Maternal risk factors associated with low birth weight

Maternal factors comprising of social, obstetric and anthropometric are fund to influence LBW. The present study had found association between obstetricrisk factors like age of the mother, parity and gravida with LBW. Similar association was also observed between maternal height, and maternal weight with LBW. However, social factors were not found to be associated with LBW. This could probably be due to RUHSA’s intervention which requires a further inquiry.     

Vibrio cholerae classical biotype strains reveal distinct signatures in Mexico

Vibrio cholerae O1 classical (CL) biotype caused the fifth and sixth pandemics, and probably the earlier cholera pandemics, before the El Tor (ET) biotype initiated the seventh pandemic in Asia in the 1970s by completely displacing the CL biotype. Although the CL biotype was thought to be extinct in Asia and although it had never been reported from Latin America, V. cholerae CL and ET biotypes, including a hybrid ET, were found associated with areas of cholera endemicity in Mexico between 1991 and 1997. In this study, CL biotype strains isolated from areas of cholera endemicity in Mexico between 1983 and 1997 were characterized in terms of major phenotypic and genetic traits and compared with CL biotype strains isolated in Bangladesh between 1962 and 1989. According to sero- and biotyping data, all V. cholerae strains tested had the major phenotypic and genotypic characteristics specific for the CL biotype. Antibiograms revealed the majority of the Bangladeshi strains to be resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, furazolidone, ampicillin, and gentamicin, while the Mexican strains were sensitive to all of these drugs, as well as to ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, and tetracycline. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of NotI-digested genomic DNA revealed characteristic banding patterns for all of the CL biotype strains although the Mexican strains differed from the Bangladeshi strains in 1 to 2 DNA bands. The difference was subtle but consistent, as confirmed by the subclustering patterns in the PFGE-based dendrogram, and can serve as a regional signature, suggesting the pre-1991 existence and evolution of the CL biotype strains in the Americas, independent from Asia.     

Faecal prevalence of extended-spectrum Beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing coliforms in a geriatric population and among haematology patients

Antimicrobial resistance to the extended-spectrum cephalosporins is increasingly reported worldwide. In the local setting, nosocomial infections with multi-resistant Gram-negative bacilli are not uncommon and are a growing concern. However, there is limited data on the carriage rates of such organisms in the local setting. In May 2001, a prospective study was carried out to determine the enteric carriage rates of ceftazidime-resistant Gram negative bacilli (CAZ-R GNB) among residents of nursing homes and from in-patients of the geriatric and adult haematology wards of University Malaya Medical Centre. Ceftazidime-resistant Gram-negative bacilli (CAZ-R GNB) were detected in 25 samples (30%), out of which 6 were from nursing home residents, 5 from geriatric in-patients and 14 from the haematology unit. A total of 28 CAZ-R GNB were isolated and Escherichia coli (10) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (7) were the predominant organisms. Resistance to ceftazidime in E. coli and Klebsiella was mediated by extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs). Although the majority of the CAZ-R GNB were from patients in the haematology ward, the six nursing home residents with CAZ-R GNB were enteric carriers of ESBL-producing coliforms. Prior exposure to antibiotics was associated with carriage of ESBL organisms and to a lesser extent, the presence of urinary catheters.     

Co-encapsulation of Nigella sativa oil and plasmid DNA for enhanced gene therapy of Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer disease involves genetic and non-genetic factors and hence it is rational to be treated with genetic and non-genetic therapeutic agents. Nigella sativa has multiple therapeutic properties including neuroregeneration. Nigella sativa oil (NSO) was encapsulated in PLGA nanoparticles and pDNA was loaded either by adsorption on chitosan-modified particles or encapsulation within PLGA nanoparticles. The particle size and zeta potential of NSO-pDNA-chitosan-PLGA nanoparticles were highly dependent on the medium and exhibited high burst release. Meanwhile, NSO-pDNA-PLGA nanoparticles were more consistent with lower burst release. The fabricated nanoparticles revealed the expected outcomes of both pDNA and NSO. The pDNA transfected N2a cell while the encapsulated NSO promoted neurite outgrowth that is crucial for neuroregeneration. Results from this study suggest that NSO could be added to the gene delivery carrier to enhance treatment benefits for Alzheimer disease.     

Investigating indoor concentrations of PM<Subscript>10</Subscript> in an underground loading dock in Malaysia

Risky air contaminants including PM₁₀ can accumulate inside underground confined loading docks because of the enclosed nature and limited contacts of loading docks with ambient air. Exposure to PM₁₀ can increase morbidity and mortality rates. Hence, this study aimed to investigate and model PM₁₀ concentrations in an underground loading dock located at Kuala Lumpur city center, Malaysia. For this purpose, a real-time air quality monitoring instrument was used for measuring PM₁₀ concentrations for 20 consecutive weeks starting from November 8, 2014. After that, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used to analyze measured PM₁₀ concentrations through series of statistical analyses, whereas MATLAB R2013a was employed for developing prediction models of future PM₁₀ concentrations. Moreover, PM₁₀ temporal variation was examined using time series plots. The results showed that short-term PM₁₀ concentrations did not exceed the Malaysian indoor allowable limit of 150 μg/m³. Despite that, PM₁₀ had 8 % probability of exceedance of WHO standard concentration of 50 μg/m³. This indicates that the occupants will be under the risk of prolonged exposure to PM₁₀ even at low concentrations. The results confirmed a strong correlation between PM₁₀ concentrations and diesel-powered vehicles flow. Contrarily, the flow of gasoline-powered vehicles was poorly correlated. Finally, future daily-averaged PM₁₀ concentrations were predicted for the three weekdays that followed the measurement period using single exponential smoothing. The obtained accuracy was at 70 % of measured PM₁₀ concentrations. Future hourly-averaged PM₁₀ concentrations were estimated using single linear regression with an accuracy of 53 %.     

Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Gene Mutation Detection in Histology and Cytology Specimens of Primary Lung Adenocarcinoma: Immunohistochemistry Versus the Molecular Method

Background: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene in lung adenocarcinoma is associated with good clinical response to EGFR-tyrosine kinase therapy. The two most common EGFR gene mutations, representing 80 to 90%, are the E746-A750 deletion in exon 19 and the L858R point mutation in exon 21. Materials and Methods: We have conducted the study to evaluate immunohistochemistry’s performance in detecting the E746-A750 deletion in exon 19 of the EGFR gene in primary lung adenocarcinoma cases. This study examined 133 cases of primary lung adenocarcinoma for three years duration. The selected cases were tested for EGFR gene mutations by real-time PCR by a reference laboratory. Most cases (124) were diagnosed by tissue biopsy, though nine used cell block cytology. We performed an immunohistochemistry test on 75 cases that contained adequate diagnostic material in the paraffin block. Results: The test result was scored as 0 to 3+, based on the staining intensity and percentage of positive tumor cells. We evaluated the immunohistochemistry test’s sensitivity and specificity compared to the EGFR gene mutations by real-time PCR. There was a significant association between gender, smoking status, and the EGFR gene mutations (P < 0.001). The overall sensitivity and specificity of the immunohistochemistry test were 40% and 100%, respectively. The positive predictive value and negative predictive values were 100% and 76.9%, each. Conclusions: The immunohistochemistry has high specificity but low sensitivity in the detection of E746-A750 deletion in exon 19 of the EGFR gene. The mutation-specific antibody used in this study was unable to detect other uncommon variants of exon 19 deletions. With high specificity value, immunohistochemistry may provide an adjunct to molecular testing for detecting the most common EGFR gene mutations in cases of a low cellularity sample, financially-limited situations, or in critically ill cases where urgent targeted therapy is needed.     

Trends in stillbirths, early and late neonatal mortality in rural Bangladesh: the role of public health interventions

Trends were examined in a cohort study of stillbirths and early and late neonatal deaths in Matlab, a rural area of Bangladesh between 1975 and 2002, using routinely collected demographic surveillance data. Main outcome measures were stillbirths per 1000 births, early neonatal deaths per 1000 livebirths, and late neonatal deaths per 1000 children surviving after 1 week. We performed a logistic regression examining trends over time and between two areas in the three outcome measures, controlling for the effects of parental education, religion, time, geography, parity, maternal age and birth spacing. There was a marked decline in stillbirths, early and late neonatal mortality over time in both areas, though the pace of decline was somewhat faster in the ICDDR,B (International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh) service area. Stillbirths declined by 24% overall in the ICDDR,B service area (crude OR comparing 1996-2002 with 1975-81: 0.76 [95% CI 0.68, 0.84]), compared with 15% in the Government service area (crude OR comparing 1996-2002 with 1975-81: 0.85 [0.76, 0.94]). The overall reduction in early and late neonatal mortality comparing the same periods was 39% and 73%, respectively, in the ICDDR,B area, compared with 30% and 63%, respectively, in the Government service area. Adjusting for socio-economic or demographic factors did not substantially alter the time or area differentials. The dramatic decline in neonatal mortality was, in large part, due to a fall in deaths from neonatal tetanus. The pace of decline was faster in the area receiving intense maternal and child health and family planning interventions, but stillbirths, early and late neonatal deaths also declined in the area not receiving such intense attention, suggesting that factors outside the formal health sector play an important role.     

Innovative Method for Longer Effective Corrosion Inhibition Time: Controlled Release Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Hemicellulose Inhibitor Tablet

This study aims to develop a controlled release oil palm empty fruit bunch hemicellulose (EFB-H) inhibitor tablet for mild steel in 1 M HCl. As plant extracts tend to deteriorate at longer immersion time, limiting its industrial applicability, we attempted to lengthen the inhibition time by forming a controlled release inhibitor tablet. Electrochemical methods (potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS)) were employed to investigate the efficiency and mechanism of the inhibition. An optimum dosage and immersion time was determined via Response Surface Methodology (RSM). EFB-H tablet was formulated using D-optimal mixture design, and its anticorrosion action at extended immersion time was compared with EFB-H powder. PDP measurement revealed that EFB-H is a mixed type inhibitor. RSM optimization unveiled that the optimum point for a maximum inhibition efficiency (87.11%) was at 0.33 g of EFB-H and 120 h of immersion time. Tablet T3 with EFB-H to gum Arabic to hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ratio of 66:0:34 portrayed the best tensile strength (0.243 MPa), disintegration time (152 min) and dissolution behavior. EFB-H tablet exhibited a longer-lasting inhibition effect than powder, which was 360 h as compared to 120 h for powder. Overall, EFB-H tablet has been successfully developed, and its enhanced effective inhibition time has been experimentally proven.