Presence of SARS-CoV-2-like coronaviruses in bats from east coast Malaysia

Most of the public health importance coronaviruses, such as Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and SARS-CoV-2 are likely originated from bats and spread to humans through intermediate hosts; civet cats, dromedary camel and Malayan pangolin, respectively. SARS-CoV-2-like coronaviruses were detected in Thailand, which is neighbouring with Kelantan in East Coast Malaysia. To date, there is no report on the presence of public health concerns (SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV) coronaviruses in bats from Malaysia. This study was aimed to elucidate the presence of these coronaviruses in bat samples from East Coast, Malaysia. A total of hundred seventy oropharyngeal swab samples were collected from three states of East Coast Malaysia. Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) was conducted based on partial 3' Untranslated region (3'UTR) or ORF10 gene and the products were sequenced. The sequences were compared with all coronavirus sequences from the National Center for Biotechnology Information-GenBank (NCBI-GenBank) using NCBI-Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (NCBI-BLAST) software. A phylogenetic tree was constructed to determine the genetic relationship among the detected coronaviruses with the reference coronaviruses from the NCBI-GenBank. Our results showed that SARSCoV-2-like viruses were present in 3% (5/170) of the bats from East Coast Malaysia that have 98-99% sequence identities and are genetically related to SARS-CoV-2 from humans. This finding indicates the presence of SARS-CoV-2-like viruses in bats from East Coast Malaysia that may become a public health concern in the future.

First molecular detection of Tritrichomonas foetus in domestic cats in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Tritrichomonas foetus is known to cause chronic diarrhea in the feline species in many different regions of the world. However, there is a paucity of information on T. foetus among cats in Malaysia. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Tritrichomonas foetus in the pet and stray cat population in Klang Valley, Malaysia. A total of 201 pet and stray cats' fecal samples were collected in Klang Valley. 24 samples were cultured in the InPouch® TF Feline to observe for motile trophozoites. A nested PCR protocol was used to screen for T. foetus in the collected samples. The prevalence of T. foetus in the cat population in Klang Valley was 33%. There was no association between Tritrichomonas infection and age, sex, breed or management of the cats. However, statistical analysis revealed that stray cats were more likely to be infected with T. foetus compared to pet cats. This study confirmed for the first time the presence of T. foetus among the cat population in Klang Valley, Malaysia.

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in pet and stray cats in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Toxoplasma gondii, a zoonotic protozoan that has a worldwide distribution, is known to infect many warm-blooded vertebrates. The feline species including domestic cats are the definitive hosts for Toxoplama gondii and shed the infective oocyst. There is lack of information on the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in cats in Malaysia. The objective of this study was to determine both the seroprevalence of T. gondii and the prevalence of T. gondii DNA in cats' feces in Klang Valley, Malaysia. 198 blood and 201 fecal samples were collected from pet and stray cats from the local council, Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) and University Veterinary Hospital, Universiti Putra Malaysia respectively. The overall seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in cats in the Klang Valley was found to be 5.5%. There was a high prevalence (10.5%) of T. gondii DNA detected in the cat fecal samples in both pet and stray cats suggestive of T. gondii oocyst shedding. Stray cats showed a higher seroprevalence and molecular prevalence of T. gondii than the pet cats. However, comparative analysis using Chi-square test showed no significant difference between both groups (P>0.05). Higher prevalence (10.5%) of cats shedding T. gondii DNA as compared to the seroprevalence (5.5%) was found in the cat population in the Klang Valley. The high prevalence of cats shedding T. gondii DNA is alarming as this may directly reflect the number of oocysts excreted into the environment posing a significant public health hazard.

COVID-19: Four Paediatric Cases in Malaysia

OBJECTIVE

This is a brief report of 4 paediatric cases of COVID-19 infection in Malaysia BACKGROUND: COVID-19, a coronavirus, first detected in Wuhan, China has now spread rapidly to over 60 countries and territories around the world, infecting more than 85000 individuals. As the case count amongst children is low, there is need to report COVID-19 in children to better understand the virus and the disease.

CASES

In Malaysia, until end of February 2020, there were four COVID-19 paediatric cases with ages ranging from 20 months to 11 years. All four cases were likely to have contracted the virus in China. The children had no symptoms or mild flu-like illness. The cases were managed symptomatically. None required antiviral therapy.

DISCUSSION

There were 2 major issues regarding the care of infected children. Firstly, the quarantine of an infected child with a parent who tested negative was an ethical dilemma. Secondly, oropharyngeal and nasal swabs in children were at risk of false negative results. These issues have implications for infection control. Consequently, there is a need for clearer guidelines for child quarantine and testing methods in the management of COVID-19 in children.

