Syntheses of Minutuminolate and Related Coumarin Natural Products and Evaluation of Their TNF-α Inhibitory Activities.

The concise syntheses of the coumarin natural product, minutuminolate (), and its related natural products, 7-methoxy-8-(2-acetoxy-3-methyl-1-oxobut-2-enyl) coumarin () and muralatin I (), were accomplished for the first time in 4-5 steps from the commercially available umbelliferone. The key step involves a palladium-catalyzed oxidative rearrangement reaction to assemble the α-acyloxyenone moiety in and . The incorporation of this functionality enables the successful synthesis of coumarin through an acidic hydrolysis reaction.

Using mixed models to examine the factors associated with intimate partner violence among married women in Pakistan.

Currently, the rate of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Pakistan is 29%, which is likely an underestimate. This study used mixed models to examine the effects of women empowerment, women and husband's education, number of adult women in a household, number of children 5 or under in a household, and place of residence on physical violence and controlling behavior, controlling for women's current age and wealth status. Nationally representative data collected from 3,545 currently married women in the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (2012-2013) was used for the current study.

Dinuclear and mononuclear metal(II) polypyridyl complexes against drug-sensitive and drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum and their mode of action.

Background: Malaria remains one of the most virulent and deadliest parasitic disease in the world, particularly in Africa and Southeast Asia. Widespread occurrence of artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum strains from the Greater Mekong Subregion is alarming. This hinders the national economies, as well as being a major drawback in the effective control and elimination of malaria worldwide.

Natural Human Infections with Plasmodium cynomolgi, P. inui, and 4 other Simian Malaria Parasites, Malaysia.

We detected the simian malaria parasites Plasmodium knowlesi, P. cynomolgi, P. inui, P.

COVID-19 Sample Pooling: From RNA Extraction to Quantitative Real-time RT-PCR.

The COVID-19 pandemic requires mass screening to identify those infected for isolation and quarantine. Individually screening large populations for the novel pathogen, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is costly and requires a lot of resources. Sample pooling methods improve the efficiency of mass screening and consume less reagents by increasing the capacity of testing and reducing the number of experiments performed, and are therefore especially suitable for under-developed countries with limited resources.

A novel strategy for community screening of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19): Sample pooling method.

The rapid global spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has inflicted significant health and socioeconomic burden on affected countries. As positive cases continued to rise in Malaysia, public health laboratories experienced an overwhelming demand for COVID-19 screening. The confirmation of positive cases of COVID-19 has solely been based on the detection of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

Effect of Brugia pahangi co-infection with Plasmodium berghei ANKA in gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus).

Malaria and lymphatic filariasis (LF) are two leading and common mosquito-borne parasitic diseases worldwide. These two diseases are co-endemic in many tropical and sub-tropical regions and are known to share vectors. The interactions between malaria and filarial parasites are poorly understood.

Future Directions in Intimate Partner Violence Research: An Intersectionality Framework for Analyzing Women's Processes of Leaving Abusive Relationships.

Research on intimate partner violence (IPV) has increasingly focused on women's processes of leaving abusive partners. This article aims to develop a theoretical understanding grounded in intersectionality of the decision-making process involved in leaving an abusive partner. An intersectionality framework was used to analyze interviews with 25 abused mothers.

Histopathology of Brugia pahangi and Plasmodium berghei ANKA co-infection in the Gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus).

Co-infection with multiple different parasites is a common phenomenon in both human and animals. Among parasites that frequently co-infect the same hosts, are the filarial worms and malaria parasites. Despite this, the mechanisms underlying the interactions between these parasites is still relatively unexplored with very few studies available on the resulting pathologies due to co-infection by filarial nematodes and malaria parasites.

"The System Had Choked Me Too": Abused Mothers' Perceptions of the Custody Determination Process That Resulted in Negative Custody Outcomes.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health problem that continues to affect abused mothers after separation from an abusive partner. In addition to the risk of ongoing control and violence by abusers, the custody determination process may present challenges for mothers who end up with negative custody outcomes (e.g.

Mental and Active Preparation: Examining Variations in Women's Processes of Preparing to Leave Abusive Relationships.

Although the process of leaving abusive relationships has received increased research attention, preparing to leave is still largely understudied. Despite an emphasis on safety planning, not all women take active steps to prepare, and the characteristics and experiences of those who do or do not actively prepare are unknown. We address this gap with a secondary data analysis of interviews with 25 abused mothers in the process of leaving.

Coparenting relationship trajectories: Marital violence linked to change and variability after separation.

Associations between marital intimate partner violence (IPV) and postseparation coparenting relationship trajectories were examined among 135 mothers who participated in 5 interviews at 3-month intervals in the year following their divorce filing. Growth curve analysis was conducted to assess change and variability in coparenting dimensions (i.e.

Pathogenesis of Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection in the gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) as an experimental model for severe malaria.

Background: As the quest to eradicate malaria continues, there remains a need to gain further understanding of the disease, particularly with regard to pathogenesis. This is facilitated, apart from in vitro and clinical studies, mainly via in vivo mouse model studies. However, there are few studies that have used gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) as animal models.

