Gastrointestinal Parasites in Asian and African Elephants: A Systematic Review

@#Gastrointestinal parasites (GIPs) in elephants have been reported in several studies over the last decades. Nonetheless, comprehensive data on clinicopathology of elephant GIPs, parasite burden threshold value, and the effectiveness of conventional anthelmintic drugs are still lacking. Herein, we have systematically reviewed the available knowledge on elephant GIPs identified among different parts of the world based on their prevalence, epidemiology, pathology, diagnosis, treatment, and control. Two electronic databases were searched for publications that met the inclusion criteria. About19 English journal articles published between year of 2011- 2021 were included. The main GIPs reported in elephants were Cyathostomidae (at least 14 species), Ancylostomidae, Haemonchus contortus, Trichostrongylus colubriformis, Oesophagostomum columbianum, Oesophagostomum aceleatum, Ascarids, Trichurids, Strongyloides, Anophlocephalidae, flukes, and Coccidia across different parts of the world, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, India, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Most elephants show no clinical signs until the equilibrium between parasite and host is disturbed. The common diagnostic methods for GIPs are traditional direct smear, faecal floatation, sedimentation, and McMaster egg counting technique, all involving morphological identification. However, some articles described the use of molecular detection to characterise common GIPs of elephants. Although benzimidazoles and macrocyclic lactones group of anthelmintic are the most conventional GIPs treatment and control for captive and semi-captive elephants, there is limited data on the threshold value of faecal egg count as the baseline for treatment decision. Over the last decades, various studies regarding elephant GIPs have been conducted. However, more focused and systematic studies are required to enhance our knowledge in multiple aspects of elephant parasitology to find effective solutions and improve elephant health.

Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus Individuals Carry Different Periodontal Bacteria

ABSTRACT Objective: To identify etiologic microbiota associated periodontal diseases among diabetes patients and the factors related to the most commonly identified bacteria species. Material and Methods: Periodontal plaque samples from 11 diabetic participants and 13 non-diabetic controls were collected to assess their aerobic and anaerobic bacterial growth. Different distinct colonies were identified by microscopic and 16srDNA sequencing. Pearson's chi-square tests were conducted to examine any association between categorical variables. Results: The diabetic subjects revealed a more intense plaque formation with a mean plaque index of 2.4 compared to 1.8 in non-diabetics. A total of 86 bacteria were isolated from 24 plaque samples, 44 were aerobic, and 42 were anaerobic. Only aerobic isolates, 22 from diabetic patients and 22 from non-diabetic patients, were evaluated in these analyses. Bacillus spp. (B. cereus mainly) and Klebsiella spp. (K. pneumoniae, K. aerogenes, K. oxytoca) were detected markedly higher in non-diabetic individuals than in diabetic subjects (p=0.026 and p=0.021, respectively). Some bacteria were only identified in the dental plaque of diabetic individuals, namely, Bacillus mojavensis, Enterobacter cloacae, Proteus mirabilis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus hominis, Staphylococcus pasteuri, Streptococcus mutans, and Streptococcus pasteurianus. The presence of acid reflux and jaundice were significantly associated with the most common bacterial isolate, namely Bacillus spp., with the p-values of 0.007 and 0.001, respectively. Conclusion: Type-2 diabetes mellitus is associated with a higher amount of dental plaques. Periodontal plaque samples from diabetic and non-diabetic subjects possess differential microbial communities. Diabetic plaques contain more versatile microbes predominated by gram-positive streptococci and staphylococci.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Pertussis among a Public University Students in Malaysia

