Cladosporium cladosporioides keratomycosis : a case report.

Keratomycosis is a frequent cause of ocular morbidity and blindness. Filamentous fungi such as Fusarium and Aspergillus have been reported to be leading causes of keratomycosis in India1 and China.2 Keratomycosis caused by Cladosporium cladosporioides, a pigmented fi lamentous fungus, is very rare. We report a case of Cladosporium cladosporioides keratomycosis identifi ed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA typing

Sunda Clouded Leopard Neofelis diardi (Cuvier, 1823) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) occupancy in Borneo: results of a pilot vehicle spotlight transect survey

The Sunda Clouded Leopard Neofelis diardi on Borneo is threatened principally by deforestaton for oil palm plantatons and the indiscriminate use of illegal trapping. Sunda Clouded Leopard populatons are decreasing across their range, and the species has been categorised as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Despite the persistence of threats and numerous surveys in recent years, informaton on its ecology is stll limited. Most studies to date have relied on the use of camera traps as their primary sampling tool, as it is challenging otherwise to gather data on Sunda Clouded Leopards. This study aimed to test the feasibility of estmatng the Sunda Clouded Leopard occupancy using a diferent approach. We conducted vehicle spotlight transect surveys in a mixed-use forest reserve and logging concession in Sabah. We drove a cumulatve total of 8,433 km of transects at night and documented the occurrence of Sunda Clouded Leopards in eight out of 31 predetermined long-distance transects, yielding a relatvely low naïve occupancy rate (nO = 0.26). When accountng for imperfect detecton (ρ = 0.15), null occupancy of Sunda Clouded Leopards appeared much higher (ᴪ = 0.55), though our parameter estmates lacked relatve precision. Despite this, our results suggest there may be potental to further refne and adapt a basic, cost-efectve monitoring approach in a local mixed-use reserve with the help of concession managers and additonal improvements to study design. We cauton, however, that not all study sites may be suited for this type of approach and strongly advise the development of pilot studies to evaluate their overall feasibilit

Nocturnal Mammals of Segaliud-Lokan Forest Reserve, Sabah

The aim of this study is to document the population density and diversity of nocturnal mammal in Segaliud-Lokan Forest Reserve (SLFR). Vehicle spotlight survey was conducted from October – December 2017. A total distance of 1,720 km travelled along the gravel roads. There were 24 species with 14 families (195 sighting) nocturnal mammals were recorded. Many large nocturnal mammals can be found in Segaliud-Lokan Forest Reserve, including Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), Tembadau (Bos javanicus), and Clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi). The Shannon’s diversity index and Simpson diversity index were 2.60 and 0.90, respectively. King's census method was used to estimate the population density which was 4.780 individual per square kilometer. The population density and diversity of nocturnal mammals was high, indicating that the forest operations in SLFR seemingly support the sustainability of the nocturnal mammal population there

Construct validity and reliability of Malay language-perception towards smoking questionnaire (BM-PTSQ) among secondary school adolescents

Multitude studies have demonstrated that perception is an integral factor associated with smoking. However, no such tool was available in the Malay language. In this study, we established a Bahasa Malaysia version of PTSQ (BM-PTSQ) and tested the validity and reliability among secondary school adolescents. The English version of PTSQ originally consists of 12 items. It was translated into Bahasa Malaysia and back-translated again into English to check for consistency. After face validity (face-to-face query) was determined among 20 secondary school adolescents, only 10 items were included in the survey. Construct validity was established from 407 school adolescents through random selection in the same locality. More than 60% of the respondents were female, while the majority of them (67.3%) were schooling in rural areas. Then, the reliability of the questionnaire was determined with Cronbach’s alpha. The Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) has grouped PTSQ into two components associated with either knowledge or attitude towards smoking. The variance and Cronbach’s alpha for the first and second components were 38.24% and 0.861 (7 items), 21.62% and 0.661 (3 items), respectively. The PTSQ showed good validity and reliability for measuring perception of smoking among secondary school-going adolescents in Malaysia. Hence, this is a viable measurement tool. But, more importantly, this study showed an urgent need to improve smoking education among adolescents in Malaysia

T-cell–specific PTPN2 deficiency in NOD mice accelerates the development of type 1 diabetes and autoimmune comorbidities

Genome-wide association studies have identified PTPN2 as an important non-major histocompatibility complex gene for autoimmunity. Single nucleotide polymorphisms that reduce PTPN2 expression have been linked with the development of varied autoimmune disorders, including type 1 diabetes. The tyrosine-phosphatase PTPN2 attenuates T cell receptor and cytokine signalling in T cells to maintain peripheral tolerance, but the extent to which PTPN2-deficiency in T cells might influence type 1 diabetes onset remains unclear. Non-Obese Diabetic (NOD) mice develop spontaneous autoimmune type 1 diabetes, similar to that seen in humans. T cell PTPN2-deficiency in NOD mice markedly accelerated the onset and increased the incidence of type 1 diabetes, as well as that of other disorders, including colitis and Sjogren’s syndrome. Although PTPN2-deficiency in CD8+ T cells alone was able to drive the destruction of pancreatic β cells and onset of diabetes, T cell-specific PTPN2-deficiency was also accompanied by increased CD4+ T-helper type 1 differentiation and T follicular helper cell polarisation and an increased abundance of B cells in pancreatic islets as seen in human type 1 diabetes. These findings causally link PTPN2-deficiency in T cells with the development of type 1 diabetes and associated autoimmune co-morbidities

Associations Between Maternal Distress During Early Life Periods and Offspring Respiratory Infections and Allergic Outcomes

