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Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections by Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and hookworms still persist in rural and urban areas of developing communities. Recent studies in Malaysia focused on Orang Asli communities and none in the hospital settings. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors for STH among children admitted to Paediatric ward of the Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan (HTAA). This study was conducted among 135 (78 males, 57 females) patients in HTAA from December 2017 to May 2018. Faecal samples were examined using wet smear, Kato-Katz, Harada-Mori and sedimentation techniques. Demographic data and hygiene practice information were collected using a pre-tested questionnaire. The overall prevalence of STH was 5.9% (A.lumbricoides 5.2%, T.trichiura 0.7%, and hookworms 0.7%). Prevalence among males was 3.8% and females 8.8%. Majority (95.6%) were Malays. Chi square analysis showed that factors significantly associated with STH infections are household monthly income (p

Introduction: This study was conducted to evaluate the phytochemical contents and antimalarial properties of the essential oils extracted from the leaves of Malaysian Plectranthus amboinicus in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. Methods: The essential oils were extracted and prepared by using a steam distillation technique and subjected to phytochemical screening by using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antimalarial activity of different extract doses of the essential oil was tested in vivo in ICR (Instritute of Cancer Research) mice infected with Plasmodium berghei (PZZ1/100) during early, established and residual infections. The control groups were treated with distilled water (containing 10% DMSO, the solvent of the test extracts) and 2 standard drugs: chloroquine and Fansidar. Results: In all, 5 compounds made up 88.34% of total oil and the major chemical compounds were carvacrol (85.14%), thymoquinone (1.65%), terpinen-4-ol (0.70%), octenol (0.62%) and thymol (0.23%). Antimalarial assay showed this essential oil as a potential prophylactic agent with the percentage chemosuppression of 45.23%, 18.28%, 45.38% and 58.26%, while treated with 50, 200, 400 and 1000 µL/kg respectively of essential oil. It also showed a potential as a curative agent with percentage of chemosuppression of 54.10%, 47.35%, 56.75% and 65.38% while treated with the above dose of essential oil. Statistically, no reduction of parasitemia was calculated for suppressive test. Conclusions: The extract has prophylactic and curative effects on P.berghei in mice.

Introduction: Tamarindus indica seed extract (TSE) has anti-snake-venom properties. This study examined the histological changes of kidney, liver and skin of mice envenomed with either Daboai russelli and Naja kaouthia and treated with TSE. Materials and Methods: ICR mice were used. Group 1 mice (n=8) were given subcutaneous (SC) venom only of either species. Group 2 (n=8) envenomed mice were treated with SC TSE 30mg/20g at the same site 30 minutes after envenomation with either species. Tissue samples were harvested at 24 hours and 1 week. Transversely cut kidney, biggest liver lobe, and skin sample from the venom injection site were fixed in 10% formal-saline and stained with Haematoxylin-Eosin for light-microscopy analysis. Results: Group 1 mice exposed to D.russelli venom, all died within 48hours. Hence, no comparison was made between Groups 1 and 2 at 1 week. However histological comparison was made within Group 2 at 24 hours and 1 week. Kidney histological changes of envenomed mice showed mild nephropathy; liver showed inflammation and mild liver injury. Skin samples showed disruption of the skin architecture. These changes, worsened after 1 week. However, changes in the skin were unaltered after 1 week for N.kaouthia. When TSE 30mg/20g was administered, there was restoration of tissue architecture in mice envenomed with either species. Conclusion: When mice were exposed to LD100 of either snake venoms, histological changes took place within 24 hours. This study showed that TSE 30mg/20g was able to restore tissue architecture within 24 hours.

