telah dikenal pasti iaitu memperkasakan perlindungan pengguna ASEAN, pengharmonian undang-undang kontrak pengguna dilihat sebagai salah satu agenda penting ASEAN. Dengan berobjektifkan pengharmonian undang-undang kontrak ASEAN yang mengkhusus kepada penggunaan terma tidak adil dalam pasaran pengguna seterusnya mencadangkan ASEAN Model Law on Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts, makalah ini mengadoptasi metodologi analisis kandungan berteraskan literatur undang-undang primer dan sekunder. Mengguna pakai undang-undang kes dan perundangan di enam negara ASEAN terpilih iaitu Malaysia, Singapura, Indonesia, Thailand, Filipina dan Brunei, penyelidikan ini mendapati wujud persamaan dalam mekanisme yang digunakan di negara-negara ASEAN ini dalam menangani permasalahan penggunaan terma tidak adil dalam kontrak pengguna. Namun walaupun perundangan dilihat sebagai mekanisme yang mampu menangani permasalahan ini, wujud perbezaan pendekatan dalam perundangan yang diadaptasi oleh negara-negara ASEAN tersebut. Penggunaan perundangan berorientasikan perlindungan pengguna bagi mengawal penggunaan terma tidak adil dalam kontrak pengguna jelas kelihatan di Malaysia, Singapura, Indonesia, Thailand dan Filipina. Penggunaan perundangan kontrak yang mengkhusus kepada terma tidak adil sebagai instrumen kawalan pula kelihatan di Singapura, Thailand dan Brunei. Dalam aspek ini, keunikan Singapura dan Thailand yang menangani permasalahan terma tidak adil dalam kontrak pengguna dengan mengadakan perlindungan melalui dua jenis perundangan yang berbeza menampakkan korpus perlindungan pengguna yang lebih mapan. Pendekatan yang berbeza yang diamalkan di beberapa negara ASEAN terpilih ini memperlihatkan satu korpus perlindungan pengguna yang unik dalam aspek kontrak pengguna tidak adil.

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei
The Distribution and Population Density of Bornean Tarsier, "Tarsius Bancanus Borneanus (Elliot)" in Secondary and Rehabilitated Forests of Universiti Putra Malaysia, Bintulu Sarawak Campus, Sarawak, Malaysia

Sahimi HNM, Chubo JK, Top Mohd Tah MM, Saripuddin NB, Ab Rahim SS

Trop Life Sci Res, 2018 Mar;29(1):139-154.
PMID: 29644021 DOI: 10.21315/tlsr2018.29.1.10

Tarsius bancanus borneanus was first reported by Elliot in 1990 which an endemic species that can be found on the Island of Borneo consisting of Sabah and Sarawak of Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Kalimantan, Indonesia. This sub-species has been listed as a totally protected animal under the Sarawak Wild Life Protection Ordinance (1998) and vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The present study was conducted at Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Campus (UPMKB), Sarawak from October 2014 till March 2015. Through mark and recapture sampling covering an area of 37 ha of secondary forest patches and 7.13 ha of rehabilitated forest, a total of 16 tarsiers were captured using mist nets while one tarsier was recapture. The population density was 38 individuals/km2 was captured using mist nets in the secondary forest while 28 individuals/km2 was recorded for the rehabilitated forest. Using the catch per unit effort (net hour) method, the average time for capturing tarsiers in the secondary forest patches was 26.6 net hour per animal and 30.0 net hour per animal in the rehabilitated forest. The presented results provides information on the presence of tarsiers in both the secondary and rehabilitated forests of UPMKB, Sarawak, Malaysia which underlines the conservation value of these forested areas.

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei
Fulltext Acacia Holosericea: An Invasive Species for Bio-char, Bio-oil, and Biogas Production

Reza MS, Ahmed A, Caesarendra W, Abu Bakar MS, Shams S, Saidur R, et al.

Bioengineering (Basel), 2019 Apr 16;6(2).
PMID: 30995765 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering6020033

To evaluate the possibilities for biofuel and bioenergy production Acacia Holosericea, which is an invasive plant available in Brunei Darussalam, was investigated. Proximate analysis of Acacia Holosericea shows that the moisture content, volatile matters, fixed carbon, and ash contents were 9.56%, 65.12%, 21.21%, and 3.91%, respectively. Ultimate analysis shows carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen as 44.03%, 5.67%, and 0.25%, respectively. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results have shown that maximum weight loss occurred for this biomass at 357 °C for pyrolysis and 287 °C for combustion conditions. Low moisture content (<10%), high hydrogen content, and higher heating value (about 18.13 MJ/kg) makes this species a potential biomass. The production of bio-char, bio-oil, and biogas from Acacia Holosericea was found 34.45%, 32.56%, 33.09% for 500 °C with a heating rate 5 °C/min and 25.81%, 37.61%, 36.58% with a heating rate 10 °C/min, respectively, in this research. From Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy it was shown that a strong C-H, C-O, and C=C bond exists in the bio-char of the sample.

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei
Serotyping of Brunei pneumococcal clinical strains and the investigation of their capability to adhere and invade a brain endothelium model

Rahman NA, Sharudin A, Diah S, Muharram SH

Microb Pathog, 2017 Sep;110:352-358.
PMID: 28711510 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2017.07.021

INTRODUCTION: Pneumococcal infections have caused morbidity and mortality globally. Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococci) are commensal bacteria that colonize the nasopharynx, asymptomatically. From there, pneumococci can spread in the lungs causing pneumonia and disseminate in the bloodstream causing bacteremia (sepsis) and reach the brain leading to meningitis. Endothelial cells are one of the most important components of the blood-brain barrier that separates the blood from the brain and plays the first protective role against pneumococcal entry. Thus this study aimed to investigate on the ability of non-meningitis pneumococcal clinical strains to adhere and invade a brain endothelium model.
METHODS: Two pneumococcal Brunei clinical strains were serotyped by multiplex PCR method using oligonucleotide sequences derived from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A validated immortalised mouse brain endothelial cell line (bEnd.3) was used as a brain endothelium model for the study of the pneumococcal breach of the blood-brain barrier using an adherence and invasion assay.
RESULTS: Both of the pneumococcal clinical strains were found to be serotype 19F, a common circulating serotype in Southeast Asia and globally and possess the ability to adhere and invade the brain endothelial cells.
CONCLUSION: In addition, this is the first report on the serotype identification of pneumococci in Brunei Darussalam and their application on a brain endothelium model. Further studies are required to understand the virulence capabilities of the clinical strains.

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei
Investigation of aliphatic hydrocarbons in core sediments of Brunei Bay, East Malaysia

Pang SY, Suratman S, Tay JH, Mohd Tahir N

Mar Pollut Bull, 2021 Oct;171:112736.
PMID: 34325152 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112736

The distribution of aliphatic hydrocarbons in three sediment cores from Brunei Bay was investigated in order to understand their sources and the biogeochemical processes of these hydrocarbons. The total concentrations of C15 to C37n-alkanes ranged from 0.70 to 16.5 μg g-1. Traces of hopanes with C29-C31 carbon homologs were detected in the study area. The carbon preference index (CPI15-37) ranged from 1.23 to 3.42 coupled with the natural n-alkane ratio (NAR19-32) ratios (1.52 to 5.34), and the presence of unresolved complex mixtures and hopanes, suggested slight contamination by anthropogenic hydrocarbons, presumably derived from activities along the coasts. The presence of C27 trisnorhopene and diploptene, as well as their association with long-chain and short-chain n-alkanes, revealed a depositional environment of organic matter in the sediment cores.

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei
Input of organic matter in Brunei Bay, East Malaysia, as indicated by sedimentary steroids and multivariate statistics

Pang SY, Tay JH, Suratman S, Simoneit BRT, Mohd Tahir N

Mar Pollut Bull, 2020 Jul;156:111269.
PMID: 32510409 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111269

Brunei Bay is one of the most important marine environments of East Malaysia (South China Sea), covering many productive ecosystems with activities including fisheries, tourism, and main shipping lanes for petroleum transfers. Evaluation of the sources and distributions of steroids in the surface sedimentary organic matter was carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The concentrations of the total identified sterols (TIS) ranged between 0.81 and 12.69 μg g-1 dry weight, and the total sterones were between 0.11 and 5.66 μg g-1 dry weight. The coprostanol level was comparatively low (<0.10 μg g-1), and the multi-biomarker proxies indicated that the region did not exhibit significant contamination from sewage effluents. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed the coastal environment of the study area was dominated by allochthonous (mainly terrestrial) organic matter input.

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei
Fulltext Transient Osteoporosis of the Hip: A Case Report

Pande K, Aung TT, Leong JF, Bickle I

Malays Orthop J, 2017 Mar;11(1):77-78.
PMID: 28435582 DOI: 10.5704/MOJ.1703.012

Transient osteoporosis of the hip (TOH) is a benign, selflimiting condition characterised by acute onset groin pain in adults. Early diagnosis is important to differentiate it from progressive conditions such as osteonecrosis. We report on a middle-aged male who presented with right groin pain without any prior trauma. The diagnosis of transient osteoporosis of hip was confirmed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and he was successfully treated with a course of Alendronate sodium, anti-inflammatory analgesics and a period of non-weight bearing ambulation.

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei
Preface and Constitution of the Asian Society of Ichthyologists

Page LM, Nor SA

Zootaxa, 2015;3962(1):5-9.
PMID: 26249377 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3962.1.3

The U.S. National Science Foundation-funded (DEB 1022720) 'All Cypriniformes Species Inventory' was initiated in 2010 and will be completed in 2015. It has accelerated the rate of discovery and description of cypriniform fishes, expanded our knowledge of the phylogenetic relationships of cypriniforms, increased the capacity for systematic research in other countries through student training and establishing long-term collaborations, including conferences in Thailand in 2012, Brunei in 2013, Burundi in 2013, and Malaysia in 2014, led to the formation of the Asian Society of Ichthyologists, and made available large numbers of specimens and tissues of freshwater fishes, including many species never before collected, in permanent collections in foreign and U.S. institutions.

Matched MeSH terms: Brunei

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