Methods: A total of 40 healthy pedodontic subjects (aged 8-15 years) were recruited in the present study. They were equally divided into Group A (fixed orthodontic group) and Group B (removable orthodontic group) with 20 subjects each. 1.5 mL of saliva per subject was obtained before 3 and 6 months after treatment. Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) technique was used for measurement of Salivary IgA levels.
Results: Group A and B both showed significant rise in S-IgA levels 3 months and 6 months post active orthodontic treatment. Mean value of S-IgA 3 months post treatment in the saliva of children in group B and group A were (144.27 ± 5.32) and (164.0 ± 3.23) μg/ml respectively. While mean value of S-IgA after 6 months of treatment in group B and group A were (149.8 ± 6.02) and (166.4 ± 3.65) μg/ml respectively.
Conclusion: Salivary Immunoglobulin A level values were significantly higher statistically in both group A and group B post active orthodontic treatment than before. The results however, showed that Group A (fixed orthodontic group) showed statistically significant higher levels of S-IgA than Group B (removable orthodontic group). Active orthodontic treatment triggered a stronger stimulus for oral secretory immunity, hence the increase in levels were detected. There is a significant positive correlation between S-IgA and active fixed as well as removable orthodontic treatment. Orthodontic treatment is hence a local immunogenic factor.
METHODS: A total of 2598 serum samples (1417 urban samples, 1181 rural samples) were randomly collected from adults ages 35-74 y. The presence of the dengue IgG antibody and neutralising antibodies to dengue virus (DENV) 1-4 was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the plaque reduction neutralisation test assay, respectively.
RESULTS: The prevalence of dengue IgG seropositivity was 85.39% in urban areas and 83.48% in rural areas. The seropositivity increased with every 10-y increase in age. Ethnicity was associated with dengue seropositivity in urban areas but not in rural areas. The factors associated with dengue seropositivity were sex and working outdoors. In dengue IgG-positive serum samples, 98.39% of the samples had neutralising antibodies against DENV3, but only 70.97% of them had neutralising antibodies against DENV4.
CONCLUSION: The high seroprevalence of dengue found in urban and rural areas suggests that both urban and rural communities are vital for establishing and sustaining DENV transmission in Malaysia.
Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from a total of 91 goats selected at random. Blood serum was harvested and used for competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test to detect antibodies against CAE virus.
Results: The result obtained showed that 8/91 (8.8%) of the goats were seropositive for CAEV. In addition, biosecurity management, source of origin and sex of the animal were observed to be important risk factors associated with the occurrence of CAE in goats.
Conclusion: The findings of this study affirmed that the seroprevalence of CAEV infection among goat population in small ruminant farms in Selangor, Malaysia, is low. However, there is need to institute strict control measures such as testing and culling positive animals or separation of infected animals from those that tested negative to the disease for effective eradication of the disease.