MyMedR

Characterization of Chicken Splenic-Derived Dendritic Cells Following Vaccine and Very Virulent Strains of Infectious Bursal Disease Virus Infection

Yasmin AR, Yeap SK, Hair-Bejo M, Omar AR

Avian Dis, 2016 12;60(4):739-751.

PMID: 27902915

Studies have shown that infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) infects lymphoid cells, mainly B cells and macrophages. This study was aimed to examine the involvement of chicken splenic-derived dendritic cells (ch-sDCs) in specific-pathogen-free chickens following inoculation with IBDV vaccine strain (D78) and a very virulent (vv) strain (UPM0081). Following IBDV infection, enriched activated ch-sDCs were collected by using the negative selection method and were examined based on morphology and immunophenotyping to confirm the isolation method for dendritic cells (DCs). The presence of IBDV on enriched activated ch-sDCs was analyzed based on the immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT), flow cytometry, and quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) while the mRNAs of several cytokines were detected using RT-qPCR. The isolated ch-sDCs resembled typical DC morphologies found in mammals by having a veiled shape and they grew in clusters. Meanwhile, the expression of DC maturation markers, namely CD86 and MHCII, were increased at day 2 and day 3 following vvIBDV and vaccine strain inoculation, respectively, ranging from 10% to 40% compared to the control at 2.55% (P < 0.05). At day 3 postinfection, IBDV VP3 proteins colocalized with CD86 were readily detected via IFAT and flow cytometry in both vaccine and vvIBDV strains. In addition, enriched activated ch-sDCs were also detected as positive based on the VP4 gene by RT-qPCR; however, a higher viral load was detected on vvIBDV compared to the vaccine group. Infection with vaccine and vvIBDV strains induced the enriched activated ch-sDCs to produce proinflammatory cytokines and Th1-like cytokines from day 3 onward; however, the expressions were higher in the vvIBDV group (P < 0.05). These data collectively suggest that enriched activated ch-sDCs were permissive to IBDV infection and produced a strong inflammatory and Th1-like cytokine response following vvIBDV infection as compared to the vaccine strain.

Intestinal knotting: A case report and brief literature review

Sohail M, Alyson T, Sim SK, Nik Azim NA

Med J Malaysia, 2020 09;75(5):606-608.

PMID: 32918439

Ileo-ileal knotting is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction. In this condition, one bowel loop makes a knot with an adjacent bowel loop, resulting in mechanical obstruction and even gangrene of the bowel. We present a case of a young girl with ileo-ileal knotting resulting in a closed-loop obstruction and gangrene of the small bowel loop. This is a difficult condition to diagnose; a high index of suspicion and early surgical intervention are essential to reduce morbidity and mortality.

Fulltext Unique product quality considerations in vaccine development, registration and new program implementation in Malaysia

Khoo YSK, Ghani AA, Navamukundan AA, Jahis R, Gamil A

Hum Vaccin Immunother, 2020 03 03;16(3):530-538.

PMID: 31652090 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2019.1667206

This review aims to present the unique considerations for manufacturing and the regulation of new vaccines in Muslim-populated countries such as Malaysia. Our specific objectives are to highlight vaccine production and the ingredients of concern, summarize the current mechanism for ruling and recommendations on new vaccines, outline the different steps in decision-making on incorporating a new vaccine into the National Immunization Program, describe its issues and challenges, and explore the commercial viability and challenges of producing local permissible (halal) vaccines. Through this review, we hope readers understand that alternatives are present to replace ingredients of concern in vaccines. Halal certification and introduction of a new vaccine into a program are strictly conducted and health-care providers must be prepared to educate the public on this. At the same time, it is hoped that the production of halal vaccine in Malaysia will promote self-reliance in Muslim-populated countries.

Fulltext Antioxidant and cytotoxicity effect of rice bran phytic acid as an anticancer agent on ovarian, breast and liver cancer cell lines

Norhaizan ME, Ng SK, Norashareena MS, Abdah MA

Malays J Nutr, 2011 Dec;17(3):367-75.

PMID: 22655458 MyJurnal

Phytic acid (PA) has been shown to have positive nutritional benefits. There are also claims that it is able to prevent cancer through its antioxidant capability. This study investigated antioxidant activity and cytotoxic effect of PA extracted from rice bran against selected cancer cell lines (i.e. ovarian, breast and liver cancer).