Honey has shown potential therapeutic properties in traditional medicine. This study investigated the cognition enhancing potential of Tualang honey in chronic cerebral hypoperfusion- induced neurodegeneration by permanent bilateral common carotid arteries ligation (2 vessels occlusion- 2VO) in rats. Previous studies have shown that rats subjected to 2VO (2 vessel occlusion) experienced cognitive deficits, oxidative stress and neuronal injury in the hippocampus of the brain. We studied the effect of Tualang honey on learning and memory using the Morris water maze (MWM) in rats. Rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=10); Sham control, untreated 2VO (2VO), honey treated 2VO (2VO+H) and honey treated group (H). Each group was again divided into two subgroups (n=5): one for long term memory assessment and another for short term memory and relearning tasks. After 10 weeks of treatment, all rat groups were tested for cognitive assessment by MWM (Morris water maze). 2VO+H rats had better spatial learning and memory performance than untreated 2VO rats in MWM tasks (p 0.05). This study shows that Malaysian Tualang honey might have therapeutic potential for the treatment of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion related neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in which cognitive impairment is profound.

Introduction: Snakebite has been categorised as a ‘neglected tropical disease’ by WHO in 2009 and it affects mainly the poorer countries like Africa and Asia. The standard treatment for snake envenomation is the anti-snake venom medication which can be very expensive, not readily available and specific against a snake species. This study was conducted to screen the phytochemical compounds of Tamarindus indica seed extract (TSE) and its in-vitro effects on snake venom of three snake species; namely Daboia russelli, Naja kaouthia and Ophiophagus hannah. Materials and method: Ethanolic Soxhlet extract of TSE was used. Phytochemical screening analysing for saponins, alkaloids, flavanoids, anthraquinone derivatives, arthraquinone glycosides, phenolic compounds, tannins, terpenoids, sterol and volatile oils were carried out. In-vitro enzymatic inhibition study on venom enzymes namely phospholipase A2 (PLA2), proteinase and phosphomonoesterase (PME) were studied by measuring the absorbance using the spectrophotometer. There were two main groups; Group 1: venom only; and Group 2: venom with TSE. The mean triplicate determination of venom enzyme activity post-exposure to TSE from Group 2 was taken and analysed against 100% venom enzyme activity from Group 1. Results: Phytochemical screening showed that the TSE has (+++) phenolics and (+++) hydrolysable tannins. TSE significantly reduced all venom enzymatic activities i.e. PLA2, proteinase and PME from the three snake species at 925 nm, 280 nm and 400 nm, respectively. SDS-PAGE experiment showed the disruption of venom protein bands from all three snake species when venom was exposed to 4.76 µg TSE. Conclusion: Ethanolic TSE contains mainly phenolics and hydrolysable tannins which can reduce the snake venom enzymatic activities. This is possibly due to the formation of tannin-protein complex rendering the venom less potent.

Introduction: The objective of the present study is to investigate protective effects of the tamarind seed extract on the adverse histological reaction of venoms of the King Cobra. Methods: Twenty healthy, mature male mice were randomly divided into 4 groups with 5 mice in each. The control group (C) was injected with 1 ml of normal saline. The second group (V) was injected subcutaneously with a single dose of 24.96µg/20g King Cobra venom (KCV) solution. The third group (TV1) was injected with the same dose of KCV solution and 10mg/20g of Tamarind seed extract (TSE). The fourth group (TV2) was injected with the same dose of KCV solution and 15mg/20g TSE solution. The animals were sacrificed after 24 hours of injection of the solution. Fragments of muscle, kidney and liver were fixed in 10% buffered formalin, and processed for light microscopical studies. Results: Mice of group V, treated with KCV solution showed severe degeneration, disorganization and myonecrosis in the muscle fibers. The liver revealed degenerative changes in most of the hepatic lobules and dilatation in the central veins and the sinusoids. The kidney revealed shrunken glomeruli, dilatation of Bowman capsule and degenerative changes in the renal tubules. Treatment with TSE reduced the histopathological changes induced by the King Cobra venom in the muscles, livers and kidneys and the improvement were proportional to the applied dose of the TSE. Conclusions: The observation is indicating that tamarind seed extract prevents adverse histological changes in the muscle, liver and kidney.

