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Background: Systematic collection of scientific evidence on the applicability an usability of model and its components is an important aspect of design and development research. Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine external validity of the organic reaction teaching model in terms of its practicability and potentiality in enhancing students' performance scores. Method: A field testing method was conducted across five matriculation colleges in Malaysia by five (5) experts' chemistry lectures who implemented a lesson plan developed based on the model's constructs and then responded to an open ended questionnaire to express their views on the practicability of the model. 40 matriculation Students that participated in the field testing were also evaluated to determine the potentiality of the model on their performance in organic reactions. Four main themes having of many codes and quotations were identified. Results: The analysis of the results indicates that the model is compatible, clear and flexible for teaching organic reactions. Moreover, the model components have the potential of maximizing students' academic performance in organic reaction with an overall score of 84.4% in the organic chemistry tests. Thus, the model was found practicable for teaching and have the potential to minimized students' common errors in organic reaction mechanisms. Conclusions: The findings of this study may similarly work as a reference model in developing modules and measuring instruments to reduce errors in other procedural concepts in chemistry and other science-related subjects.

The study has aimed to investigate the factors affecting university students' attitude toward intention to use social media for learning. This study embraced a cross-sectional approach and gathered quantitative data via a Google form survey, which was collected by using social media platforms, from a total of 720 respondents. The hypotheses were tested using the partial least squares (PLS) method. The study found that social media literacy, perceived ease of use, perceived behavioral control, and perceived risk has significant positive influence on users' attitude to use social media, while ICT facility and perceived usefulness has no significant impact on attitude. Users' attitude has a significant relationship with their intention to use social media for learning. The users' attitude was also found to successfully mediate the relationship of social media literacy, perceived ease of use, perceived behavioral control, and perceived risk with intention to use social media. Social media literacy and perceived risk have been measured as an influential construct since it is unreasonable to anticipate the correlation between social media literacy and perceived risk dimensions in social media.

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background & Objective: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to be prevalent among patients with type 2 DM, particularly in those with DPN. This study aimed to look at the association of serum vitamin D level with peripheral neuropathy in patients with type 2 DM. Methods: This was a comparative crosssectional study conducted in a tertiary hospital in Malaysia. Fifty diabetic patients with DPN and fifty diabetic patients without DPN were recruited. Serum vitamin D level was determined by measuring 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level. The patients were clinically assessed and screened with Diabetic Neuropathy Symptoms score. Nerve conduction study was performed for patients with DPN. Results: The serum 25(OH)D level was significantly lower in patients with DPN (11.81 [9.09-18.06] vs 18.63 [11.25-22.63] ng/ml; p=0.006). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that DPN was significantly associated with higher BMI, longer duration of DM, insulin usage and serum 25(OH)D level. The usage of fibrates had negative association with DPN. Subgroup analysis of the DPN group showed that patients with painful DPN had significant lower serum 25(OH)D level (p<0.001) and the clinical severity of DPN negatively correlated with serum 25(OH)D level (p=0.015). Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is associated with DPN in patients with type 2 DM. In addition, patients with painful DPN tend to have significantly lower serum 25(OH)D level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mosquitoes are extremely important vectors that transmit zoonotic West Nile virus (WNV) globally, resulting in significant outbreaks in birds, humans, and mammals. The abundance of mosquito vectors combined with the migratory flying behaviour of wild birds across the globe has exacerbated the dynamics of WNV infection. Depth understanding of the WNV infection requires a comprehensive understanding of the character of the vector in terms of their taxonomy, morphology, biology, behaviours, preferences, and factors that promote their breeding. Most susceptible animals and humans may experience serious neurological illnesses such as encephalitis. Little is known about the susceptibility of mosquitoes to WNV infection. This review provides insightful knowledge about the characteristics of mosquitoes that carry WNV and their susceptibility to WNV infection. The context of mosquito’s involvement in WNV transmission is demonstrated through space and time from the 1950’s until to date. The historical timeline of WNV transmission strength was significantly intensified via the complex interactions between vector, virus, and environment. Such knowledge will provide valuable