MyMedR

Displaying publications 461 - 480 of 2034 in total

Abstract:

Sort:

Fulltext The First Estimates of Marbled Cat Pardofelis marmorata Population Density from Bornean Primary and Selectively Logged Forest

Hearn AJ, Ross J, Bernard H, Bakar SA, Hunter LT, Macdonald DW

PLoS One, 2016;11(3):e0151046.
PMID: 27007219 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151046

The marbled cat Pardofelis marmorata is a poorly known wild cat that has a broad distribution across much of the Indomalayan ecorealm. This felid is thought to exist at low population densities throughout its range, yet no estimates of its abundance exist, hampering assessment of its conservation status. To investigate the distribution and abundance of marbled cats we conducted intensive, felid-focused camera trap surveys of eight forest areas and two oil palm plantations in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Study sites were broadly representative of the range of habitat types and the gradient of anthropogenic disturbance and fragmentation present in contemporary Sabah. We recorded marbled cats from all forest study areas apart from a small, relatively isolated forest patch, although photographic detection frequency varied greatly between areas. No marbled cats were recorded within the plantations, but a single individual was recorded walking along the forest/plantation boundary. We collected sufficient numbers of marbled cat photographic captures at three study areas to permit density estimation based on spatially explicit capture-recapture analyses. Estimates of population density from the primary, lowland Danum Valley Conservation Area and primary upland, Tawau Hills Park, were 19.57 (SD: 8.36) and 7.10 (SD: 1.90) individuals per 100 km2, respectively, and the selectively logged, lowland Tabin Wildlife Reserve yielded an estimated density of 10.45 (SD: 3.38) individuals per 100 km2. The low detection frequencies recorded in our other survey sites and from published studies elsewhere in its range, and the absence of previous density estimates for this felid suggest that our density estimates may be from the higher end of their abundance spectrum. We provide recommendations for future marbled cat survey approaches.

Matched MeSH terms: Population Density
Fulltext Determination of Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar Javanica and Leptospira interrogans serovar Bataviae as the persistent Leptospira serovars circulating in the urban rat populations in Peninsular Malaysia

Benacer D, Mohd Zain SN, Sim SZ, Mohd Khalid MK, Galloway RL, Souris M, et al.

Parasit Vectors, 2016;9:117.
PMID: 26927873 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1400-1

Leptospirosis is an emerging infectious disease of global significance, and is endemic in tropical countries, including Malaysia. Over the last decade, a dramatic increase of human cases was reported; however, information on the primary vector, the rat, and the Leptospira serovars circulating among the rat population is limited. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to isolate Leptospira and characterise the serovars circulating in the urban rat populations from selected main cities in Peninsular Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Urban Population
Marker-assisted backcrossing: a useful method for rice improvement

Hasan MM, Rafii MY, Ismail MR, Mahmood M, Rahim HA, Alam MA, et al.

Biotechnology, biotechnological equipment, 2015 Mar 04;29(2):237-254.
PMID: 26019637

The world's population is increasing very rapidly, reducing the cultivable land of rice, decreasing table water, emerging new diseases and pests, and the climate changes are major issues that must be addressed to researchers to develop sustainable crop varieties with resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, recent scientific discoveries and advances particularly in genetics, genomics and crop physiology have opened up new opportunities to reduce the impact of these stresses which would have been difficult if not impossible as recently as the turn of the century. Marker assisted backcrossing (MABC) is one of the most promising approaches is the use of molecular markers to identify and select genes controlling resistance to those factors. Regarding this, MABC can contribute to develop resistant or high-yielding or quality rice varieties by incorporating a gene of interest into an elite variety which is already well adapted by the farmers. MABC is newly developed efficient tool by which using large population sizes (400 or more plants) for the backcross F1 generations, it is possible to recover the recurrent parent genotype using only two or three backcrosses. So far, many high yielding, biotic and abiotic stresses tolerance, quality and fragrance rice varieties have been developed in rice growing countries through MABC within the shortest timeframe. Nowadays, MABC is being used widely in plant breeding programmes to develop new variety/lines especially in rice. This paper reviews recent literature on some examples of variety/ line development using MABC strategy.