Objective: Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) has been used as a medical plant for treating many human and animal diseases and widely used as a traditional herbal medicine for the treatment of snake bites. The objective of the study is to investigate whether tamarind seed extract (TSE) has neutralization activity on an adverse histological reaction against venoms of the King Cobra. Methods: A total of 20 healthy mature male mice were randomly divided into 4 groups with 5 mice in each. The control group was injected with 1 ml of normal saline. The second group was injected subcutaneously with a single dose of 24.96 µg/20 g King Cobra venom (KCV) solution. The third group was injected with the same dose of KCV solution and 10 mg/20 g of TSE. The fourth group was injected with the same dose of KCV solution and 15 mg/20 g TSE solution. The animals were sacrificed after 24 hrs of injection of the solution. Fragments of muscle, kidney, and liver were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin and processed for light microscopical studies. Results: The result showed that TSE reduced the histopathological changes induced by the KCV in the muscles, livers, and kidneys, and the improvement was proportional to the applied dose of the TSE indicating that TSE prevents adverse histological changes in the muscle, liver, and kidney. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that TSE reduced the histopathological changes in the muscle, liver, and kidney induced by KCV in mice.

The aims of this study were to investigate the nutritional status of children aged 1-7 years in Malaysian rural communities and to identify its risk factors. In all, 221 children were assessed using anthropometric measurements, dietary questionnaires and other tools. Weight-for-age, height-for-age, weight-for-height were analysed. Based on the NCHS standards, the overall prevalence of underweight, stunting and wasting was 46.2%, 18.1% and 30.3% respectively. Almost one-third of the 1-2 years old groups were malnourished. Univariate analysis identified household income £ MR750.00 as a significant risk factor of stunting and wasting.

Introduction: Reduced cerebral blood fl ow is associated with neurodegenerative disorders and dementia, in particular. Experimental evidence has demonstrated the initiating role of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion in neuronal damage to the hippocampus, the cerebral cortex, the white matter areas and the visual system. Permanent, bilateral occlusion of the common carotid arteries of rats (two vessel occlusion - 2VO) has been introduced for the reproduction of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion as it occurs in Alzheimer’s disease and human aging. Increased generation of free radicals through lipid peroxidation can damage neuronal cell membrane. Markers of lipid peroxidation have been found to be elevated in brain tissues and body fl uids in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Materials and Methods: Malondialdehyde (MDA), final product of lipid peroxidation, was estimated by thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) assay kit at eight weeks after induction of 2VO in the rats and control group. Results: Our study revealed a highly signifi cant (p

A total of 204 rodents comprising 14 host species from four different habitats were examined. Nine rodent species were trapped from the forest and another five species were trapped from the coastal, rice field and urban habitats. Rattus rattus diardii (67%) was the predominant rodent species examined. Fifty six (47.3%) rodents and shrews were found to be infested with at least one of the 20 species of ectoparasite recovered. Mites belonging to the family Trombiculidae were the predominant ectoparasite species recovered. Ticks belonging to the family Ixodidae were recovered mainly from the forest dwelling rodents. Polyplax spinulosa and Hoplopleura pacifica were the common lice species found infesting the urban rodents. Xenopsylla cheopis was the only flea species recovered. The following ecto-parasites have been incriminated as important vectors or as mechanical carriers for the transmission of zoonotic diseases: Ixodes granulatus, Dermacentor sp. Haemaphysalis sp., Amblyomma sp. Ascoschoengastia indica, Leptotrombidium deliense, Ornithonyssus bacoti, Laelaps nuttalli, H. pacifica, P. spinulosa and Xenopsylla cheopis. Urban and forest rodents were significantly higher in ecto-parasitic infestation, compared to rats from the other two habitats. However, there was no significant statistical association between male and female rodents infested with ectoparasites.

