Displaying publications 21 - 40 of 928 in total

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  1. Screening for nasopharyngeal carcinoma with an ELISA using the Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen, EBNA 1: a complementary test to the IgA/VCA immunofluorescence assay
    Cheng HM, Foong YT, Mathew A, Sam CK, Dillner J, Prasad U
    J Virol Methods, 1993 Apr;42(1):45-51.
    PMID: 7686558
    An ELISA using the Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA 1) was found to detect selectively specific IgA in sera from patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The antigen, p107, was a 20-amino acid synthetic peptide, representing a major epitope of EBNA 1.267/294 (90.8%) of NPC patients had IgA antibodies to p107 but in normal individuals, only 41/577 (7.1%) had IgA/p107. In sera from patients with other cancers, 11/77 (14.3%) had IgA/p107 reactivity. 124 IgA/VCA positive and 86 IgA/VCA negative NPC sera were also tested for IgA/p107 binding in ELISA. The majority of IgA/VCA positive sera (117) also contained IgA/p107 antibodies. Of interest was the detection of 74/86 IgA/p107 reactive sera in the IgA/VCA negative group. The results suggest that the IgA/p107 ELISA could become a useful, complementary screening assay to the IgA/VCA immunofluorescence test for detection of NPC.
    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
  2. Isolation and characterization of a hemorrhagin from the venom of Calloselasma rhodostoma (Malayan pit viper)
    Ponnudurai G, Chung MC, Tan NH
    Toxicon, 1993 Aug;31(8):997-1005.
    PMID: 8212052
    The major hemorrhagin (termed rhodostoxin) of the venom of Calloselasma rhodostoma (Malayan pit viper) was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by Sephadex G-200 gel filtration followed by high performance ion exchange chromatography. The purified hemorrhagin also yielded a single peak in reversed-phase HPLC. It had an isoelectric point of 5.3 and a mol. wt of 34,000. Rhodostoxin exhibited potent proteolytic, hemorrhagic and edema-inducing activities but was not lethal to mice at a dose of 6 microgram/g (i.v.). Treatment of rhodostoxin with EDTA eliminated both the proteolytic and hemorrhagic activities completely. The N-terminal sequence of rhodostoxin was determined to be NHEIKRHVDIVVVXDSRFCTK.
    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
  3. Fulltext Spectrum of beta-thalassaemia mutations in transfusion dependent thalassaemia patients: practical implications in prenatal diagnosis
    George E, George R, Ariffin WA, Mokhtar AB, Azman ZA, Sivagengei K
    Med J Malaysia, 1993 Sep;48(3):325-9.
    PMID: 8183146
    The study concerned the identification of the beta-thalassaemia mutations that were present in 24 patients with beta-thalassaemia major who were transfusion dependent. The application of a modified polymerase chain reaction, the amplification refractory system (ARMS) was found to be an effective and rapid method for the identification of the beta-thalassaemia mutations. Six different mutations were detected. Seventy five percent of the patients were Chinese-Malaysians and showed the commonly occurring anomalies: 1. frameshift codon 41 and 42 (-TCTT); 2. the C to T substitution at position 654 of intron 2 (IVS-2); 3. the mutation at position -28(A to G); and the nonsense mutation A to T at codon 17. In the Malays, the common mutations seen were: 1. the G to C mutation at position 5 of IVS-1; 2. the G to T mutation at position 1 of intron 1 (IVS-1); and the A to T at codon 17. The delineation of the specific mutations present will enable effective prenatal diagnosis for beta-thalassaemia to be instituted.
    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
  4. Epitope mapping of the Sta58 major outer membrane protein of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi
    Lachumanan R, Devi S, Cheong YM, Rodda SJ, Pang T
    Infect Immun, 1993 Oct;61(10):4527-31.
    PMID: 7691753
    Binding studies of 160 overlapping, synthetic octapeptides from the hydrophilic regions of the Sta58 major outer membrane protein of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi with sera from patients with scrub typhus revealed 15 immunodominant peptides which are recognized by all the sera tested. Further analysis of the specificity of peptide binding with five of these peptides indicated that the peptides showed significantly stronger binding to scrub typhus patients' sera than they did to sera from patients with other febrile illnesses common in the region, i.e., malaria, dengue fever, typhoid fever, and leptospirosis. The main antibody class binding to these peptides appears to be immunoglobulin M, and there appears to be little correlation between reactivity with peptides and antibody titers measured by the indirect immunoperoxidase test.
    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
  5. The rubber elongation factor of rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis) is the major allergen in latex
    Czuppon AB, Chen Z, Rennert S, Engelke T, Meyer HE, Heber M, et al.
