The complete life cycle of a pennellid copepod Peniculus minuticaudae Shiino, 1956 is proposed based on the discovery of all post-embryonic stages together with the post-metamorphic adult females infecting the fins of threadsail filefish Stephanolepis cirrhifer (Monacanthidae) cultured in a fish farm at Ehime Prefecture, Japan. The hatching stage was the infective copepodid. The life cycle of P. minuticaudae consists of six stages separated by moults: the copepodid, four chalimi and adult. In this study, the adult males were observed frequently in precopulatory amplexus with various stages of females however, copulation occurs only between adults. Fertilized pre-metamorphic adult females carrying spermatophores may detach from the host and settle again before undergoing massive differential growth into the post-metamorphic adult female. Comparison of the life cycle of P. minuticaudae has been made with three known pennellids: Lernaeocera branchialis (Linnaeus, 1767), Cardiodectes medusaeus (Wilson, 1908) and Lernaeenicus sprattae (Sowerby, 1806). Among the compared species, P. minuticaudae is the first ectoparasitic pennellid to be discovered to complete its life cycle on a single host without any change in infection site preferences between infective copepodid and fertilized pre-metamorphic female.
To fully analyze and compare BMI among Han, Tibetan, and Uygur university students, to discuss the differences in their physical properties and physical health, and thus to provide some theoretical suggestions for the improvement of students' physical health.
Organ weights are routinely measured during autopsies as a crude screening tool to detect possible organ pathology. In several centers, inclusion of major organ weights indicates whether an autopsy report has achieved its standard of practice, which in turn should be subjected to an audit. Previous studies show statistical variation in organ weights across different populations. Malaysian pathologists have relied on Western data and crude subjective determination in the interpretation of normal organ weights. Hence, the need for a reference range as a guide for pathologists is acute. Organ weights from traumatic deaths between 2004 and 2017 were analyzed in the UKM Medical Centre. Statistical analysis was performed to form reference ranges for normal weights of the brain, heart, lung, liver, spleen, and kidneys. In addition, the data were compared between sexes, races, and body mass index values to determine whether organ weights were affected by these parameters. In this study, reference ranges for organ weights are presented for Malaysian adult men and women.
Sexual dimorphism in immune response is widely recognized, but few human studies have observed this distinction. Food with endo-immunomodulatory potential may reveal novel sex-biased in vivo interactions. Immunomodulatory effects of Carica papaya were compared between healthy male and female individuals. Volunteers were given fixed meals supplemented with papaya for 2 days. Changes in blood immune profiles and hormone levels were determined. In females, total natural killer (NK) cell percentages decreased (12.7 ± 4.4 vs 14.6 ± 5.8%, p = 0.018, n = 18) while B cells increased (15.2 ± 5.5 vs 14.5 ± 5.0, p = 0.037, n = 18) after papaya consumption. Increased 17β-estradiol (511.1 ± 579.7 vs 282.7 ± 165.0 pmol/l, p = 0.036, n = 9) observed in females may be crucial to this change. Differentiation markers (CD45RA, CD69, CD25) analyzed on lymphocytes showed naïve (CD45RA(+)) non-CD4(+) lymphocytes were reduced in females (40.7 ± 8.1 vs 46.8 ± 5.4%, p = 0.012, n = 8) but not males. A general suppressive effect of papaya on CD69(+) cells, and higher percentage of CD69(+) populations in females and non-CD4 lymphocytes, may be relevant. CD107a(+) NK cells were significantly increased in males (16.8 ± 7.0 vs 14.7 ± 4.8, p = 0.038, n = 9) but not females. Effect in females may be disrupted by the action of progesterone, which was significantly correlated with this population (R = 0.771, p = 0.025, n = 8) after papaya consumption. In males, total T helper cells were increased (33.4 ± 6.4 vs 32.4 ± 6.1%, p = 0.040, n = 15). Strong significant negative correlation between testosterone and CD25(+)CD4(+) lymphocytes, may play a role in the lower total CD4(+) T cells reported in males. Thus, dissimilar immune profiles were elicited in the sexes after papaya consumption and may have sex hormone influence.
Epidemiological studies have shown significant ethnic differences in coronary heart disease death rates with South Asians showing significantly greater coronary heart disease mortality than other groups.