[The study of association of chronic rhinosinusitis inflammation subtype with bronchial inflammation phenotype]

Objective:We sought to compare clinical characteristics between eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and asthma, and explored the association of chronic rhinosinusitis inflammation subtypewith bronchial inflammation phenotype in CRSwNP with asthma. Method:Fifty-one consecutive patients suffering from CRSwNP with asthma undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) were recruited. Preoperative computed tomography (CT), skin-prick test, bronchial provocation test, lung function, and oral fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurements were conducted. Venous blood was taken within 1 week before ESS. Nasal polyps (NPs) specimens were obtained from each patient during ESS, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. According to the pathologic characteristics of NP samples, fifty-one patients suffering from CRSwNP with asthma were grouped as eosinophilic CRSwNP (ECRSwNP) and non-ECRSwNP and three levels of eosinophil infiltration were recognized. Result:Fifty-one patients suffering from CRSwNP with asthma were grouped as ECRSwNP (n=33) and non-ECRSwNP (n=18). History of surgery, history of allergy, Lund-Mackay scores, duration of asthma, frequency of severity asthma, numbers of asthma exacerbation in the last year, FeNO, blood eosinophil percentage and absolute count were all significantly higher in the ECRSwNP with asthma group compared with the non-ECRSwNP with asthma group (P<0.05). Blood eosinophil percentage had a significant correlation with degree of eosinophil infiltration in NPs (r=0.459, P<0.01) and FeNO (r=0.591, P<0.01). There was a correlation between degree of eosinophil infiltration in NPs and FeNO (r=0.556, P<0.01). Furthermore, Lund-Mackay scores had a positive correlation with blood eosinophil percentage (r=0.327, P<0.05) and degree of eosinophil infiltration in NPs (r=0.412, P<0.01) and FeNO (r=0.691, P<0.01). Conclusion:There is different clinical characteristics between ECRSwNP with asthma and non-ECRSwNP with asthma. These data suggest that CRSwNP inflammation subtype is significantly correlated with bronchial inflammation phenotype in patients suffering from CRSwNP with asthma.

A colonic amoebic abscess mimicking colonic carcinoma

Amebiasis is one of the major causes of diarrhea in the developing countries and it can present with a wide range of gastrointestinal symptoms depending on the phase of infection. We described a case of 50 year-old male patient who presented with abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting. After right hemicolectomy for appendicular abscess with tumour over the ileum, histopathological examinations revealed numerous trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica in a background of inflammations (Figure 1). Following resection of the ameboma, he received intravenous metronidazole treatment for total of two weeks duration.

Corrigendum to "Hodgkin Lymphoma Cell Lines Are Characterized by a Specific miRNA Expression Profile." Neoplasia 2009, Feb;11(2):167-176

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1593/neo.08980.].

HLA variants rs9271366 and rs9275328 are associated with systemic lupus erythematosus susceptibility in Malays and Chinese

BACKGROUND

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antigens and genes have long been reported associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) susceptibility in many populations. With the advance in technologies such as genome-wide association studies, many newly discovered SLE-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been reported in recent years. These include HLA-DRB1/HLA-DQA1 rs9271366 and HLA-DQB1/HLA-DQA2 rs9275328. Our aim was to investigate these SNPs in a Malaysian SLE cohort.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

SNPs rs9271366 and rs9275328 were screened across 790 Malaysian citizens from three ethnic groups (360 patients and 430 healthy volunteers) by Taqman SNP genotyping assays. Allele and genotyping frequencies, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, Fisher's exact test and odds ratio were calculated for each SNP and ethnic group. Linkage disequilibrium and interaction between the two SNPs were also evaluated.

RESULTS

The minor allele G and its homozygous genotype GG of HLA-DRB1/HLA-DQA1 rs9271366 significantly increased the SLE susceptibility in Malaysian patients, including those of Malay and Chinese ethnicity (odds ratio (OR) > 1, p < 0.05). As for HLA-DQB1/HLA-DQA2 rs9275328, the minor allele T and the heterozygous genotype CT conferred protective effect to SLE in Malaysians, as well as in Malays and Chinese, by having OR < 1 and p value <0.05. Both SNPs did not show associations to SLE in Indians. D' and r (2) values for the two SNPs in LD analysis were 0.941 and 0.065, respectively, with haplotype GC and AT being significantly associated with SLE (p < 5.0 × 10(-4)) after 10,000 permutations were performed. The MDR test clustered the genotype combinations of GG and CC, and AG and CC of rs9271366 and rs9275328, accordingly, as high-risk group, and the two SNPs interacted redundantly by removing 1.96% of the entropy.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that in addition to some classical HLA variants, rs9271366 and rs9275328 are additional polymorphisms worth considering in the Malaysian and possibly in a larger Asian SLE scenario.