Abstract Objective: To study the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding pertussis among students in a public university in Malaysia. Material and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study using convenience sampling to recruit 171 respondents. The data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire comprised of four different parts: the socio-demographic data, the knowledge, the attitude and the practice towards the prevention of pertussis. The data were analyzed using correlation, independent t-test, and ANOVA according to the different study objectives and types of data. Results: More than half of the respondents (67.8%) indicated that they had heard about pertussis. The school or university (59.6%) was the most common source of information, followed by Internet (46.2%). The most of the respondents (43.9%) possessed moderate knowledge regarding pertussis and knew that Bordetella pertussis is the causative agent of pertussis (76.0%). A significant positive correlation between knowledge regarding pertussis with age (p=0.023) was observed, however, there was no association between age with attitude and practice (p=0.272 and 0.131, respectively). Gender and marital status did not influence the KAP regarding pertussis; nevertheless, significantly different between different faculties. Conclusion: Students from the Faculty of Medicine had the highest knowledge scores, while the students from the Faculty of Nursing had the most top attitude and practice scores compared to students from another faculty. The students from the public university generally had a good level of KAP regarding pertussis.

The Antibacterial Properties of Euphorbia Tirucalli Stem Extracts against Dental Caries-Related

Euphorbia tirucalli are reported to possess antibacterial activity against various microorganisms. This in vitro study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial properties of Euphorbia tirucalli stems extracts (methanol, ethanol and aqueous extracts) against dental caries-related bacteria, i.e. Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and Streptococcus sobrinus (S. sobrinus). The antibacterial properties were determined using agar-well diffusion method at different extract concentrations (10, 20 and 30 mg/ml). Commercially available amoxicillin (10 µg) was used as positive control while the appropriate solvent served as negative control. The methanolic and ethanolic extracts of Euphorbia tirucalli stem were found to be effective against S. mutans and S. sobrinus. However, the aqueous extract of Euphorbia tirucalli stem showed no activity against both bacterial strains. The differences in the antibacterial properties in different extracts of Euphorbia tirucalli may be due to the differences in phytochemical constituents.

Knowledge, attitude and practice regarding exercise among people exercising in gymnasium and recreational parks around Kuantan, Malaysia.

Physical inactivity is becoming a global epidemic and lead to many diseases. This cross-sectional study tried to investigate knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) regarding exercise among married and single person attending gymnasium and recreational parks. Furthermore, this study tried to look for factors associated with regularity of exercise and to find association between knowledge and attitude on practice of exercise. A total of 103 participants aged above 18 years old were purposely selected to answer an interview-guided questionnaire. Likert scale was used for participants to answer the questionnaire on KAP and the total score for each knowledge, attitude and practice was computed to find the associations using SPSS. The mean age of the respondent was 25.34 years (SD=5.699). Knowledge was not significantly associated with practice (r=0.071, p=0.475). There was also no significant correlation between practice and attitude score (r=0.006, p=0.510). Therefore, there is no association between knowledge and attitude on practice of exercise. Besides that, endurance exercise like jogging, cycling and walking was a respondent’s choice as their exercise routine. Other than that, there are significant associations between factors of gender (p=0.014), marital status (p<0.001) and age (p=0.005) with regularity of exercise. This study found that single person is more regularly doing exercise than married people. Regularity of exercise could be influenced by motivation. Therefore, relevant policies and campaigns might be able to change and boost people towards practicing exercise regularly in Malaysia.

The Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors among Students of International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan Campus.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has become the leading cause of death among the non-communicable diseases worldwide. There are many contributing risk factors for the emergence of CVD. A cross-sectional study was conducted to observe the prevalence of CVD risk factors among International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Kuantan Campus (KC) students. 156 participants from different faculties and years of study participated; among them 56 participants were able to complete the whole procedures. A set of questionnaires were distributed to participants. Anthropometric measurements, weight, height, waist circumference, random blood glucose (RBG) and blood pressure were measured. Prevalence of hypertension was 4%. The mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was 114.268 ± 12.034 and 74.964 ± 8.636 of mmHg respectively. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was 34%, with women having a higher percentage (21%) than men (12%). The mean Body-Mass Index (BMI) was 22.184 ± 4.435 kg/m2. The waist circumference has an average of 71.661 ± 9.215 cm. Prevalence of high blood glucose was absent, and the mean blood glucose level was 6.007 ± 1.018 mmol/L. Dietary fibre-rich foods; vegetables were eaten 6-7 times per week, granola bars and fruits were eaten 1-2 times per week. Home cooked foods were taken 1-2 times per week. Fast foods were taken frequently around 3-5 times per week. The study community was engaged in physical activities such as brisk-walk, skipping and sports. Smoking prevalence was 4% only among the male population. The stress level was moderate. The students of IIUM KC practiced healthy diet and were physically active. The CVD-related risks do not prevail among the IIUM KC population.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Malaysian Public University Students on Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) account for 30% of all deaths in Malaysia. Major risk factors for CVD include age, gender, heredity, hypertension, cigarette smoking, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, obesity and physical inactivity. The current study was conducted to understand the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of University students regarding cardiovascular diseases. This is a cross-sectional study using a stratified random sampling method. Students of all faculties of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) in Kuantan Campus were included. The respondents were randomly selected from each faculty. The sample size was 163. KAP questionnaire was developed and distributed to the respondents involved. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 17.0. The mean and standard deviation of the knowledge, attitude and practice scores were 42.98±2.46, 57.12±5.73 and 26.7±3.507, respectively. Significant difference on knowledge scores were found between different faculties (p<0.001), also on attitude and practice scores in comparison between different genders (p = 0.005 and 0.017, respectively). This study also shows a significant positive correlation between attitude and practice scores (r=+0.354, p<0.001). IIUM students should engage in exercise more and develop a healthier lifestyle.

Entomological study of chikungunya infections in the State of Kelantan, Malaysia.

Background & objectives: Chikungunya infection has become a public health threat in Malaysia since the 2008 nationwide outbreaks. Aedes albopictus Skuse has been identified as the chikungunya vector in Johor State during the outbreaks. In 2009, several outbreaks had been reported in the State of Kelantan. Entomological studies were conducted in Kelantan in four districts, namely Jeli, Tumpat, Pasir Mas and Tanah Merah to identify the vector responsible for the virus transmission. Methods: CHIKV cases records were obtained from State Health Department, Kelantan and localities involved were identified. Larva survey was conducted to collect the immature mosquito stages. Modified aspirators were used to collect the adult mosquitoes. All samples on dry ice were transferred to laboratory and the presence of the virus was detected using reverse transcriptase PCR. Results: A total of 1,245 mosquito larvae were collected during larval survey and 2,019 adult mosquitoes were collected using aspirator. From these collections, 640 mosquito pools were tested for the presence of CHIKV by RT-PCR but none found positive. Ae. albopictus was the most abundant mosquito collected, followed by Culex sp., Armigeres sp. and Anopheles sp. A total of 2, 814 artificial containers were inspected during the study. Interpretation & conclusions: Since none of the mosquito samples was found to be positive for chikungunya virus, the vector(s) of chikungunya virus in these localities could not be identified.

Extraction of mitochondrial DNA from tooth dentin: application of two techniques

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a hereditary material located in mitochondria and is normally maternally inherited. Mutational analysis performed on mtDNA proved that the mutations are closely related with a number of genetic illnesses, besides being exploitable for forensic identification. Those findings imply the importance of mtDNA in the scientific field. MtDNA can be found in abundance in tooth dentin where it is kept protected by the enamel, the hardest outer part of the tooth. In this study, two techniques of mtDNA extraction were compared to determine the efficacy between the two techniques. Teeth used for the study was collected from Dental Clinic, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia. After the removal of tooth from the tooth socket of the patient, the tooth was kept at -20C until use. Later, pulp tissue and enamel was excised using dental bur and only the root dentin was utilized for the isolation of mtDNA by crushing it mechanically into powdered form. MtDNA was extracted using the two published methods, Pfeifer and Budowle and then subjected to spectrophotometry DNA quantification and purity, Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of hypervariable-two region of mtDNA, followed by DNA sequencing to analyze the reliability of the extraction techniques. In conclusion, both techniques proved to be efficient and capable for the extraction of mtDNA from tooth dentin.