    J Allergy Clin Immunol, 1993 Nov;92(5):690-7.
    PMID: 8227860
    BACKGROUND: Allergy to latex-containing articles is becoming more and more important because it can result in unexpected life-threatening anaphylactic reactions in sensitized individuals.

    METHODS: A protein of 58 kd with an isoelectric point of 8.45 was purified from raw latex and from latex gloves and identified as the major allergen, completely blocking specific IgE antibodies in the serum of latex-sensitized subjects. The allergen is a noncovalent homotetramer molecule, in which the 14.6 kd monomer was identified, by amino acid composition and sequence homologies of tryptic peptides, to be the rubber elongation factor found in natural latex of the Malaysian rubber tree.

    RESULTS: Competitive immunoinhibition tests showed that the starch powder covering the finished gloves is the airborne carrier of the allergen, resulting in bronchial asthma on inhalation. The purified allergen can induce allergic reactions in the nanogram range.

    CONCLUSION: The identification of the allergen (Hev b I) may help to eliminate it during the production of latex-based articles in the future.

    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
  6. Molecular evolution and epidemiology of dengue-3 viruses
    Lanciotti RS, Lewis JG, Gubler DJ, Trent DW
    J Gen Virol, 1994 Jan;75 ( Pt 1):65-75.
    PMID: 8113741
    The nucleic acid sequences of the pre-membrane/membrane and envelope protein genes of 23 geographically and temporally distinct dengue (DEN)-3 viruses were determined. This was accomplished by reverse transcriptase-PCR amplification of the structural genes followed by automated DNA sequence analysis. Comparison of nucleic acid sequences revealed that similarity among the viruses was greater than 90%. The similarity among deduced amino acids was between 95% and 100%, and in many cases identical amino acid substitutions occurred among viruses from similar geographical regions. Alignment of nucleic acid sequences followed by parsimony analysis allowed the generation of phylogenetic trees, demonstrating that geographically independent evolution of DEN-3 viruses had occurred. The DEN-3 viruses were separated into four genetically distinct subtypes. Subtype I consists of viruses from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and the South Pacific islands; subtype II consists of viruses from Thailand; subtype III consists of viruses from Sri Lanka, India, Africa and Samoa; subtype IV consists of viruses from Puerto Rico and the 1965 Tahiti virus. Phylogenetic analysis has also contributed to our understanding of the molecular epidemiology and worldwide distribution of DEN-3 viruses.
    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
  7. Genetic study of Japanese encephalitis viruses isolated in Malaysia
    Tsuchie H, Oda K, Vythilingam I, Thayan R, Vijayamalar B, Sinniah M, et al.
    Jpn. J. Med. Sci. Biol., 1994 Apr;47(2):101-7.
    PMID: 7853748
    Two hundred and forty nucleotides from the pre-M gene region of 10 Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus strains isolated in Malaysia in 1992 were sequenced and compared with the other JE virus strains from different geographic areas in Asia. Our JE virus strains belong to the largest genotypic group that includes strains isolated in temperate regions such as Japan, China, and Taiwan. Our Malaysian JE virus strains differed in 32 nucleotides (13.3%) from WTP/70/22 strain isolated from Malaysia in 1970, which belonged to another distinct genotypic group.
    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
  8. Serum IgA cross-reactivity between glycine-alanine repeat sequence of EBNA-1 and keratin or collagen in nasopharyngeal carcinoma
    Mathew A, Cheng HM, Sam CK, Prasad U
    Clin. Immunol. Immunopathol., 1994 May;71(2):164-8.
    PMID: 7514112
    Inhibition studies were carried out to study possible cross-reactivity between a peptide fragment of the Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen, EBNA-1, and keratin/collagen. The 20-amino acid peptide (pAG), derived from a glycine-alanine repeat region of EBNA-1, uniquely makes up about one-third of the viral protein and is a dominant IgA antigenic epitope in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). A small percentage of normal human sera (NHS) also binds pAG and this reactivity is examined in this study. Ten percent (2/20) and 13.4% (2/15) of IgA-pAG-positive NPC sera and NHS, respectively, were significantly inhibited by keratin in a competitive ELISA system. Conversely, 31.6% (6/19) and 30.8% (4/13) of IgA-keratin-positive NPC sera and NHS, respectively, were significantly inhibited by pAG. This indicated minimum cross-reactivity between IgA serum antibodies to EBNA-1 and keratin. Using collagen as inhibitor, none of 18 and only 2/13 IgA-pAG-positive NPC sera and NHS, respectively, were inhibited. In the collagen ELISA system, only 2/19 (10.5%) and 4/25 (16%) of IgA-collagen-positive NPC sera and NHS, respectively, were inhibited with pAG. Therefore, cross-reactivity with collagen was also low. IgA-pAG-positive NHS may therefore not be a false positive phenomenon, but whether it may represent an early serological profile related to NPC carcinogenesis remains to be determined.
