Factors associated with tuberculosis treatment success among tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus co-infected patients in Kelantan.

INTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infection is a global public health issue among people living with HIV. The objective was to assess the prevalence of TB treatment outcomes (successful and unsuccessful) and associated factors with TB treatment success among TB and HIV co-infected patients in Kelantan for 5 years (2014-2018). The successful TB treatment was defined as the sum of cured patients and those who completed the treatment. The unsuccessful treatment was defined as the sum of treatment failed, died, and default. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the TB/Leprosy Unit of the State Health Department of Kelantan (JKNK) using secondary data from January 2014 to December 2018 assessed in the MyTB online system. The data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and STATA 14. Ethics approvals were obtained from Medical Research Ethics Committee (MREC) and UniSZA Human Research Ethics Committee (UHREC). RESULTS: Kelantan had 6,313 TB cases from January 2014 to December 2018. There were 703 (11.1%) cases of TB and HIV co-infection. The prevalence of successful treatment among TB and HIV co-infected patients was 57.1%. The duration of treatment and anatomy of TB location was significantly associated with TB treatment success. CONCLUSION: This study's findings showed that the prevalence of TB treatment success rate was 57.1%, and the unsuccessful rate was 42.9%. The treatment duration and the TB location's anatomy were significantly associated with the treatment success rate. Improving TB treatment outcomes should be started with anti-TB treatment immediately after TB diagnosis. Therefore, the government should strengthen the TB/HIV collaborative efforts to achieve good treatment outcomes among these vulnerable patients.

Species identification of Malayan Gaur, Kedah-Kelantan and Bali cattle using polymerase chain reaction-restricted fragment length polymorphism.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a useful genetic marker that can be used for species identification. The cytochrome b (Cyt b) gene is a suitable mtDNA candidate gene for use in phylogenetic analyses due to its sequence variability, which makes it appropriate for comparisons at the subspecies, species, and genus levels. This study was conducted to develop a rapid molecular method for species identification of Malayan gaur (Bos gaurus hubbacki), Kedah-Kelantan (KK) (Bos indicus), and Bali (Bos javanicus) cattle in Malaysia. DNA was extracted from blood samples of 8 Malayan gaurs, 30 KK, and 28 Bali cattle. A set of both specific and universal primers for the Cyt b gene were used in PCR amplification. DNA sequences obtained were then analyzed using BioEdit and Restriction Mapper softwares. The PCR products obtained from Cyt b gene amplification were then subjected to restriction enzyme digestion. The amplification, using both specific and universal primers, produced a 154- and a 603-bp fragment, respectively, in all three species. Two restriction enzymes, NlaIV and SspI, were used to obtain specific restriction profiles that allowed direct identification of Malayan gaur, KK, and Bali cattle. Our findings indicate that all three species can be identified separately using a combination of universal primers and the restriction enzyme SspI.

The molecular phylogenetic signature of Bali cattle revealed by maternal and paternal markers.

Bali cattle is a domestic cattle breed that can be found in Malaysia. It is a domestic cattle that was purely derived from a domestication event in Banteng (Bos javanicus) around 3,500 BC in Indonesia. This research was conducted to portray the phylogenetic relationships of the Bali cattle with other cattle species in Malaysia based on maternal and paternal lineage. We analyzed the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) mitochondrial gene and SRY of Y chromosome obtained from five species of the Bos genus (B. javanicus, Bos gaurus, Bos indicus, Bos taurus, and Bos grunniens). The water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) was used as an outgroup. The phylogenetic relationships were observed by employing several algorithms: Neighbor-Joining (PAUP version 4.0), Maximum parsimony (PAUP version 4.0) and Bayesian inference (MrBayes 3.1). Results from the maternal data showed that the Bali cattle formed a monophyletic clade, and together with the B. gaurus clade formed a wild cattle clade. Results were supported by high bootstrap and posterior probability values together with genetic distance data. For the paternal lineage, the sequence variation is low (with parsimony informative characters: 2/660) resulting an unresolved Neighbor-Joining tree. However, Bali cattle and other domestic cattle appear in two monophyletic clades distinct from yak, gaur and selembu. This study expresses the potential of the COI gene in portraying the phylogenetic relationships between several Bos species which is important for conservation efforts especially in decision making since cattle is highly bred and hybrid breeds are often formed. Genetic conservation for this high quality beef cattle breed is important by maintaining its genetic characters to prevent extinction or even decreased the genetic quality.

A simple and rapid genotyping method for beta-2 receptor (beta2 AR) gene using allele specific multiplex PCR.

BACKGROUND: Polymorphism of the beta2-adrenergic receptor (beta2 AR) gene is an important determinant of the function of this receptor. It affects receptor down-regulation and beta2-agonist responses. It has also been a focus of interest in attempts to elucidate the genetic basis of asthma, hypertension, obesity and cystic fibrosis. Several different techniques have been established to determine beta2 AR genotypes but none of these methods are simple enough to detect simultaneously all the five alleles of our research interest (Arg16/Gly16, -20T/C, Gln27/Glu27, -47T/C and Thr164/Ile164). OBJECTIVES: To develop a simple and rapid PCR based method for the simultaneous detection of five beta2 AR alleles. METHOD: DNA was extracted from whole blood using standard alkali lysis method. Primers specific at the 3' end for the polymorphic sites were designed. The nested allele specific PCR was optimized for reproducibility and specificity. Parameters investigated included concentrations of MgCl2, Taq polymerase, primers and annealing temperature, to produce specific bands of interest. DNA samples were selected at random and submitted for direct PCR sequencing. RESULT: The first PCR produced a fragment of size 710 bp, which was used as template for the subsequent duplex and triplex PCR to detect the mutation sites of the five alleles. The method was found reproducible and specific when used to genotype patients with bronchial asthma. The sequencing results confirmed the specificity of the PCR method. CONCLUSION: The simple and rapid method for the simultaneous detection of the five beta2 AR alleles is suitable for the study of beta2 polymorphism and its clinical consequences.