New Paradigms for Virus Detection, Surveillance and Control of Zika Virus Vectors in the Settings of Southeast Asia.

Zika virus (ZIKV) has now become a global public health concern. The vectors for ZIKV are Aedes aegypti and A. albopictus.

The kynurenine pathway and parasitic infections that affect CNS function.

The kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism has been implicated in brain function, immunoregulation, anti-microbial mechanisms and pregnancy. Some of these actions are due to depletion of tryptophan and others to the formation of biologically active metabolites. This review focuses on the roles of the kynurenine pathway in host responses during two parasitic diseases of major health and economic importance, malaria and toxoplasmosis, with an emphasis on their impacts on CNS function.

Marital violence and coparenting quality after separation.

Research has identified multiple predictors of coparenting quality, but few studies have investigated how intimate partner violence (IPV) affects divorcing couples' coparenting relationships. We addressed this question in a sample of 154 mothers with different marital IPV experiences. Mothers were recruited within 4 months of a divorce filing and completed two interviews 3 months apart.

A preliminary screening of potentially antimalarial plants against Plasmodium falciparum in vitro.

Plasmodium is a blood protozoan parasite that is responsible for malaria. To date, Plasmodium falciparum has shown multi-drug resistance, particularly in Thailand, Myanmar and Malaysia. The aim of the study is to screen the plant extracts that can effectively inhibit P.

Seasonal and Spatial Dynamics of the Primary Vector of Plasmodium knowlesi within a Major Transmission Focus in Sabah, Malaysia.

Background: The simian malaria parasite Plasmodium knowlesi is emerging as a public health problem in Southeast Asia, particularly in Malaysian Borneo where it now accounts for the greatest burden of malaria cases and deaths. Control is hindered by limited understanding of the ecology of potential vector species.

Methodology/principal Findings: We conducted a one year longitudinal study of P.

Simian malaria in wild macaques: first report from Hulu Selangor district, Selangor, Malaysia.

Background: Malaria is a vector-borne parasitic disease which is prevalent in many developing countries. Recently, it has been found that Plasmodium knowlesi, a simian malaria parasite can be life-threatening to humans. Long-tailed macaques, which are widely distributed in Malaysia, are the natural hosts for simian malaria, including P.

Perceptions of boundary ambiguity in the process of leaving an abusive partner.

The process of leaving an abusive partner has been theorized using the Stages of Change Model. Although useful, this model does not account for changes in relational boundaries unique to the process of leaving. Using family stress and feminist perspectives, this study sought to integrate boundary ambiguity into the Stages of Change Model.

Plasmodium knowlesi malaria an emerging public health problem in Hulu Selangor, Selangor, Malaysia (2009-2013): epidemiologic and entomologic analysis.

Background: While transmission of the human Plasmodium species has declined, a significant increase in Plasmodium knowlesi/Plasmodium malariae cases was reported in Hulu Selangor, Selangor, Malaysia. Thus, a study was undertaken to determine the epidemiology and the vectors involved in the transmission of knowlesi malaria.

Methods: Cases of knowlesi/malariae malaria in the Hulu Selangor district were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed from 2009 to 2013.

Cerebral malaria: gamma-interferon redux.

There are two theories that seek to explain the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria, the mechanical obstruction hypothesis and the immunopathology hypothesis. Evidence consistent with both ideas has accumulated from studies of the human disease and experimental models. Thus, some combination of these concepts seems necessary to explain the very complex pattern of changes seen in cerebral malaria.

Brain endothelial cells increase the proliferation of Plasmodium falciparum through production of soluble factors.

We here describe the novel finding that brain endothelial cells in vitro can stimulate the growth of Plasmodium falciparum through the production of low molecular weight growth factors. By using a conditioned medium approach, we show that the brain endothelial cells continued to release these factors over time. If this mirrors the in vivo situation, these growth factors potentially would provide an advantage, in terms of enhanced growth, for sequestered parasitised red blood cells in the brain microvasculature.

Endothelial cells potentiate interferon-γ production in a novel tripartite culture model of human cerebral malaria.

We have established a novel in vitro co-culture system of human brain endothelial cells (HBEC), Plasmodium falciparum parasitised red blood cells (iRBC) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), in order to simulate the chief pathophysiological lesion in cerebral malaria (CM). This approach has revealed a previously unsuspected pro-inflammatory role of the endothelial cell through potentiating the production of interferon (IFN)-γ by PBMC and concurrent reduction of interleukin (IL)-10. The IFN-γ increased the expression of CXCL10 and intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, both of which have been shown to be crucial in the pathogenesis of CM.

Improved spectrophotometric human interferon-gamma bioassay.

Interferon gamma (IFNγ) is a cytokine involved in many anti-viral and immunoregulatory processes. One of the major mechanisms through which IFNγ exerts these effects is by inducing expression of indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase-1 (IDO1), an enzyme that catalyses the first, rate-limiting step of the kynurenine pathway. In this pathway, tryptophan can be catabolised to many products, including picolinic acid and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide.