Molecular Epidemiology of Dengue Viruses Co-circulating in Upper Myanmar in 2006

To understand the molecular epidemiology of circulating dengue viruses (DENV) in Upper Myanmar, DENV isolation was attempted by inoculating the sera of a panel of 110 serum samples onto a C6/36 mosquito cell line. The samples were collected from dengue (DEN) patients admitted at Mandalay Children’s Hospital in 2006. Infected culture fluids were subjected to a RT-PCR to detect the DENV genome. Three DENV strains were isolated. This was the first DENV isolation performed either in Mandalay or in Upper Myanmar. One strain belonged to DENV serotype-3 (DENV-3), and two other strains belonged to DENV serotype-4 (DEN-4). The sequence data for the envelope gene of these strains were used in a phylogenetic comparison of DENV-3 and DENV-4 from various countries. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that this DENV-3 strain was clustered within genotype II, and the two DENV-4 strains were clustered within genotype I in each serotype. The Myanmar strains were closely related to strains from the neighboring countries of Thailand and Bangladesh. These results are important for elucidating the trends of recent and future DEN outbreaks in Myanmar

Unparalleled experiences of online medical education during Covid-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia has adversely affected the country in many aspects especially the economy and education sectors. Schools and universities alike are facing challenges in providing quality education to students. Many strategies have been recommended to improve the quality of online teaching to enhance students’ engagement in the teaching-learning processes. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are one of the alternative teaching strategies to advocate the students to access education remotely. It is time to take advantage of the uncertain period of COVID-19 into an opportunity to develop the MOOCs for the students

Mitochondrial P-JNK target, SAB (SH3BP5), in regulation of cell death

Cell death occurs in various circumstances, such as homeostasis, stress response, and defense, via specific pathways and mechanisms that are regulated by specific activator-induced signal transductions. Among them, Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) participate in various aspects, and the recent discovery of JNKs and mitochondrial protein SAB interaction in signal regulation of cell death completes our understanding of the mechanism of sustained activation of JNK (P-JNK), which leads to triggering of the machinery of cell death. This understanding will lead the investigators to discover the modulators facilitating or preventing cell death for therapeutic application in acute or chronic diseases and cancer. We discuss here the mechanism and modulators of the JNK-SAB-ROS activation loop, which is the core component of mitochondria-dependent cell death, specifically apoptosis and mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT)-driven necrosis, and which may also contribute to cell death mechanisms of ferroptosis and pyroptosis. The discussion here is based on the results and evidence discovered from liver disease models, but the JNK-SAB-ROS activation loop to sustain JNK activation is universally applicable to various disease models where mitochondria and reactive oxygen species contribute to the mechanism of disease

Prevalence and determinants of tobacco use among youth in Myanmar: review of findings from Global Youth Tobacco Survey 2016 Data

Background The study aims to reassess the health, knowledge and practice of students, (9-11 Grades) after the introduction of New National Tobacco Control program for 5 years. This study includes data on prevalence of cigarettes and other tobacco use as well as information on five determinants of tobacco use: access, exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS), cessation, media and advertising, and other indicators. Methods Myanmar GYTS uses a two-stage sample design with schools selected proportional to enrolment size. A total of 3633 eligible students in grades 9-11 completed the survey ,of which 2621 were aged 13-15 years Results Between 2011 and 2016, a reduction in the proportion of students currently use any tobacco products is observed (a fall from overall prevalence among 13-15 year olds of 18.6% to 14%). but currently smoked cigarettes had increased during the period from 6.8% to 8.3%. Currently use any smokeless tobacco products had decreased (9.8% to 5.7%). 74.5% of current smokers tried to stop smoking in the past 12 months.33.2% are exposed to tobacco smoke at home as well as 28.4% are exposed tobacco smoke inside any enclosed public place. 61% of current cigarette smokers bought cigarettes from a store, shop or street vendors. 42.3% of students noticed tobacco advertisements on point of sale. 65% of students thought other people's smoking is harmful to them. Conclusions Myanmar Youth Tobacco program should strengthen in all schools to be 100% tobacco-free and also incorporate training of school personnel on tobacco control, specifically youth-focused programs as joint efforts between Ministry of Health and Sports and Ministry of Education in collaboration with related ministries. Enforcement of the national legislation on tobacco control needs to be strengthened, and the National Tobacco Control Program needs to be more comprehensive incorporating measures to reduce smokeless tobacco use and other non-cigarette tobacco products