Matched MeSH terms: Population Density
Fulltext Psychosocial factors and obesity in 17 high-, middle- and low-income countries: the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiologic study

Rosengren A, Teo K, Rangarajan S, Kabali C, Khumalo I, Kutty VR, et al.

Int J Obes (Lond), 2015 Aug;39(8):1217-23.
PMID: 25869608 DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2015.48

Psychosocial stress has been proposed to contribute to obesity, particularly abdominal, or central obesity, through chronic activation of the neuroendocrine systems. However, these putative relationships are complex and dependent on country and cultural context. We investigated the association between psychosocial factors and general and abdominal obesity in the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiologic study.

Matched MeSH terms: Rural Population/statistics & numerical data; Urban Population/statistics & numerical data
The isolation and characterization of microsatellites from Anopheles dirus mosquitoes

Walton C, Chang MS, Handley JM, Harbach RE, Collins FH, Baimai V, et al.

Mol Ecol, 2000 Oct;9(10):1665-7.
PMID: 11050564
Matched MeSH terms: Genetics, Population
Modeling fish community dynamics in the Florida Everglades: role of temperature variation

Al-Rabai'ah HA, Koh HL, DeAngelis D, Lee HL

Water Sci Technol, 2002;46(9):71-8.
PMID: 12448454

Temperature variation is an important factor in Everglade wetlands ecology. A temperature fluctuation from 17 degrees C to 32 degrees C recorded in the Everglades may have significant impact on fish dynamics. The short life cycles of some of Everglade fishes has rendered this temperature variation to have even more impacts on the ecosystem. Fish population dynamic models, which do not explicitly consider seasonal oscillations in temperature, may fail to describe the details of such a population. Hence, a model for fish in freshwater marshes of the Florida Everglades that explicitly incorporates seasonal temperature variations is developed. The model's main objective is to assess the temporal pattern of fish population and densities through time subject to temperature variations. Fish population is divided into 2 functional groups (FGs) consisting of small fishes; each group is subdivided into 5-day age classes during their life cycles. Many governing sub-modules are set directly or indirectly to be temperature dependent. Growth, fecundity, prey availability, consumption rates and mortality are examples. Several mortality sub-modules are introduced in the model, of which starvation mortality is set to be proportional to the ratio of prey needed to prey available at that particular time step. As part of the calibration process, the model is run for 50 years to ensure that fish densities do not go to extinction, while the simulation period is about 8 years. The model shows that the temperature dependent starvation mortality is an important factor that influences fish population densities. It also shows high fish population densities at some temperature ranges when this consumption need is minimum. Several sensitivity analyses involving variations in temperature terms, food resources and water levels are conducted to ascertain the relative importance of temperature dependence terms.

Matched MeSH terms: Population Dynamics
Estimation of gene flow in the tropical-rainforest tree Neobalanocarpus heimii (Dipterocarpaceae), inferred from paternity analysis

Konuma A, Tsumura Y, Lee CT, Lee SL, Okuda T

Mol Ecol, 2000 Nov;9(11):1843-52.
PMID: 11091320

Pollen flow and population genetic structure among 30 potentially flowering individuals of Neobalanocarpus heimii, a tropical emergent tree, were investigated in a lowland tropical rainforest of Malaysia using microsatellite polymorphism. The 248 offspring in the vicinity of five reproductive trees of the 30 potentially flowering trees were used in paternity analysis for pollen-flow study. Four primer pairs, developed in different species of dipterocarps, were adopted to detect microsatellite polymorphism. Based upon microsatellite polymorphism, pollen flow and seed migration were detected. Pollen-flow events of more than 400 m were observed directly, based on paternity analysis in the study plot. The estimated average mating distance of the five reproductive trees was 524 m. This result suggests that reproduction of this species is mediated by a long-distance pollinator. The haplotypes of some offspring were not compatible with the nearest reproductive tree. Thus, the results suggest that some seeds are dispersed by a seed dispersal vector. Investigation of genetic structure showed significant and negative correlation of genetic relatedness and spatial distances between the 30 potentially flowering trees, but this correlation was weak. We suggest that long-distance gene flow and seed migration are responsible for the poorly developed genetic structure of this species.

