Nipah Virus Neurotropism: Insights into Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption.

The genome of the Nipah virus (NiV) encodes a variety of structural proteins linked to a diverse array of symptoms, including fevers, headaches, somnolence, and respiratory impairment. In instances of heightened severity, it can also invade the central nervous system (CNS), resulting in more pronounced problems. This work investigates the effects of NiV on the blood-brain barrier (BBB), the vital physiological layer responsible for safeguarding the CNS by regulating the passage of chemicals into the brain selectively.

Understanding the mechanisms underlying the disruption of the blood-brain barrier in parasitic infections.

Parasites have a significant impact on the neurological, cognitive, and mental well-being of humans, with a global population of over 1 billion individuals affected. The pathogenesis of central nervous system (CNS) injury in parasitic diseases remains limited, and prevention and control of parasitic CNS infections remain significant areas of research. Parasites, encompassing both unicellular and multicellular organisms, have intricate life cycles and possess the ability to infect a diverse range of hosts, including the human population.

Epidemiology of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae infection in clinical setting in South-Eastern Asia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The rising prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extended-spectrum beta lactamase-resistant (ESBL) Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) is an important global public health challenge. This threat is even more pertinent in clinical settings.

Microplastics in the environment: An urgent need for coordinated waste management policies and strategies.

Microplastics (MPs) have become a prevalent environmental concern, exerting detrimental effects on marine and terrestrial ecosystems, as well as human health. Addressing this urgent issue necessitates the implementation of coordinated waste management policies and strategies. In this study, we present a comprehensive review focusing on key results and the underlying mechanisms associated with microplastics.

A review of the mechanisms of blood-brain barrier disruption during COVID-19 infection.

Coronaviruses are prevalent in mammals and birds, including humans and bats, and they often spread through airborne droplets. In humans, these droplets then interact with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), which are the main receptors for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It can infect several organs, including the brain.

Phenotypic and genotypic comparison of pathogenic group B Streptococcus isolated from human and cultured tilapia (Oreochromis species) in Malaysia.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a major cause of several infectious diseases in humans and fish. This study was conducted to compare human and fish-derived GBS in terms of their antimicrobial susceptibility, serotype, virulence and pili genes and sequence type (ST), and to determine whether there is a potential linkage of zoonotic transmission in Malaysia. GBS isolated from humans and fish had similar phenotypic characteristics and differed in virulence gene profile, antimicrobial susceptibility, serotype and sequence type.

Dissemination Pattern of Hospital-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant and Community-Acquired MRSA Isolates from Malaysian Hospitals: A Review from a Molecular Perspective.

The global emergence of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) that unsusceptible to a wide selection of antimicrobial agents and any newly introduced antimicrobial over the past decades has triggered more extensive holistic measures to put an end to this situation. Molecular surveillance of MRSA clones is important to understand their evolutionary dynamics for investigating outbreaks, propagating precautionary measures, as well as planning for appropriate treatment. This review includes peer-reviewed reports on the molecular characterisation of clinical isolates within Malaysian hospitals from year 2008 to 2020.

Serotype distribution of invasive, non-invasive and carried Streptococcus pneumoniae in Malaysia: a meta-analysis.

Background: Pneumococcal pneumonia is the leading cause of under-five mortality globally. The surveillance of pneumococcal serotypes is therefore vital for informing pneumococcal vaccination policy and programmes. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) have been available as an option in the private healthcare setting and beginning December 2020, PCV10 was incorporated as part of routine national immunisation programme (NIP) in Malaysia.

Comparative database search engine analysis on massive tandem mass spectra of pork-based food products for halal proteomics.

Mass spectrometry-based proteomics relies on dedicated software for peptide and protein identification. These software include open-source or commercial-based search engines; wherein, they employ different algorithms to establish their scoring and identified proteins. Although previous comparative studies have differentiated the proteomics results from different software, there are still yet studies specifically been conducted to compare and evaluate the search engine in the field of halal analysis.

Screening of commercial meat products from supermarket chains for feline derivatives using SP-PCR-RLFP and lab-on-a-chip.

Determination of feline meat in food products is an important issue for social, health, economic and religious concern. Hence this paper documented the application of species specific polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (SP-PCR-RFLP) assay targeting a short-fragments (69 bp) of mitochondrial cytochrome () gene to screen feline meat in commercial meat products using lab-on-a-chip. The SP-PCR assay proved its specificity theoretically and experimentally while testing with different common animal, aquatic and plant species of DNA.

An outbreak of leptospirosis among reserve military recruits, Hulu Perdik, Malaysia.

Here, we investigated an outbreak of leptospirosis among reserve military recruits that occurred following a survival exercise in the Hulu Perdik forest within the Hulu Langat district, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Blood samples from the 12 patients that presented symptoms for febrile illness on clinical examination were subjected to laboratory investigation, comprising Lepto IgM rapid test, IgM ELISA, and microscopic agglutination test (MAT). All these patients were interviewed for possible risk factors for leptospirosis.

Mechanisms of Blood Brain Barrier Disruption by Different Types of Bacteria, and Bacterial-Host Interactions Facilitate the Bacterial Pathogen Invading the Brain.