Cross-reactivity of monovalent and polyvalent Trimeresurus antivenoms with venoms from various species of Trimeresurus (lance-headed pit viper) snake

Tan NH, Choy SK, Chin KM, Ponnudurai G

Toxicon, 1994 Jul;32(7):849-53.

PMID: 7940592

Trimeresurus bite is a serious medical problem in Asia. However, at present only a few monospecific Trimeresurus antivenoms are available. Investigation of the cross-neutralization capacity of three Trimeresurus antivenoms indicates that the antivenoms exhibit broad cross-reactivity. A polyvalent Trimeresurus antivenom was also found to be effective in neutralization of the haemorrhagic, necrotizing and thrombin-like activities of heterologous Trimeresurus venoms.

Right ureteric reconstruction with vascularised interpositional appendix graft in retroperitoneal leiomyosarcoma

Sohail M, Loke SN, Sim SK, Nik Azim NA

Med J Malaysia, 2021 05;76(3):432-435.

PMID: 34031348

We present here a case of a 66-year-old lady who was diagnosed with right iliac fossa retroperitoneal leiomyosarcoma at Hospital Umum Sarawak. The challenge in this case was the extension of tumour with the involvement of her right ureter causing proximal hydroureter and hydronephrosis. After resection of tumour en-block with the involved segment of ureter, it was not possible to repair the ureteric defect directly. We used interpositional vascularized appendix graft to repair this large (7 cm) ureteric defect. We describe here this uncommon technique of ureter reconstruction.

Discovery of small molecule inhibitors against the NS3/4A serine protease of Hepatitis C virus genotype 3 via highthroughput virtual screening and in vitro evaluations

Sakhor W, Teoh TC, Yusof R, Lim SK, Razif MFM

Trop Biomed, 2020 Sep 01;37(3):609-625.

PMID: 33612776 DOI: 10.47665/tb.37.3.609

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) consists of eight genotypes and 90 subtypes, with genotype (GT) 3 being the second most common globally and is linked to higher incidences of steatosis and rapid development of fibrosis and cirrhosis. The NS3/4A serine protease, a heterodimer complex of two HCV non-structural proteins, is an effective target for pharmaceutical intervention due to its essential roles in processing HCV polyproteins and inhibiting innate immunity. This study combines structure-based virtual screening (SBVS) of predefined compound libraries, pharmacokinetic prediction (ADME/T) and in vitro evaluation to identify potential low molecular weight (<500 Dalton) inhibitors of the NS3/4A serine protease (GT3). In silico screening of ZINC and PubChem libraries yielded five selected compounds as potential candidates. Dose-dependent inhibition of the NS3/4A serine protease and HCV replication in HuH-7.5 cells revealed that compound A (PubChem ID No. 16672637) exhibited inhibition towards HCV GT3 with an IC50 of 106.7µM and EC50 of 25.8µM, respectively. Thus, compound A may be developed as a potent, low molecular weight drug against the HCV NS3/4A serine protease of GT3.

Toxoplasma gondii infection in native village chickens (Gallus domesticus) in Selangor and Melaka, Malaysia

Sabri AR, Hassan L, Sharma RSK, Noordin MM

Trop Biomed, 2019 Sep 01;36(3):604-609.

PMID: 33597482

Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide zoonosis caused by the protozoa Toxoplasma gondii which affects human and animals. Village chickens (Gallus domesticus) most commonly known as Ayam Kampung or free-range chickens, have been suggested to play a role in the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis. This study determines the presence of T. gondii in the village chicken populations in two states of Malaysia. A total of 50 serum samples from the chickens from Selangor (n=20) and Melaka (n=30) were collected and analysed using commercial serological kits. T. gondii antigen was detected in 20% (Selangor 30%; Melaka 13%) samples using ELISA test and anti-T. gondii antibody was detected in all positive ELISA samples using the indirect haemagglutination test (IHAT). Histopathological examination revealed tissue changes such as inflammation and degeneration in brain and liver of seropositive chickens. This is the first report of T. gondii infection in the village chickens in Malaysia.

Chronic histiocytic intervillositis in consecutive miscarriages: A potential pitfall in routine examination of conceptus

Mohd Fuad SK, Adznan N, Hayati AR, Virasamy V, Rahim NS

Malays J Pathol, 2020 Dec;42(3):439-444.

PMID: 33361726

INTRODUCTION: Chronic histiocytic intervillositis (CHI) is a rare placental lesion strongly associated with recurrent miscarriages and fetal losses. It requires histopathological diagnosis and can only be made after delivery of the products of conception (POC). We describe a case of CHI in a 41-yearold lady with a 16-year history of thirteen recurrent consecutive first trimester miscarriages.

