What are the determinants of health care expenditure? Empirical results from Asian countries

This paper uses panel data to identify the determinants of health care expenditure in twelve Asian countries (i.e. Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) for the period of 1995-2008. The empirical results indicated that only two independent variables (GDPit and POP65it) have significant relationship with health care expenditure in these countries. These two variables are positively correlated with the amount of health care expenditure. In other words, when the countries’ income is larger, the amount of health care expenditure is larger. When the share of ageing population in the total population is higher, again the amount of health care expenditure is larger

An analysis of the development assistance for health (DAH) allocations for STD control in Africa

The Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations recognize the importance of making progress in the eradication and treatment of sexually transmitted deceases (STD). STD are among the most widespread diseases in the world and have the highest prevalence in Sub-Saharan Africa. The current study explored the associations between the allocation of the development assistance for health (DAH) in 54 African countries and key development indicators – STD incidence, Gross Domestic Product per capita, health expenditure, and life expectancy at birth. It employed descriptive statistical methods, the matrix scatter plot analysis and the Pearson correlation test for this purpose. The findings indicated that there was a considerable increase in the volume of the DAH given to control and prevent STD in Africa over the period of 2002–2011. A statistically significant positive association was detected between the STD incidence and the health aid allocations. At the same time, the imbalance in the distribution of the health aid between the major and minor aid recipients in the continent increased. The study concludes by discussing policy implications that can be drawn from these findings

Research notes on bats' species assemblage in Madai Cave of Segama Valley, Sabah, Malaysia

Insectivorous bats spend approximately half of their lives in the roost. Most of them are cave-dwelling and use the caves as roosting grounds. Roosts are important for mating, hibernation, rearing young, and a place to socialise, while providing protection from predators in a thermo-stable environment. This study aims to assess the diversity of insectivorous bats at Madai caves in Kunak, Lahad Datu, Sabah over a temporal period of 8 years. The sampling of bats was conducted twice i.e. in August 2010 and in December 2018. Harp traps and mist nets were used to sample bats in all sampling sessions. Eighteen species of bats, including two fruit bats, Cynopterus brachyotis and Rousettus spinalatus, were identified from the study site. Four insectivorous bat species were found in both years consistently i.e. Hipposideros cervinus, Rhinolophus creaghi, R. philippinensis, and Chaerephon plicatus. The species list in 2010 and 2018 differed by more than 50%, which may be a cause of concern and warrants further investigation. Most of the listed species are categorised as Least Concern, under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, except for Rousettus spinalatus, Hipposideros ridleyi and Miniopterus schreibersii which are listed as vulnerable. Only Hipposideros dyacorum is protected under Sabah Wildlife Enactment (1997). These findings will assist policymakers in making decisions on the importance to conserve the natural habitats of bats

Research notes on bats' species assemblage in Madai Cave of Segama Valley, Sabah, Malaysia

Insectivorous bats spend approximately half of their lives in the roost. Most of them are cave-dwelling and use the caves as roosting grounds. Roosts are important for mating, hibernation, rearing young, and a place to socialise, while providing protection from predators in a thermo-stable environment. This study aims to assess the diversity of insectivorous bats at Madai caves in Kunak, Lahad Datu, Sabah over a temporal period of 8 years. The sampling of bats was conducted twice i.e. in August 2010 and in December 2018. Harp traps and mist nets were used to sample bats in all sampling sessions. Eighteen species of bats, including two fruit bats, Cynopterus brachyotis and Rousettus spinalatus, were identified from the study site. Four insectivorous bat species were found in both years consistently i.e. Hipposideros cervinus, Rhinolophus creaghi, R. philippinensis, and Chaerephon plicatus. The species list in 2010 and 2018 differed by more than 50%, which may be a cause of concern and warrants further investigation. Most of the listed species are categorised as Least Concern, under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, except for Rousettus spinalatus, Hipposideros ridleyi and Miniopterus schreibersii which are listed as vulnerable. Only Hipposideros dyacorum is protected under Sabah Wildlife Enactment (1997). These findings will assist policymakers in making decisions on the importance to conserve the natural habitats of bats

