Analysis of partial AZFc deletions in Malaysian infertile male subjects

Complete deletions in the AZF (a, b, and c) sub-regions of the Y-chromosome have been shown to contribute to unexplained male infertility. However, the role of partial AZFc deletions in male infertility remains to be verified. Three types of partial AZFc deletions have been identified. They are gr/gr, b1/b3, and b2/b3 deletions. A recent meta-analysis showed that ethnic and geographical factors might contribute to the association of partial AZFc deletions with male infertility. This study analyzed the association of partial AZFc deletions in Malaysian infertile males. Fifty two oligozoospermic infertile males and 63 fertile controls were recruited to this study. Screening for partial AZFc deletions was done using the two sequence-tagged sites approach (SY1291 and SY1191) which were analyzed using both the conventional PCR gel-electrophoresis and the high resolution melt, HRM method. Gr/gr deletions were found in 11.53% of the cases and 9.52% of the controls (p = 0.725). A B2/b3 deletion was found in one of the cases (p = 0.269). No B1/b3 deletions were identified in this study. The results of HRM analysis were consistent with those obtained using the conventional PCR gel-electrophoresis method. The HRM analysis was highly repeatable (95% limit of agreement was -0.0879 to 0.0871 for SY1191 melting temperature readings). In conclusion, our study showed that partial AZFc deletions were not associated with male infertility in Malaysian subjects. HRM analysis was a reliable, repeatable, fast, cost-effective, and semi-automated method which can be used for screening of partial AZFc deletions

Fizikalno-kemijske karakteristike i detekcija rezidua antibiotika u sirovom kravljem mlijeku isporučenom u tri industrije za preradu mlijeka u Alžiru

The uncontrolled use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine may result in the presence of their residues in food matrices of animal origin such as milk. The aim of this study was to examine the physicochemical quality and to detect antibiotic residues (β-lactams and tetracyclines) in milk, as their presence has resulted in the rejection of significant quantities of milk for marketing. The study was conducted on 274 milk samples delivered to three milk-processing units located in the suburbs of Algiers and surrounding cities (Blida and Boumerdes). Antibiotic residue detection was performed using a fast screening test (BetaStar® Combo), with a reading result within five minutes. The results indicated that the milk processing industry of Blida had the highest rejected milk volumes (43.4%), followed by Algiers (24%) and Boumerdes (19.1%). Non-compliance of milk acidity was the first cause for milk rejection (47.6 %), followed by the presence of antibiotic residues (26.8%), and incompliance with requirements for density (13.4%) and fat levels (12.2%). The study revealed 22 positive cases (8.03%) of antibiotic residues. Among these, 90.91% were positive for β-lactams, and only 9.09% for tetracyclines. All tetracyclines cases and half of the β-lactams cases were found in the Blida milk processing company, indicating that the good practice of milk production and collection must be strengthened in that company.Nekontrolirana uporaba antimikrobnih sredstava u veterinarskoj medicini može rezultirati prisustvom njihovih rezidua u matricama hrane životinjskog podrijetla kao što je i mlijeko. Ovaj rad ima za cilj proučavanje fizikalno-kemijske kakvoće i detekcije ostataka antibiotika (β-laktama i tetraciklina), čije je određivanje u mlijeku prouzročilo odbijanje znatnih količina za plasman na tržištu. Istraživanje je provedeno na 274 uzorka mlijeka dostavljena u tri jedinice za preradu mlijeka koje se nalaze u predgrađima Alžira i drugih gradovima (Blida i Boumerdes). Detekcija ostataka antibiotika provedena je brzim testom (BetaStar® Combo), s rezultatom očitanja unutar pet minuta. Rezultati su pokazali da je najveća količina odbijenog mlijeka u industriji prerade mlijeka iz jedinice Blida (43,4 %), a slijede Alžir (24 %) i Boumerdes (19,1 %). Nesukladnost kiselosti mlijeka bila je prvi uzrok odbacivanje mlijeka (47,6 %), a zatim slijede: prisutnost antibiotskih ostataka (26,8 %), gustoća (13,4 %) i nesukladnost razine masti (FL) (12,2 %). Od svih procijenjenih uzoraka, studija je otkrila 22 pozitivna slučaja (8,03 %) na ostatke antibiotika. Među njima je 90,91 % bilo pozitivno na β-laktame, dok je samo 9,09 % pozitivno na tetracikline. Svi slučajevi tetraciklina i polovica β-laktama pronađeni su u mljekoprerađivačkoj tvrtki Blida, što ukazuje da se u toj kompaniji mora ojačati dobra praksa uzgoja i prikupljanja mlijeka

Analysis of homocysteine metabolism enzyme gene polymorphisms in non-syndromic congenital heart disease patients among Malaysians

