METHODS: A cross-sectional study design with quota sampling was used. A total of 203 respondents aged 18 years and above from a research centre in the Ministry of Health, Malaysia, were recruited. Venous blood was sent to the laboratory and tested with Siemens Atellica CH, while a POCT analyser was used for capillary blood measurements. Intraclass coefficient correlation (ICC) analysis was employed to determine the agreement between capillary and venous blood parameters. The diagnostic performance of the evaluated tests was evaluated using STATA version 12.
RESULTS: The agreement between capillary and laboratory venous blood was moderate (0.64-0.67) for TC and HDL, good (0.75) for LDL and excellent (0.91) for TG). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were as follows: TC, 57.1%, 94.3%, 92.3% and 64.8%; TG, 76.0%, 100%, 100%, and 96.6%; HDL, 96.2%, 83.2%, 47.2% and 99.3%; and LDL, 81.0%, 100%, 100% and 68.3%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: The CardioChek® PA analyser showed acceptable diagnostic accuracy for screening high-risk individuals more often in places where laboratories are inaccessible. It could also be used in clinical settings where patients would benefit from swift treatment decisions.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We conducted a one year longitudinal study of P. knowlesi vectors in three sites within an endemic area of Sabah, Malaysia. All mosquitoes were captured using human landing catch. Anopheles mosquitoes were dissected to determine, oocyst, sporozoites and parous rate. Anopheles balabacensis is confirmed as the primary vector of. P. knowlesi (using nested PCR) in Sabah for the first time. Vector densities were significantly higher and more seasonally variable in the village than forest or small scale farming site. However An. balabacensis survival and P. knowlesi infection rates were highest in forest and small scale farm sites. Anopheles balabacensis mostly bites humans outdoors in the early evening between 1800 to 2000 hrs.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This study indicates transmission is unlikely to be prevented by bednets. This combined with its high vectorial capacity poses a threat to malaria elimination programmes within the region.
METHODS: The residential addresses of 3054 notified CHIKV cases in 2009-2010 were georeferenced onto a base map of Sarawak with spatial data of rivers and roads using R software. The spatiotemporal spread was determined and clusters were detected using the space-time scan statistic with SaTScan.
RESULTS: Overall CHIKV incidence was 127 per 100 000 population (range, 0-1125 within districts). The average speed of spread was 70.1 km/wk, with a peak of 228 cases/wk and the basic reproduction number (R0) was 3.1. The highest age-specific incidence rate was 228 per 100 000 in adults aged 50-54 y. Significantly more cases (79.4%) lived in rural areas compared with the general population (46.2%, p<0.0001). Five CHIKV clusters were detected. Likely spread was mostly by road, but a fifth of rural cases were spread by river travel.
CONCLUSIONS: CHIKV initially spread quickly in rural areas mainly via roads, with lesser involvement of urban areas. Delayed spread occurred via river networks to more isolated areas in the rural interior. Understanding the patterns and timings of arboviral outbreak spread may allow targeted vector control measures at key transport hubs or in large transport vehicles.
Methodology: Diabetic patients were randomly selected and divided into two groups from two tertiary care hospitals. Control group contained those 200 patients who were receiving usual treatment from hospitals. In contrast, the intervention group included those 200 patients who were receiving conventional treatment from hospitals together with separate counselling sessions with pharmacists from Diabetes Medication Therapy Adherence Clinic departments. The study continued for 1 year and two follow-up visits for both groups. A prevalidated data collection form was used to measure the improvement in sign and symptoms and progression of diabetic complication in diabetic patients. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24 was used to analyze the data.
Results: The average hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values decreased up to 1.43% in the control group and 2.82% in the intervention group. The intervention group showed significant improvement in HbA1c between groups (P < 0.05). The results of univariate and multivariate regression analysis showed that a statistically significant (P < 0.001) improvement was observed in all the predictors of diabetic complications among in the intervention group when compared with the control group.
Conclusion: Statistically significant reduction in the sign and symptoms of diabetic complications was observed in the intervention group at the end of 1 year. The progression of diabetic neuropathy was significantly reduced in the pharmacist intervention group.