insights into vector control intervention mitigation strategies, especially in tropical climate countries like Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lymnaeid snails play a crucial role in the transmission of trematode cercariae as an intermediate host that can infect humans, ruminants like buffalo, and other animals, resulting in serious economic losses. The purpose of the study was to identify the morphological and molecular characteristics of snails and cercariae collected from water bodies near buffalo farms that were integrated with palm oil in Perak, Malaysia. The presence or absence of snails in 35 water bodies was examined via cross-sectional study. From three marsh wetlands, 836 lymnaeid snails were gathered in total. Each snail's shell was morphologically identified to determine its family and species. The cercarial stage inside each snail's body was observed using the crushing method and trematode cercariae types were determined. In addition, the target gene Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (Cox1) and the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region were used to identify the snail species and cercarial types according to the species level. The findings indicated that the collected snails belong to the family lymnaeidae and Radix rubiginosa species. In snails, the cercarial emergence infection rate was 8.7%. Echinostome, xiphidiocercariae, gymnocephalous, brevifurcate-apharyngeate distome cercariae (BADC), and longifurcate-pharyngeal monostome cercariae (LPMC) are the five morphological cercarial types that were observed. The cercariae were identified using morphological and molecular techniques, and they are members of the four families which are Echinostomatidae, Plagiorchiidae, Fasciolidae, and Schistosomatidae. Interestingly, this is the first study on R. rubiginosa and several trematode cercariae in Perak water bodies near buffalo farms that are integrated with palm oil. In conclusion, our research shown that a variety of parasitic trematodes in Perak use R. rubiginosa as an intermediate host. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being a tropical country with a conducive environment for mosquitoes, mosquito-borne illnesses such as dengue, chikungunya, lymphatic filariasis, malaria, and Japanese encephalitis are prevalent in Malaysia. Recent studies reported asymptomatic infection of West Nile virus (WNV) in animals and humans, but none of the studies included mosquitoes, except for one report made half a century ago. Considering the scarcity of information, our study sampled mosquitoes near migratory bird stopover wetland areas of West Coast Malaysia located in the Kuala Gula Bird Sanctuary and Kapar Energy Venture, during the southward migration period in October 2017 and September 2018. Our previous publication reported that migratory birds were positive for WNV antibody and RNA. Using a nested RT-PCR analysis, WNV RNA was detected in 35 (12.8%) out of 285 mosquito pools consisting of 2,635 mosquitoes, most of which were Culex spp. (species). Sanger sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the sequences grouped within lineage 2 and shared 90.12%–97.01% similarity with sequences found locally as well as those from Africa, Germany, Romania, Italy, and Israel. Evidence of WNV in the mosquitoes substantiates the need for continued surveillance of WNV in Malaysia. Author summary: West Nile virus (WNV) is considered to be one of the neglected diseases in Malaysia as most vector-borne febrile illnesses in humans are predominantly diagnosed as dengue-like illnesses. Nevertheless, WNV might be an additional virus causing the mosquito-borne disease in Malaysia based on data from previous studies. Our group previously identified the presence of WNV RNA and antibodies in the migratory and resident birds, macaques, bats and swine. However, there is no current data that could confirm the presence of WNV in the vector responsible for transmission of WNV to a wide range of hosts. Using molecular analysis, WNV RNA was detected from Culex (Cx.) tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. vishnui, Cx. pseudovishnui, Cx. gelidus, Armigeres subalbatus, and Coquillettidia spp. The sequence of WNV RNA detected in mosquitoes was similar to the WNV lineage recovered from wild birds at the same location. These findings confirm the presence of an enzootic cycle of WNV in Malaysia and the risk for spill-over to humans and other vertebrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free-roaming and scavenging lifestyles of Rattus spp. in densely populated urban areas expose them to multiple pathogens that facilitate the transmission of infection to the human population more rapidly, raising public health concerns. There is limited information on the status of rat susceptibility to virus infection, particularly West Nile virus (WNV), herpesvirus, and parvovirus, to prepare for emerging zoonosis. A total of 23 (n = 23) blood samples collected from Rattus spp. in the wet market areas of Klang Valley, Malaysia, were subjected to molecular assay using a one-step reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) to detect the highly conserved region of the WNV capsid and pre-membrane protein via nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay targeting highly conserved amino acid motifs within the herpesviral DNAdirected DNA polymerase gene (DPOL) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay targeting the parvovirus non-structural (NS) protein. As a result, 4 out of 23 (17.39%) rats were positive for herpesvirus DNA, but none were positive for WNV RNA and parvovirus DNA. The positive PCR amplicons of herpesvirus DNA were subjected to partial DNA sequencing analysis, 100% identical to Acomys herpesvirus SVMS 226,222 from Betaherpesvirinae, which is highly suggestive of rat cytomegalovirus (RCMV). This study has successfully demonstrated the presence of RCMV from Rattus spp. in the Klang Valley. The RCMV potentially crosses species barriers and establishes infection, raising public health concerns. The non-viraemic state of WNV or parvovirus infection, low sample size, and limited niche distribution emphasise the need for the expansion of this study in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between work-life-family (WLF) demands and job satisfaction in family businesses. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 220, who involve in the family business sector in Malaysia. In this study, the major demands in individuals are classified into three categories of WLF. The work component was measured in terms of standard working hours, work pressure and conditions, co-worker relationships and promotional opportunities. The life component was represented by living standards, level of self-motivation fulfillment, achievement of individual targets, self-compassion, self-care and health and community development. The family component represented another segmentation of responsibility and demands for specific role, which relates to family tasks, collective/familiness targets, family involvement and mutual understanding. Findings: The empirical results indicated that work-related demands determine entrepreneurs' job satisfaction, then followed by family-related and life-related (personal) demands. As this study was confined to the micro businesses under the family business sector, this provides valuable findings by uncovering the differences among the antecedents because of the reasoning of work culture and business management practices. It is argued that the role conflicts are related to job satisfaction, individual happiness and family contentment. Originality/value: It expands the typology and fostering sustainable entrepreneurial development. Insights gained could facilitate business strategies and effective human resource policies particularly among the family businesses in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine the healthcare service environment, patients' experience, and responses toward healthcare services in private general practice (GP) clinics. Self-administered questionnaires were used for collecting data from 367 respondents with prior experience in visiting the general practice clinics in Malaysia. SmartPLS statistical tool was used to test the underlying hypotheses. The results revealed that ambiance, service delivery, interior decor, and cleanliness had a significant influence on patients' trust and satisfaction while the exterior design is neither associated with satisfaction nor trust. Patients' satisfaction and trust had a higher significant effect on their repatronage intention, willingness to pay for a premium healthcare service, and engagement in word-of-mouth for healthcare services. In practice, both the service delivery and ambiance features of the healthcare services environmentmight be optimized by GP clinics. This research provides significant insights from the patients' perspective toward the GP clinics' healthcare services environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work has aimed to investigate the consumers' green product purchase attitudes and behavioral intention during COVID-19 pandemic. Data was collected through a survey method of 503 consumers in Malaysia. Data were analyzed using the partial least square method. The findings revealed that fear of COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on green product behavioral intention. Green product literacy, green product orientation, and social influence have a significant influence on green product purchase attitudes. The results also indicated that consumers' green product purchase attitudes mediate the effect of green product literacy, green product orientation, and social influence on behavioral intention. The findings of this work will provide strategically relevant references to green marketers and retail managers in the understanding of consumers' green product purchase attitudes and green product behavioral intention during the ongoing uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covid-19--associated with the human-to-human transmission is recent medical concern which also associated with public health concerns. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among clinical year veterinary and medical students studying in a university in Malaysia to determine the students' knowledge, attitude, and practice towards COVID-19. The questionnaire consisted of 4 sections, namely, socio-demographic characteristics (6 items), knowledge (14 items), attitude (10 items), and practice (24 items) towards COVID-19. The collected data were subjected to descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H, and Spearman's correlation analysis. A total of 219 students participated in this study, and they consisted of 52.1% and 47.9% of veterinary and medical students, respectively. The total scores were categorised into poor (<60%), moderate (60-79%), and high (>80%) based on Bloom's cut off point. Overall, the students acquired high knowledge (80%), moderate attitude (76%) and high practice (86%) against COVID-19. In the attitude section, the veterinary student scored significantly higher than medical students (U=3791, p= .001), and female students scored significantly higher than males (U=3183, p= .001). The analysis revealed a statistically significant association between attitude and practice (P< .05) despite no association between knowledge to attitude and practice variables. Overall, the results indicated that both veterinary and medical students had high knowledge with moderate to high attitudes towards COVID-19. Thus, they were practising good preventive measures in limiting the spread of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