Congenital heart disease (CHD) mainly is caused by the incomplete development of the heart during the first 6 weeks of pregnancy. Chromosomal and genetic abnormalities in the child and high levels of homocysteine in the blood are some of the risk factors related to CHD. Several studies in various populations have been done to determine the candidate genes in the predisposition to CHD with contradictory results, but there have been no studies that had been found in Malaysian CHD patients on homocysteine gene polymorphisms. Hence, this study was conducted to determine the allelic and genotypic analysis of the polymorphisms in candidate genes of the homocysteine enzymes; Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR), Cystathionine-b-synthase (CBS), Methionine Synthase (MTR) and Methionine Synthase Reductase (MTRR) genes. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, buccal or blood samples were collected from 150 Malaysian non-syndromic CHD patients and 150 samples from healthy subjects as controls with no matching of age, genders and race between cases and controls. Genomic DNA was extracted from the samples using commercially available kits and the genotyping analysis for C677T MTHFR, A1298C MTHFR, A66G MTRR, A2756G MTR and 844ins68 CBS gene polymorphisms were analyzed using PCR-RFLP analysis. There was a significant difference observed in MTHFR A1298C gene polymorphism between cases and controls (P=0.008). However, there was no significant difference was observed for MTHFR C677T, MTRR A66G, MTR A2756G and CBS 844ins68 gene polymorphism. The association of MTHFR A1298C with the development of CHD in this study emphasis the role of MTHFR gene in the pathogenesis of non-syndromic CHD in Malaysian subjects

Analysis of selected glutathione S-transferase gene polymorphisms in Malaysian type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with and without cardiovascular disease

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is believed to be associated with excessive production of reactive oxygen species. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) polymorphisms result in decreased or absent enzyme activity and altered oxidative stress, and have been associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The present study assessed the effect of GST polymorphisms on the risk of developing T2DM in individuals of Malaysian Malay ethnicity. A total of 287 subjects, consisting of 87 T2DM and 64 CVD/T2DM patients, as well as 136 healthy gender- and age-matched controls were genotyped for selected polymorphisms to evaluate associations with T2DM susceptibility. Genomic DNA was extracted using commercially available kits, and GSTM1, GSTT1, and α-globin sequences were amplified by multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Biochemical parameters were measured with a Hitachi autoanalyzer. The Fisher exact test, the chi-square statistic, and means ± standard deviations were calculated using the SPSS software. Overall, we observed no significant differences regarding genotype and allele frequencies between each group (P = 0.224 and 0.199, respectively). However, in the combined analysis of genotypes and blood measurements, fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, and triglyceride levels, followed by age, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, and history of T2DM significantly differed according to GST polymorphism (P ˂ 0.05). Genetically induced absence of the GSTT1 enzyme is an independent and powerful predictor of premature vascular morbidity and death in individuals with T2DM, and might be triggered by cigarette smoking’s oxidative effects. These polymorphisms could be screened in other ethnicities within Malaysia to determine further possible risk factors

Multiple novel prostate cancer susceptibility signals identified by fine-mapping of known risk loci among Europeans

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous common prostate cancer (PrCa) susceptibility loci. We have fine-mapped 64 GWAS regions known at the conclusion of the iCOGS study using large-scale genotyping and imputation in 25 723 PrCa cases and 26 274 controls of European ancestry. We detected evidence for multiple independent signals at 16 regions, 12 of which contained additional newly identified significant associations. A single signal comprising a spectrum of correlated variation was observed at 39 regions; 35 of which are now described by a novel more significantly associated lead SNP, while the originally reported variant remained as the lead SNP only in 4 regions. We also confirmed two association signals in Europeans that had been previously reported only in East-Asian GWAS. Based on statistical evidence and linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure, we have curated and narrowed down the list of the most likely candidate causal variants for each region. Functional annotation using data from ENCODE filtered for PrCa cell lines and eQTL analysis demonstrated significant enrichment for overlap with bio-features within this set. By incorporating the novel risk variants identified here alongside the refined data for existing association signals, we estimate that these loci now explain ∼38.9% of the familial relative risk of PrCa, an 8.9% improvement over the previously reported GWAS tag SNPs. This suggests that a significant fraction of the heritability of PrCa may have been hidden during the discovery phase of GWAS, in particular due to the presence of multiple independent signals within the same regio

Evaluation of appendicitis risk prediction models in adults with suspected appendicitis

Background Appendicitis is the most common general surgical emergency worldwide, but its diagnosis remains challenging. The aim of this study was to determine whether existing risk prediction models can reliably identify patients presenting to hospital in the UK with acute right iliac fossa (RIF) pain who are at low risk of appendicitis. Methods A systematic search was completed to identify all existing appendicitis risk prediction models. Models were validated using UK data from an international prospective cohort study that captured consecutive patients aged 16–45 years presenting to hospital with acute RIF in March to June 2017. The main outcome was best achievable model specificity (proportion of patients who did not have appendicitis correctly classified as low risk) whilst maintaining a failure rate below 5 per cent (proportion of patients identified as low risk who actually had appendicitis). Results Some 5345 patients across 154 UK hospitals were identified, of which two‐thirds (3613 of 5345, 67·6 per cent) were women. Women were more than twice as likely to undergo surgery with removal of a histologically normal appendix (272 of 964, 28·2 per cent) than men (120 of 993, 12·1 per cent) (relative risk 2·33, 95 per cent c.i. 1·92 to 2·84; P < 0·001). Of 15 validated risk prediction models, the Adult Appendicitis Score performed best (cut‐off score 8 or less, specificity 63·1 per cent, failure rate 3·7 per cent). The Appendicitis Inflammatory Response Score performed best for men (cut‐off score 2 or less, specificity 24·7 per cent, failure rate 2·4 per cent). Conclusion Women in the UK had a disproportionate risk of admission without surgical intervention and had high rates of normal appendicectomy. Risk prediction models to support shared decision‐making by identifying adults in the UK at low risk of appendicitis were identified