METHODS: Anopheles mosquitoes were collected from the location where P. knowlesi cases were reported. Cases of knowlesi malaria from 2011 to 2019 in Johor were analyzed. Internal transcribed spacers 2 (ITS2) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) genes were used to identify the Leucosphyrus Group of Anopheles mosquitoes. In addition, spatial analysis was carried out on the knowlesi cases and vectors in Johor.
RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-nine cases of P. knowlesi were reported in Johor over 10 years. Young adults between the ages of 20-39 years comprised 65% of the cases. Most infected individuals were involved in agriculture and army-related occupations (22% and 32%, respectively). Four hundred and eighteen Leucosphyrus Group Anopheles mosquitoes were captured during the study. Anopheles introlatus was the predominant species, followed by Anopheles latens. Spatial analysis by Kriging interpolation found that hotspot regions of P. knowlesi overlapped or were close to the areas where An. introlatus and An. latens were found. A significantly high number of vectors and P. knowlesi cases were found near the road within 0-5 km.
CONCLUSIONS: This study describes the distribution of P. knowlesi cases and Anopheles species in malaria-endemic transmission areas in Johor. Geospatial analysis is a valuable tool for studying the relationship between vectors and P. knowlesi cases. This study further supports that the Leucosphyrus Group of mosquitoes might be involved in transmitting knowlesi malaria cases in Johor. These findings may provide initial evidence to prioritize diseases and vector surveillance.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seven healthy stags were chosen for semen collection using an electroejaculator. The collections were performed twice in a breeding season between February and June 2016. Samples were collected between 2 and 3 weeks interval, collected twice for each animal. Semen was evaluated, extended, and cryopreserved using four different extenders; Andromed®, BioXcell®, Triladyl®, and a modified Tris-egg yolk combined with Eurycoma longifolia Jack.
RESULTS: R. timorensis semen characteristics according to volume (ml), color, sperm concentration (106/ml), general motility (%), progressive motility (%), and % morphology of normal spermatozoa are 0.86±0.18 ml, thin milky to milky, 1194.2±346.1 106/ml, 82.9±2.8%, 76.1±4.8%, and 83.9±4.8%, respectively.
CONCLUSION: Semen characteristics of R. timorensis collected by electroejaculation is good allowing for cryopreservation and future artificial insemination work. The most suitable extender for Rusa deer semen is Andromed®.
METHODS: The prevalence of Wolbachia in Culicinae mosquitoes was assessed via PCR with wsp primers. For some of the mosquitoes, in which the wsp primers failed to amplify a product, Wolbachia screening was performed using nested PCR targeting the 16S rRNA gene. Wolbachia sequences were aligned using Geneious 9.1.6 software, analyzed with BLAST, and the most similar sequences were downloaded. Phylogenetic analyses were carried out with MEGA 7.0 software. Graphs were drawn with GraphPad Prism 8.0 software.
RESULTS: A total of 217 adult mosquitoes representing 26 mosquito species were screened. Of these, infections with Wolbachia were detected in 4 and 15 mosquito species using wsp and 16S rRNA primers, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first time Wolbachia was detected using 16S rRNA gene amplification, in some Anopheles species (some infected with Plasmodium), Culex sinensis, Culex vishnui, Culex pseudovishnui, Mansonia bonneae and Mansonia annulifera. Phylogenetic analysis based on wsp revealed Wolbachia from most of the mosquitoes belonged to Wolbachia Supergroup B. Based on 16S rRNA phylogenetic analysis, the Wolbachia strain from Anopheles mosquitoes were more closely related to Wolbachia infecting Anopheles from Africa than from Myanmar.
CONCLUSIONS: Wolbachia was found infecting Anopheles and other important disease vectors such as Mansonia. Since Wolbachia can affect its host by reducing the life span and provide resistance to pathogen infection, several studies have suggested it as a potential innovative tool for vector/vector-borne disease control. Therefore, it is important to carry out further studies on natural Wolbachia infection in vector mosquitoes' populations as well as their long-term effects in new hosts and pathogen suppression.