PHYSICOCHEMICAL, PHYTOCHEMICAL AND ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES OF WILD HONEY COLLECTED AT MANGROVE AND MOUNTAIN AREAS IN SABAH, MALAYSIAN BORNEO

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the physicochemical, phytochemical content and antimicrobial properties of selected honey of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Methods: A standardized protocols were used to evaluate the physicochemical properties of selected honey of Sabah while the phytochemicals content (phenolics and flavonoids) were determined using Folin-Ciocalteau and aluminium colorimetric methods. Antimicrobial properties were evaluated using disc diffusion assay. Results: For 80% methanol extract, old Upper Mountain honey contained the highest free acidity, conductivity, total phenolic and flavonoid contents with the values 23.84 ± 0.42 ml/g, 0.61 ± 0.01 mS/cm, 9.71 ± 0.01 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g and 7.76 ± 0.02 mg rutin equivalent (RU)/g, respectively. Antimicrobial activity showed strong inhibition by old Upper Mountain honey extract (80% methanol extract) with the value of 6.00 ± 0.01 mm at concentration of 100% against gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis). The same trend of phytochemicals content and antimicrobial activity was also observed in absolute methanol extracts. Conclusion: The present results suggested that wild raw honey collected at mangrove and mountain area in Sabah contained a wide range of phytochemical compounds which has the potential for human health

Creating a SNOMED CT reference set for common endocrine disorders based on routine clinic correspondence

We are grateful to the staff and patients of the endocrine clinic at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI) for the survey responses and provision of data used in this study. We are also thankful to Dr Charlotte Lee and Dr Wendy Yap for their help with data analysis. No external funding was sought or obtained for this study.Peer reviewe

Checklist of ectoparasitic arthropods among cave-dwelling bats from Marinduque Island, Philippines

This paper constitutes the first ectoparasite faunal survey of bats for Marinduque Island, Philippines. From 1–12 June 2010, 150 bats belonging to 11 species were captured in 11 caves on the island. Each bat was sampled for ectoparasitic arthropods, and a total of 587 individuals representing 21 species, belonging to five families (Acari: Argasidae and Spinturnicidae; Diptera: Nycteribiidae and Streblidae; and Siphonaptera: Ischnopsyllidae) were collected. New host records (new host record) in the Philippines for Brachytarsina cucullata Jobling 1934, B. proxima Jobling 1951, B. werneri Jobling 1951, Raymondia pseudopagodarum Jobling 1951, Eucampsipoda philippinensis Ferris 1924, Nycteribia allotopa Speiser 1901, Nycteribia allotopoides Theodor 1963, Nycteribia parvuloides Theodor 1963, Ancystropus taprobanius (Turk 1950), and Carios batuensis Hirst 1929 were documented. A checklist of the ectoparasitic species known from the Philippines, their distribution, and bat host species is provided

Environmental influences on familial discordance of phenotype in people with homocystinuria: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Non-heritable factors may have an influence on the clinical expression of monogenic inherited metabolic diseases.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>This is a case report of a man whose mother had been diagnosed late in childhood with pyridoxine responsive homocystinuria with lens dislocation and neurodevelopmental delay. These severe complications were not observed in her son who was pyridoxine unresponsive but who had been treated appropriately since early infancy.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The phenotype of people with homocystinuria can be discordant within a family, with variability in metabolic and clinical expression depending upon both the genotype and therapeutic interventions. Offspring of people with homocystinuria should be screened in early infancy and, if positive, treated appropriately whether they have pyridoxine responsive or unresponsive disease.</p

Gene profiling identifies commonalities in neuronal pathways in excitotoxicity : evidence favouring cell cycle re-activation in concert with oxidative stress

