Prevalence of Alpha(α)-Thalassemia in Southeast Asia (2010–2020): A Meta-Analysis Involving 83,674 Subjects

Alpha(α)-thalassemia is a blood disorder caused by many types of inheritable α-globin gene mutations which causes no-to-severe clinical symptoms, such as Hb Bart’s hydrops fetalis that leads to early foetal death. Therefore, the aim of this meta-analysis was to provide an update from year 2010 to 2020 on the prevalence of α-thalassemia in Southeast Asia. A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed and SCOPUS databases for related studies published from 2010 to 2020, based on specified inclusion and exclusion criteria. Heterogeneity of included studies was examined with the I2 index and Q-test. Funnel plots and Egger’s tests were performed in order to determine publication bias in this meta-analysis. Twenty-nine studies with 83,674 subjects were included and pooled prevalence rates in this meta-analysis were calculated using random effect models based on high observed heterogeneity (I2 > 99.5, p-value < 0.1). Overall, the prevalence of α-thalassemia is 22.6%. The highest α-thalassemia prevalence was observed in Vietnam (51.5%) followed by Cambodia (39.5%), Laos (26.8%), Thailand (20.1%), and Malaysia (17.3%). No publication bias was detected. Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggested that a high prevalence of α-thalassemia occurred in selected Southeast Asia countries. This meta-analysis data are useful for designing thalassemia screening programs and improve the disease management

Prevalence of Thalassemia in Southeast Asia

Thalassemia is a hereditary red blood cell disorder. It is due to globin gene mutations in either alpha and/or beta globin genes resulting imbalance in numbers of alpha (a) and beta (b) chains in red blood cells. There are two major types of thalassemia which are a- and beta- thalassemia, in which the former is the most common form of thalassemia worldwide especially in Southeast Asia populations. We report here the analysis of the prevalence rate of 83,674 subjects in Southeast Asia. The pooled prevalence rates were calculated using random effect models based on high observed heterogeneity (I2 > 99.5, p-value < 0.1). The prevalence of a- thalassemia is 22.6% in Southeast Asia. The highest a-thalassemia prevalence was observed in Vietnam (51.5%) followed by Cambodia (39.5%), Laos (26.8%), Thailand (20.1%), and Malaysia (17.3%). This study suggested that a high prevalence of alpha thalassemia occurred in selected Southeast Asia countries and provides a perspective to design healthcare policies with better genetic counselling programs for thalassemia in large populations

A review of stingless bees' bioactivity in different parts of the world

Stingless bees, also known as meliponines, live in beehives. However, reports on the distribution of stingless bees are scattered, resulting in a lack of precision. Honey and propolis are the main components that can be harvested from their beehive, with a great commercial value of up to 610 million USD. Despite the enormous potential profits, discrepancies in their bioactivities have been observed worldwide, leading to a lack of confidence. Therefore, this review provided oversight on the potential of stingless bee products and highlighted the differences between stingless bees in Asia, Australia, Africa, and America. The bioactivity of stingless bee products is diverse and exhibits great potential as an antimicrobial agent or in various diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancers, and oral problems

The prevalence of hospital-acquired infections in Southeast Asia (1990-2022)

Introduction: Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) have continually affected the quality of hospital care. Despite medical interventions by healthcare personnel and improved healthcare facilities, the rates of morbidity and mortality due to HAIs is increasing. However, a systematic review of HAIs is lacking. Therefore, this systematic review aims to determine the prevalence rate, types, as well as causes of HAIs in Southeast Asian countries. Methodology: A systematic literature search was conducted on PubMed, Cochrane library, World Health Organization database–Index Medicus for South-East Asia Region (WHO-IMSEAR), and Google Scholar databases. The search period was from 1st January 1990 until 12th May 2022. The prevalence of HAIs and subgroups were calculated using MetaXL software. Results: The database search retrieved 3879 non-duplicate articles. After applying exclusion criteria, 31 articles with a total number of 47666 subjects were included and a total of 7658 cases of HAIs were recorded. The overall prevalence of HAIs in Southeast Asia was 21.6 % (95% CI: 15.5 – 29.1%) with heterogeneity statistics of I2 = 100%. Indonesia had the highest prevalence rate of 30.4% whereas Singapore had the lowest prevalence rate at 8.4%. Conclusions: This study revealed that the overall prevalence of HAIs was relatively high and the prevalence rate of each country was associated with socioeconomic status. Measures should be taken to examine and control the rates of HAIs in countries with high HAI prevalence