A study on risk factors of soil-transmitted helminths was conducted in a highly endemic area. In all 205 children (95 boys and 110 girls) participated in this study. The overall prevalences of Ascaris, Trichuris and hookworm infection were 62.5%, 91.7% and 28.8% respectively. Only 22.4% of the children had a single infection either by Ascaris or Trichuris; 69.3% had mixed infection and the most prevalent of mixed infection was a combination of Ascaris and Trichuris. Logistic regression analysis confirmed that low level mother's education was a risk factor for moderate and severe infection of Ascaris and ageor = 6-year-old was a protective factor. In Trichuris infection logistic regression analysis confirmed that usage of well-water and ageor = 6-year-old were the risk factors. Logistic regression analysis on worm scores confirmed that usage of well-water and non-usage of toilets were the risk factors from getting severe worm scores and ageor = 6-year-old was a protective factor. Our finding suggest that socio-behavioural (related to mother's education), demographic (children age) and environmental-factors (usage of well-water and non-usage of toilets) are the elements to be considered in the design of long term soil-transmitted helminths (STH) control in an endemic areas.

A study on prevalence and risk factors of Giardia duodenalis infection was conducted in rural communities of Malaysia. A total of 917 individuals between 2-70 years old (431 males and 486 females), participated in this study. The overall prevalence of G. duodenalis infection was 19.2%. The prevalence was significantly different between different age groups, but not genders. Our study indicated that ageor = 12 years old and the presence of family members infected with G. duodenalis were the risk factors of infection. Person-to-person contact within the family members was the possible mode of transmission. Health education on personal hygiene, together with the treatment of the infected people, may help in reducing and controlling this infection in these communities.

The efficacy of a single-dose 400 mg albendazole to treat Ascaris, Trichuris and hookworm infection was studied in Orang Asli community. Kato-Katz examination was performed on fecal samples which were collected before treatment, 1 and 4 months after treatment. A total of 123 children were involved in all three surveys. The cure rate of Ascaris infection was 97.4% and the egg reduction after treatment was 99.9%. The cure rate for hookworm infection was 93.1% with 96.6% egg reduction. Although the cure rate was low in Trichuris infection (5.5%), egg reduction was more evident (49.1%). The reinfection rate at 4 months after treatment was 54.5%, 3.6% and 10.3% for Ascaris, Trichuris and hookworm infection, respectively. Within 4 months after treatment almost one-fifth children with Ascaris and hookworm infection reached pre-treatment intensity infection. In Trichuris infection, however more than half of the children reached their pre-treatment intensity infection at 4 months after treatment. Findings suggest that 4-monthly targeted periodic treatment with 400 mg single-dose albendazole in highly endemic areas can have a significant impact on intensity infection of Ascaris and hookworm, but not on Trichuris infection.

A study was carried out to determine the distribution of cockroaches in two different housing areas with central sewerage or individual septic tanks in an urban area in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Six species of cockroaches were present and of these Periplaneta americana and Periplaneta brunnea were found in greater abundance. Seventeen species of bacteria were isolated and of these Escherichia coli and Klebsiella p. pneumoniae were isolated in greatest numbers. Control measures carried out using lambda cyhalothrin showed that there was no significant difference between treated and control sites.

A community study on the age and sex related prevalence, intensity infection and frequency distribution of Ascaris, Trichuris and hookworm was carried out in 205 Orang Asli (Aborigines) children (95 boys, 110 girls) aged 1-13 years. The overall prevalence of Ascaris, Trichuris and hookworm was 62.9%, 91.7% and 28.8%, respectively. Almost two-thirds of the children were infected with moderate and severe intensity infection of Trichuris, 46.3% had moderate to severe intensity infection of Ascaris. However only 1.5% had moderate intensity of hookworm infection. The prevalence and mean intensity infection (measured by eggs per g) of Ascaris was age-dependent; lower in age group 1-4 years reached peak and stable at age group 5 years and above. The prevalence of Trichuris was high in all age groups and it fluctuated with age; the mean intensity of infection of Trichuris (measured by eggs per g) was age-dependent. Hookworm infection also rose with age and reached peak at 5-6 years, following that the prevalence declined. The frequency distributions of Ascaris, and hookworm were overdispersed. A strong positive correlation (p0.001) were observed between Ascaris and Trichuris and between hookworm and Trichuris. A positive correlation (p0.01) were also observed between Ascaris and hookworm.