The fulltext of this publication will be made publicly available after relevant embargo periods have lapsed and associated copyright clearances obtained.Excitotoxicity, induced by the aberrant rise in cytosolic Ca(2+) level, is a major neuropathological process in numerous neurodegenerative disorders. It is triggered when extracellular glutamate (Glu) concentration reaches neuropathological levels resulting in dysregulation and hyper-activation of ionotropic glutamate receptor subtype (iGluRs). Even though all three members of the iGluRs, namely N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDAR), α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPAR) and kainate (KAR) receptors are implicated in excitotoxicity, their individual contributions to downstream signaling transduction have not been explored. In this study, we report a comprehensive description of the recruitment of cellular processes in neurons upon iGluR activation during excitotoxicity through temporal (5h, 15h, and 24h) global gene profiling of AMPA, KA, NMDA, and Glu excitotoxic models. DNA microarray analyses of mouse primary cortical neurons treated with these four pharmacological agonists are further validated via real-time PCR. Bi-model analyses against Glu model demonstrate that NMDARs and KARs play a more pivotal role in Glu-mediated excitotoxicity, with a higher degree of global gene profiling overlaps, as compared to that of AMPARs. Comparison of global transcriptomic profiles reveals aberrant calcium ion binding and homeostasis, organellar (lysosomal and endoplasmic reticulum) stress, oxidative stress, cell cycle re-entry and activation of cell death processes as the main pathways that are significantly modulated across all excitotoxicity models. Singular profile analyses demonstrate substantial transcriptional regulation of numerous cell cycle proteins. For the first time, we show that iGluR activation forms the basis of cell cycle re-activation, and together with oxidative stress fulfill the "two-hit" hypothesis that accelerates neurodegeneration

Implementation of Integrated Care in Singapore: A Complex Adaptive System Perspective

Background: Integrated care that focuses on organising healthcare services around people and their communities rather than their diseases is promoted as the strategy to overcome the challenges associated with growing complexity in healthcare needs, demand for healthcare services and inadequate supply of services due to fragmentation in the provision of services. While conceptually appears to be simple, integrated care is made up of multicomponent delivery strategies targeting various levels of the healthcare system while engaging various stakeholders in their execution. Methods: We applied the complex adaptive system (CAS) perspective to two different initiatives that exemplify approaches towards integrating care in Singapore: the Regional Health System (RHS) model, implemented across healthcare institutions at the national level, and CARITAS Integrated Dementia Care implemented in the northern region of Singapore. We adopted an inductive approach in our analysis in which we studied the RHS and CARITAS Integrated Dementia Care according to the components of the CAS. We applied the typical characteristics of CAS: (i) diverse, interdependent and semi-autonomous actors (ii) self-organizing capacity and simple rules (iii) relationship with the bigger system, emergent behaviour and non-linearity in our analysis of key drivers behind the implementation of both the RHS and CARITAS integrated dementia care. Results: By considering the RHS and CARITAS as whole networks each comprising of interacting and adaptive components instead of separate entities within a bigger system, the CAS provided a new mind-set in surfacing issues associated to the implementation of these integrated care networks. In addition to important actors, systems, it informed understanding of relationships and dependencies between different parts of the network – revealing the lack of homogeneity, conformity and difficulties in designing any optimal system in advance given the many moving parts. Conclusions: Drawing on the two examples of integrated care networks, this paper highlights the significance of effective collaboration built on a common focus, responsiveness to emergent behaviours, simple rules, the ability to self-organize and adapt in response to unexpected situations in further development of integrated care in the Singapore context and beyond

Modulation of the Cellular Expression of Circulating Advanced Glycation End-Product Receptors in Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy

Background. Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and their receptors are prominent contributors to diabetic kidney disease. Methods. Flow cytometry was used to measure the predictive capacity for kidney impairment of the AGE receptors RAGE, AGE-R1, and AGE-R3 on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in experimental models of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) fed varied AGE containing diets and in obese type 2 diabetic and control human subjects. Results. Diets high in AGE content fed to diabetic mice decreased cell surface RAGE on PBMCs and in type 2 diabetic patients with renal impairment (RI). All diabetic mice had elevated Albumin excretion rates (AERs), and high AGE fed dbdb mice had declining Glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Cell surface AGE-R1 expression was also decreased by high AGE diets and with diabetes in dbdb mice and in humans with RI. PBMC expression of AGE R3 was decreased in diabetic dbdb mice or with a low AGE diet. Conclusions. The most predictive PBMC profile for renal disease associated with T2DM was an increase in the cell surface expression of AGE-R1, in the context of a decrease in membranous RAGE expression in humans, which warrants further investigation as a biomarker for progressive DN in larger patient cohorts

Technical Development and Clinical Evaluation of Intelligent Continence Management System at Nursing Home

International audienceUrinary incontinence and diaper use is common among elderly people with dementia staying at nursing homes. Delays in timely diaper change will cause personal, social and economic ramifications to those elderly as well as to the carers who provide nursing care. In order to alleviate these daily care issues, an intelligent continence management system leveraging on sensors, pervasive sensor network, ambient intelligence and reminders is designed and developed. Clinical trial is conducted with multiple elderly people with dementia at a nursing home to evaluate the applicability and usefulness of the developed system. The analysis of trial outcomes and usability studies proves that this will be a feasible and effective approach to tackle the problems faced in managing incontinence effectively at nursing home