This review aims to elucidate the different mechanisms of blood brain barrier (BBB) disruption that may occur due to invasion by different types of bacteria, as well as to show the bacteria-host interactions that assist the bacterial pathogen in invading the brain. For example, platelet-activating factor receptor (PAFR) is responsible for brain invasion during the adhesion of pneumococci to brain endothelial cells, which might lead to brain invasion. Additionally, the major adhesin of the pneumococcal pilus-1, RrgA is able to bind the BBB endothelial receptors: polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR) and platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM-1), thus leading to invasion of the brain.

Draft genome sequence of Staphylococcus aureus KT/312045, an ST1-MSSA PVL positive isolated from pus sample in East Coast Malaysia.

Most of the efforts in elucidating the molecular relatedness and epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus in Malaysia have been largely focused on methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Therefore, here we report the draft genome sequence of the methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) with sequence type 1 (ST1), spa type t127 with Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (pvl) pathogenic determinant isolated from pus sample designated as KT/314250 strain.

Characterization of a Group B Streptococcus infection based on the demographics, serotypes, antimicrobial susceptibility and genotypes of selected isolates from sterile and non-sterile isolation sites in three major hospitals in Malaysia.

Background/purpose: The purpose of this study is to characterize GBS isolates that were collected from three major hospitals in a densely populated area of Klang Valley for their demographics, serotypes, antibiotic susceptibility patterns and genetic background.

Methods: Sixty GBS isolates from sterile and non-sterile samples in three major hospitals in the Klang Valley area of Malaysia were collected by convenience sampling from 2012 until March 2014. These isolates were studied for their antimicrobial susceptibilities, serotypes and genotypes.

Mechanism(s) of action underlying the gastroprotective effect of ethyl acetate fraction obtained from the crude methanolic leaves extract of Muntingia calabura.

Background: Muntingia calabura L. (family Muntingiaceae), commonly known as Jamaican cherry or kerukup siam in Malaysia, is used traditionally to treat various ailments. The aim of this study is to elucidate the possible underlying gastroprotective mechanisms of ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) of Muntingia calabura methanolic leaves extract (MEMC).

Growth, biofilm formation, antifungal susceptibility and oxidative stress resistance of Candida glabrata are affected by different glucose concentrations.

Glucose is an important fuel source to support many living organisms. Its importance in the physiological fitness and pathogenicity of Candida glabrata, an emerging human fungal pathogen has not been extensively studied. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of glucose on the growth, biofilm formation, antifungal susceptibility and oxidative stress resistance of C.

A higher sensitivity and efficiency of common primer multiplex PCR assay in identification of meat origin using NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 gene.

A Common Primer Multiplex PCR (CP-M-PCR) was developed to detect meat origin of four groups of animal (pig, ruminant, avian and rabbit). This method demonstrated higher sensitivity and efficiency than the conventional multiplex PCR. In this approach, a common forward primer was designed in the 5' end of a homologous region of mitochondrial NADH dehyrogenase subunit 4 (Nad 4) gene sequences of all the animal groups.

Genotypic characterization of Malaysian human isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae from carriage and clinical sources.

This study characterized carriage and clinical pneumococcal isolates for serotypes, penicillin susceptibility, virulence genes and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) pattern of penicillin binding protein (PBP) genes. DNA fingerprint of isolates was generated by BOX-PCR. Majority of serotypes were 23F followed by 19F, 19A and 6A.

Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern and distribution of exoU and exoS in clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa at a Malaysian hospital.

This study was conducted to determine the antibiotic susceptibility pattern and distribution of exoU and exoS among 44 clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa collected from different patients over a 3-month period in 2010 at a major Malaysian hospital. Susceptibility data by disk diffusion method for cefepime (30 microg), ceftazidime (30 microg), gentamicin (10 microg), piperacillin-tazobactam (100/10 microg) and ciprofloxacin (5 microg) were available for 38 isolates.

Determination of phenotypes and pneumococcal surface protein A family types of Streptococcus pneumoniae from Malaysian healthy children.

Background: There is limited information about pneumococcal carriage among healthy children in Malaysia. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence rate, serotype distribution, susceptibility pattern, and pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) family types of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates in the nasal carriage of children 5 years old or younger in three day care centers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Methods: Nasal swabs were collected from 195 healthy children, age 5 years or younger, from June to December 2010.

Characterization and antimicrobial activities of two Streptomyces isolates from soil in the periphery of Universiti Putra Malaysia.

This study was to assess the identification and antimicrobial activities of two actinomycete isolates. The two isolates designated as B8 and C2, were isolated from a patch of soil in the peripheral area of Universiti Putra Malaysia by streaking on starch casein agar after standard serial dilution procedures. Their antimicrobial activities were first evaluated against eight clinical laboratory strains namely Bacillus sp.

Expression analysis of adherence-associated genes in pneumococcal clinical isolates during adherence to human respiratory epithelial cells (in vitro) by real-time PCR.

Pneumococcal virulence determinants have been extensively studied but molecular evidence on virulence gene expression pattern is still lacking. We undertook this study to analyze the regulation pattern of adherence-associated genes; psaA, pspC, cbpG, including ply of serotypes 1, 7F, 19F and 23F clinical isolates during the bacterial adherence to human lung epithelial cells (in vitro), by real-time PCR. We were able to harvest the bacterial RNA (0.