Air quality, meteorological variability and pediatric respiratory syncytial virus infections in Singapore.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important cause of respiratory illness among children. While studies have focused on the air-quality and climate dependence of RSV infections, few have been undertaken in South-East Asia where the burden of respiratory illness is among the highest across the globe. This study aimed to determine the relationships between climatic factors and air quality with RSV infections among children in Singapore.

Isolation and Genetic Characterization of Japanese Encephalitis Virus Two Decades after Its Elimination in Singapore.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is an important arbovirus in Asia that can cause serious neurological disease. JEV is transmitted by mosquitoes in an enzootic cycle involving porcine and avian reservoirs, in which humans are accidental, dead-end hosts. JEV is currently not endemic in Singapore, after pig farming was abolished in 1992; the last known human case was reported in 2005.

Ribosomally-synthesised cyclic peptides from plants as drug leads and pharmaceutical scaffolds.

Owing to their exceptional stability and favourable pharmacokinetic properties, plant-derived cyclic peptides have recently attracted significant attention in the field of peptide-based drug design. This article describes the three major classes of ribosomally-synthesised plant peptides - the cyclotides, the PawS-derived peptides and the orbitides - and reviews their applications as leads or scaffolds in drug design. These ribosomally-produced peptides have a range of biological activities, including anti-HIV, cytotoxic and immunomodulatory activity.