Fungi from dead arthropods and bats of Gomantong cave, northern Borneo, Sabah (Malaysia)

Borneo is a biodiversity and ecotourism hotspot, yet one of its least-studied ecosystems is their limestone caves. Not many studies have been conducted on the role fungi play in tropical cave ecosystems, and no fungal surveys have been conducted in the caves of Sabah, Malaysia. Here, we assess the mycofloral diversity on bat and arthropod cadavers in one of the most popular ecotourism destinations of northern Borneo, Gomantong caves. Opportunistic sampling of cadavers within the Semud Hitam chamber of Gomantong cave yielded nine dead arthropods and four dead bats. Twenty-four culturable fungi were isolated, of which 14 morphological taxonomic units (MTU) were observed. Twelve of the 14 MTUs underwent molecular characterization of the ITS gene region to confirm identification. All fungi were Ascomycetes except for one Basidiomycete isolate. Aspergillus spp. had the highest occurrence (45.8%), followed by Penicillium spp. (25.0%), and Fusarium sp. (12.5%). Ceratobasidium sp., Diaporthe sp., Pestalotiopsis sp., and Xylaria feejeensis were isolated once each. No more than one fungal taxon was isolated from each arthropod cadaver, and not all arthropods yielded culturable fungi. Bat cadavers yielded 14 out of 24 isolates (58.3%), with the highest occurrence of the fungi sampled from their skin. Our results corroborate that bats and arthropods play a role in fungal dispersion and introduction in the cave because their exteriors are likely to harbor fungi they are exposed to in the environment. We also conclude that cadavers are important substrates for fungal growth and proliferation, perpetuating the role of fungi as important decomposers in caves. This study provides a baseline of information of the mycobiome of Bornean caves for future bioprospecting and potential biotechnological applications

Towards the clinical implementation of pharmacogenetics in bipolar disorder.

BackgroundBipolar disorder (BD) is a psychiatric illness defined by pathological alterations between the mood states of mania and depression, causing disability, imposing healthcare costs and elevating the risk of suicide. Although effective treatments for BD exist, variability in outcomes leads to a large number of treatment failures, typically followed by a trial and error process of medication switches that can take years. Pharmacogenetic testing (PGT), by tailoring drug choice to an individual, may personalize and expedite treatment so as to identify more rapidly medications well suited to individual BD patients.DiscussionA number of associations have been made in BD between medication response phenotypes and specific genetic markers. However, to date clinical adoption of PGT has been limited, often citing questions that must be answered before it can be widely utilized. These include: What are the requirements of supporting evidence? How large is a clinically relevant effect? What degree of specificity and sensitivity are required? Does a given marker influence decision making and have clinical utility? In many cases, the answers to these questions remain unknown, and ultimately, the question of whether PGT is valid and useful must be determined empirically. Towards this aim, we have reviewed the literature and selected drug-genotype associations with the strongest evidence for utility in BD.SummaryBased upon these findings, we propose a preliminary panel for use in PGT, and a method by which the results of a PGT panel can be integrated for clinical interpretation. Finally, we argue that based on the sufficiency of accumulated evidence, PGT implementation studies are now warranted. We propose and discuss the design for a randomized clinical trial to test the use of PGT in the treatment of BD

Convergent functional genomic studies of omega-3 fatty acids in stress reactivity, bipolar disorder and alcoholism

Omega-3 fatty acids have been proposed as an adjuvant treatment option in psychiatric disorders. Given their other health benefits and their relative lack of toxicity, teratogenicity and side effects, they may be particularly useful in children and in females of child-bearing age, especially during pregnancy and postpartum. A comprehensive mechanistic understanding of their effects is needed. Here we report translational studies demonstrating the phenotypic normalization and gene expression effects of dietary omega-3 fatty acids, specifically docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), in a stress-reactive knockout mouse model of bipolar disorder and co-morbid alcoholism, using a bioinformatic convergent functional genomics approach integrating animal model and human data to prioritize disease-relevant genes. Additionally, to validate at a behavioral level the novel observed effects on decreasing alcohol consumption, we also tested the effects of DHA in an independent animal model, alcohol-preferring (P) rats, a well-established animal model of alcoholism. Our studies uncover sex differences, brain region-specific effects and blood biomarkers that may underpin the effects of DHA. Of note, DHA modulates some of the same genes targeted by current psychotropic medications, as well as increases myelin-related gene expression. Myelin-related gene expression decrease is a common, if nonspecific, denominator of neuropsychiatric disorders. In conclusion, our work supports the potential utility of omega-3 fatty acids, specifically DHA, for a spectrum of psychiatric disorders such as stress disorders, bipolar disorder, alcoholism and beyond