West Nile virus (WNV), a neurotropic arbovirus, has been detected in mosquitos, birds, wildlife, horses, and humans in Malaysia, but limited information is available on WNV infection in Malaysian pigs. We tested 80 archived swine serum samples for the presence of WNV antibody and West Nile (WN) viral RNA using ID Screen West Nile Competition Multi-species enzymelinked immunosorbent assay kits and WNV-specific primers in reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays, respectively. A WNV seroprevalence of 62.5% (50/80) at 95% confidence interval (51.6%-72.3%) was recorded, with a significantly higher seroprevalence among young pigs (weaner and grower) and pigs from south Malaysia. One sample was positive for Japanese encephalitis virus antibodies; WN viral RNA was not detected in any of the serum samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is classified as Retroviridae gammaretrovirus. FeLV occurs worldwide, including Malaysia. Thus far, only one decade-old study on molecular characterization of Malaysian FeLV isolates exists, which resulted in a scarcity of updated information of current FeLV isolates circulating in Malaysia. This study was conducted to determine the status of FeLV in clinically ill cats and to study the molecular characterization and phylogenetic relatedness of the current isolates. Materials and Methods: Convenience sampling was performed in 20 cats from the Gasing Veterinary Hospital in Selangor. Plasma and saliva samples were collected from 15 clinically ill cats and 5 healthy cats subjected to one-step reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction with primers targeting a highly conserved gene of U3-LTR-gag. Results: Two clinically ill cats' plasma and saliva samples tested positive for FeLV RNA. Partial nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the current isolates were 94-99% homologous to the previous Malaysian and Japanese FeLV isolates. Conclusion: Current FeLV isolates from this study displayed higher similarity with the previous Malaysian isolates, signifying that a similar FeLV strain circulated among the cat population in Selangor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Indonesian Journal of Geography is the property of Universitas Gadjah Mada, Fakultas Geografi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents in Malaysia has become a serious concern. Based on researchers' observation, students' lifestyles are unhealthy. They tend to eat fast food and spending most of the time indoor rather than outdoor, which causes most of the students gaining weight. Hence, researchers decided to study on lifestyle of the students. To measure the individual's health, one needs to determine what factors are related to Body Mass Index (BMI). A study was conducted among 360 students of UiTM Malacca Branch whose ages ranging from 20 to 23 with the aim to determine whether lifestyle factor does affect the students' BMIs and to examine the most contributing factor to the students' BMIs. The data were collected using questionnaires that consist of questions concerning general characteristics of individual's eating habits, physical activities, motivation, smoking, and medication. Logistic regression is used to achieve the objectives of the study. The dichotomous dependent variable was identified to find out whether the students have BMIs more than 25. After measuring the body weights and heights of the individuals, the results show 50.80% of the students' BMIs who participated in the study were more than 25. Besides, the findings also show the BMIs of the individuals differed based on eating habits, physical activities, and motivation (p<0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization, human demands with dynamic hydrology, and land resources impact the carbon cycle and ecosystem resilience at the city level. The expansion of urban areas is continuously replacing the vegetative cover (VC), which accelerates carbon emissions (CE), raises land surface temperature (LST), and contributes to global warming. This study aimed to assess the CE dynamics in Penang City, Malaysia, resulting from land use and land cover (LULC) changes during 1996–2021 and to identify the impacts of CE dynamics on LST change and urban heat island (UHI) effects. In this regard, remote sensing and geospatial methods were applied to monitor the LULC changes and used the biomass carbon stock assessment techniques to quantify carbon storage. The findings of the study illustrate a 17% decrease in forest cover and an excessive increase in urban areas (22%), average LST (8 °C) and UHI (38%) in the last 25 years. The carbon stock (CS) concentration reveals a 24% decrease in high CS areas with more than 1% yearly decline from 1996 to 2021. In addition, due to the massive VC loss, carbon attracted the sun rays, which led to lower CS in built-up and no VC areas. The strong positive correlations between CE and LST and CE and UHI (R2 > 0.7961) at a significant level (p- value < 0.001) suggest that CE is highly responsible for the LST increase and UHI effects. This study proposes effective strategies, including afforestation, reforestation