An Arduino microcontroller based RLC meter

An RLC meter is a single electronic instrument or device which is capable to measure the Resistance (R), Inductance (L) and Capacitance (C). This instrument has wide applications in electrical and electronics laboratory, industry and engineering research works. Nowadays, a large variety of RLC meter is available. The high precision RLC meter is slow responding, bulky size, higher operational power and expensive. However, many applications do not need very high accuracy measurement, for this reason, this paper has proposed a simple and moderate precision RLC meter based on Arduino microcontroller which would overcome the existing issues. The proposed design has been verified by simulation and experimentally. The results show good compliance with theory and experiment; in addition, it shows moderate accuracy

Whole genome sequencing data of a clinical Enterococcus gallinarum strain EGR748 from Sabah, Malaysia

Enterococcus gallinarum is a gram positive facultatively anaerobic bacteria that is typically found in mammalian intestinal tracts. It is generally not considered pathogenic to humans and is rarely reported. Here, we present the draft genome sequence data of Enterococcus gallinarum strain EGR748 isolated from a human clinical sample, and sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq 4000 system. The estimated whole genome size of the strain was 3,730,000 bp with a G + C content of 40.43%. The de novo assembly of the genome generated 55 contigs with an N50 of 208,509 bp. In addition, the Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA sequence data accurately clustered EGR748 with other E. gallinarum strains. The data may be useful to demonstrate the capacity of this enterococcal species becoming the causal agents of nosocomial blood-stream infections. The genome dataset has been deposited at DDBJ/ENA/GenBank under the accession number JAABOR000000000

The circulating serotypes of dengue in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo

Background: Dengue is a mosquito borne arbovirus affecting humans and dengue infection has become a major public health problem in Asia Pacific countries. The virus is a positive sense, single-stranded enveloped RNA virus of the genus flavivirus. Malaysia is a dengue endemic country where all four dengue serotypes (DENV-1,-2,-3 and -4) have been reported but serotype data of Sabah is lacking. The aim of this study was to determine the circulating serotypes and other risk factors for dengue patients in Sabah. Methods: This was a cross sectional study, conducted during 2013–2015. A total 579 NS1- positive serum samples obtained from dengue patients were included from Public Health Laboratory of Sabah. All the samples had previously been tested for NS1 dengue using SD Bioline kit. Dengue viral RNA was extracted from NS1-positive serum using QIAmp Viral RNA Mini Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The NS1Ag positive samples were tested further by real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse transcriptase PCR (RTPCR). Results: From 579 examined samples, 58% were from male patients and 42% were from females. Regarding circulating serotypes in the year 2013, DEN-4 was the predominant serotype at 84.54%, followed by DEN-1 (37.24%), DEN2 (18.12%) and DEN-3 (15.10%). In the year 2014, DEN1 was predominant (89.64%) followed by DEN-2 (31.22%), DEN-4 (10.75%) and DEN-3 (9.7%). Interestingly, in the year 2015, DEN-2 (45%) was predominant followed by DEN-1 (27%), DEN-4 (16%) and DEN-3 (12%). The number of patients with multiple serotype co-infections has seen increased in 2015. Conclusions: Our results show that the circulating serotypes is changing within different years. Therefore, early detection of circulating serotypes could be an important approach to prevent severe clinical outcomes during dengue outbreaks. It will be interesting to examine molecular characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of dengue in this geographical area

Analysis of five deep-sequenced trio-genomes of the Peninsular Malaysia Orang Asli and North Borneo populations

