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Knowledge of modes of HIV transmission among public secondary school students in urban and rural areas in Malaysia

Khan MAN, Md Rosly NA, Abdul Majeed AB, Ismail NE

Pak J Pharm Sci, 2018 Sep;31(5):1985-1990.
PMID: 30150198

The school students are of particular importance in the HIV/AIDS awareness policies at both local and international level. This study was conducted to assess the level of knowledge of the modes of HIV transmission among urban and rural public secondary school students in Malaysia. In this cross-sectional study, post local ethics approval, 600self-administered questionnaires were randomly disseminated to students in 6 different secondary schools and areas (i.e. 3 urban schools and 3 rural schools). Data were descriptively and inferentially analyzed using Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS®), version 17. The Pearson Chi-Square test was applied where applicable. Most respondents had heard about HIV (overall response rate: 96.2%). However, 8.9% of rural respondents (27/302) never heard about HIV and were excluded. Therefore, 275 urban students (Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, and Pahang) and 275 rural students (Terengganu) who successfully completed and returned the questionnaires were included in data analysis. Many respondents were female and within the age range of 15-16 years old. Most respondents in both areas knew that sharing needles can transmit HIV (93.5% urban; 97.1% rural). Out of 15 items concerning transmission modes of HIV, eight items showed significant values (p < 0.05) of rural vs. urban: saliva, urine, tears, using same swimming pool, blood transfusion, mosquito bites, sharing foods and donating blood to HIV patients. About 90.2% and 79.6% of respondents in urban and rural areas used television and newspapers as main source of knowledge on HIV, respectively. The implementation of incessant HIV and AIDS education programme could be useful in order to enhance and sustain awareness concerning HIV/AIDS among secondary school students.

Matched MeSH terms: Random Allocation
Antiapoptotic effect of taurine against NMDA-induced retinal excitotoxicity in rats

Lambuk L, Iezhitsa I, Agarwal R, Bakar NS, Agarwal P, Ismail NM

Neurotoxicology, 2019 01;70:62-71.
PMID: 30385388 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2018.10.009

OBJECTIVE: N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) excitotoxicity has been proposed to mediate apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in glaucoma. Taurine (TAU) has been shown to have neuroprotective properties, thus we examined anti-apoptotic effect of TAU against retinal damage after NMDA exposure.
METHODOLOGY: Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 5 groups of 33 each. Group 1 was administered intravitreally with PBS and group 2 was similarly injected with NMDA (160 nmol). Groups 3, 4 and 5 were injected with TAU (320 nmol) 24 hours before (pre-treatment), in combination (co-treatment) and 24 hours after (post-treatment) NMDA exposure respectively. Seven days after injection, rats were sacrificed; eyes were enucleated, fixed and processed for morphometric analysis, TUNEL and caspase-3 staining. Optic nerve morphology assessment was done using toluidine blue staining. The estimation of BDNF, pro/anti-apoptotic factors (Bax/Bcl-2) and caspase-3 activity in retina was done using ELISA technique.
RESULTS: Severe degenerative changes were observed in retinae after intravitreal NMDA exposure. The retinal morphology in the TAU pre-treated group appeared more similar to the control retinae and demonstrated a higher number of nuclei than the NMDA group both per 100 μm length (by 1.5-fold, p

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Fulltext The Beneficial Effects of Stingless Bee Honey from Heterotrigona itama against Metabolic Changes in Rats Fed with High-Carbohydrate and High-Fat Diet

Ramli NZ, Chin KY, Zarkasi KA, Ahmad F

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2019 12 07;16(24).
PMID: 31817937 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16244987

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a group of conditions including central obesity, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and hypertension that increases the risk for cardiometabolic diseases. Kelulut honey (KH) produced by stingless honey bees has stronger antioxidant properties compared to other honey types and may be a functional food against MetS. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of KH in preventing metabolic changes in rats with MetS induced by high-carbohydrate and high-fat (HCHF) diet. Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to the control (C), HCHF diet-induced MetS (S), and MetS supplemented with KH (K) groups. The K group was given KH (1 g/kg/day) for eight weeks. Compared to the control, the S group had significant higher omental fat mass, serum triglyceride, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressures, adipocyte area, and adipocyte perimeter (p < 0.05). KH supplementation significantly prevented these MetS-induced changes at week 16 (p < 0.05). Several compounds, including 4-hydroxyphenyl acetic acid, coumaric and caffeic acids, had been detected via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis that might contribute to the reversal of these changes. The beneficial effects of KH against MetS-induced rats provide the basis for future KH research to investigate its potential use in humans and its molecular mechanisms in alleviating the disease.