and urban greening practices through rooftop gardening, which can significantly improve the CS capacity and reduce climate change and global warming impacts in the fastest-growing cities. [Display omitted] • Forest cover has been lost by 17% in 25 years. • Forest cover loss increase average temperature by 13 °C in 25 years. • Maximum carbon stock concentration recorded in green cover. • Very healthy vegetation radiate low temperature where poor vegetation recorded high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This empirical study examines the factors influencing the adoption (AD) of cryptocurrencies in Malaysia's digital market. It is assumed that the adoption of cryptocurrencies would continue to increase. The role of the dependent variables of social influence (SI), transparency (TR), price value (PV), traceability (TRA), and attitude (AT) was examined to identify customer satisfaction as a mediator variable for cryptocurrency adoption. Random sampling was used to ensure that the research objectives were adequately examined. A total of 295 respondents answered the survey questions intended for cryptocurrency users in Malaysia. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-LSM). The findings revealed that SI, PV, TRA, and AT were all impactful in terms of AD (dependent variable) through the mediation of customer satisfaction in Malaysia's digital market. However, TR negatively impacts Malaysia's digital market. Future researchers in other regions and industries may be able to reproduce these findings and use similar constructs to add to the present body of knowledge. This study adds to the small body of literature on Bitcoin and digital money. These findings can assist researchers in understanding the role of cryptocurrency and identifying its primary influences on the Malaysian cryptocurrency market. • Cryptocurrency. • Digital Business. • Transactions. • Customer Satisfaction. • Adoption [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antioxidant activities based on the free radical scavenging, reducing power, and bleaching inhibition were investigated for the three commonly used honeys in Malaysia, namely, tualang, gelam, and acacia honey. The antioxidant capacity of the honey samples was correlated with their biochemical constituents such as total phenol, total flavonoid content, and total water-soluble vitamins (vitamin B1, B2, B3, B9, B12, and vitamin C). The total flavonoid content of honey samples was strongly correlated with the three antioxidative processes (r = 0.9276-0.9910). In contrast, the total water-soluble vitamins was found to be well correlated with the free radical scavenging activity (r = 0.8226). Vitamin B3 was likely to be in the highest concentration, which covered for 69-80% of the total vitamin content. A number of five phenolic acids, three flavonoids, and two organic acids had also been detected from the honey samples using UPLC-MS/MS, without sugar-removal procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The elemental profiles of six honey samples from Malaysia had been constructed using the data obtained from both ICP-AES and ICP-MS. Potassium and sodium were the most abundant minerals covering from 69.3–78.6% and 14.1–28.7%, respectively. The ratio of potassium to sodium was more than one. Even though the minerals and trace elements composition varied dependent on the type of honey samples, there was no statistically significant difference between the analysed honey samples, namely tualang, gelam, acacia and a few forest honeys based on two-factor ANOVA and cluster analysis. The total element content of honey samples were strongly correlated with the electrical conductivity, but only have moderate correlation with the ash content and honey colour based on the regression analysis. PCA result on the available elemental data from worldwide honeys, including honey samples from Malaysia revealed that potassium and sodium were the mineral markers to distinguish honey origin. Both tualang and gelam honey samples from Malaysia have close mineral profile with sesame honeys from Egypt and multifloral honeys from India, whereas forest honeys Malaysia were near to avocado honeys from Spain and multifloral honeys from India. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Rice has been subjected to a great deal of stress during its brief existence, but it nevertheless ranked first among cereal crops in terms of demand and productivity. Weeds are characterized as one of the major biotic stresses by many researchers. This research aims to determine the most potential allelopathic rice variety among selected rice accessions. For obtaining preeminent varieties, seventeen rice genotypes were collected from Bangladesh and Malaysia. Two prevalent procedures, relay seeding and the sandwich technique were employed to screen the seventeen rice (donor) accessions against barnyard grass (tested plant). In both approaches, only the BR17 variety demonstrated substantial inhibition of germination percentage, root length, and dry matter of barnyard grass. The rice variety BR17 exclusively took the zenith position, and it inhibited the development of barnyard grass by more than 40–41% on an average. BR17 is originated from KN-1B-361-1-8-6-10 (Indonesia) and developed by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Gazipur, Bangladesh in 1985, having a high yielding capacity of more than 6 t/ha. Our study suggested that the usage of the allelopathy-weed inverse relationship to treat the weed problem can be a fantastic choice in the twenty-first century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The