Sex Differences in NAFLD: State of the Art and Identification of Research Gaps

In spite of tremendous research advancements in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), our understanding of sex-differences in NAFLD remains insufficient. This review summarizes current knowledge on sex differences in NAFLD, identifies current gaps, and discusses important considerations for future research. The prevalence and severity of NAFLD are higher in men than in women during the reproductive age. However, after menopause, NAFLD occurs at a higher rate in women suggesting that estrogen is protective. Sex differences also exist for the major risk factors of NAFLD. In general, animal models of NAFLD recapitulate sex differences observed in patients with more severe steatosis and steatohepatitis, more pro-inflammatory/pro-fibrotic cytokines, and a higher incidence of hepatic tumors in males than females. Based on computer modeling, female and male livers are metabolically distinct with unique regulators modulating sex-specific metabolic outcomes. Analysis of the literature reveals that most published clinical and epidemiological studies fail to examine sex differences appropriately. Considering the paucity of data on sex differences and the knowledge that regulators of pathways relevant to current therapeutic targets for NAFLD differ by sex, clinical trials should be designed to test drug efficacy and safety according to sex, age, reproductive stage (i.e., menopause) and synthetic hormone use. CONCLUSION: Sex differences do exist in the prevalence, risk factors, fibrosis, and clinical outcomes of NAFLD suggesting that, while not yet incorporated, sex will probably be considered in future practice guidelines. Adequate consideration of sex differences, sex hormones/menopause status, age, and other reproductive information in clinical investigation and gene association studies of NAFLD are needed to fill current gaps and implement precision medicine for patients with NAFLD. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

A Study on Some Myanmar Ornamental Fish Species in Inlay Lake

The taxonomical studies of ornamental fishes of Inlay Lake were carried out. This study has recorded the occurrence of 12 species of ornamental fishes belonging to three orders and six families representing ten genera. Five species were recorded as endemic to Inlay Lake and its environments. About four of exported species were described in detail. The status of the studied species in the lake were discussed

Continuous infusion versus bolus injection of loop diuretics for congestive heart failure

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of intravenous continuous infusion versus bolus injection of loop diuretics for the initial treatment of acute decompensated heart failure.

Expression of mitochondrial membrane-linked SAB determines severity of sex-dependent acute liver injury

SAB is an outer membrane docking protein for JNK mediated impaired mitochondrial function. Deletion of Sab in hepatocytes inhibits sustained JNK activation and cell death. Current work demonstrated that increasing SAB enhanced the severity of APAP liver injury. Female mice were resistant to liver injury and exhibited markedly decreased hepatic SAB protein expression versus males. The mechanism of SAB repression involved a pathway from ERalpha to p53 expression which induced miR34a-5p. miR34a-5p targeted the Sab mRNA coding region, repressing SAB expression. Fulvestrant or p53 knockdown decreased miR34a-5p and increased SAB in females leading to increased injury from APAP and TNF/galactosamine. In contrast, ERalpha agonist increased p53 and miR34a-5p which decreased SAB expression and hepatotoxicity in males. Hepatocyte-specific deletion of miR34a also increased severity of liver injury in females, which was prevented by GalNAc-ASO knockdown of Sab. Similar to mice, premenopausal human females also expressed high hepatic p53 and low SAB levels while age-matched males expressed low p53 and high SAB levels, but there was no sex difference of SAB expression in postmenopause. In conclusion, the level of SAB expression determined the severity of JNK dependent liver injury. Females expressed low hepatic SAB protein levels due to an ERalpha-p53-miR34a pathway which repressed SAB expression, accounting for resistance to liver injury