Penicilliosis in lupus patients presenting with unresolved fever: a report of 2 cases and literature review

Penicilliosis is a rare occurrence among non human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients. We report here two cases of Penicillium marneffei infection in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Both patients had a recent flare of lupus and were on immunosuppressive drugs when they presented with prolonged fever without an obvious foci of infection, unresponsive to broad-spectrum antibiotics. They were leucopaenic upon admission, with rapid deterioration during the course of the illness. Diagnosis of penicilliosis via fungal isolation from blood culture was delayed resulting in the late initiation of antifungal agents. While both patients ultimately recovered, the delay in diagnosis led to a prolonged hospital stay with increased morbidity. Clinicians should be aware of this uncommon but emerging fungal pathogen in SLE patients and maintain a high index of suspicion in diagnosing this potentially fatal but treatable disease.

Release of hydrophilic drug from biodegradable polymer blends

This paper reports on the release behavior of the drug lidocaine-HCl from a immiscible polymeric blend. Biodegradable polymer blends of poly(L-lactic acid)/poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLLA/PLGA) were loaded with lidocaine-HCl, and the release of lidocaine-HCl from these blends was monitored. It was found that the release profiles were significantly affected by the affinity and subsequent partitioning of the drug into one of the two phases in the blends. It was hypothesized that the hydrophilic lidocaine-HCl seems to have a tendency to reside in the PLGA component of the PLLA/PLGA blend. This resulted in a release very much controlled by the degradation of PLGA, even when PLLA is the major phase of the blend. A mathematical model was further employed to quantify the partitioning, as well as model the lidocaine-HCl release profiles of different blend compositions.

Interaction force measurements for the design of tissue adhesives

Synthesis of tissue adhesives had been carried out in various laboratories in the past decades but the development is currently stalled. One of the key reasons, it is believed, is that researchers have not fully understood and resolved the role of the functional groups that are responsible for good adhesion to biological tissues. Further progress in synthesis is significantly hindered without this fundamental understanding. With this aim in mind, atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been exploited in this work to study the interactions between functional groups that are common to biological tissues. In this work, the AFM tip and substrates were functionalized and used to measure the non-specific interaction among these common functional groups. The ultimate aim of the study is to calculate the interaction force between a single pair of functional groups. A novel calculation method based on the AFM data and probe geometry is presented. The results provide insights into the strength of the bond between different functional groups and the could serve as a guide in selecting the appropriate functional groups in tissue adhesive synthesis. This method could be further applied to studies involving interfaces of biomedical devices where intermolecular interactions are of concern.

An immunohistochemical and molecular study of gastrointestinal stromal tumours

Gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) is a rare but most common mesenchymal tumour in the gastrointestinal tract. Although GIST research has been carried out extensively worldwide, it has yet to be studied in Malaysia. To establish the immunohistochemical expression pattern of CD117 (c-KIT), CD34, S-100 and Desmin, the incidence of c-KIT and PDGFRA genes mutation in GISTs, and correlate it with clinicopathological parameters. Eleven clinically diagnosed GISTs were stained for CD117, CD34, Desmin and S-100 protein by immunohistochemical technique, and c-KITand PDGFRA gene mutations were studied by PCR-CSGE-DNA sequencing method. All GISTs (7 cases) stain positive for CD117, and co-expressed CD34. None of these cases express Desmin, and only one expressed S-100 protein focally. Fifty-seven percent (4/7 cases) of GIST harboured mutations at exon 11 of c-KIT gene, and they were all high risk and malignant cases. No mutation was detected at exons 9, 13 and 17 of KIT gene, and exons 12 and 18 of PDGFRA gene. Immunohistochemistry using a panel of antibodies shows consistent pattern of CD117 and CD34 expression in GIST, and mutational study may be a useful prognostic marker for kinase inhibitor treatment of GIST.

Collapse pressures of bilayered biodegradable stents

Biodegradable helicoidal stent prototypes made up of layers of poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) and poly(L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) polymers were fabricated by temperature conditioning the stents at different stages of fabrication. The process incorporated elastic memory, or self-expandability in the stent, which is desirable to minimize stent recoil. The collapse pressures of such stents were studied, with and without in vitro degradation. The effects of thickness and the composition of each layer on the collapse pressure were modeled using the simple series model. Results of the in vitro studies for over 3 months showed that collapse pressure of the stents depended mainly on the degradation and other side-effects brought about by the degradation of different polymer compositions. Generally, the trend is dominated by the thicker of the two layers that were used to form the stents.

