Advances in next-generation sequencing for relapsed pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia: current insights and future directions.

Leukemia is one of the most common cancers in children; and its genetic diversity in the landscape of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is important for diagnosis, risk assessment, and therapeutic approaches. Relapsed ALL remains the leading cause of cancer deaths among children. Almost 20% of children who are treated for ALL and achieve complete remission experience disease recurrence.

A Hitchhiker's guide to RNA-RNA structure and interaction prediction tools.

RNA biology has risen to prominence after a remarkable discovery of diverse functions of noncoding RNA (ncRNA). Most untranslated transcripts often exert their regulatory functions into RNA-RNA complexes via base pairing with complementary sequences in other RNAs. An interplay between RNAs is essential, as it possesses various functional roles in human cells, including genetic translation, RNA splicing, editing, ribosomal RNA maturation, RNA degradation and the regulation of metabolic pathways/riboswitches.

A Keystone Gut Bacterium -A Potential Biotherapeutic Agent for Obesity and Associated Metabolic Diseases.

A new next-generation probiotic, was first discovered in 2012 from healthy human stool and described under the phylum . is a subdominant commensal bacterium with highly heritable properties that exhibits mutual interactions with other heritable microbiomes, and its relative abundance is positively correlated with the lean host phenotype associated with a low BMI index. It has been the subject of numerous studies, owing to its potential health benefits.

Methylation Profile of Cancer Testis Antigens in Colorectal Cancer.

Background: Cancer testis antigens (CTAs) are a class of immune-stimulating antigens often overexpressed in many types of cancers. The usage of the CTAs as immunotherapy targets have been widely investigated in different cancers including melanoma, hematological malignancies, and colorectal cancer. Studies have indicated that the epigenetic regulation of the CTAs such as the methylation status may affect the expression of the CTAs.

SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance in Malaysia: displacement of B.1.617.2 with AY lineages as the dominant Delta variants and the introduction of Omicron during the fourth epidemic wave.

Objectives: This study reported SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequencing results from June 2021 to January 2022 from seven genome sequencing centers in Malaysia as part of the national surveillance program.

Methods: COVID-19 samples that tested positive by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and with cycle threshold values <30 were obtained throughout Malaysia. Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 complete genomes was performed using Illumina, Oxford Nanopore, or Ion Torrent platforms.

Insights into Carbapenem Resistance in Species: Current Status and Future Perspectives.

The increasing prevalence of resistance in carbapenems is an escalating concern as carbapenems are reserved as last-line antibiotics. Although indiscriminate antibiotic usage is considered the primary cause for resistance development, increasing evidence revealed that inconsequential strains without any direct clinical relevance to carbapenem usage are harboring carbapenemase genes. This phenomenon indirectly implies that environmental microbial populations could be the 'hidden vectors' propelling carbapenem resistance.

Exploring the Potential of Human Milk and Formula Milk on Infants' Gut and Health.

Early-life gut microbiota plays a role in determining the health and risk of developing diseases in later life. Various perinatal factors have been shown to contribute to the development and establishment of infant gut microbiota. One of the important factors influencing the infant gut microbial colonization and composition is the mode of infant feeding.

Deciphering colorectal cancer immune microenvironment transcriptional landscape on single cell resolution - A role for immunotherapy.

Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a novel high-throughput technique that enables the investigation of a single cell's entire transcriptome. It elucidates intricate cellular networks and generates indices that will eventually enable the development of more targeted and personalized medications. The importance of scRNA-seq has been highlighted in complex biological systems such as cancer and the immune system, which exhibit significant cellular heterogeneity.

MicroRNA Methylome Signature and Their Functional Roles in Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Chemoresistance.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Despite significant advances in the diagnostic services and patient care, several gaps remain to be addressed, from early detection, to identifying prognostic variables, effective treatment for the metastatic disease, and the implementation of tailored treatment strategies. MicroRNAs, the short non-coding RNA species, are deregulated in CRC and play a significant role in the occurrence and progression.

TCGA-My: A Systematic Repository for Systems Biology of Malaysian Colorectal Cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks second among the most commonly occurring cancers in Malaysia, and unfortunately, its pathobiology remains unknown. CRC pathobiology can be understood in detail with the implementation of omics technology that is able to generate vast amounts of molecular data. The generation of omics data has introduced a new challenge for data organization.

Epigenome-Wide DNA Methylation Profiling in Colorectal Cancer and Normal Adjacent Colon Using Infinium Human Methylation 450K.