The male of Phlebotomus (Larroussius) betisi is described from Malayan caves. Several males have been caught in association with P. betisi females. Males and females have been associated by ecology, biogeography, morphology and molecular biology (homology of the ND4 mtDNA sequences).
Information about the sex of individuals is important for human identification. This study was conducted to quantify classification rates of sex prediction models for Malaysians using odontometric profiles. Mesiodistal (MD) and buccolingual (BL) crown dimensions of the permanent dentition were studied in 400 young adult Malaysians, giving a total of 28 tooth size variables. The sample consisted of three major ethnic groups, the Malays, Chinese and Tamils, since the aim was to assess sex dimorphism in Malaysians as a whole. Results showed that the mesiodistal diameter of the lower canine was the most sexually dimorphic dimension in Malaysian Malays and Tamils. Univariate analyses showed that the magnitude and pattern of sex dimorphism varies between these three ethnic groups, with Malaysian Chinese and Tamils being more dimorphic than the Malaysian Malays. Stepwise discriminant functions were generated bearing in mind their application in practical forensic situations. The range of classification rates was from 70.2% to 78.5% for the composite Malaysian group, and 83.8%, 77.9%, 72.4% for Malaysian Chinese, Malays and Tamils, respectively. The 'Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve statistics' indicated good classification rates for three prediction models obtained using a combination of all tooth size variables, mandibular teeth, and mesiodistal dimensions in the composite Malaysian group, and for all tooth size variables in each ethnic group. The present study provides strong support for the value of odontometry as an adjunct scientific method for sex prediction in human identification.
Emerging evidence suggests that a metabolic profile associated with obesity may be a more relevant risk factor for some cancers than adiposity per se. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is an indicator of overall body metabolism and may be a proxy for the impact of a specific metabolic profile on cancer risk. Therefore, we investigated the association of predicted BMR with incidence of 13 obesity-related cancers in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). BMR at baseline was calculated using the WHO/FAO/UNU equations and the relationships between BMR and cancer risk were investigated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models. A total of 141,295 men and 317,613 women, with a mean follow-up of 14 years were included in the analysis. Overall, higher BMR was associated with a greater risk for most cancers that have been linked with obesity. However, among normal weight participants, higher BMR was associated with elevated risks of esophageal adenocarcinoma (hazard ratio per 1-standard deviation change in BMR [HR1-SD ]: 2.46; 95% CI 1.20; 5.03) and distal colon cancer (HR1-SD : 1.33; 95% CI 1.001; 1.77) among men and with proximal colon (HR1-SD : 1.16; 95% CI 1.01; 1.35), pancreatic (HR1-SD : 1.37; 95% CI 1.13; 1.66), thyroid (HR1-SD : 1.65; 95% CI 1.33; 2.05), postmenopausal breast (HR1-SD : 1.17; 95% CI 1.11; 1.22) and endometrial (HR1-SD : 1.20; 95% CI 1.03; 1.40) cancers in women. These results indicate that higher BMR may be an indicator of a metabolic phenotype associated with risk of certain cancer types, and may be a useful predictor of cancer risk independent of body fatness.
Sexual ornamentation needs to be conspicuous to be effective in attracting potential mates and defending territories and indeed, a multitude of ways exists to achieve this. Two principal mechanisms for increasing conspicuousness are to increase the ornament's colour or brightness contrast against the background and to increase the size of the ornament. We assessed the relationship between the colour and size of the dewlap, a large extendible throat-fan, across a range of species of gliding lizards (Agamidae; genus Draco) from Malaysia and the Philippines. We found a negative relationship across species between colour contrast against the background and dewlap size in males, but not in females, suggesting that males of different species use increasing colour contrast and dewlap size as alternative strategies for effective communication. Male dewlap size also increases with increasing sexual size dimorphism, and dewlap colour and brightness contrast increase with increasing sexual dichromatism in colour and brightness, respectively, suggesting that sexual selection may act on both dewlap size and colour. We further found evidence that relative predation intensity, as measured from predator attacks on models placed in the field, may play a role in the choice of strategy (high chromatic contrast or large dewlap area) a species employs. More broadly, these results highlight that each component in a signal (such as colour or size) may be influenced by different selection pressures and that by assessing components individually, we can gain a greater understanding of the evolution of signal diversity.
Tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib (used in GIST, advanced RCC, and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors) undergoes CYP3A4 metabolism and is an ABCB1B and ABCG2 efflux transporters substrate. We assessed the pharmacokinetic interaction with ibuprofen (an NSAID used by patients with cancer) in Balb/c male and female mice. Mice (study group) were coadministered (30 min apart) 30 mg/kg of ibuprofen and 60 mg/kg of sunitinib PO and compared with the control groups, which received sunitinib alone (60 mg/kg, PO). Sunitinib concentration in plasma, brain, kidney, and liver was measured by HPLC as scheduled and noncompartmental pharmacokinetic parameters estimated. In female control mice, sunitinib AUC0→∞ decreased in plasma (P < 0.05), was higher in liver and brain (P < 0.001), and lower in kidney (P < 0.001) vs. male control mice. After ibuprofen coadministration, female mice showed lower AUC0→∞ in plasma (P < 0.01), brain, liver, and kidney (all P < 0.001). However, in male mice, AUC0→∞ remained unchanged in plasma, increased in liver and kidney, and decreased in brain (all P < 0.001). The tissue-to-plasma AUC0→∞ ratio was similar between male and female control mice, but changed after ibuprofen coadministration: Male mice showed 1.6-fold higher liver-to-plasma ratio (P < 0.001) while remained unchanged in female mice and in kidney (male and female mice) but decreased 55% in brain (P < 0.05). The tissue-to-plasma partial AUC ratio, the drug tissue targeting index, and the tissue-plasma hysteresis-like plots also showed sex-based ibuprofen-sunitinib drug interaction differences. The results illustrate the relevance of this DDI on sunitinib pharmacokinetics and tissue uptake. These may be due to gender-based P450 and efflux/transporters differences.
Flow cytometric analysis of lymphocyte subsets were evaluated in 391 healthy Asian subjects ranging in age from birth to 40 years. Lymphocyte subsets were analysed using specific monoclonal antibodies: CD20 (B cells), CD3 and CD2 (T cells), CD16 and CD56+ (NK cells), CD4/CD3+ (helper-inducer T cells), CD8/ CD3+ (suppressor/cytotoxic T cells), HLA-DR expression on CD3 and CD25 (Tac) on CD3. The total white cell count, absolute lymphocyte counts, and B cell percentages peaked in infancy and declined steadily with age. Absolute counts of each subset, which were derived from absolute lymphocyte counts, also followed this trend. Increases with age were seen in the NK, T cell (CD2, CD3), and CD8 percentages. Males tended to have higher NK and CD8 percentages than females, and, conversely, females had higher CD3 and CD4 percentages than males. Comparison of our results with studies involving Caucasian subjects indicated higher NK percentages in our Asian population and lower CD4 absolute counts in the males of our population. These results indicate the presence of age, sex, and probable racial differences in lymphocyte subset expression. Our results may serve as reference standards for the Asian population.
To assess whether gender differences exist in the clinical presentation, angiographic severity, management and outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).
A total of 114 patients (48 Chinese, 34 Malay and 32 Indian) undergoing extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) with intraocular lens implantation, were enrolled. All were given 3 ml of local anaesthetic (combination of equal amounts of lignocaine 2% and bupivacaine 0.5%) using retrobulbar technique. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured at different time intervals; before, immediately after and 5 minutes after injection with Honan balloon compression. Mean IOP increased by 5.0 mmHg immediately after injection (p < 0.001) and reduced to baseline level after 5 minutes of external compression. Although there were no statistical difference in terms of IOP variation between sex and age groups, Chinese patients demonstrated the highest IOP rise following retrobulbar anaesthesia. This is the first study to demonstrate the influence of race in the IOP response with Chinese subjects having the highest IOP rise.
The Apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE ε4) haplotype is the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). The Translocase of Outer Mitochondrial Membrane-40 (TOMM40) gene maintains cellular bioenergetics, which is disrupted in AD. TOMM40 rs2075650 ('650) G versus A carriage is consistently related to neural and cognitive outcomes, but it is unclear if and how it interacts with APOE. We examined 21 orthogonal neural networks among 8,222 middle-aged to aged participants in the UK Biobank cohort. ANOVA and multiple linear regression tested main effects and interactions with APOE and TOMM40 '650 genotypes, and if age and sex acted as moderators. APOE ε4 was associated with less strength in multiple networks, while '650 G versus A carriage was related to more language comprehension network strength. In APOE ε4 carriers, '650 G-carriage led to less network strength with increasing age, while in non-G-carriers this was only seen in women but not men. TOMM40 may shift what happens to network activity in aging APOE ε4 carriers depending on sex.