Effect of plasticization on heparin release from biodegradable matrices

Heparin-loaded polymer films of poly-L-lactide (PLLA) and poly-L-lactide-co-glycolide (PLLGA) as well as poly-DL-lactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) were produced. A plasticizer, PEG, was added to the polymers. It was found that the release profile in general consisted of a burst effect, a diffusion-controlled phase and a degradation-controlled phase. The plasticizer accelerated the onset of degradation in all cases, but its effect on the release profile differed significantly depending on the polymer. The plasticizer depressed the burst effect for PLLA, and accelerated the kinetics of the diffusion-controlled phase. For the PLLGA 80/20, however, the plasticizer had no significant effect on the release profile or kinetics. We explain these observations in terms of hydrophilicity and crystallinity effects.

Do increases in xylem sap pH and/or ABA concentration mediate stomatal closure following nitrate deprivation?

Stomatal conductance (g(s)) of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plants decreased during the second photoperiod (day 2) after withholding nitrate (N). Stomatal closure of N-deprived plants was not associated with a decreased shoot water potential (Psi(shoot)); conversely Psi(shoot) was lower in N-supplied plants. N deprivation transiently (days 2 and 3) alkalized (0.2-0.3 pH units) xylem sap exuded from de-topped root systems under root pressure, and xylem sap expressed from excised shoots by pressurization. The ABA concentration of expressed sap increased 3-4-fold when measured on days 2 and 4. On day 2, leaves detached from N-deprived and N-supplied plants showed decreased transpiration rates when fed an alkaline (pH 7) artificial xylem (AX) solution, independent of the ABA concentration (10-100 nM) supplied. Thus changes in xylem sap composition following N deprivation can potentially close stomata. However, the lower transpiration rate of detached N-deprived leaves relative to N-supplied leaves shows that factors residing within N-deprived leaves also mediate stomatal closure, and that these factors assume greater importance as the duration of N deprivation increases.

Gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric assay for profiling the enantiomers of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine and its chiral metabolites using positive chemical ionization ion trap mass spectrometry

A qualitative GC/MS profile was obtained and its mass spectrometric features characterized for the analysis of the enantiomers of (RS)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and its metabolites (RS)-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), (RS)-4-hydroxy-3-methoxymethamphetamine (HMMA) and (RS)-4-hydroxy-3-methoxyamphetamine (HMA). A chiral derivatization method was selected to obtain the diastereomers required for the separation of the respective enantiomers with a non-chiral GC stationary phase. The selected derivatization consisted of a reaction with N-heptafluorobutyryl-(S)-prolyl chloride combined with a consecutive reaction with N-methyl-N-trimethylsilyltrifluoroacetamide, resulting in N-[heptafluorobutyryl-(S)-prolyl]-O-trimethylsilyl derivatives. Detection was carried out with electron ionization and positive chemical ionization (PCI) ion trap mass spectrometry. Mass spectra of the derivatives of reference standards of the compounds of interest obtained with PCI demonstrated that this method simultaneously induces proton and charge-transfer reactions in the ion trap. The advantage is that high mass information is provided while some fragmentation remains to elucidate structural details. Subsequently, in three urine samples obtained from different and unrelated MDMA intoxications, the enantiomers of MDMA and MDA were identified. In some urine samples also HMMA and/or HMA were found. In addition to these compounds, an unexpected compound and/or additional chiral metabolite, N-hydroxy-(RS)-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, was identified in two out of three urine samples. Preliminary results also indicated an enantioselective metabolism in the N-demethylation pathway for MDMA in humans.

The phosphorylation of brain microtubular proteins in situ and in vitro

The phosphorylation of microtubular proteins isolated by reassembly in vitro from slices of guinea-pig cerebral cortex labelled with [32P]orthophosphate was investigated. Under the conditions tested, both and the alpha and beta forms of tubulin contained metabolically-active P which accounted for about one third of the total 32P incorporated into protein; the remaining protein-bound 32P was associated with 3-4 minor high MW components co-purifying with tubulin during two cycles of assembly-disassembly. Microtubular protein prepared in this way contained approx. 0.8 mol of alkalilabile P/mol of tubulin dimer (M.W. 110,000). In vitro studies showed that reassembled microtubular protein preparations catalysed the incorporation of up to 0.55 mol of P/mol of tubulin dimer during incubation with Mg2+ and [gamma 32P]ATP. The reaction was linear during the first 30 min of incubation at 37 degrees C. Cyclic AMP (10 microM, final concentration) caused a transient increase in the initial rates of tubulin phosphorylation. Little label was incorporated into the minor high M.W. components under these conditions. The in vitro phosphorylation of microtubular protein increased in a non-linear manner with respect to protein concentration: this was in contrast to earlier experiments showing linear kinetics when chromatographically isolated tubulin was tested for intrinsic kinase activity. Isolated microtubular protein preparations bound [3H]GTP, [3H]ATP and to a lesser extent, [3H]cyclic AMP, and exhibited Ca(2+)-ATPase activity (up to 60 pmol Pi released min/mg protein at 37 degrees C).