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Effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles on growth performance and concentrations of malondialdehyde, zinc in tissues, and corticosterone in broiler chickens under heat stress conditions

Ramiah SK, Awad EA, Mookiah S, Idrus Z

Poult Sci, 2019 Sep 01;98(9):3828-3838.
PMID: 30839088 DOI: 10.3382/ps/pez093

The use of nanominerals, such as nano-zinc, represents a promising and emerging technology in the animal farming industry. Due to the small particle size and bioavailability of nano-zinc, it can be easily assimilated in the digestive system, thereby reducing excretion and environmental pollution. The present study was conducted to assess the effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) on the growth performance, zinc (Zn) concentration in edible tissues, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance, and corticosterone concentrations in broilers reared under normal or heat stress environmental conditions. The experiment was performed with a completely randomized design based on a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement consisting of 4 diets (basal diet + 60 mg/kg conventional zinc oxide as control diet; basal diet + 40 mg/kg of ZnONPs; basal diet + 60 mg/kg of ZnONPs; and basal diet + 100 mg/kg of ZnONPs) and 2 environmental conditions (normal and heat stress). On day 22, birds from each dietary group were divided equally to normal temperature (23 ± 1°C throughout) or heat stress conditions (34 ± 1°C daily for 6 h from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm). From 1 to 42 D of age, the broiler chickens fed 100 mg/kg ZnONPs exhibited lower feed intake and feed conversion ratio than the control. The accumulation of Zn in the liver of broilers was significantly higher among all treatment groups compared to breast and thigh muscle tissues regardless of the temperature conditions. At 40 and 60 mg/kg ZnONPs, the malondialdehyde content increased in thigh muscle of broilers at 7 D postmortem, indicating that ZnONPs potentially inhibited the antioxidant system in muscle tissues. The control and ZnONPs at 40 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg led to low serum corticosterone levels that may be attributed to the antioxidant and antistress properties of Zn. Taken together, although supplementation with ZnONPs at 40 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg alleviated the negative results of heat stress, further research is needed to determine the optimal level of dietary ZnONPs supplementation.

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Profiling of morphine and codeine in urine after the ingestion of curry containing poppy seed as an evidence for opiates defence in Malaysia

Gan CY, Zainuddin Z, Muhamad Noh H, Rahmat R, Mohd Akir F, Mahad NH, et al.

Forensic Sci Int, 2019 Sep;302:109865.
PMID: 31279278 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.06.023

Consumption of curry containing poppy seeds has raised an issue concerning the opiate content in the urine that might exceed the cut-off value (300ng/mL). The main objective of this study was to examine the morphine and codeine contents in the urine of the consumers after partaking poppy seed-enriched curry in. The volunteers were asked to partake: (a) a single meal and their urines were collected within 24h, or (b) Two meals a day for three consecutive days and their urines were collected within 72h. Two different dosages were also tested in this study: (a) low dosage: 1g/100ml curry (containing 138μg of morphine and 66μg of codeine) and (b) high dosage: 5g/100ml curry (containing 690μg of morphine and 330μg of codeine). The subjects were randomised into the groups using the method of stratified randomization with age and gender groups as covariates. A total of 6 subjects was allocated for each group and placebos were used as control. Results showed that all subjects who consumed low dosage of poppy seeds either in single meal or multiple meals experiment were found negative. However, 1 out of 6high dosage subjects was confirmed positive at a period of 3-6h after the consumption of curry in the single meal study. This outlier maybe due to the lack of water consumption after consuming the curry, thus the low volume of urine was collected and the opiate was concentrated in the urine. On the other hand, 5 out of 6high dosage subjects in the multiple meals experiment were found positive. Majority of these subjects were found positive on the second and third day of the experiment after the second curry meal was consumed. The outlier (negative) in this group might be due to the high consumption of water throughout the experiment and the subject's urine volumes and frequency of urine collection were much higher compared to other subjects. From the result of this study, it can be concluded that partaking high dosages of poppy seed in curry could give a positive response (>300ng/ml+uncertainty of measurement) in the urine, and the water consumption after partaking curry has significant influence for the opiate contents in the urine.

Matched MeSH terms: Random Allocation
Maternal and infant vitamin B12 status during infancy predict linear growth at 5 years

Strand TA, Ulak M, Kvestad I, Henjum S, Ulvik A, Shrestha M, et al.