The prevalence of insulin resistance in Malaysia and Indonesia: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis

Noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes are strongly associated with the insulin resistance (IR) status of an individual. However, the prevalence of insulin resistance in Southeast Asia is poorly reported. Hence, this study investigated the prevalence of IR in Southeast Asia from the year 2016 to 2021. This study was carried out according to PRISMA guidelines. The literature search was conducted utilizing the PubMed and SCOPUS databases from the year 2016 to 2021 using the keywords ‘(insulin AND resistance) OR (insulin AND sensitivity) OR (prevalence OR incidence) AND (Malaysia OR Thailand OR Singapore OR Brunei OR Cambodia OR Indonesia OR Laos OR Myanmar OR Philippines OR Timor leste OR Vietnam)’. Funnel plot and publication bias were assessed using Egger’s tests. Data were expressed as the prevalence rate. Results: A total of 12 studies with 2198 subjects were considered in the meta-analysis. Significant heterogeneity (I2 > 94% and p-value < 0.001) was observed in the meta-analysis. The overall prevalence of IR in Southeast Asia was 44.3%, with Malaysia having the highest prevalence rate at 50.4%, followed by Indonesia at 44.2%. Bias was detected in the meta-analysis. It may be that reports published before the year 2016 met the study selection criteria, but were excluded from the meta-analysis. The results from the meta-analysis indicate that the prevalence of IR in Southeast Asia is very high. This provided insights for healthcare policy makers and public health officials in designing IR screening programs

Review of Nephelium lappaceum and Nephelium ramboutan-ake: A high potential supplement

Nephelium lappaceum (N. lappaceum) and Nephelium ramboutan-ake (N. ramboutan-ake) are tropical fruits that gain popularity worldwide due to their tastiness. Currently, their potential to be used as pharmaceutical agents is underestimated. Chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and aging have high incidence rates in the modern world. Furthermore, pharmaceutical agents targeting pathogenic microorganisms have been hampered by the growing of antimicrobial resistance threats. The idea of food therapy leads to extensive nutraceuticals research on the potential of exotic fruits such as N. lappaceum and N. ramboutan-ake to act as supplements. Phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds that present in the fruit act as potent antioxidants that contribute to the protective effects against diseases induced by oxidative stress. Fruit residuals such as the peel and seeds hold greater nutraceutical potential than the edible part. This review highlights the antioxidant and biological activities (anti-neoplastic, anti-microbial, hypoglycemic actions and anti-aging), and chemical contents of different parts of N. lappaceum and N. ramboutan-ake. These fruits contain a diverse and important chemical profile that can alleviate or cure diseases

Medicinal plants in Sabah (North Borneo) exhibit antipancreatic lipase, anti-amylase, and antioxidant properties

Medicinal plants have been widely used for their notable health benefits and help in disease prevention for generations. In recent years, obesity has become among the risk factors of hyperglycemia and oxidation stress. This study aims to investigate the potential of plants in Sabah, North Borneo to inhibit the key enzymes involved in obesity, hyperglycemia and oxidative stress. A total of 46 plant extracts were subjected to anti-pancreatic lipase, α-amylase inhibition and antioxidant assays. It was observed that S43 (Lantana camara) exhibited the greatest IC50 of anti-pancreatic lipase activity (mean of IC50 (±S.D.) = 0.20 mg mL-1 ± 0.010). Cinnamomum sp. (S42) has the most substantial α-amylase activity with a mean IC50 (±S.D.) = 2.68 mg mL-1 ± 0.471. S19 (Glochidion rubrum) was the most effective antioxidants (mean of IC50 (±S.D.) = 0.011 mg mL-1 ± 0.004) among all the investigated samples. Interestingly, three plant extracts were found (S6-Buchanania sp.; S22-Vitex negundo and S42-Cinnamomum sp.) to exhibit inhibition activity in ant pancreatic lipase, α-amylase and antioxidant assays. The bioactivities of plant extracts have been closely related to the content of phytochemicals, as in earlier studies. Thus, plants have the potential to serve as supplements and nutraceuticals for obesity and other related complications