Goat Warble Fly Infestation (GWFI) is also known as subcutaneous myiasis caused by Przhevalskiana silenus (Diptera: Oestridae). It is widely distributed in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world. In goats, WFI is usually detected through conventional procedure which underestimated the infestation. The current study was designed to determine the serodiagonsis of GWFI (through IDEXX Hypodermosis serum antibody test) and also aimed to investigate its seroepizootiological profile in Pothwar region, Pakistan from 2013-14. The results showed that average seropositivity (ELISA kit) of GWFI was 18.5% whereas, it was 11% by using conventional procedure (Palpation method) depicting a significant difference (p<0.05). Higher seropositivity (30.8%) was observed in Jhelum district as compared to e Attock district (6%). The L1 larvae were found in September, while nodules start appearing in October to December and last until the end of February. The month wise peaks of optical density (OD) was higher in December which gradually decrease along with the end of winter season. The prevalence of GWFI revealed no significant difference among three host breeds (Jattal, Beetal and Tedy). According to the results, high infestation rate (28%) was observed in young animals of age group < 1 year as compared to old animals (> 2 years). Topographically, hilly areas (33%) provide favourable climatic conditions for the propagating of larval stages. Sex difference showed no significant difference. The seroprevalence varied significantly with respect to age, month, districts and topographical location. The current study proved that serologic diagnosis (commercial ELISA kit) as more sensitive and accurate for timely diagnosis of GWFI than traditional method. The information on the epizootiology of P. silenus in goats of Pothwar region would help in devising effective control strategies.
Lung cancer is increasing in incidence particularly among women, associated with a global change in smoking habits. Steroid hormones, particularly oestrogen exert an influence on tumour progression in tissues where their target receptor is expressed. Oestrogen receptor, particularly ERβ is highly expressed in the lung and becomes more highly expressed in lung carcinogenesis. Genes involved in the process of lung carcinoma progression and signalling cascades linked to invasion and angiogenesis are modulated by oestrogen receptors. This review intends to collate recently published evidence identifying a role for oestrogen in the initiation and progression of lung carcinoma and how these two processes are differentially affected by circulating oestrogens both in women and in men. Circulating oestrogens may be a significant risk factor in women's susceptibility to lung carcinoma and also provide an additional approach for more targeted therapy.
The sex-divergent pharmacokinetics and interaction of tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib with paracetamol was evaluated in male and female mice. Mice (control groups) were administered 60 mg/kg PO sunitinib alone or with 200 mg/kg PO paracetamol (study groups). Sunitinib concentration in plasma, brain, kidney and liver were determined and non-compartmental pharmacokinetic analysis performed. Female control mice showed 36% higher plasma sunitinib AUC0→∞, 31% and 27% lower liver and kidney AUC0→∞ and 2.2-fold higher AUC0→∞ in brain (all p sex-divergent pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and DDI with potential clinical translatability for the treatment of brain tumor and RCC patients.
We describe the distribution of body weight, height and body mass index (BMI) by age, sex and ethnicity in Malaysian adults. A national sample of 28,737 individuals aged 20 or older had usable data. They were selected by stratified 2-stage cluster sampling. Percentile tables and curves by age, sex and ethnicity are presented. The body weight and BMI distributions were right skewed, while that of height was symmetrical. BMI distribution showed the expected increase with age, while that of height decrease with age. Differences in BMI between the 2 sexes and among the 4 ethnic groups were observed. Indian had the highest BMI, followed by Malay, Chinese and other indigenous ethnic group.
Study name: National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS-1996)
We describe the distribution of capillary blood glucose (BG) by age, sex and ethnicity in Malaysian adults. A national sample of 20,041 individuals aged 30 or older had usable data. They were selected by stratified 2-stage cluster sampling. BG was measured using reflectance photometer. Percentile tables and curves by age, sex and ethnicity are presented. The BG distribution was right skewed and showed the expected increase with age. Except in Indian, women had higher BG than men. There were also marked ethnic differences. Indian had the highest BG concentration, followed by Chinese, Malay and other indigenous ethnic group.
Study name: National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS-1996)