role of wildlife animals, such as macaques and bats, in the spreading and maintenance of deadly zoonotic pathogens in nature are documented in several studies. The present study substantially highlights the first evidence of West Nile Virus (WNV) infection, a mosquito borne virus in the Malaysian macaques and bats. Of the 81 macaques sampled, 24 of the long-tailed macaques were seropositive to WNV, indicating that they were exposed to the virus in the past. The long-tailed macaques were found in the mangrove forests located in the Central, Southern, and West Peninsular Malaysia. Meanwhile, five out of 41 bats (Lesser Short-nosed Fruit Bats, Lesser Sheath-tailed Bats, and Thai Horseshoe Bats) that were found in the caves from Northern Peninsular Malaysia showed susceptibility to WNV. Therefore, a constant bio surveillance of WNV in the wildlife in Malaysia is a proactive attempt. This study was aligned with the Malaysian government's mission under the Malaysia Strategy for Emerging Diseases and Public Health Emergencies (MYSED) II (2017–2021) and the Ministry of Health priorities in order to enhance the regional capability to rapidly and accurately survey, detect, diagnose, and report outbreaks of pathogens and diseases of security concern. The role of wildlife such as wild birds, macaques, and bats in the spreading and maintenance of deadly zoonotic pathogens in nature have been well documented in many parts of the world. One such pathogen is the mosquitoes borne virus, namely the West Nile Virus (WNV). Previous research has shown that 1:7 and 1:6 Malaysian wild birds are WNV antibody and RNA positive, respectively, and bats in North America may not be susceptible to the WNV infection. This study was conducted to determine the status of WNV in Malaysian macaques and bats found in mangrove forests and caves, respectively. Archive sera and oropharyngeal swabs from long-tailed macaques were subjected to the antibody detection using WNV competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA) and WNV RNA using RT-PCR, respectively, while the archive oropharyngeal and rectal swabs from bats were subjected to RT-PCR without serological analysis due to the unavailability of serum samples. The analysis revealed a WNV seropositivity of 29.63% (24/81) and none of the macaques were positive for WNV RNA. Meanwhile, 12.2% (5/41) of the bats from Pteropodidae, Emballonuridae, and Rhinolophidae families tested positive for WNV RNA. Here, we show a high WNV antibody prevalence in macaques and a moderate WNV RNA in various Malaysian bat species, suggesting that WNV circulates through Malaysian wild animals and Malaysian bat species may be susceptible to the WNV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Tilapia is a freshwater fish that is commercially cultured around the world. However, intensification of tilapia culture often results in diseases, occasionally with co-infections of multiple pathogens. This paper reports the first case of red hybrid tilapia that naturally co-infected with Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV), Aeromonas hydrophila and Streptococcus agalactiae in Malaysia. In January 2020, a tilapia farm in Selangor, Malaysia, reported a mass mortality of adult red hybrid tilapias, with 70% mortality. Bacterial isolation, PCR and sequencing analysis confirmed the presence of TiLV, A. hydrophila and S. agalactiae in the affected fish. As tilapia is widely cultured throughout the world, detection of multiple infections might signal a potential threat to the industry. A high death rate among red hybrid tilapias was observed in a farm in Selangor, Malaysia, in January 2020. The affected fish appeared lethargic, isolated from schooling group, showed loss of appetite, red and haemorrhagic skin, exophthalmia and enlarged gall bladders. Histopathological assessment revealed deformation of kidney tubules, and severe congestion with infiltrations of inflammatory cells in the brains and kidneys. Syncytial cells and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies were occasionally observed in the liver and brain sections. Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV), Aeromonas hydrophila and Streptococcus agalactiae were identified in the affected fish, either through isolation or through PCR and sequencing analysis. The phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that the TiLV strain in this study was closely related to the previously reported Malaysian strain that was isolated in 2019. On the other hand, A. hydrophila and S. agalactiae were closer to Algerian and Brazilian strains, respectively. The multiple antibiotic resistance index for A. hydrophila and S. agalactiae was 0.50 and 0.25, respectively. Co-infections of virus and bacteria in cultured tilapia is a new threat for the tilapia industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Rattus spp. are the most common animals capable of adapting to their environment. They can be reservoirs or vectors of diseases that facilitate the transmission of zoonotic-borne parasites to humans. Hence, a study on the detection of parasites in rat populations in urban areas is crucial to prepare for emerging zoonosis. Therefore, this study aims to identify blood parasites, ectoparasites, and helminths in Rattus spp. from wet markets located in Klang Valley, an urban area with a high-density human population. Materials and Methods: A total of 32 rats were trapped in several wet markets in Klang Valley, Malaysia. They were anesthetized for morphometric examination followed by exsanguination. Various parasitological techniques such as perianal tape test, simple