The fungal diversity of Madai Cave, Sabah, Malaysia

Borneo is one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world, but its limestone caves are one of its least studied ecosystems. Studies of the cave mycobiota of Sabah is essentially nonexistent. In this study, speleothem (n = 4), cavern water (n =4), and bat guano (n = 4) samples were collected and studied for their fungal diversity and abundance. Opportunistic sampling was utilized and the dilution method was performed during isolation. Fifty-five culturable fungi were isolated of which 32 species from 15 genera, nine orders, and two phyla were observed. Morphological characterization and molecular analysis of the ITS gene region were utilized for identification of the isolates. The average fungal abundance count for speleothem samples were 229.3 CFU/cm2, cavern water was 335.0 CFU/ml, and bat guano was 6266.7 CFU/g. Simpson and Shannon diversity indices indicated that speleothem samples had the highest fungal diversity, followed by bat guano, and cavern water. Speleothem also resulted in the most pure isolates (n=23) and distinct fungal taxa (n=19). Ascomycetes dominated the fungal composition of all sample types, accounting for 53 out of 55 total isolates. The remaining two isolates were both Basidiomycetes. The most abundant genera recovered from cave samples was Penicillium, but Aspergillus spp. had the highest occurrence as they were isolated from all samples except for one. Purpureocillium lilacinum was the species with the highest occurrence, appearing in five separate samples from all three substrate types. This study serves to produce baseline data useful for further research on the mycoflora of Sabah’s various ecosystems. We urge that visitors should be more aware of the potential risks and disturbance they cause to microbial communities when entering cave environments

A Quasi Experimental study to evaluate the Effectiveness of Planned Teaching Program regarding Selected Childhood Mental Disorder on Knowledge and Attitude among Primary School Teachers at Selected Institutions in Madurai

The focus of the study to evaluate the effectiveness of planned teaching program on level of knowledge and attitude of childhood mental disorder among primary school teachers at selected institutions in Madurai. A review of literature helped the investigator to develop the conceptual framework, questionnaire, Likert scale and methodology. The review was done with the help of various literatures. The conceptual frame work adopted for this study was derived from Stufflebeam’s CIPP model for evaluation; it serves as a comprehensive framework for guiding evaluations of program, projects, personnel, evaluation systems etc. Research design adopted for the study was experimental design. A questionnaire was developed and used for collecting data about level of knowledge and attitude of primary school teachers on childhood mental disorders. The tool was found to be reliable and feasible. The reliability of the tool was established by testretest method. The tool was administered among 6 primary school teachers at Madurai and retest was given. Karl parson’s coefficient of correlation was computed and reliability of the level of knowledge found to be 0.99% and the reliability for level of attitude found to be 0.99%. The tool was found to be reliable. Data gathered were analyzed and interpreted in terms of the study objectives. The main study was conducted in primary schools in Madurai with help of the school headmistress for a period of six weeks. Purposive sampling technique was used to collect data from the respondents of the study. Data were organized and interpreted by using both descriptive and inferential statistics. OBJECTIVES: 1. To assess the pre-test level of knowledge and attitude regarding childhood mental disorders among primary school teachers. 2. To assess the post-test level of knowledge and attitude regarding childhood mental disorders among primary school teachers. 3. To assess the difference of pre-test, post-test level of knowledge and attitude. 4. To identify the relationship on post-test level of knowledge with attitude. 5. To associate post-test level of knowledge and attitude with selected demographic variables (Age, experience, marital status, disorder in family, place of residence). HYPOTHESIS: H1: There will be a significant difference in pre-test and post-test level of knowledge score regarding childhood mental disorders. H2: There will be a significant difference in pre-test and post-test level of attitude score regarding childhood mental disorders. H3: There will be a significant relationship between post-test level of knowledge and attitude regarding childhood mental disorders. H4: There will be a significant association between the post-test knowledge score with selected demographic variables. H5: There will be a significant association between the post-test attitude score with selected demographic variables. MAIN FINDINGS OF THE STUDY: Regarding level of knowledge and attitude in the pre-test among primary school teachers, 38 (63.3%) had inadequate knowledge and 22 (36.7%) had moderate knowledge about childhood mental disorders. Regarding level of attitude 41 (68.3%) had negative attitude and remaining 19 (31.7%) of the total primary school teachers had neutral attitude towards childhood mental disorders Regarding the effectiveness of planned teaching program, mean score for posttest level of knowledge was higher than pre-test level of knowledge. It was 13.8 in pretest and 25.4 in post test. The mean score of attitude in post-test is 34 increased from pretest mean score 17.9. This shows that there was significant difference between pre-test and post-test level of knowledge and attitude regarding childhood mental disorder among primary school teachers. This shows that the planned teaching program was effective. It was observed that the planned teaching program plays a vital role in improving the level of knowledge and attitude of primary school teachers. Regarding the relationship between post-test level of knowledge and attitude, there was a positive correlation between post-test level of knowledge and attitude. Regarding association between level of knowledge and attitude with selected demographic variables, there was no significant association between levels of knowledge and level of attitude with demographic variables like age, sex, marital status, experience, prior information. Regarding association between levels of knowledge and attitude with selected demographic variables, there was no significant association between their knowledge and attitude with childhood mental disorder with their age, sex, marital status, experience and prior information of the primary school teachers. CONCLUSION: The main conclusion of this present study is that education plays fundamental role in bringing changes in knowledge and attitude of the primary school teacher. The investigator hopes that the planned teaching program could increase their level of knowledge and attitude on childhood mental disorders among primary school teachers