In hookworm endemic areas where sanitation is often wanting, reinfection of treated children is a problem. This study was conducted to enumerate the prevalence and the reinfection rate of hookworm in 193 Orang Asli children following treatment with stat dose of 400mg of albendazole at 2 and 4 months post-treatment. All samples were examined using the Kato-Katz and Harada Mori techniques. The overall initial prevalence was 31.0%, with 27.0% in males and 34.0% in females although there was no statistical difference. Only 7.0% of the children had moderate intensity of infection. The overall infection rate at 2 and 4 months post-treatment was 11.0% and 8.0%. New cases were detected at 1.0% and 5.0% at 2 and 4 months post-treatment period. Reinfection rate 2 months post-treatment was 24.0%, and it was 30.0%, 4 months after treatment. All infection at 2 and 4 months post-treatment were light. Long-term strategies incorporating health education on personal hygiene, provision of toilets and safe water supply need to be adopted in these Orang Asli villages to control rapid reinfection.

A dietary survey was carried out in 216 children (109 males, 107 females) aged 1-7 years, living in rural villages in Selangor, Malaysia to assess their nutrient intake and to determine the association between nutrient consumption and socio-economic background. All the children studied had inadequate intakes of energy, iron and niacin according to Recommended Daily Intake (RDI). Children aged of 4-9 years showed inadequate intake of calcium, thiamine and riboflavin. However, the intake of protein, vitamin A and ascorbic acid were above the recommended value. The mean percentage requirements of protein, iron and niacin were significantly higher in children from small families compared with children from large families. However the employment status of mothers had a significantly effect on the mean percentage requirements of niacin. The results indicate that education level of the mothers, is strongly associated with the mean percentage nutrient requirements of children and we strongly feel that this is a strategy to be adopted for improvement in nutrition of children.During January-June 1993, in the rural villages of Mukim Labu and Dengkil, Malaysia, a dietary survey was conducted of 216 children 1-7 years old attending a health and worm infestation exhibit. It aimed to determine the dietary intake of these children and to examine the association between dietary intake with age, household income, family size, employment status of mothers, and level of mothers' education. All the children had lower intakes of energy, iron, and niacin than the recommended daily intake (RDI). Their intake of protein, vitamin A, and ascorbic acid tended to be more than the RDI, however. Children 4-9 years old consumed insufficient amounts of calcium, thiamin, and riboflavin. The researchers controlled for age in the remaining analyses, since it is a confounding factor. Children from low-income households had significantly lower intakes of protein, iron, and niacin than those from higher income households (p 0.05). Children from small size families (1-5) consumed more riboflavin than those from larger size families (=or 6) (104.6 vs. 67.4-74.3 mg; p 0.05). Children of working mothers consumed more niacin than those whose mothers were housewives (66.3 vs. 44.1 mg; p 0.05). Mother's education had a positive association with intake of protein, iron, vitamin A, and niacin (p 0.05). These findings suggest that household income, mother's education, and small family size had a positive association with nutrient intake.

The infection rate and relationship of enterobiasis with socio-economic status were determined in children aged 1-8 years, living in a rural area in Malaysia. Of the 178 subjects 40.4% were infected with Enterobius vermicularis. The distribution of enterobiasis among these children were analyzed in relation to age groups and sex. The rate of infection was significantly higher in older children (5-7 years). The association of enterobiasis with other factors studied such as number of persons per house, household income per months and mother's employment status were not significant. The sensitivity of three successive days anal swabs compared to a single swab was found to be statistically significant.