The aims were to profile the DNA methylation in colorectal cancer (CRC) and to explore cancer-specific methylation biomarkers. Fifty-four pairs of CRCs and the adjacent normal tissues were subjected to Infinium Human Methylation 450K assay and analysed using ChAMP R package. A total of 26,093 differentially methylated probes were identified, which represent 6156 genes; 650 probes were hypermethylated, and 25,443 were hypomethylated.

COVID-19 in Malaysia: exposure assessment and prevention practices among healthcare workers at a teaching hospital.

Introduction: During the second wave of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, Malaysia reported several COVID-19 clusters related to healthcare workers. Thus, addressing and understanding the risk of exposure in healthcare workers is important to prevent future infection and reduce secondary COVID-19 transmission within the healthcare settings. In this study, we aim to assess exposure and prevention practices against COVID-19 among healthcare workers at the Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, a university teaching hospital based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Liquid Biopsy-Based Colorectal Cancer Screening via Surface Markers of Circulating Tumor Cells.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is ranked second for cancer-related deaths worldwide with approximately half of the patients being diagnosed at the late stages. The untimely detection of CRC results in advancement to the metastatic stage and nearly 90% of cancer-related deaths. The early detection of CRC is crucial to decrease its overall incidence and mortality rates.

sp.-A Treasure Trove of Weapons to Combat Methicillin-Resistant Biofilm Associated with Biomedical Devices.

Biofilms formed by methicillin-resistant (MRSA) are among the most frequent causes of biomedical device-related infection, which are difficult to treat and are often persistent and recurrent. Thus, new and effective antibiofilm agents are urgently needed. In this article, we review the most relevant literature of the recent years reporting on promising anti-MRSA biofilm agents derived from the genus bacteria, and discuss the potential contribution of these newly reported antibiofilm compounds to the current strategies in preventing biofilm formation and eradicating pre-existing biofilms of the clinically important pathogen MRSA.

Finding a Balance in the Vaginal Microbiome: How Do We Treat and Prevent the Occurrence of Bacterial Vaginosis?

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) has been reported in one-third of women worldwide at different life stages, due to the complex balance in the ecology of the vaginal microbiota. It is a common cause of abnormal vaginal discharge and is associated with other health issues. Since the first description of anaerobic microbes associated with BV like in the 1950s, researchers have stepped up the game by incorporating advanced molecular tools to monitor and evaluate the extent of dysbiosis within the vaginal microbiome, particularly on how specific microbial population changes compared to a healthy state.

Unveiling the Impact of Antibiotics and Alternative Methods for Animal Husbandry: A Review.

Since the 1950s, antibiotics have been used in the field of animal husbandry for growth promotion, therapy and disease prophylaxis. It is estimated that up to 80% of the antibiotics produced by the pharmaceutical industries are used in food production. Most of the antibiotics are used as feed additives at sub-therapeutic levels to promote growth.

Microsatellite Instability in Colorectal Cancer Liquid Biopsy-Current Updates on Its Potential in Non-Invasive Detection, Prognosis and as a Predictive Marker.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly-diagnosed cancer in the world and ranked second for cancer-related mortality in humans. Microsatellite instability (MSI) is an indicator for Lynch syndrome (LS), an inherited cancer predisposition, and a prognostic marker which predicts the response to immunotherapy. A recent trend in immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment to provide medical alternatives that have not existed before.

Parvimonas micra, Peptostreptococcus stomatis, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Akkermansia muciniphila as a four-bacteria biomarker panel of colorectal cancer.

Dysbiosis of the gut microbiome has been associated with the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC). We profiled the microbiome of gut mucosal tissues from 18 CRC patients and 18 non-CRC controls of the UKM Medical Centre (UKMMC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The results were then validated using a species-specific quantitative PCR in 40 CRC and 20 non-CRC tissues samples from the UMBI-UKMMC Biobank.

Global metabolomics profiling of colorectal cancer in Malaysian patients.

The serum metabolomics approach has been used to identify metabolite biomarkers that can diagnose colorectal cancer (CRC) accurately and specifically. However, the biomarkers identified differ between studies suggesting that more studies need to be performed to understand the influence of genetic and environmental factors. Therefore, this study aimed to identify biomarkers and affected metabolic pathways in Malaysian CRC patients.

Anticancer Drug Discovery from Microbial Sources: The Unique Mangrove Streptomycetes.

Worldwide cancer incidence and mortality have always been a concern to the community. The cancer mortality rate has generally declined over the years; however, there is still an increased mortality rate in poorer countries that receives considerable attention from healthcare professionals. This suggested the importance of the prompt detection, effective treatment, and prevention strategies.