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Quality of life in cadaver and living-related renal transplant recipients in Kuala Lumpur hospital

Chiu SF, Wong HS, Morad Z, Loo LH

Transplant Proc, 2004 Sep;36(7):2030-1.
PMID: 15518734

To examine the quality of life in cadaver (CAD) and living-related (LRRT) renal transplant recipients.
Nanobodies targeting a conserved henipavirus G glycoprotein receptor-binding region potently protect against Nipah virus infection

Sun M, Gong Q, Yao Y, Sun H, Li F, Chen L, et al.

Int J Biol Macromol, 2026 Oct 30.
PMID: 42963021 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2026.155084

Nipah virus (NiV) and Hendra virus (HeV) are highly lethal zoonotic henipaviruses with pandemic potential, yet no approved antiviral therapeutics are currently available. Here, we identified four nanobodies targeting the viral attachment glycoprotein (G) with strong neutralizing activity. All candidates potently neutralized NiV-Malaysia (NiVM) and NiV-Bangladesh (NiVB) in authentic virus assays, with IC50 values in the low ng/mL range (2.50-18.3 ng/mL). 2E2 shows the most potent activity, with an IC50 of 2.50 ng/mL. These candidates cross-neutralized HeV in pseudovirus assays at levels comparable to those against NiV, yet authentic HeV neutralization was reduced with the most potent clone reaching an IC₅₀ of 160 ng/mL and the remaining clones showing variable potency. In Syrian hamsters challenged with 1000 LD50 NiVM, prophylactic administration of 1C3, 2E2, or 5A3 provides complete protection. Notably, 2E2 confers superior therapeutic protection (66.7% survival) when administered 24 h post-infection. Additionally, 2E2 provides 50% prophylactic protection against lethal HeV. Alanine-scanning mutagenesis indicated that the nanobodies recognize a conserved region within the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of G, with distinct sensitivities to individual residue substitutions. Notably, 2E2 exhibited minimal sensitivity to the tested NiV G mutations and retained neutralizing activity against the m102.4 escape-associated substitutions NiV G-V507I and HeV G-D582N. These findings identify 2E2 as a candidate RBD-targeting nanobody with potent prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy against NiV and cross-neutralizing activity against HeV, warranting further evaluation as a countermeasure for NiV outbreaks.
Fulltext Vaccines based on the fusion protein consensus sequence protect Syrian hamsters from Nipah virus infection

Lu M, Yao Y, Liu H, Zhang X, Li X, Liu Y, et al.

JCI Insight, 2023 Dec 08;8(23).
PMID: 37917215 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.175461

Nipah virus (NiV), a bat-borne paramyxovirus, results in neurological and respiratory diseases with high mortality in humans and animals. Developing vaccines is crucial for fighting these diseases. Previously, only a few studies focused on the fusion (F) protein alone as the immunogen. Numerous NiV strains have been identified, including 2 representative strains from Malaysia (NiV-M) and Bangladesh (NiV-B), which differ significantly from each other. In this study, an F protein sequence with the potential to prevent different NiV strain infections was designed by bioinformatics analysis after an in-depth study of NiV sequences in GenBank. Then, a chimpanzee adenoviral vector vaccine and a DNA vaccine were developed. High levels of immune responses were detected after AdC68-F, pVAX1-F, and a prime-boost strategy (pVAX1-F/AdC68-F) in mice. After high titers of humoral responses were induced, the hamsters were challenged by the lethal NiV-M and NiV-B strains separately. The vaccinated hamsters did not show any clinical signs and survived 21 days after infection with either strain of NiV, and no virus was detected in different tissues. These results indicate that the vaccines provided complete protection against representative strains of NiV infection and have the potential to be developed as a broad-spectrum vaccine for human use.
Stigma towards mental illness in Asian nations and low-and-middle-income countries, and comparison with high-income countries: A literature review and practice implications

Vaishnav M, Javed A, Gupta S, Kumar V, Vaishnav P, Kumar A, et al.

Indian J Psychiatry, 2023 Oct;65(10):995-1011.
PMID: 38108051 DOI: 10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_667_23

BACKGROUND: Stigma related to mental illness (and its treatment) is prevalent worldwide. This stigma could be at the structural or organizational level, societal level (interpersonal stigma), and the individual level (internalized stigma). Vulnerable populations, for example, gender minorities, children, adolescents, and geriatric populations, are more prone to stigma. The magnitude of stigma and its negative influence is determined by socio-cultural factors and macro (mental health policies, programs) or micro-level factors (societal views, health sectors, or individuals' attitudes towards mentally ill persons). Mental health stigma is associated with more serious psychological problems among the victims, reduced access to mental health care, poor adherence to treatment, and unfavorable outcomes. Although various nationwide and well-established anti-stigma interventions/campaigns exist in high-income countries (HICs) with favorable outcomes, a comprehensive synthesis of literature from the Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), more so from the Asian continent is lacking. The lack of such literature impedes growth in stigma-related research, including developing anti-stigma interventions.
AIM: To synthesize the available mental health stigma literature from Asia and LMICs and compare them on the mental health stigma, anti-stigma interventions, and the effectiveness of such interventions from HICs.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed and Google Scholar databases were screened using the following search terms: stigma, prejudice, discrimination, stereotype, perceived stigma, associate stigma (for Stigma), mental health, mental illness, mental disorder psychiatric* (for mental health), and low-and-middle-income countries, LMICs, High-income countries, and Asia, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation/SAARC (for countries of interest). Bibliographic and grey literature were also performed to obtain the relevant records.
RESULTS: The anti-stigma interventions in Asia nations and LMICs are generalized (vs. disorder specific), population-based (vs. specific groups, such as patients, caregivers, and health professionals), mostly educative (vs. contact-based or attitude and behavioral-based programs), and lacking in long-term effectiveness data. Government, international/national bodies, professional organizations, and mental health professionals can play a crucial in addressing mental health stigma.
CONCLUSION: There is a need for a multi-modal intervention and multi-sectoral coordination to mitigate the mental health stigma. Greater research (nationwide surveys, cultural determinants of stigma, culture-specific anti-stigma interventions) in this area is required.