In Peninsular Malaysia, only Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia malayi are reported to cause human filariasis. Brugia pahangi infects many of the same animal hosts as the zoonotically transmitted subperiodic B. malayi. There is a well-recognized need for improved diagnostic techniques for lymphatic filariasis. Parasite antigen detection is a promising new approach, and it will probably prove to be more sensitive and specific than clinical, microscopic and antibody-based serological methods. We recently generated monoclonal antibodies (MAb XC3) from in vitro culture products of adult B. pahangi (B.p. IVP). Filarial antigenemia was quantitated in various hosts including the sera from 6 Malaysian Aborigines with acute lymphatic filariasis. In hosts infected with brugian filariasis and dirofilariasis, antigenemia was scored ranging from 90 ng/ml to 960 ng/ml. None of the control animal and human sera had antigenemia above 90 ng/ml. In addition, MAb XC3 and B.p. IVP were applied in several seroepidemiological surveys among household cats in Kuala Selangor in order to correlate information gathered for future studies of possible cases of human infection. Out of the 81 cats surveyed, 10 (12.35%) and 5 (6.17%) were parasitologically positive for B. pahangi and B. malayi, respectively. However, 21 (25.92%) were antigenemia positive when serologically investigated with MAb XC3. Antifilarial antibodies to B.p. IVP by direct ELISA showed very high cross-reactivity with non-filarial gut worm infections. 16 (19.75%) cats had reciprocal titers ranging from 320 to 2,560. Only 1 (1.23%) cat from this group was antigenemic.

The prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis in four groups of adults, all trainee public health inspectors or public health nurses, aged 18-35 years and all living in hostels on campus was studied. The modified scotch tape technique was used and the subjects were taught to do the examination on themselves to detect the presence of eggs over a period of 6 successive mornings. Each was given an elaborately illustrated diagram on how and when to take the samples and given demonstration in groups. The samples were examined by trained people. Most of the subjects took samples on 6 consecutive days. Of the 119 subjects who returned samples, the overall prevalence of E. vermicularis was 9.2% and this was thought to be high for this particular age group. This was due to the higher prevalence (19.4%) in one group, whereas in the others the range was 3.5-8.0%. Based on the samples returned on the first day none of the subjects were detected as having the infection. After examination on 3 successive days (109 subjects) 10.1% were found to be infected (chi 2 = 10.704; d. f. = 1) and after examination on 6 successive days (72 subjects) 13.9% were found to be infected (chi 2 = 3.026; d. f. = 1). There was no significance between examination over 3 successive days and 6 consecutive days (chi 2 = 0.296; d. f. = 1). There was no difference in the prevalence between males and females.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Microfilariae of Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia pahangi were killed by the chewing action of the cibarial and pharyngeal armatures and other papillae and spines in the fore-gut of mosquitoes. The proportion of ingested microfilariae that were killed was largely dependent on the presence and shape of the cibarial armature. Anopheles farauti No. 1 and Anopheles gambiae species A and B have well developed cibarial armatures and killed 36 to 96% of the ingested microfilariae. Culex pipiens fatigans has a poorly developed cibarial armature and killed only 6% of the microfilariae. Aedes aegypti and Aedes togoi lack cibarial armatures but have the remaining fore-gut structures. They killed only 2 to 22% of the microfilariae. The significance of these observations in relation to the control of filariasis with diethylcarbamazine is discussed.

A survey was conducted to investigate the prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis in 1352 Chinese children between the ages of 6-12 years from the three National Type Chinese Primary Schools in Pulau Ketam in 1988, using the scotch-tape technique on three successive days. The overall prevalence was high (56.88%). The prevalence in Sin Bin School was significantly lower (50.86%) compared to the other two schools (56.60% and 61.04%). Prevalence was significantly higher amongst the 6-7 years age group (61.61%-70.18%) compared to other age groups (47.9%-59.29%). There was no difference in the prevalence between the boys and girls being 56.15% and 57.55% respectively.