Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization among healthcare workers in Oman.

Introduction: Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a S. aureus strain characterized by resistance to cloxacillin. Healthcare workers (HCWs), are recognized for their heightened risk for MRSA acquisition and possibly for MRSA nosocomial transmission.

Overexpression of EGFR protein in Bruneian lung cancer patients.

Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Brunei Darussalam, accounting for almost 20% of the total. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a member of the erbB family of tyrosine kinase receptor proteins, which includes c-erbb2(HER2/neu), erb-B3, and erb-B4. EGFR overexpression is found in a third of all epithelial cancers, often associated with a poor prognosis.

The prevalence of dengue virus in Brunei Darussalam during January-November 2010.

The aim of this study was to retrospectively determine the prevalence of dengue virus from April 2010 to November 2010 in Brunei Darussalam. A total of 250 serum samples from dengue diagnosed patients were examined. All serum samples were tested for dengue IgM and IgG antibodies and dengue NS1 antigen using the PanBio dengue ELISA commercial kit.

Lack of increased P15INK4B protein expression in basal cell carcinomas.

Background: The basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSK). BCC might develop because of the faulty cell cycle arrest. P15INK4b is a tumor suppressor gene, involved in cell cycle arrest and inactivated in most human cancers.

Analysis of APC allelic imbalance/loss of heterozygosity and APC protein expression in cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas.

Background: The adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene is a tumor suppressor gene which is mutated in the hereditary disease, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Somatic mutations of the APC gene have also been identified in the majority of sporadic colorectal carcinomas, and mutation of the APC gene appears to be an early step in the initiation of colon cancer. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of APC has been described in a variety of other cancer types, including renal cell carcinoma, gastric cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, endometrial cancer and oral squamous cell carcinomas (SCC).