Pediatr Res, 2018 11;84(5):611-618.
PMID: 29967525 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-018-0072-2

BACKGROUND: Many children worldwide have poor vitamin B12 status. The objective of this study was to estimate association between maternal and infant vitamin B12 status and long-term growth.
METHODS: We randomly selected 500 Nepali mother-infant pairs and measured maternal intake and infant and maternal vitamin B12 status using plasma cobalamin, total plasma homocysteine, and methylmalonic acid concentrations. We revisited available children when they were 5 years old and measured growth. The associations between intake and maternal and infant markers of vitamin B12 and growth were estimated in multiple linear regression models adjusting for relevant confounders (n = 331).
RESULTS: Maternal vitamin B12 intake and status and vitamin B12 status in infancy predicted linear growth at 5 years of age, but not during infancy. Each microgram increase in the vitamin B12 intake of the mother during infancy was associated with an increase in height of 0.4 (0.2, 0.6) height-for-age z-scores and 1.7 (0.7, 2.7) cm around the child's fifth birthday.
CONCLUSION: Vitamin B12 status and intake in early life is an important determinant for linear growth at school age. Our findings should be verified in randomized, placebo controlled trials before translated into public health recommendations.

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Oral bioavailability enhancement of a hydrophilic drug delivered via folic acid-coupled liposomes in rats

Ling SS, Yuen KH, Magosso E, Barker SA

J Pharm Pharmacol, 2009 Apr;61(4):445-9.
PMID: 19298690 DOI: 10.1211/jpp/61.04.0005

A liposome preparation that is amenable to receptor-mediated endocytosis has been developed to enhance the oral bioavailability of poorly absorbable peptidomimetic drugs by use of folic acid as the mediator of liposomal uptake.

Matched MeSH terms: Random Allocation
The effects of dexamethasone on the response of bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue to intranasal administration of formalin-killed Pasteurella haemolytica A2 in goats

Zamri-Saad M, Effendy AW

Vet Res Commun, 1999 Dec;23(8):467-73.
PMID: 10672963

A trial was conducted to observe the immediate and chronic effects in goats of dexamethasone administration on the bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) response to intranasal administration of formalin-killed Pasteurella haemolytica A2. Twenty-four goats were divided into four groups. Those in group 1 were injected intramuscularly with 1 mg/kg dexamethasone on three consecutive days, followed by intranasal exposure to formalin-killed P. haemolytica A2 one day after the last dexamethasone treatment. The goats in group 2 were similarly injected with dexamethasone followed by intranasal exposure to formalin-killed P. haemolytica A2 21 days after the last dexamethasone treatment. The animals in group 3 were exposed intranasally to formalin-killed P. haemolytica A2 without prior dexamethasone treatment. The animals in group 4 were untreated controls. The intranasal exposures to formalin-killed P. haemolytica A2 were repeated 2 weeks later. Intranasal exposure to formalin-killed P. haemolytica 1 day after dexamethasone treatment further reduced the number and size of BALT compared to the untreated control. Significantly (p < 0.01) more reduction of BALT occurred in goats exposed to formalin-killed P. haemolytica A2 21 days after dexamethasone treatment. On the other hand, intranasal exposure of goats without prior dexamethasone treatment stimulated the BALT compared to the untreated controls.

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Dietary Euphorbia hirta Extract Improved the Resistance of Sharptooth Catfish Clarias gariepinus to Aeromonas hydrophila

Sheikhlar A, Meng GY, Alimon R, Romano N, Ebrahimi M

J Aquat Anim Health, 2017 Dec;29(4):225-235.
PMID: 28937913 DOI: 10.1080/08997659.2017.1374310