Pulmonary embolism as the primary presentation of IgA vasculitis

A 47-year-old man presented to the emergency department with acute onset of dyspnoea and a week history of painful erythematous rash on both of his legs. CT angiogram of the chest showed saddle pulmonary embolism resulting in right ventricular strain and obstructive shock. Due to the atypical nature of his skin rash, a skin biopsy from one of these lesions was done and came consistent with the diagnosis of IgA vasculitis

Genotyping of GATA4 gene variant (G296S) in Malaysian congenital heart disease subjects by real-time PCR high resolution melting analysis

Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect; however, the underlying etiology is unrecognized in the majority of cases. GATA-binding protein 4 (GATA4), a cardiac transcription factor gene, has a crucial role in the cardiogenesis process; hence, a number of heterozygote sequence variations were identified as a cause of CHD. G296S heterozygote variant is the most frequently reported GATA4 gene sequence alteration. This study aims to investigate the role of G296S variant of the GATA4 gene in Malaysian CHD subjects. Methods: We have investigated 86 Malaysian CHD subjects with cardiac septation defects for the presence of the GATA4 gene heterozygote variant (G296S) by the new technology of high resolution melting (HRM) analysis. Results: Genotyping of G296S (c.886G>A) by HRM analysis shows that all the sample genotypes were of the wild GG type genotype and the heterozygote mutant GA genotype was totally absent from this study cohort. Conclusions: The results of our study showed that the G296S variant of the GATA4 gene was not associated with the development of CHD in Malaysian subjects. The use of HRM analysis proved a cost-effective, high-throughput, specific and sensitive genotyping technique which eliminates the need for unnecessary sequencing

GENOTYPING OF GATA4 GENE VARIANT (G296S) IN MALAYSIAN CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE SUBJECTS BY REAL-TIME PCR HIGH RESOLUTION MELTING ANALYSIS GENOTIPIZACIJA GENSKE VARIJANTE (G296S) GATA4 KOD MALE@ANSKIH SUBJEKATA SA URO\ENOM SR^ANOM MANOM PUTEM METODE REAL-T

Summary Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect; however, the underlying etiology is unrecognized in the majority of cases. GATA-binding protein 4 (GATA4), a cardiac transcription factor gene, has a crucial role in the cardiogenesis process; hence, a number of heterozygote sequence variations were identified as a cause of CHD. G296S heterozygote variant is the most frequently reported GATA4 gene sequence alteration. This study aims to investigate the role of G296S variant of the GATA4 gene in Malaysian CHD subjects. Methods: We have investigated 86 Malaysian CHD subjects with cardiac septation defects for the presence of the GATA4 gene heterozygote variant (G296S) by the new technology of high resolution melting (HRM) analysis. Results: Genotyping of G296S (c.886G&gt;A) by HRM analysis shows that all the sample genotypes were of the wild G

Silver Nanoparticle Synthesis by <i>Rumex vesicarius</i> Extract and Its Applicability against Foodborne Pathogens

The consumption of foods polluted with different foodborne pathogens such as fungus, viruses, and bacteria is considered a serious cause of foodborne disease in both humans and animals. Multidrug-resistant foodborne pathogens (MRFP) cause morbidity, death, and substantial economic loss, as well as prolonged hospitalization. This study reports on the use of aqueous Rumex leaf extract (ARLE) in the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (ARLE-AgNPs) with versatile biological activities. The synthesized ARLE-AgNPs had spherical shapes with smooth surfaces and an average hydrodynamic size of 27 nm. ARLE-AgNPs inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli ATCC25721, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC27843, Streptococcus gordonii ATCC49716, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC700813, and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC4342. The ARLE-AgNPs were more active against Escherichia coli ATCC25721 than other harmful bacterial strains (26 ± 3 mm). The zone of inhibition for antibacterial activity ranged between 18 ± 3 mm and 26 ± 3 mm in diameter. The nanoparticles’ MIC values varied from 5.19 µg/mL to 61 µg/mL, while their MBC values ranged from 46 µg/mL to 119 µg/mL. The nanoparticles that were created had antioxidant potential. The cytotoxic activity was tested using normal fibroblast cell lines (L-929), and the enhanced IC50 value (764.3 ± 3.9 g/mL) demonstrated good biological compatibility. These nanoparticles could be evolved into new antibacterial compounds for MRFP prevention