    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
  9. Isolation of Japanese encephalitis virus from Culex sitiens mosquitoes in Selangor, Malaysia
    Vythilingam I, Oda K, Tsuchie H, Mahadevan S, Vijayamalar B
    J Am Mosq Control Assoc, 1994 Jun;10(2 Pt 1):228-9.
    PMID: 8965071
    Isolation of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) from mosquitoes in Sabak Bernam, Selangor, Malaysia, was attempted. An aliquot of homogenate from each pool of mosquitoes, 50 per tube, was inoculated into Aedes albopictus clone C6/36 cells for virus isolation. Each cell culture was tested for the presence of viral antigen by immunoperoxidase staining using an anti-JEV polyclonal antibody. Out of 4 Culex sitiens mosquito pools, 2 pools were positive for JEV by cell culture. Presence of JEV genome in the cell cultures for Cx. sitiens was confirmed by using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and JEV-specific primers. This is the first report on the isolation of JEV from Cx. sitiens.
    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
  10. The trinucleotide repeat expansion on chromosome 6p (SCA1) in autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxias
    Giunti P, Sweeney MG, Spadaro M, Jodice C, Novelletto A, Malaspina P, et al.
    Brain, 1994 Aug;117 ( Pt 4):645-9.
    PMID: 7922453
    Affected members of 73 families with a variety of autosomal dominant late onset cerebellar ataxias (ADCAs) were investigated for the trinucleotide (CAG) repeat expansion which is found in pedigrees exhibiting linkage to the SCA1 locus on chromosome 6. Most of the families were too small for linkage analysis. The mutation was only found in ADCA type I, in 19 out of 38 such kindreds investigated (50%). It was slightly more common in Italian (59%) than British (50%) families, and was also found in Malaysian, Bangladeshi and Jamaican kindreds. Overall, ADCA type I patients with the expansion had a lower incidence of hyporeflexia and facial fasciculation than those without. The trinucleotide expansion was not found in eight families with ADCA and maculopathy or 24 kindreds with a pure type of ADCA, confirming that these syndromes are genetically distinct. It was also not detected in 12 patients with sporadic degenerative ataxias. DNA analysis for the SCA1 mutation is useful diagnostically in single patients or small families, and can be used for presymptomatic testing where appropriate.
    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
  11. Purification and properties of the L-amino acid oxidase from Malayan pit viper (Calloselasma rhodostoma) venom
    Ponnudurai G, Chung MC, Tan NH
    Arch Biochem Biophys, 1994 Sep;313(2):373-8.
    PMID: 8080286
    The L-amino acid oxidase of Malayan pit viper (Calloselasma rhodostoma) venom was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. The molecular weight of the enzyme was 132,000 as determined by Sephadex G-200 gel filtration chromatography and 66,000 as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. It is a glycoprotein, has an isoelectric point of 4.4, and contains 2 mol of flavin mononucleotide per mole of enzyme. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the enzyme was A-D-D-R-N-P-L-A-E-E-F-Q-E-N-N-Y-E-E-F-L. Kinetic studies suggest the presence of a alkyl side-chain binding site in the enzyme and that the binding site comprises at least four hydrophobic subsites. The characteristics of the binding site differ slightly from those of cobra venom L-amino acid oxidases.
    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
  12. A polymorphic microsatellite marker from the tropical tree Dryobalanops lanceolata (Dipterocarpaceae)
    Terauchi R
    Jpn. J. Genet., 1994 Oct;69(5):567-76.
    PMID: 7999373
    Di-nucleotide microsatellites were isolated from a genomic library of a tropical tree species, Dryobalanops lanceolata, in Sarawak, for the purpose of using them as hypervariable genetic markers to study the pollen-mediated gene flow. Among 1600 recombinant clones, in total 20 clones gave positive signals when hybridized with oligonucleotides with the three different repeat motifs, GT, CA and CT. Estimations of abundance of (GT)n/(CA)n and (GA)n/(CT)n dinucleotide repeats in D. lanceolata genome revealed to be one in every 84 kb and 80 kb, respectively. Among six sequenced microsatellite loci, one was selected to synthesize PCR primers to amplify the microsatellite. PCR product size of the locus was variable among different individuals, which is attributed to the different number of di-nucleotide repeats. The same microsatellite genotype was detected in the trunk and canopy of a single large tree, indicating the utility of trunk tissue as the source of DNA for the population genetic study of tropical tree species, the canopy of which is usually difficult to approach.