Aqueous and methanol extracts of lemon Citrus limon peel, Euphorbia hirta (aerial parts), and fenugreek Trigonella foenum-graecum seeds were tested for their in vitro antimicrobial activities against the bacterium Aeromonas hydrophila. A swab paper disk method showed that the methanol extract of E. hirta (EHE) had the largest inhibition zone and the lowest minimal inhibitory concentration compared to all other herbal extracts. Based on these results, EHE was included in the diets of Sharptooth Catfish Clarias gariepinus at 0 (control), 2, 5, or 7 g/kg of diet (experiment 1). Each treatment was conducted in triplicate, with 30 fish (mean weight ± SE = 9.4 ± 0.4 g) in each replicate. After 30 d, the growth, feed intake, hepatosomatic index (HSI), and plasma biochemical parameters were measured. With a separate batch of Sharptooth Catfish, the efficacy of the EHE diets in conferring fish resistance to A. hydrophila over 30 d was compared to that of a diet containing oxytetracycline (OTC; experiment 2). Six treatments were conducted in triplicate groups of 30 fish (mean weight ± SE = 9.0 ± 0.3 g); the Control fish were fed the control diet and were not injected with A. hydrophila, while the Control-AH and OTC-AH groups were infected with A. hydrophila and were fed either the control diet or the diet containing OTC at 1 g/199 g. The other three treatments included fish that were injected with A. hydrophila but fed diets with increasing EHE at 2, 5, or 7 g/kg. Experiment 1 showed no change to growth, feeding efficiency, HSI, or plasma biochemical parameters. In experiment 2, however, fish that were fed dietary EHE at 5 g/kg had significantly lower mortality than the Control-AH group, with further resistance observed for fish fed EHE at 7 g/kg. Dietary OTC was more effective than EHE as a prophylactic to A. hydrophila infection in Sharptooth Catfish. Nevertheless, EHE can potentially be a valuable dietary supplement to improve the resistance of Sharptooth Catfish to A. hydrophila infection. Received May 3, 2017; accepted August 24, 2017.

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Fulltext Potential of feeding beef cattle with whole corn crop silage and rice straw in Malaysia

Nazli MH, Halim RA, Abdullah AM, Hussin G, Samsudin AA

Trop Anim Health Prod, 2018 Jun;50(5):1119-1124.
PMID: 29455428 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-018-1538-2

The potential of using whole corn crop silage and rice straw as an alternative feed for the beef cattle based on the intake and growth performance were evaluated. Using randomised completely block design, nine adult Mafriwal cattle were blocked intro three groups and treated with three different forage diets supplemented with 20% pelleted palm kernel cake on dry matter basis. The treatments were 100% rice straw (RS), 100% corn silage (CS) and an equal mixture of rice straw and corn silage (MIX) fed ad libitum. The animals were housed in individual pens, and the feeding trial was conducted for 12 weeks with 2 weeks of adaptation period. The results showed that CS had the best feed nutritive composition with the lowest concentration of highly indigestible fibre and the highest concentration of organic matter and energy. The CS also had the highest intake, and the corn silage inclusion in MIX managed to improve the intake on par with CS in terms of the dry matter intake of body weight (DMI of BW), voluntary intake (VI) and crude protein (CP) intake. Cattle fed with CS gave the highest and most stable BW gain with an average daily gain (ADG) of 808 g/day rivalling cross-bred cattle fed with high amount of concentrates. The all straw diet (RS) supplemented with PKC recorded a positive ADG of 133 g/day while the MIX gave 383 g/day matching total Napier grass diet.

Matched MeSH terms: Random Allocation
Inhibition of corticosterone synthesis and its effect on acute phase proteins, heat shock protein 70, and interleukin-6 in broiler chickens subjected to feed restriction

Najafi P, Zulkifli I, Soleimani AF

Poult Sci, 2018 Apr 01;97(4):1441-1447.
PMID: 29462352 DOI: 10.3382/ps/pex364

The aim of the current study was to elucidate whether inhibition of corticosterone (CORT) synthesis could modify stress response to feed deprivation and its possible interactions with feed restriction in the neonatal period in broiler chickens. Equal numbers of broiler chicks were subjected to either 60% feed restriction (60FR) or ad libitum (AL) on d 4, 5, and 6. On day 7, blood CORT, acute phase proteins (APP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, and brain heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) expression were determined. On d 35, chickens in each early age feeding regimen were subjected to one of the following treatments: (i) ad libitum feeding (ALF), (ii) 24 h feed deprivation (SFR), or (iii) 24 h feed deprivation with intramuscular injection of 1,1-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-2,2,2-trichloroethane (DDT) at 100 mg/kg BW (SFR+DDT). The effect of SFR on CORT, APP, IL-6, and HSP 70 were determined on d 36. The results showed that subjecting chicks to 60FR significantly elevated CORT and brain HSP70 concentration compared to the AL group on d 7. The early feeding regimen had no significant effect on CORT, alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (AGP), ovotransferrin (OVT), ceruoplasmin (CP), IL-6, or brain HSP70 on d 36. The CORT, AGP, OVT, CP, IL-6, and brain HSP70 expression of SFR birds following 24 h of feed deprivation (d 36) were significantly higher than their ALF and SFR+DDT counterparts. Both ALF and SFR+DDT birds had similar values. Stress attributed to feed deprivation without concurrent increase in CORT had a negligible effect on serum levels of APP and IL-6 and brain HSP70 expression.