Matched MeSH terms: Genetics, Population
An analysis of the personal reasons for discontinuing IUD use

Petta CA, Amatya R, Farr G, Chi I

Contraception, 1994 Oct;50(4):339-47.
PMID: 7813222

The objective of this study was to evaluate possible factors associated with discontinuing use of TCu 380A IUDs due to personal reasons among 2748 users. Overall, a total of 88 subjects discontinued using the TCu 380A IUD within 12 months postinsertion for personal reasons. The most common reasons were planned pregnancy (32%) and husband or family opinion against IUD use (26%). The gross cumulative 12-month life table discontinuation rate for all personal reasons was 4.0 per 100 women. Having no education and/or living in a rural area were the sociodemographic characteristics associated with an increased risk of discontinuation for personal reasons. Effective and regular counseling about IUD use, especially among illiterate women, may help prevent IUD discontinuations related to personal reasons.

Matched MeSH terms: Rural Population
Providing choices for a marginalized community. A community-based project with Malaysian aborigines

Kaur P

Plan Parent Chall, 1994;?(1):23-5.
PMID: 12345736

PIP:
In 1991, the Family Planning Association (FPA) of the Malaysian state of Perak initiated a community-based development project in the remote Aborigine village of Kampung Tisong. The community consists of approximately 34 households who survive on an average income of about US $37. Malnutrition is pervasive, even minor ailments cause death, more serious afflictions are prevalent, and the closest government clinic is 20 kilometers away and seldom used by the Aborigines. 70% of the children have access to education, but parental illiteracy is a serious educational obstacle. The goals of the FPA program are to 1) promote maternal and child health and responsible parenthood, 2) provide health education, 3) encourage women to seek self-determination, and 4) encourage the development of self-reliance in the community as a whole. The first step was to survey the community's culture, beliefs, and health status with the help of the Aborigines Department and the village headman. After a series of preliminary meetings with other agencies, the FPA began to provide activities including health talks, health courses and demonstrations, medical examinations and check-ups, and first aid training. Environmental protection and sanitation measures were included in the educational activities, and following the traditional "mutual aid system," a small plot of land was cleared for vegetable production. Vegetable gardens and needlecraft will become income-producing activities for the women. Attempts to motivate the women to use family planning have been hindered by the fact that the health of 2 women deteriorated after they began using oral contraceptives. Positive changes are occurring slowly and steadily, however, and the FPA has been instrumental in having the settlement included in a program for the hardcore poor which will provide new housing and farming projects.

Matched MeSH terms: Population; Population Characteristics; Rural Population*
Pollination biology in a lowland dipterocarp forest inSarawak, Malaysia. I. Characteristics of the plant-pollinator communityin a lowland dipterocarp forest

Momose K, Yumoto T, Nagamitsu T, Kato M, Nagamasu H, Sakai S, et al.

Am J Bot, 1998 Oct;85(10):1477-501.
PMID: 21684899

Flowerings and flower visitors were observed continuously in alowland dipterocarp forest in Sarawak, Malaysia, for 53 mo in1992-1996. Flower visitors of 270 plant species were observed orcollected, and pollinators were assessed by observing body contact tostigmas and anthers. We recognized 12 categories of pollination systems.Among them, plants pollinated by social bees included the largest numberof species (32%) and were followed by beetle-pollinated species(20%). Pollination systems were significantly related with somefloral characters (flowering time of day, reward, and floral shape), butnot with floral color. Based on the relationships between pollinatorsand floral characters, we described pollination syndromes found in alowland dipterocarp forest. The dominance of social bees and beetlesamong pollinators is discussed in relation to the general floweringobserved in dipterocarp forests of West Malesia. In spite of high plantspecies diversity and consequent low population densities of lowlanddipterocarp forests, long-distance-specific pollinators were uncommoncompared with theNeotropics.

