Evaluation of two different vaccine platforms for immunization against melioidosis and glanders.

and the closely related species, , produce similar multifaceted diseases which range from rapidly fatal to protracted and chronic, and are a major cause of mortality in endemic regions. Besides causing natural infections, both microbes are Tier 1 potential biothreat agents. Antibiotic treatment is prolonged with variable results, hence effective vaccines are urgently needed.

Impact of Toll-Like Receptor-Specific Agonists on the Host Immune Response to the Plague rF1V Vaccine.

Relatively recent advances in plague vaccinology have produced the recombinant fusion protein F1-V plague vaccine. This vaccine has been shown to readily protect mice from both bubonic and pneumonic plague. The protection afforded by this vaccine is solely based upon the immune response elicited by the F1 or V epitopes expressed on the F1-V fusion protein.

Current State and Challenges of Natural Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Composites as Feeder in FDM-Based 3D Printing.

As one of the fastest-growing additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, fused deposition modelling (FDM) shows great potential in printing natural fibre-reinforced composites (NFRC). However, several challenges, such as low mechanical properties and difficulty in printing, need to be overcome. Therefore, the effort to improve the NFRC for use in AM has been accelerating in recent years.

Physicochemical properties associated with the presence of Burkholderia pseudomallei in small ruminant farm water supplies in Peninsular Malaysia.

Burkholderia pseudomallei causes melioidosis, a life-threatening infection in both humans and animals. Water is an important reservoir of the bacteria and may serve as a source of environmental contamination leading to infection. B.

Physicochemical Properties Influencing Presence of Burkholderia pseudomallei in Soil from Small Ruminant Farms in Peninsular Malaysia.

Soil is considered to be a major reservoir of Burkholderia pseudomallei in the environment. This paper investigates soil physicochemical properties that may influence presence of B. pseudomallei in soil samples from small ruminant farms in Peninsular Malaysia.

Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Inoculation to Enhance Vegetative Growth, Nitrogen Fixation and Nitrogen Remobilisation of Maize under Greenhouse Conditions.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) may provide a biological alternative to fix atmospheric N2 and delay N remobilisation in maize plant to increase crop yield, based on an understanding that plant-N remobilisation is directly correlated to its plant senescence. Thus, four PGPR strains were selected from a series of bacterial strains isolated from maize roots at two locations in Malaysia. The PGPR strains were screened in vitro for their biochemical plant growth-promoting (PGP) abilities and plant growth promotion assays.

Case-control investigation on the risk factors of melioidosis in small ruminant farms in Peninsular Malaysia.

Aims: Epidemiology of melioidosis is poorly understood because its occurrence is influenced by complex interaction of environmental, climatic, physicochemical and host factors. We investigated the potential risk factors for the exposure to Burkholderia pseudomallei in small ruminants' farms in Peninsular Malaysia.

Methods And Results: Melioidosis-positive (n = 33) and negative (n = 27) farms were selected and visited for interviews and environmental samples collection.

Development and validation of a high-performance liquid chromatography method with post-column derivatization for the detection of aflatoxins in cereals and grains.

A novel, reliable and rapid high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with post-column derivatization was developed and validated. The HPLC method was used for the simultaneous determination of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), B2 (AFB2), G1 (AFG1) and G2 (AFG2) in various cereals and grains. Samples were extracted with 80:20 (v/v) methanol:water and purified using C18 (40-63 μm) solid-phase extraction cartridges.

Aflatoxin B1 in betel nuts (Areca catechu L.) imported to Pakistan from different regions of South Asia.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) levels were evaluated in betel nuts (Areca catechu L.) being imported to Pakistan during 2010-2011. In total, 278 betel nut samples (India = 21, Indonesia = 51, Sri-Lanka = 34 and Thailand = 172) were received from the Department of Customs and were analysed by thin layer chromatography (TLC).

Aflatoxins contamination and prevention in red chillies (Capsicum annuum L.) in Pakistan.

During 2006-2011, 331 red chilli samples (226 whole, 69 powdered and 36 crushed) were collected from all over Pakistan for the estimation of total aflatoxins (AFs = AFB1 + AFB2 + AFG1 + AFG2) contamination by thin layer chromatography (TLC). Mean AFs levels in whole, powdered and crushed chillies were 11.7, 27.

Biomolecular characterization of diazotrophs isolated from the tropical soil in Malaysia.