    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
  13. An investigation on the antigenic cross-reactivity of Calloselasma rhodostoma (Malayan pit viper) venom hemorrhagin, thrombin-like enzyme and L-amino acid oxidase using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
    Tan NH, Ponnudurai G
    Toxicon, 1994 Oct;32(10):1265-9.
    PMID: 7846697
    Indirect ELISA shows that the antibodies to Calloselasma rhodostoma venom hemorrhagin (CR-HMG), thrombin-like enzyme (CR-TLE) and L-amino acid oxidase (CR-LAAO) exhibited strong to moderate cross-reactions with most crotalid and viperid venoms, but only anti-CR-LAAO cross-reacted with the elapid venoms. However, the indirect ELISA failed to detect some antigenic similarities demonstrable by cross-neutralization study. The double-sandwich ELISA for the three anti-C. rhodostoma venom components exhibited a much lower level of cross-reactions than the indirect ELISA.
    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
  14. Analysis of the D1S80 locus by amplified fragment length polymorphism technique in the Chinese, Malays and Indians in Singapore
    Chuah SY, Tan WF, Yap KH, Tai HE, Chow ST
    Forensic Sci Int, 1994 Oct 21;68(3):169-80.
    PMID: 7982636
    The distributions of the D1S80 alleles and genotypes in the Chinese, Malays and Indians in Singapore were determined by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AMP-FLP) analysis. The distributions of the observed genotypes for the three races conformed to Hardy-Weinberg expectations. The system was applied to 19 families whose paternity had been established by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. In all cases, Mendelian inheritance of the alleles at the D1S80 locus could be demonstrated. D1S80 typing on DNA recovered by differential extraction of forensic specimens which included vaginal swabs, urethral swabs and seminal stains yielded consistent results.
    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
  15. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA typing: a useful tool for rapid epidemiological typing of Klebsiella pneumoniae
    Wong NA, Linton CJ, Jalal H, Millar MR
    Epidemiol Infect, 1994 Dec;113(3):445-54.
    PMID: 7995354
    Discriminatory typing methods are invaluable in the investigation of outbreaks of infectious diseases. Single primers were used to generate randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) profiles from Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates of various serotype and K. pneumoniae isolates from cases of sepsis at a Malaysian hospital and two English hospitals. RAPD profiles of acceptable reproducibility, a maximum of three minor band variations, were produced using a rapid DNA extraction method. RAPD typing of K. pneumoniae was shown to be as discriminatory as restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis using pulsed field gel electrophoresis yet quicker and less costly. The findings suggest that RAPD typing may be a useful tool for the epidemiological typing of K. pneumoniae.
    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
  16. Genetic variation estimated in three Shorea species by the RAPD analysis
    Harada K, Kinoshita A, Shukor NA, Tachida H, Yamazaki T
    Jpn. J. Genet., 1994 Dec;69(6):713-8.
    PMID: 7857675
    Three species of Shorea (S. leprosula, S. acuminata and S. cursitii) were collected from a natural forest reserve of Malaysia and analyzed for genetic variation using the technique of random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The average number of nucleotide substitutions was estimated. The nucleotide diversities within species were very similar and larger than those found in Drosophila melanogaster. The nucleotide divergences between these species are about 1.5 times the nucleotide diversities within the species, indicating that these species diverged from a common ancestor relatively recently.
    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
  17. Insertion sequence typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: characterization of a widespread subtype with a single copy of IS6110
    Fomukong NG, Tang TH, al-Maamary S, Ibrahim WA, Ramayah S, Yates M, et al.
    Tuber. Lung Dis., 1994 Dec;75(6):435-40.
    PMID: 7718832 DOI: 10.1016/0962-8479(94)90117-1
    DNA fingerprinting with the insertion sequence IS6110 (also known as IS986) has become established as a major tool for investigating the spread of tuberculosis. Most strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis have multiple copies of IS6110, but a small minority carry a single copy only. We have examined selected strains from Malaysia, Tanzania and Oman, in comparison with M. bovis isolates and BCG strains carrying one or two copies of IS6110. The insertion sequence appears to be present in the same position in all these strains, which suggests that in these organisms the element is defective in transposition and that the loss of transposability may have occurred at an early stage in the evolution of the M. tuberculosis complex.