Matched MeSH terms: Population Density
Fulltext Development of supplementary food at the home and community level

Valyasevi A, Dhanamitta S

Med J Malaysia, 1986 Mar;41(1):53-8.
PMID: 3796351
Matched MeSH terms: Rural Population
Pediatric cardiology in Asia

Vongprateep C

Cor Vasa, 1981;23(1):4-7.
PMID: 7238054

The problems of pediatric cardiology in Asia can be summarized as follows. In the countries like India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and some other countries especially with government support like Thailand, the priority is primary health care. Except in Japan, cardiac care for children is not well supported financially. Training in pediatric cardiology is not readily available. Consequently small numbers of pediatric cardiologists, pediatric cardiac surgeons and active centres are available even in Japan. It is importannt to reduce the incidence of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease by prevention of streptococcal infections and to increase the standard of living and environment. Transportation and referral system diagnosis, and treatment and follow-up is a special problem in neonatal care in relation to heart disease. Concentration of physicians, medical schools and cardiac centers in urban areas, old customs and poor understanding of people about the treatability and preventability of heart diseases in children complicate the improvement in the management of children with heart diseases.

Matched MeSH terms: Continental Population Groups
Five-year surveillance of acute flaccid paralysis in Malaysia

Hussain IH, Ali S, Sinniah M, Kurup D, Khoo TB, Thomas TG, et al.

J Paediatr Child Health, 2004 Mar;40(3):127-30.
PMID: 15009577

OBJECTIVE: The nation-wide surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) was implemented in Malaysia in 1995 and further intensified in 1996 as part of the World Health Organization's (WHO) certification process for polio eradication in the Western Pacific Region. Clinical data on AFP cases during a 5-year surveillance period from 1997 to 2001 were compiled and analysed.
RESULTS: Based on 517 cases of AFP reported during this 5-year period, the overall rate of AFP was 1.2 per 100 000 children below 15 years old. The major clinical diagnosis associated with AFP were Guillain-Barre syndrome (30.2%), central nervous system infection (16.2%), transverse myelitis (10.6%) non-polio enterovirus infection (6.2%), and hypokalaemic paralysis (5.2%). This unusual pattern with an excess of CNS infection and non-polio enterovirus infection was attributed to the outbreak of enterovirus 71 infection nation-wide in 1997. According to the WHO virological classification, there was no case of poliomyelitis due to wild poliovirus. Three cases were 'polio compatible', there were no cases of vaccine-associated paralytic polio (VAPP), while 62 cases (12.0%) were merely classified as 'non-polio AFP'.
CONCLUSION: Overall, these data suggest the absence of circulation of wild poliovirus in Malaysia from 1997 to 2001. The pattern of AFP in this study is different from other published reports.

Matched MeSH terms: Population Surveillance
Summary of regional response to the fourth inquiry

United Nations. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific ESCAP. Population and Social Affairs Division

Asian Pac Popul Programme News, 1979;8(3):8-12.
PMID: 12278305
Matched MeSH terms: Population; Population Dynamics; Population Growth*
Antibodies to Sarcocystis in Malaysians

Thomas V, Dissanaike AS

Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg, 1978;72(3):303-6.
PMID: 97821

Sera from 243 donors belonging to the four main ethnic groups in West Malaysia (Orang Asli, Malays, Chinese and Indians) were tested, using the indirect fluorescent antibody technique for the prevalence of antibodies to Sarcocystis. Almost 20% reacted positively at dilutions of 1:64 or higher and eight among the Orang Asli and Malays gave the highest titres of 1:256. Prevalence was highest in the Orang Asli and lowest in Chinese. 22 sera also reacted positively to Toxoplasma, whether due to polyparasitism or cross-reaction is, as yet, unknown.

Matched MeSH terms: Continental Population Groups
Breastfeeding in a rural area in Malaysia

Kee TS

Med J Malaysia, 1975 Mar;30(3):175-9.
PMID: 1160675
Matched MeSH terms: Rural Population
The cost of health services

Hubble D

Lancet, 1973 Jun 09;1(7815):1323-4.
PMID: 4126117
Matched MeSH terms: Rural Population
Fulltext Densities of Bornean orang-utans (Pongo pygmaeus morio) in heavily degraded forest and oil palm plantations in Sabah, Borneo

Seaman DJI, Bernard H, Ancrenaz M, Coomes D, Swinfield T, Milodowski DT, et al.