Risk association, linkage disequilibrium, and haplotype analyses of ß-like globin gene polymorphisms with malaria risk in the Sabah population of Malaysian Borneo

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the β-like globin gene of the human hosts to the risk of malaria are unclear. Therefore, this study investigates these associations in the Sabah population, with a high incidence of malaria cases. In brief, DNA was extracted from 188 post-diagnostic blood samples infected with Plasmodium parasites and 170 healthy controls without a history of malaria. Genotyping of the β-like globin C-158T, G79A, C16G, and C-551T SNPs was performed using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism approach. Risk association, linkage disequilibrium (LD), and haplotype analyses of these SNPs were assessed. This study found that the variant allele in the C-158T and C16G SNPs were protective against malaria infections by 0.5-fold, while the variant allele in the G79A SNP had a 6-fold increased risk of malaria infection. No SNP combination was in perfect LD, but several haplotypes (CGCC, CGCT, and CGGC) were identified to link with different correlation levels of malaria risk in the population. In conclusion, the C-158T, G79A, and C16G SNPs in the β-like globin gene are associated with the risk of malaria. The haplotypes (CGCC, CGCT, and CGGC) identified in this study could serve as biomarkers to estimate malaria risk in the population. This study provides essential data for the design of malaria control and management strategies

Phytochemical and anti-microbial potential of Mallotus mollissimus and Solanum erianthum extracts

Mallotus mollissimus (M. mollissimus) and Solanum erianthum (S. erianthum) plants have been reported to possess medicinal properties and have been effectively used by indigenous communities. However, the precise compositional and anti-microbial properties of these plants remain unclear. Hence, this study aims to investigate the qualitative phytochemicals and anti-microbial properties of the extract from M. mollissimus and S. erianthum. Anti-microbial activities and phytochemical studies were carried out using crude methanolic extract, chloroform fractions and selected chromatography fractions of M. mollissimus and S. erianthum. Anti-microbial activities targeting Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were performed using the disk diffusion method at 100 mg/mL. M. mollissimus have superior anti-microbial activities as compared to S. erianthum where Streptococcus pneumoniae were inhibited by CE.F3 fraction of M. mollissimus with an average inhibition diameter of 7.0 mm ± 0.48. We qualitatively determined the alkaloids, steroids, and cardiac glycosides in both plant extracts using biochemical assays. Interestingly, flavonoids, terpenoids, and tannins were found in M. mollissimus, which were correlated to the inhibition of Streptococcus pneumoniae. These findings indicate that M. mollissimus and S. erianthum contains large phytochemicals which give rise to anti-microbial effects

Antimicrobial activities and phytochemical properties of Blumea balsamifera against pathogenic microorganisms

Medicinal plants have been widely used in healthcare based on traditional knowledge. We investigated the antimicrobial activities and phytochemical contents of a plant known as Blumea balsamifera (B. balsamifera), which Sabah native people have used for health benefits. Methanolic extracts and fractions of the leaves of B. balsamifera were tested for their phytochemical contents and their antimicrobial activities against four Gram-negative and five Gram-positive strains of bacteria. The extracts of B. balsamifera showed antimicrobial activities against three Gram-positive, and one Gram-negative bacteria, with the zone of inhibition ranging from 7.8 mm±0.41 to 10.5 mm±0.71. Fraction CE.F7 exerted the broadest antimicrobial activity towards four Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria. The phytochemical constituents identified in the extracts were alkaloid, flavonoid, steroid, and cardiac glycosides. The plant extract demonstrated antimicrobial activities and contained multiple phytochemical constituents. Further investigations into potential antimicrobial agents containing promising fractions would validate the medicinal properties of B. balsamifera used in Sabah