Immunohistochemical and molecular genetic analysis of p 53 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (scc) in Hospital University Science Malaysia: a preliminary study

The role of p53 mutation in oral cancer cases has not been studied in Malaysia. This study was designed to focus on over expression of p53 nuclear protein and gene mutation in oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cases in Hospital University Science Malaysia (HUSM). Twenty randomly selected cases previously diagnosed as oral SCC lesions in HUSM since 2002 were included in this study. Patient’s folders were reviewed to study clinical history and tumor staging. Extracted DNA amplified using PCR. Gene sequencing had done to detect genetic mutation. Protein overexpression detected using the Streptavidin-biotin Peroxidase technique. P53 gene mutations, analyzed within exons 5- 8, were observed in 10 out of 20 cases (50%) of oral SCC. The positive nuclear staining by immunohistochemical was observed in 18 cases (18/20, 90%). These data indicate the highly incidence of p53 protein overexpression as well as specific mutations in oral SCC patients in Malaysia. However this preliminary study had been based on analysis of relatively few cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma, so further study require to including large number of cases from different states in Malaysia.

P53 gene mutation and protein expression in ameloblastomas

P53 gene is commonly found to be mutated in human cancer. Currently, limited data exist on the occurrence of p53 gene mutation in ameloblastomas. This study designed to evaluate the expression of p53 proteins and their gene mutations in human ameloblastomas. Four cases of epithelial odontogenic tumors were used. Normal cells of a 7 months aborted fetus’s mandible were used as negative control. P53 Protein expression was detected immunohistochemically. DNA was extracted and amplified using PCR. Gene sequences analyzed to determine p53 mutation. p53 was overexpressed in one case of unicystic ameloblastoma and 2 cases of variant types of ameloblastoma. The Coding sequencing analyses demonstrated p53 gene alteration in cases of ameloblastoms in Exon 7 while, fetus epithelial mucosal cells showed the wild type DNA sequence in Exon 4. In conclusion p53 protein overexpression was detected by immunohistochemical staining as well as by DNA sequence analysis in cases of ameloblastomas.

Chromosome aberration test for hydroxyapatite in sheep

The present study is aimed at finding the mutagenicity and cytotoxicity of dense form of synthetic hydroxyapatite (Source: School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia) in the blood of sheep. The biomaterial was implanted in the tibia of Malin, an indigenous sheep breed of Malaysia. Blood was collected from the sheep before implantation of the biomaterial, cultured and a karyological study was made. Six weeks after implantation, blood was collected from the same animal, cultured and screened for chromosome aberrations. The mitotic indices and karyological analysis indicated that the implantation of synthetic hydroxyapatite (dense form) did not produce any cytotoxicity or chromosome aberrations in the blood of sheep.

In vivo chromosome aberration test for hydroxyapetite in mice

This study evaluates the cytotoxic and mutagenic effect of synthetic hydroxyapatite granules (source: School of Material and Mineral Resources Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia) in the bone marrow cells of mice. Mice are exposed to synthetic hydroxyapatite granules, the bone marrow cells are collected and observed for chromosome aberrations. No chromosome aberrations were noticed in the animals exposed to distilled water (negative control) and to the test substance, synthetic hydroxyapatite granules (treatment) groups. Chromosome aberrations were observed in the animals exposed to Mitomycin C (positive control group). There was no indication of cytotoxicity due to synthetic hydroxyapatite granules in the animals as revealed by the mitotic index. Hence, synthetic hydroxyapatite granules are considered non-mutagenic under the prevailing test conditions.

Mutagenicity of CORAGRAF and REKAGRAF in the Ames test

Mutagenicity of CORAGRAF (natural coral) and REKAGRAF (hydroxyapatite) was tested in Ames test with and without an external metabolic activation system (S9). The test revealed no mutagenic activity of both locally produced osseous substitutes.