flotation, direct examination of the intestine, and fecal smear were performed for intestinal parasite detection; hair plucking, skin scraping, and full body combing for ectoparasite identification; and blood smear, microhematocrit centrifugation, and buffy coat techniques for blood parasite detection. Results: The rats were identified as Rattus rattus (71.9%) and Rattus norvegicus (28.1%). The only blood protozoan found was Trypanosoma lewisi. The ectoparasites identified belonged to two broad groups, mites (Laelaps spp. and Ornithonyssus spp.) and fleas (Xenopsylla cheopis), known to be parasitic zoonotic disease vectors. The zoonotic intestinal parasites were cestodes (Hymenolepis nana), nematodes (Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, Strongyloides spp., Trichuris spp., Capillaria spp., and Syphacia spp.), and intestinal protozoa (coccidian oocysts and Giardia spp.). Microscopic images showing Giardia spp. are the first report of this organism in rats in Malaysia. Conclusion: Rats caught in this urban area of the Klang Valley harbor parasites can pose a potential zoonotic threat to humans, raising public health concerns because of their proximity to densely populated urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nipah virus (NiV), a zoonotic virus, engenders severe infections with noticeable complications and deaths in humans and animals. Since its emergence, it is frightening, this virus has been causing regular outbreaks in various countries, particularly in Bangladesh, India, and Malaysia. Unfortunately, no efficient vaccine or drug is available now to combat this baneful virus. NiV employs its nucleocapsid protein for genetic material packaging, which is crucial for viral replication inside the host cells. The small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) can play a central role in inhibiting the expression of disease-causing viral genes by hybridization and subsequent inactivation of the complementary target viral mRNAs through the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. Therefore, potential siRNAs as molecular therapeutics against the nucleocapsid protein gene of NiV were designed in this study. First, ten prospective siRNAs were identified using the conserved nucleocapsid gene sequences among all available NiV strains collected from various countries. After that, off-target binding, GC (guanine-cytosine) content, secondary structure, binding affinity with the target, melting temperature, efficacy analysis, and binding capacity with the human argonaute protein 2 (AGO2) of these siRNAs were evaluated to predict their suitability. These designed siRNA molecules bear promise in silencing the NiV gene encoding the nucleocapsid protein and thus can alleviate the severity of this dangerous virus. Further in vivo experiments are recommended before using these designed siRNAs as alternative and effective molecular therapeutic agents against NiV. [Display omitted] • siRNAs are next-generation molecular therapeutics capable of treating cancer, genetic and infectious diseases through gene silencing. • Nipah virus infection causes severe encephalitis and viral pneumonia, and is always associated with a high mortality rate. • Nucleocapsid protein is indispensable for Nipah virus survival and sequences conserved in the nucleocapsid protein encoding gene of all currently known Nipah strains have been identified. • 10 siRNAs against these conserved sequences have been designed and validated in silico. These siRNAs can be considered as potential therapeutic agents for treating Nipah virus infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A previously completed project on the surveillance of West Nile virus (WNV) among migratory birds in Malaysia found that the local WNV isolates were clustered with the WNV lineage 2. This project was conducted at the Kuala Gula Bird Sanctuary, a site which is home to some 200 species of birds and a popular tourist destination. Since human-vector-animal interactions can only intensify in the years to come due to increased eco-tourism and economic activities, we sought to assess the possibility of local mosquitoes carrying viruses belonging to the Alphavirus and Flavivirus genera through a mosquito-surveillance program. The CDC miniature light trap was placed around possible landing areas of migratory birds. Sampling of mosquitoes was carried out during the period of migratory birds' stopover in Malaysia in 2017. After morphological identification, the captured mosquitoes were sorted pools with each pool containing ten individuals. Following that, they were homogenized and subjected to RNA extraction. Pan- Alphavirus and Flavivirus primers were used for RT-PCR amplification of the extracted RNA samples and, the amplified product was sequenced and subsequently analysed. A total of 137 pools (n=1370 mosquitoes) containing Culex gelidus, Culex pseudovishnui, Culex tritaeniorhynchus and Culex vishnui were studied. From that, a PCR product was successfully amplified using the Pan- Flavivirus primers on one Cx. tritaeniorhynchus pool. BLAST analysis revealed that the amplified sequences had 83.52% similarity to Old Port virus (OPV). Next Generation Sequencing is currently ongoing to obtain the full or near-full-length OPV genome sequences. Our results suggest that the mosquito-surveillance program has to be maintained and magnified as it signalled a potential uncovering of greater novel mosquito-borne viruses. Even though still unclassified, the OPV could possibly cause disease in humans and animals, hence justifying further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]