BackgroundRecent advances in genomic technologies have facilitated genome-wide investigation of human genetic variations. However, most efforts have focused on the major populations, yet trio genomes of indigenous populations from Southeast Asia have been under-investigated.ResultsWe analyzed the whole-genome deep sequencing data (30x) of five native trios from Peninsular Malaysia and North Borneo, and characterized the genomic variants, including single nucleotide variants (SNVs), small insertions and deletions (indels) and copy number variants (CNVs). We discovered approximately 6.9 million SNVs, 1.2 million indels, and 9000 CNVs in the 15 samples, of which 2.7% SNVs, 2.3% indels and 22% CNVs were novel, implying the insufficient coverage of population diversity in existing databases. We identified a higher proportion of novel variants in the Orang Asli (OA) samples, i.e., the indigenous people from Peninsular Malaysia, than that of the North Bornean (NB) samples, likely due to more complex demographic history and long-time isolation of the OA groups. We used the pedigree information to identify de novo variants and estimated the autosomal mutation rates to be 0.81x10(-8) - 1.33x10(-8), 1.0x10(-9) - 2.9x10(-9), and 0.001 per site per generation for SNVs, indels, and CNVs, respectively. The trio-genomes also allowed for haplotype phasing with high accuracy, which serves as references to the future genomic studies of OA and NB populations. In addition, high-frequency inherited CNVs specific to OA or NB were identified. One example is a 50-kb duplication in DEFA1B detected only in the Negrito trios, implying plausible effects on host defense against the exposure of diverse microbial in tropical rainforest environment of these hunter-gatherers. The CNVs shared between OA and NB groups were much fewer than those specific to each group. Nevertheless, we identified a 142-kb duplication in AMY1A in all the 15 samples, and this gene is associated with the high-starch diet. Moreover, novel insertions shared with archaic hominids were identified in our samples.ConclusionOur study presents a full catalogue of the genome variants of the native Malaysian populations, which is a complement of the genome diversity in Southeast Asians. It implies specific population history of the native inhabitants, and demonstrated the necessity of more genome sequencing efforts on the multi-ethnic native groups of Malaysia and Southeast Asia

Shared signature of recent positive selection on the TSBP1-BTNL2-HLA-DRA genes in five native populations from North Borneo

North Borneo (NB) is home to more than 40 native populations. These natives are believed to have undergone local adaptation in response to environmental challenges such as the mosquito-abundant tropical rainforest. We attempted to trace the footprints of natural selection from the genomic data of NB native populations using a panel of 2.2 million genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms. As a result, an 13-kb haplotype in the Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II region encompassing candidate genes TSBP1–BTNL2–HLA-DRA was identified to be undergoing natural selection. This putative signature of positive selection is shared among the five NB population sandis estimated to have arisen5.5thousand years(220generations) ago, which coincides with the period of Austronesian expansion. Owing to the long history of endemic malaria in NB, the putative signature of positive selection is postulated to be driven by Plasmodium parasite infection. The findings of this study imply that despite high levels of genetic differentiation, the NB populations might have experienced similar local genetic adaptation resulting from stresses of the shared environment

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated factors among Bangladeshi slum and non-slum dwellers in pre-COVID-19 vaccination era: October 2020 to February 2021

Background Seroprevalence studies have been carried out in many developed and developing countries to evaluate ongoing and past infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Data on this infection in marginalized populations in urban slums are limited, which may offer crucial information to update prevention and mitigation policies and strategies. We aimed to determine the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and factors associated with seropositivity in slum and non-slum communities in two large cities in Bangladesh. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out among the target population in Dhaka and Chattogram cities between October 2020 and February 2021. Questionnaire-based data, anthropometric and blood pressure measurements and blood were obtained. SARS-CoV-2 serology was assessed by Roche Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoassay. Results Among the 3220 participants (2444 adults, ≥18 years; 776 children, 10–17 years), the overall weighted seroprevalence was 67.3% (95% confidence intervals (CI) = 65.2, 69.3) with 71.0% in slum (95% CI = 68.7, 72.2) and 62.2% in non-slum (95% CI = 58.5, 65.8). The weighted seroprevalence was 72.9% in Dhaka and 54.2% in Chattogram. Seroprevalence was positively associated with limited years of formal education (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.61; 95% CI = 1.43, 1.82), lower income (aOR = 1.23; 95% CI = 1.03, 1.46), overweight (aOR = 1.2835; 95% CI = 1.26, 1.97), diabetes (aOR = 1.67; 95% CI = 1.21, 2.32) and heart disease (aOR = 1.38; 95% CI = 1.03, 1.86). Contrarily, negative associations were found between seropositivity and regular wearing of masks and washing hands, and prior BCG vaccination. About 63% of the population had asymptomatic infection; only 33% slum and 49% non-slum population showed symptomatic infection. Conclusion The estimated seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was more prominent in impoverished informal settlements than in the adjacent middle-income non-slum areas. Additional factors associated with seropositivity included limited education, low income, overweight and pre-existing chronic conditions. Behavioral factors such as regular wearing of masks and washing hands were associated with lower probability of seropositivity.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268093pubpu