Am J Primatol, 2019 08;81(8):e23030.
PMID: 31328289 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23030

The conversion of forest to agriculture continues to contribute to the loss and fragmentation of remaining orang-utan habitat. There are still few published estimates of orang-utan densities in these heavily modified agricultural areas to inform range-wide population assessments and conservation strategies. In addition, little is known about what landscape features promote orang-utan habitat use. Using indirect nest count methods, we implemented surveys and estimated population densities of the Northeast Bornean orang-utan (Pongo pygmaeus morio) across the continuous logged forest and forest remnants in a recently salvage-logged area and oil palm plantations in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. We then assessed the influence of landscape features and forest structural metrics obtained from LiDAR data on estimates of orang-utan density. Recent salvage logging appeared to have a little short-term effect on orang-utan density (2.35 ind/km 2 ), which remained similar to recovering logged forest nearby (2.32 ind/km 2 ). Orang-utans were also present in remnant forest patches in oil palm plantations, but at significantly lower numbers (0.82 ind/km 2 ) than nearby logged forest and salvage-logged areas. Densities were strongly influenced by variation in canopy height but were not associated with other potential covariates. Our findings suggest that orang-utans currently exist, at least in the short-term, within human-modified landscapes, providing that remnant forest patches remain. We urge greater recognition of the role that these degraded habitats can have in supporting orang-utan populations, and that future range-wide analyses and conservation strategies better incorporate data from human-modified landscapes.

Matched MeSH terms: Population Density
Fulltext Demographics characteristics and analysis of malocclusions of orthodontic patients seen at IIUM Dental Specialist Clinic, Kuantan, Pahang

Ismail, K., Ghazali@Suhaimi, S.S., Abu Bakar, N., Mokhtar, K.I., Kharuddin, A.F.

International Medical Journal Malaysia, 2017;16(2):107-111.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Malocclusion is one of the most common dental problems observed. Limited data is currently
available regarding the demographics of malocclusion observed locally.

Materials And Methods: This is a
retrospective study where 770 patients were recruited from May 2009 till December 2014. 560 orthodontic
study models that met the inclusion criteria were examined and the malocclusions were classified according
to the British Standard Institute (BSI) incisor classification. Demographic pattern and their relationship were
analysed by structural equation modelling using SPSS (version 23.0).

Results: From 560 study models
analysed, 72% were female. The age of the patients ranges from 7-12 years old (17.1%), 13-17 years old
(55.9%) and >18 years old (27.0%). Majority of the patients were Malay followed by Chinese (5.7%), Indian
(1.8%) and other races (1.8%) Treatments received were fixed appliances (FA) (60.0%), removable appliances
(RA) (12.5%), functional appliances (FnA) (1.1%), combination of RA and FA (16.1%), combination of FnA and
FA (2.1%) and consultation (8.2%). Types of malocclusions observed were Class I (25.7%), Class II/1(32.7%),
Class II/2 (7.5%) and Class III (34.1%). There was significant association (p

Matched MeSH terms: Continental Population Groups
Social-environmental drivers inform strategic management of coral reefs in the Anthropocene

Darling ES, McClanahan TR, Maina J, Gurney GG, Graham NAJ, Januchowski-Hartley F, et al.

Nat Ecol Evol, 2019 Sep;3(9):1341-1350.
PMID: 31406279 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-019-0953-8

Without drastic efforts to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate globalized stressors, tropical coral reefs are in jeopardy. Strategic conservation and management requires identification of the environmental and socioeconomic factors driving the persistence of scleractinian coral assemblages-the foundation species of coral reef ecosystems. Here, we compiled coral abundance data from 2,584 Indo-Pacific reefs to evaluate the influence of 21 climate, social and environmental drivers on the ecology of reef coral assemblages. Higher abundances of framework-building corals were typically associated with: weaker thermal disturbances and longer intervals for potential recovery; slower human population growth; reduced access by human settlements and markets; and less nearby agriculture. We therefore propose a framework of three management strategies (protect, recover or transform) by considering: (1) if reefs were above or below a proposed threshold of >10% cover of the coral taxa important for structural complexity and carbonate production; and (2) reef exposure to severe thermal stress during the 2014-2017 global coral bleaching event. Our findings can guide urgent management efforts for coral reefs, by identifying key threats across multiple scales and strategic policy priorities that might sustain a network of functioning reefs in the Indo-Pacific to avoid ecosystem collapse.

Matched MeSH terms: Population Growth

Filters

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links