CASE REPORT: The patient is a 41-year-old lady who suffered first trimester miscarriages in all her thirteen pregnancies. The relevant clinical investigations revealed neither significant nor helpful findings in determining the cause of recurrent miscarriages. Histological findings in each except one of the submitted conceptual tissue showed similar features of histiocytic aggregates primarily within the intervillous spaces, a characteristic description of CHI. One of the samples showed degenerative changes.

DISCUSSION: Practicing pathologists are not familiar with the histological features of CHI and this may be a potential pitfall in routine examination of POCs. Recognising this entity allows for accurate diagnosis and hence better management. The aetiology remains unclear, although an immunopathological basis are being explored.

Relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Presenting as Optic Neuritis

Fadilah SA, Raymond AA, Cheong SK, Faridah A

Hematology, 2001;6(4):267-9.

PMID: 27414846 DOI: 10.1080/10245332.2001.11752124

Leukemic infiltration of the optic nerve is rare [1]. [Camera, A., Piccirillo, G., Tranfa, F., Rosa, N., Frigeri, F., Martinelli, V., Rotoloi, B. (1993) "Optic nerve involvement in acute lymphoblastic leukemia", Leuk. Lymph. 11, 153-155]. Radiotherapy should be given urgently to all patients with optic nerve infiltrate to restore their vision [2]. [Rosenthal, A. (1983) "Ocular manifestation of leukemia", Ophthalmology 90, 899-905]. We report a case of a unilateral optic nerve relapse 7 months after diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in a 17-year-old boy who had been off treatment for 6 weeks. The ocular symptoms was initially diagnosed as primary optic neuritis and treated with corticosteroids resulting in temporary clinical recovery. Radiation therapy for ocular leukemia that was commenced 2 months after the onset of symptoms failed to reverse the visual loss. The lack of a reliable and effective tool to diagnose ocular leukemia at an early stage has resulted in significant treatment delay and poor visual outcome.

Nocardiosis Causing Hypocellular Bone Marrow after Allogeneic Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation

Fadilah SA, Cheong SK, Raymond AA, Norlela S

Hematology, 2001;6(5):337-9.

PMID: 27405528 DOI: 10.1080/10245332.2001.11746588

Nocardia infection is rare in bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients with less than 30 cases reported in the literature [1-4]. The majority of the cases occurred late in the post-transplant period. Common clinical presentations included formation of widespread and multiple abscesses. Bone marrow hypoplasia is an uncommon finding. We describe the first case of nocardiosis, diagnosed at day 100 after non-myeloablative allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, presenting as pancytopenia and hypocellular marrow. Eradication of the infection with antibiotics resulted in complete hematological recovery.

Unexpected Epithelial Membrane Antigen (EMA) and Cytokeratin Expression in a Case of Infantile Acute Monoblastic Leukaemia

Cheong SK, Chin SF, Azizon O, Ainoon O, Hamidah NH

Hematology, 1996;1(3):223-5.

PMID: 27406616 DOI: 10.1080/10245332.1996.11746308

A previously healthy eleven month old male Malay infant presented with fever, upper respiratory tract infection and right knee swelling. Pallor, bilateral proptosis, hepatosplenomegaly, multiple scalp swellings and a right cheek swelling were observed. Investigations revealed that he had acute monoblastic leukemia or FAB M5a. Immunophenotyping by flow cytometry showed that the blast cells were positive for CD45, CD13, CD33, HLA-DR, CDllc, CD71, EMA, and Cytokeratin. They were negative for CD34, CD19, CD10, CD22, CD2, CD3, CD4, CD7, CD8, CD61, NK, Glycophorin A, and CD14. The monoblasts were used to evaluate anti-EMA and anti-cytokeratin. They were unexpectedly found to be positive. Acute monoblastic leukaemias are well known to show extramedullary infiltration and this may be their primary mode of presentation. Thus, in immunochemostry, when using EMA and cytokeratin expression in the differential diagnosis of neoplastic diseases, it is important to consider that monoblasts may express these markers as illustrated by this case.

Automated otolith image classification with multiple views: an evaluation on Sciaenidae

Wong JY, Chu C, Chong VC, Dhillon SK, Loh KH

J Fish Biol, 2016 Aug;89(2):1324-44.