Matched MeSH terms: Random Allocation
Nonhypercholesterolemic effects of a palm-oil diet in Malaysian volunteers

Ng TK, Hassan K, Lim JB, Lye MS, Ishak R

Am J Clin Nutr, 1991 04;53(4 Suppl):1015S-1020S.
PMID: 2012009 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/53.4.1015S

The effects on serum lipids of diets prepared with palm olein, corn oil, and coconut oil supplying approximately 75% of the fat calories were compared in three matched groups of healthy volunteers (61 males, 22 females, aged 20-34 y). Group I received a coconut-palm-coconut dietary sequence; group II, coconut-corn-coconut; and group III, coconut oil during all three 5-wk dietary periods. Compared with entry-level values, coconut oil raised the serum total cholesterol concentration greater than 10% in all three groups. Subsequent feeding of palm olein or corn oil significantly reduced the total cholesterol (-19%, -36%), the LDL cholesterol (-20%, -42%%) and the HDL cholesterol (-20%, -26%) concentrations, respectively. Whereas the entry level of the ratio of LDL to HDL was not appreciably altered by coconut oil, this ratio was decreased 8% by palm olein and 25% by corn oil. Serum triglycerides were unaffected during the palm-olein period but were significantly reduced during the corn-oil period.

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Fulltext The effect of eurycoma longifolia Jack on spermatogenesis in estrogen-treated rats

Wahab NA, Mokhtar NM, Halim WN, Das S

Clinics (Sao Paulo), 2010;65(1):93-8.
PMID: 20126351 DOI: 10.1590/S1807-59322010000100014

There is little data concerning the ability of Eurycoma longifolia Jack (EL) to reverse the inhibitory effects of estrogen on testosterone production and spermatogenesis. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of EL on testicular histology and sperm count in estrogen-treated male rats.

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Fulltext Ascorbic acid protects against restraint stress-induced memory deficits in Wistar rats

Kumar RS, Narayanan SN, Nayak S

Clinics (Sao Paulo), 2009;64(12):1211-7.
PMID: 20037710 DOI: 10.1590/S1807-59322009001200012

Chronic stress has been shown to cause oxidative damage in the central nervous system. Although stress-induced impairments in learning and memory have been studied extensively, very few studies have investigated possible ways to prevent their ill effects. The present work was designed to study the protective effects of ascorbic acid in memory loss induced by chronic restraint stress.

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Fulltext Fresh soy oil protects against vascular changes in an estrogen-deficient rat model: an electron microscopy study

Adam SK, Das S, Othman F, Jaarin K

Clinics (Sao Paulo), 2009;64(11):1113-9.
PMID: 19936186 DOI: 10.1590/S1807-59322009001100012

To observe the effects of consuming repeatedly heated soy oil on the aortic tissues of estrogen-deficient rats.

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Fulltext Genotoxicity and acute and subchronic toxicity studies of a standardized methanolic extract of Ficus deltoidea leaves

Farsi E, Shafaei A, Hor SY, Ahamed MB, Yam MF, Asmawi MZ, et al.

Clinics (Sao Paulo), 2013 Jun;68(6):865-75.
PMID: 23778480 DOI: 10.6061/clinics/2013(06)23

Ficus deltoidea leaves have been used in traditional medicine in Southeast Asia to treat diabetes, inflammation, diarrhea, and infections. The present study was conducted to assess the genotoxicity and acute and subchronic toxicity of a standardized methanol extract of F. deltoidea leaves.

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Selenium supplementation reduced oxidative stress in diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma in rats