This study was conducted to evaluate selected biomolecular characteristics of rice root-associated diazotrophs isolated from the Tanjong Karang rice irrigation project area of Malaysia. Soil and rice plant samples were collected from seven soil series belonging to order Inceptisol (USDA soil taxonomy). A total of 38 diazotrophs were isolated using a nitrogen-free medium.

Cation dependence, pH tolerance, and dosage requirement of a bioflocculant produced by Bacillus spp. UPMB13: flocculation performance optimization through kaolin assays.

A bioflocculant-producing bacterial strain with highly mucoid and ropy colony morphological characteristics identified as Bacillus spp. UPMB13 was found to be a potential bioflocculant-producing bacterium. The effect of cation dependency, pH tolerance and dosage requirement on flocculating ability of the strain was determined by flocculation assay with kaolin as the suspended particle.

Inoculation of Bacillus sphaericus UPMB-10 to young oil palm and measurement of its uptake of fixed nitrogen using the ¹⁵N isotope dilution technique.

There are increasing applications of diazotrophic rhizobacteria in the sustainable agriculture system. A field experiment on young immature oil palm was conducted to quantify the uptake of N derived from N₂ fixation by the diazotroph Bacillus sphaericus strain UPMB-10, using the ¹⁵N isotope dilution method. Eight months after ¹⁵N application, young immature oil palms that received 67% of standard N fertilizer application together with B.

Use of intestinal Pseudomonas aeruginosa in fish to detect the environmental pollutant benzo[a]pyrene.

This study examined the potential of Pseudomonas aeruginosa abundance in the intestines of fish as an indicator of exposure to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP). P. aeruginosa populations were enumerated in juvenile African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) injected intramuscularly three days previous with 0, 10, 30, 40, 50 or 70mg/kg of BaP.

Gene expression profiling and cancer-related pathways in type I endometrial carcinoma.

Introduction: Malignant transformation of type I endometrium involves alteration in gene expression with subsequent uncontrolled proliferation of altered cells.

Objective: The main objective of the present study was to identify the cancer-related genes and gene pathways in the endometrium of healthy and cancer patients.

Materials And Methods: Thirty endometrial tissues from healthy and type I EC patients were subjected to total RNA isolation.

Contamination of red chilli with aflatoxin b1 in pakistan.

A survey of red chilli (Capsicum indicum) for contamination with aflatoxins was performed on different samples comprising whole, crushed and powdered red chilli collected from various stores located in the city of Karachi, Pakistan. Red chilli required rather rigorous clean-up procedure for removal of adulterants and interference resulting from various types of compounds. A modified Romer method followed by bi-directional thin layer chromatography (TLC) was used for the detection of aflatoxins and confirmatory tests were performed by spraying the TLC plates with 50% sulphuric acid and making the derivative with trifluoroacetic acid.

UNESCO Regional Network for Microbiology and Allied Activities in Southeast Asia: A model training and research network in microbiology for development.

The Regional Network for Microbiology in Southeast Asia is one of the programmes for regional cooperation in the basis sciences established by UNESCO in collaboration with the government of Japan through a funds-in-trust agreement, in 1974. Up to 1991, the network has organized 50 scientific activities and 945 young microbiologists have received training in microbiology. The nature of the programme's activities has become more specific recently and concerns microbial resources and use of biotechnology to conserve the environment.

Socioeconomic, social behaviour and dietary patterns among Malaysian aborigines and rural native Malays.

The socioeconomic, social behaviour and dietary pattern of 100 Aborigines and Malays, aged 7 years and above from Kuala Pangsoon, Selangor Malaysia were studied by using pretested questionnaires. The individual's dietary intake was estimated using 24 hour recall for 3 days within one week which was chosen at random. The household's food consumption pattern was evaluated using food frequency questionnaires.

Metabolism of 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene by rat liver microsomes and effect of its administration on glutathione depletion in vivo.

Metabolism of the environmental contaminant 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene (2,6-DMN) by rat liver microsomes and an NADPH-regenerating system led to the formation of three ring oxidation metabolites--2,6-dimethyl-3-naphthol, 2,6-dimethyl-3,4-naphthoquinone, and 3,4-dihydro-3,4-dihydroxy-2,6-dimethylnaphthalene--and one side chain oxidation metabolite--2-hydroxymethyl-6-methylnaphthalene. In addition, one metabolite remained unidentified. Pretreatment of rats with phenobarbital, 3-methylcholanthrene, Prudhoe Bay crude oil, or 2,6-DMN enhanced the rate of microsomal metabolism of 2,6-DMN 2-6-fold and significantly altered the metabolite profile.