PMID: 27364089 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13039

Combined multiple 2D views (proximal, anterior and ventral aspects) of the sagittal otolith are proposed here as a method to capture shape information for fish classification. Classification performance of single view compared with combined 2D views show improved classification accuracy of the latter, for nine species of Sciaenidae. The effects of shape description methods (shape indices, Procrustes analysis and elliptical Fourier analysis) on classification performance were evaluated. Procrustes analysis and elliptical Fourier analysis perform better than shape indices when single view is considered, but all perform equally well with combined views. A generic content-based image retrieval (CBIR) system that ranks dissimilarity (Procrustes distance) of otolith images was built to search query images without the need for detailed information of side (left or right), aspect (proximal or distal) and direction (positive or negative) of the otolith. Methods for the development of this automated classification system are discussed.

Role of carbohydrate in central fatigue: a systematic review

Khong TK, Selvanayagam VS, Sidhu SK, Yusof A

Scand J Med Sci Sports, 2017 Apr;27(4):376-384.

PMID: 27714855 DOI: 10.1111/sms.12754

Carbohydrate (CHO) depletion is linked to neuromuscular fatigue during exercise. While its role at peripheral level is relatively well understood, less is known about its impact centrally. The aim of this systematic review was to critically analyze the effects of CHO on central fatigue (CF) assessed by various neurophysiological techniques. Four databases were searched using PRISMA guidelines through February 2016. The inclusion criteria were: CHO as intervention against a placebo control, fatigue induced by prolonged exercise and assessed using neurophysiological measures [voluntary activation (VA), superimposed twitch (SIT), M-wave, electromyography], alongside maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). Seven papers were reviewed, where exercise duration lasted between 115 and 180 min. CHO improved exercise performance in three studies, whereby two of them attributed it to CF via attenuation of VA and SIT reductions, while the other indicated peripheral involvement via attenuation of M-wave reduction. Although a few studies suggest that CHO attenuates CF, data on its direct effects on neurophysiological outcome measures are limited and mixed. Generally, measures employed in these studies were inadequate to conclude central contribution to fatigue. Factors including the techniques used and the lack of controls render additional confounding factors to make definitive deductions. Future studies should employ consistent techniques and appropriate neurophysiological controls to distinguish CHO effect at central level. The use of pharmacological intervention should be incorporated to elucidate involvement of central mechanisms.

Letter to the editor on the article "Impact on the upper airway space of different types of orthognathic surgery for the correction of skeletal class III malocclusion: A systematic review and meta-analysis"

Tan SK, Leung WK, Tang ATH, Zwahlen RA

Int J Surg, 2017 09;45:156-157.

PMID: 28433756 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2017.03.083

A subcutaneous retro-auricular abscess in a Dyak boy in Sarawak, probably caused by a trematode of the genus Poikilorchis, Fain and Vandepitte, 1957

LIE KJ, WILLIAMS HI, MIYAZAKI I, WONG SK

Med J Malaya, 1962 Sep;17:37-40.

PMID: 13930508

Subacute (Dequervain's) thyroiditis--study of seven cases

Mahadev V, Dharmalingam SK, Tan D, Narasimha, Loh CW, Tschang TT

Med J Malaysia, 1977 Jun;31(4):331-7.

PMID: 927242

Hyperosmolar nonketotic diabetic coma

Tan BY, Cheah JS, Tan SK, Chew BK

Med J Malaya, 1970 Jun;24(4):308-10.

PMID: 4248355

A record of limnatis maculosa (Blanchard) (Hirudinea: arynchobdellida) taken from the nasal cavity of man in Sabah, Malaysia

Hii JL, Kan SK, Au Yong KS

Med J Malaysia, 1978 Mar;32(3):247-8.

PMID: 683052

Ancient schwannoma of cervical sympathetic chain masquerading as carotid body tumour

Lim CC, Chong HS, Yong DJ, Foong SK, Prepageran N

Med J Malaysia, 2018 04;73(2):114-115.

PMID: 29703877 MyJurnal

Schwannoma of cervical sympathetic chain is a rare cause of neck swelling. We report a 73- year-old male presented with anterior neck triangle swelling mimicking a carotid body tumour. Surgical excision was done, and the histopathological examination reported as ancient schwannoma. We would like to discuss the important differential diagnoses and highlight the possibility of an ancient schwannoma of cervical sympathetic chain masquerading as carotid body tumour. Also, to emphasise the importance of imaging for pre-operative planning and counselling.

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