Mohamed J, Wei WL, Husin NN, Alwahaibi NY, Budin SB

Pak J Biol Sci, 2011 Dec 01;14(23):1055-60.
PMID: 22590839

Selenium in the form of sodium selenite (SSE) is an essential micronutrient which known to possess antioxidant and anticancer properties. This study emphasizes the role of selenium on oxidative stress in experimental rats with N-diethylnitrosamine (DEN) initiated and 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) promoted multistage hepatocellular carcinogenesis (HCC). Rats were divided randomly into six groups: negative control, positive control (DEN+2-AAF), preventive group (pre-SEE 4 weeks+DEN), preventive control (respective control for preventive group), therapeutic group (DEN+post-SSE 12 weeks) and therapeutic control (respective control for therapeutic group). SSE (4 mg L(-1)) was given to animals before initiation and during promotion phase of HCC. The levels of total protein (TP), conjugated diens (CD), malondialdehyde (MDA), fluorescent pigment (FP), antioxidant activity (AOA) and DNA damage were measured. Supplementation of SSE before the initiation phase of carcinogenicity significantly increased TP and AOA level (p < 0.05) while it decreased the levels of CD, MDA, DNA damage and FP (p < 0.05). Supplementation of SSE during the promotion phase of carcinogenicity significantly decreased the DNA damage and FP level (p < 0.05) and there were negative correlation between the level of AOA and with the level of FP and CD. Thus, supplementation of SSE reduced the adverse changes which occur in liver cancer. However, the chemoprevention effect of SSE was more pronounced when it was supplemented before initiation phase of cancer when compared to promotion phase.

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Fulltext Interleukin-6 is required for pancreatic cancer progression by promoting MAPK signaling activation and oxidative stress resistance

Zhang Y, Yan W, Collins MA, Bednar F, Rakshit S, Zetter BR, et al.

Cancer Res, 2013 Oct 15;73(20):6359-74.
PMID: 24097820 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-13-1558-T

Pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest human malignancies, is almost invariably associated with the presence of an oncogenic form of Kras. Mice expressing oncogenic Kras in the pancreas recapitulate the stepwise progression of the human disease. The inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 is often expressed by multiple cell types within the tumor microenvironment. Here, we show that IL-6 is required for the maintenance and progression of pancreatic cancer precursor lesions. In fact, the lack of IL-6 completely ablates cancer progression even in presence of oncogenic Kras. Mechanistically, we show that IL-6 synergizes with oncogenic Kras to activate the reactive oxygen species detoxification program downstream of the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) signaling cascade. In addition, IL-6 regulates the inflammatory microenvironment of pancreatic cancer throughout its progression, providing several signals that are essential for carcinogenesis. Thus, IL-6 emerges as a key player at all stages of pancreatic carcinogenesis and a potential therapeutic target.

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Fulltext The Nature of Exposure Drives Transmission of Nipah Viruses from Malaysia and Bangladesh in Ferrets

Clayton BA, Middleton D, Arkinstall R, Frazer L, Wang LF, Marsh GA

PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2016 06;10(6):e0004775.
PMID: 27341030 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004775

Person-to-person transmission is a key feature of human Nipah virus outbreaks in Bangladesh. In contrast, in an outbreak of Nipah virus in Malaysia, people acquired infections from pigs. It is not known whether this important epidemiological difference is driven primarily by differences between NiV Bangladesh (NiV-BD) and Malaysia (NiV-MY) at a virus level, or by environmental or host factors. In a time course study, ferrets were oronasally exposed to equivalent doses of NiV-BD or NiV-MY. More rapid onset of productive infection and higher levels of virus replication in respiratory tract tissues were seen for NiV-BD compared to NiV-MY, corroborating our previous report of increased oral shedding of NiV-BD in ferrets and suggesting a contributory mechanism for increased NiV-BD transmission between people compared to NiV-MY. However, we recognize that transmission occurs within a social and environmental framework that may have an important and differentiating role in NiV transmission rates. With this in mind, ferret-to-ferret transmission of NiV-BD and NiV-MY was assessed under differing viral exposure conditions. Transmission was not identified for either virus when naïve ferrets were cohoused with experimentally-infected animals. In contrast, all naïve ferrets developed acute infection following assisted and direct exposure to oronasal fluid from animals that were shedding either NiV-BD or NiV-MY. Our findings for ferrets indicate that, although NiV-BD may be shed at higher levels than NiV-MY, transmission risk may be equivalently low under exposure conditions provided by cohabitation alone. In contrast, active transfer of infected bodily fluids consistently results in transmission, regardless of the virus strain. These observations suggest that the risk of NiV transmission is underpinned by social and environmental factors, and will have practical implications for managing transmission risk during outbreaks of human disease.

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Fulltext Downregulation of immunological mediators in 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene-induced atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions by hydrocortisone-loaded chitosan nanoparticles

Hussain Z, Katas H, Mohd Amin MC, Kumolosasi E, Sahudin S

Int J Nanomedicine, 2014;9:5143-56.
PMID: 25395851 DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S71543

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic, noncontiguous, and exudative disorder accompanied by perivascular infiltration of immune mediators, including T-helper (Type 1 helper/Type 2 helper) cells, mast cells, and immunoglobulin E. The current study explores the immunomodulatory and histological effects of nanoparticle (NP)-based transcutaneous delivery of hydrocortisone (HC).

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