Leptospirosis among Dengue-Negative Febrile Patients in Selangor, Malaysia.

In recent years, the number of leptospirosis cases, including the number of deaths, has exponentially increased in Malaysia. From June 2016 to February 2018, blood samples of 321 febrile patients with the presumptive diagnosis of dengue-like illness were examined for possible exposure to Leptospira. Two hundred fifty-five blood samples were tested as negative for dengue.

Determination of lewisite constituents in aqueous samples using hollow-fibre liquid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

The applicability of hollow-fibre liquid-phase microextraction for extracting 2-chlorovinyldichloroarsine (lewisite 1), bis(2-chlorovinyl)chloroarsine (lewisite 2), tris(2-chlorovinyl)arsine (lewisite 3) and arsenic trichloride from aqueous samples is reported. Parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of these chemicals were optimised. These parameters included the type of derivatising agent, extraction solvent, derivatisation method, pH, ionic strength, stirring speed and extraction time.

Differential development of central dopaminergic and serotonergic systems in BALB/c and C57BL/6J mice.

Although the etiology of autism is unclear, disruptions of the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems have been associated with the disorder. Based on behavioral differences observed in the BALB/c strain of mice in comparison to other strains, notably, C57BL/6J mice, it has been suggested that the BALB/c strain may serve as an animal model of autism. However, to date, most work investigating neural and behavioral abnormalities in this strain has been performed in adult animals.

Voluntary exercise inhibits intestinal tumorigenesis in Apc(Min/+) mice and azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium-treated mice.

Background: Epidemiological studies suggest that physical activity reduces the risk of colon cancer in humans. Results from animal studies, however, are inconclusive. The present study investigated the effects of voluntary exercise on intestinal tumor formation in two different animal models, Apc(Min/+) mice and azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-treated mice.