    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
  18. Pathogenic responses of bradykinin system in chronic inflammatory rheumatoid disease
    Sharma JN, Buchanan WW
    Exp. Toxicol. Pathol., 1994 Dec;46(6):421-33.
    PMID: 7703672 DOI: 10.1016/S0940-2993(11)80053-9
    Excessive release of kinin (BK) in the synovial fluid can produce oedema, pain and loss of functions due to activation of B1 and B2 kinin receptors. Activation of the kinin forming system could be mediated via injury, trauma, coagulation pathways (Hageman factor and thrombin) and immune complexes. The activated B1 and B2 receptors might cause release of other powerful non-cytokine and cytokine mediators of inflammation, e.g., PGE2, PGI2, LTs, histamine, PAF, IL-1 and TNF, derived mainly from polymorphonuclear leukocytes, macrophages, endothelial cells and synovial tissue. These mediators are capable of inducing bone and cartilage damage, hypertrophic synovitis, vessel proliferation, inflammatory cell migration and, possibly, angiogenesis in pannus formation. These pathological changes, however, are not yet defined in the human model of chronic inflammation. The role of kinins and their interacting inflammatory mediators would soon start to clarify the detailed questions they revealed in clinical and experimental models of chronic inflammatory diseases. Several B1 and B2 receptor antagonists are being synthesized in an attempt to study the molecular functions of kinins in inflammatory processes, such as rheumatoid arthritis, periodontitis, inflammatory diseases of the gut and osteomyelitis. Future development of specific potent and stable B1 and B2 receptor antagonists or combined B1 and B2 antagonists with y-IFN might serve as a pharmacological basis for more effective treatment of joint inflammatory and related diseases.
    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
  19. Identification of potential hot spots in the carboxy-terminal part of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) BNLF-1 gene in both malignant and benign EBV-associated diseases: high frequency of a 30-bp deletion in Malaysian and Danish peripheral T-cell lymphomas
    Sandvej K, Peh SC, Andresen BS, Pallesen G
    Blood, 1994 Dec 15;84(12):4053-60.
    PMID: 7994023
    In this study, we have sequenced the C-terminal part of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-BNLF-1 gene encoding for the latent membrane protein-1 from tissues of EBV-positive Danish Hodgkin's disease (HD) and of Danish and Malaysian peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTLs) and from tonsils of Danish infectious mononucleosis (IM). Our study showed that some of the 7 single-base mutations and the 30-bp deletion previously detected between codons of amino acid 322 and 366 in the BNLF-1 gene of the nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line CAO were present in all Malaysian PTLs and in 60% of the Danish PTLs. In HD and the IM cases, the mutations were present in about 30%. The 30-bp deletion and the single base mutations occurred independently, and mutations were detectable in the majority of EBV type B-positive cases. These findings suggest that the 30-bp deletion and the 7 single-base mutations in the C-terminal part of the CAO-BNLF-1 gene do not characterize a new EBV type A substrain. Rather, some of the positions of single base mutations and the 30-bp deletion are hot spots that may have mutated independently through the evolution of EBV strains.
    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
  20. Comparative analysis of NS3 sequences of temporally separated dengue 3 virus strains isolated from southeast Asia
    Chow VT, Seah CL, Chan YC
    Intervirology, 1994;37(5):252-8.
    PMID: 7698880
    By a combination of PCR and direct-cycle sequencing using consensus primers, we analyzed approximately 400-bp fragments within the NS3 genes of twenty-one dengue virus type 3 strains isolated from five neighboring Southeast Asian countries at different time intervals from 1956 to 1992. The majority of base disparities were silent mutations, with few predicted amino acid substitutions, thus emphasizing the strict conservation of the NS3 gene. Phylogenetic trees constructed on the basis of these nucleotide differences revealed distinct but related clusters of strains from the Philippines, Indonesia, and strains from Singapore and Malaysia of the 1970s and early 1980s, while the Thai cluster was relatively more distant. This genetic relationship was compatible with that proposed by other workers who have studied other dengue 3 virus genes such as E, M and prM. However, we observed that the more recent, epidemic-associated dengue 3 strains from Singapore and Malaysia of the late 1980s and early 1990s were more closely related to the Thai cluster, implying their evolution from the latter, and emphasizing the importance of viral spread via increasing travel within the Southeast Asian area and elsewhere. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the NS3 genes of dengue viruses can serve to advance the understanding of the epidemiology and evolution of these viruses.
    Matched MeSH terms: Molecular Sequence Data
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