Detection of human coronavirus strain HKU1 in a 2 years old girl with asthma exacerbation caused by acute pharyngitis

Respiratory viral infections can trigger asthma attack which may lead to sever morbidity. In this report, using molecular methods, we show the chronological association between human coronavirus - HKU1 infection and asthma exacerbation in a two years and seven months old asthmatic girl who was not under treatment and was otherwise healthy

Novel anticancer activity and anticancer mechanisms of Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata f. rubrag

Aim of the study: The anticancer activity of red cabbage (RC) and the underlying mechanisms against human cervical and hepatocarcinoma cancer cells were explored in this study. Materials and methods: The cytotoxic activity of RC extract was assessed using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) cytotoxicity assay. ELISA was used to detect the level of anticancer cytokines, TNF alpha and IFN beta, in the culture supernatants of cancer cells. Apoptotic cells were investigated by flow cytometry. The levels of apoptotic genes (Bax, BCL-2, Capsases 7-9), cell cycle regulatory genes (cyclin D, E, and A) and tumor suppressor proteins (p27, p21, and p53) were assessed by real time RT-PCR. Results: The cytotoxic effect of the extract on normal human cells was significantly different from its effects on HeLa and HepG2 cells, 251.28 +/- 4.3, 23.38 +/- 1.87, and 28.66 +/- 2.85 mg/ml, respectively. The selectivity index (SI) was 10.88 +/- 0.82 for HeLa and 8.93 +/- 0.81 for HepG2 cells. Increased levels of TNF alpha, but not IFN beta were observed in the treated HeLa and HepG2 culture supernatants when compared with untreated cells. RC extract induced G0/G1 phase arrest in the cancer cells. The extract induced apoptosis, in a dose and time dependent manner, in treated HeLa and HepG2 cells while no observed apoptosis was found in untreated cells. Moreover, RC IC50 showed remarkable influence on the expression of the apoptosis-related genes in a positive and negative manner on both HeLa and HepG2 cells. Discussion/conclusion: RC extract could be considered as a novel anticancer agent providing new prospects for anticancer therapy using a natural product. (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier GmbH

Development of two Salmonella-based oral vaccines against human respiratory syncytial virus

Human respiratory syncytial virus is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and other respiratory infections in infants and the elderly worldwide. We have developed two new oral vaccines using Salmonella typhi TY21a to carry and express the immunogenic epitopes of RSV fusion (F) and attachment (G) glycoproteins on its surface, separately. To evaluate the efficacy of the designed vaccines, BALB/c mice were orally immunized and then infected with RSV. Immune response analyses showed that cellmediated, mucosal and humoral immunity in the vaccinated mice were significantly enhanced compared to the control group. Both vaccines generated a balanced Th1/Th2 immune response which is crucial for efficiency of vaccines against RSV. Furthermore, histopathological examination proved that these vaccines were safe as they did not cause any Th2-associated adverse effects in the lungs of RSV-infected mice. The findings of this research suggest that Salmonella-F and Salmonella-G vaccine candidates may have strong potential to prevent RSV infection

Isolation and Identification of Methicillin-resistance Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from Nasal of College Students

In this study, classical and molecular methods were involved for isolation and identification of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Identification of S.aureus involved tests such as Mannitol fermentation test, coagulase test and DNase test. Antibiotic susceptibility test which was carried out to explore MRSA antibiotic susceptibility patterns. Antibiotics involved were methicillin, oxacillin, vancomycin, tetracycline, cefoxitin, erythromycin, gentamycin, chloramphenicol, penicillin, ampicillin, and trimethoprim. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to obtain more reliable result. Among 100 samples collected, totally 18 samples were confirmed as S. aureus based on molecular method. From these isolates, 16 of them showed presence of mecA gene and also fem gene(gene involved in the resistant of methicillin) thus making it positive as MRSA

First detected human bocavirus in a Malaysian child with pneumonia and pre-existing asthma: A case report

Human bocavirus (HBoV) is a newly discovered parvovirus associated with respiratory disease in children. There are many reports worldwide on the endemicity of this virus. Since it is relatively new, detection in clinical laboratories is not routinely performed. We describe the first detection of HBoV in Malaysia in a 13-month-old boy with pneumonia and underlying asthma. The infective agent was confirmed by molecular methods

Circulation and transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among college students in Malaysia (cell phones as reservoir)

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a nosocomial pathogen of increasing risk to man. Objective: We determined the risk of using cell phones as silent and underestimated tools for spreading MRSA in community. Methods: One hundred swabs of cell phones were collected from college students in Malaysia. A series of identification and differentiating tests were conducted for the precise identification of MRSA bacteria. Moreover, this study compared the efficacy of the different identification tests with gold standard, PCR assay. The tests used were tube coagulase, DNase agar test, antibiogram, several routine biochemical identification tests, and PCR assays. PCR assay used specific primers for resistance or ID -related genes: mecA, ermA, ermB, ermC, msrA, linA, femA, and nuc genes. Results: One hundred fifty bacterial isolates were collected from college students' cell phones, non-PCR assays of identification and resistance detection revealed presence and spread of MRSA in cell phones of 14 college students. PCR-amplification of the nuc gene was used as a baseline test to detect Staphylococcus aureus. Seven isolates (50) were detected as Staphylococcus aureus with the presence of nuc gene, and the remaining seven isolates (50) were negative for nuc gene. However, of the seven positive nuc gene isolates, six isolates (6/14; 42.9) were positive for mecA gene, making them MRSA. Using PCR as gold standard, the specificity and the sensitivity of antibiogram test in the detection of methicillin resistance was only 55.6 and 40, respectively. Most of the MRSA carriers were found to study in the field of Science (33.3) and Education (33.3). Conclusions: Cell phones proved to be silent tool for transferring MRSA in the community of college students in South East Asia. Moreover, PCR assay for identification of S. aureus and resistance evaluation for MRSA is superior when compared to other conventional methods