DOI does not function. It has been reported to the journal 28.12.2022BackgroundIncreasing evidence suggests that maternal distress is a risk factor for development of respiratory infections and allergic diseases in the offspring. We aim to evaluate the link between maternal distress during critical periods in early life, namely the preconception, pregnancy and postnatal periods, and development of respiratory infections and allergic diseases in the offspring from the Singapore PREconception Study of long Term maternal and child Outcomes (S-PRESTO) cohort. MethodsMaternal perceived distress was evaluated using validated questionnaires including Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) administered during three time periods: preconception (three months apart at four timepoints), pregnancy (during each trimester) and postnatal (3 and 6 months post-delivery). Child eczema, rhinitis and wheeze outcomes were evaluated using a modified ISAAC questionnaire at ages 3, 6, 12, and 18 months. Child allergic sensitization was determined by skin prick testing at 18 months. ResultsAmong 332 mother-child pairs studied, higher maternal distress during preconception and pregnancy increased the risks of wheeze development in the first 18 months; for example, preconception and pregnancy BDI-II scores >= 20 were associated with increased risks of wheeze by 18 months [adjusted risk ratios 3.2 (95%CI 1.1-9.4) and 2.5 (1.0-5.9), respectively]. Emotional and practical support from family during preconception decreased the risks of offspring wheeze. No associations were observed between maternal distress and offspring eczema, rhinitis and allergic sensitization. ConclusionMaternal distress during critical early life periods was associated with offspring wheeze in the first 18 months of life. Supporting maternal mental health even before pregnancy could reduce the risk of offspring wheeze.Peer reviewe

Approximate Linear Programming for Constrained Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes

In many situations, it is desirable to optimize a sequence of decisions by maximizing a primary objective while respecting some constraints with respect to secondary objectives. Such problems can be naturally modeled as constrained partially observable Markov decision processes (CPOMDPs) when the environment is partially observable. In this work, we describe a technique based on approximate linear programming to optimize policies in CPOMDPs. The optimization is performed offline and produces a finite state controller with desirable performance guarantees. The approach outperforms a constrained version of point-based value iteration on a suite of benchmark problems

Female and older workers in part-time employment in Singapore

In 1992, part-time employment in Singapore constituted only 2.2% of the total workforce (Singapore Labour Force Survey, 1992). This is considerably low as compared to other countries like Norway and Britain that have 25.6% and 24.7% of part-time employment in the workforce, respectively (The Straits Times, 1989). Besides lagging behind other countries in tapping part-timers, Singapore also under-utilises them to resolve the labour shortage problem. Female and older workers are the two largest groups of part-timers in Singapore. This study attempts to highlight the problems encountered by female and older workers in the labour force (e.. work family conflict). Part-time employment is suggested as an alternative work arrangement to help female and older workers reduce their problems. Furthermore, it is suggested that the government and unions can promote the use of part-timers in companies through the provision of incentives, training and development, child-care facilities, etc.BUSINES

An outbreak of gastroenteritis caused by Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis traced to cream cakes

Introduction: This paper describes the epidemiological, microbiological and environmental investigations conducted during an outbreak of Salmonella gastroenteritis in Singapore.Methods: A case-control study was undertaken to identify the vehicle of transmission. Microbiological testing was performed on faecal, food and environmental samples. Isolates of Salmonella were further characterized by phage typing and ribotyping.Results: There were 216 gastroenteritis cases reported from 20 November to 4 December 2007. The causative agent was identified as Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serotype Enteritidis for 14 out of 20 cases tested. The vehicle of transmission was traced to cream cakes produced by a bakery and sold at its retail outlets (P < 0.001, OR = 143.00, 95% Cl = 27.23–759.10). More than two-thirds of the 40 Salmonella strains isolated from hospitalized cases, food samples and asymptomatic food handlers were of phage type 1; the others reacted but did not conform to any phage type. The phage types correlated well with their unique antibiograms. The ribotype patterns of 22 selected isolates tested were highly similar, indicating genetic relatedness. The dendrogram of the strains from the outbreak showed distinct clustering and correlation compared to the non-outbreak strains, confirming a common source of infection.Discussion: The cream cakes were likely contaminated by one of the ingredients used in the icing. Cross-contamination down the production line and subsequent storage of cakes at ambient temperatures for a prolonged period before consumption could have resulted in the outbreak

PTP61F Mediates Cell Competition and Mitigates Tumorigenesis

Tissue homeostasis via the elimination of aberrant cells is fundamental for organism survival. Cell competition is a key homeostatic mechanism, contributing to the recognition and elimination of aberrant cells, preventing their malignant progression and the development of tumors. Here, using Drosophila as a model organism, we have defined a role for protein tyrosine phosphatase 61F (PTP61F) (orthologue of mammalian PTP1B and TCPTP) in the initiation and progression of epithelial cancers. We demonstrate that a Ptp61F null mutation confers cells with a competitive advantage relative to neighbouring wild-type cells, while elevating PTP61F levels has the opposite effect. Furthermore, we show that knockdown of Ptp61F affects the survival of clones with impaired cell polarity, and that this occurs through regulation of the JAK&ndash;STAT signalling pathway. Importantly, PTP61F plays a robust non-cell-autonomous role in influencing the elimination of adjacent polarity-impaired mutant cells. Moreover, in a neoplastic RAS-driven polarity-impaired tumor model, we show that PTP61F levels determine the aggressiveness of tumors, with Ptp61F knockdown or overexpression, respectively, increasing or reducing tumor size. These effects correlate with the regulation of the RAS&ndash;MAPK and JAK&ndash;STAT signalling by PTP61F. Thus, PTP61F acts as a tumor suppressor that can function in an autonomous and non-cell-autonomous manner to ensure cellular fitness and attenuate tumorigenesis