INTRODUCTIONAs the country hardest hit by avian influenza, both in poultry and in human, Indonesia's decision to withhold samples of avian influenza virus A (H5N1) has fired up a global controversy. The objective of this paper is to describe the position taken by Indonesia in the events leading to the decision and in those conducted to resolve the situation.

METHODSThe sources for this paper are the Indonesian human influenza A(H5N1) case reports and study results, summaries, minutes and reports of national and international meetings of virus sharing, and other related Indonesian and WHO documents.

RESULTSThe International Health Regulations 2005 have been applied in different ways based on different interpretations. While one party insists on the importance of free, non-conditional, virus sharing for risk assessment and risk response, Indonesia--as supported by most of the developing countries--stresses on the more basic principles such as sovereignty of a country over its biological materials, transparency of the global system, and equity between developed and developing nations.

CONCLUSIONSThis event demonstrates the unresolved imbalance between the affluent high-tech countries and the poor agriculture-based countries. Regional, global and in-country meetings must continue to be conducted to find solutions acceptable to all.

Animals ; Birds ; Communication ; Cooperative Behavior ; Global Health ; Humans ; Indonesia ; epidemiology ; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype ; isolation & purification ; Influenza in Birds ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; transmission ; virology ; International Cooperation ; legislation & jurisprudence ; Risk Factors ; Trust

The aim of this study was to determine the genotoxicity of a locally produced nanocomposite by Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia using Comet assay. Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) were treated with the nanocomposite at five different concentrations (0.006, 0.0125, 0.025, 0.05, and 0.1 mg/ml) along with concurrent negative (medium alone) and positive control (zinc sulfate heptahydrate) and incubated at 37°C for 24 hours in an incubator at 5% CO2. The tail moment was used to assess the extent of DNA damage. The tail moment for the group of SHED treated with nanocomposite (for all the five different concentrations) was not statistically significant as compared to the negative control, suggesting that the locally produced dental nanocomposite did not induce any DNA damage. Hence, it can be concluded that the locally produced nanocomposite is non-genotoxic on stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth.

The aim of this study was to isolate stem cells from dental pulp of primary molars and incisors to be used as possible source for tissue engineering. Human primary molars and incisors were collected from subjects aged 4-7 year-old under standardized procedures. Within 24 hours, the tooth was cut at the cemento-enamel junction using hard tissue material cutter. The dental pulp tissue was extracted, digested and then cultured in Alpha Modified Eagles’s Medium (α-MEM) supplemented with 20% FCS, 100 mM L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate, 200 mM L-glutamine and 5000 units/ml Penicillin/Streptomycin. The cells were observed daily under the microscope until confluence. Children’s tooth pulp- derived progenitor cells were found positive for stem cell markers CD105 and CD166, which are consistent with the finding for mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from bone marrow.

Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn. (roselle) is a polyphenol rich fruit. This study aimed to identify the neuroprotective effect of roselle on LPS-induced cell proliferation and nitric oxide-induced free radical in microglia and neuroblastoma cells. MTT assay was used to identify the appropriate concentration of roselle and LPS for microglia and neuroblastoma cells proliferation study. Griess assay were used to determine the level of nitric oxide accumulated based on the reaction of Griess to estimate the activity of iNOS in nitric oxide production. The results showed that roselle at the concentration of 50 μg/mL and 100 μg/mL and LPS at concentration of 1 μg/mL does not give cytotoxic effect towards microglia C8-B4 and neuroblastoma LN18 cells. The roselle treatment at 50 μg/mL and 100 μg/mL showed a protective effect on LPS-induced microglia C8-B4 cells. However, in neuroblastoma LN18 cells, no protective effect was seen on both 50 μg/mL and 100 μg/mL of roselle treatment following induction with 1 μg/mL of LPS. On the other hand, the production of nitric oxide (NO) was reduced when LPS-induced microglia C8-B4 cells were treated with 50 μg/mL of roselle. Treatment of roselle at concentration 100 μg/mL on LPS-induced neuroblastoma LN18 cells also reduced the production of nitric oxide. As a conclusion, roselle had the ability to give neuroprotective effect by the inhibition of LPS induction activity on microglia activation for normal and cancer cells at different concentrations.
Hibiscus

Introduction: Adequate, nutritive and safe foods are crucial for growth and healthy living. Adolescents are vulnerable to food insecurity. This study was aimed at determining the demographic factors, food security status, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and body weight status of adolescents in Mentakab, Pahang, Malaysia. Methods: This study involved 160 households that comprised pairs of mothers and children aged 13-17 years. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with the mothers to assess their demographic and food security status (Radimer/Cornell Hunger and Food Insecurity Instrument). Meanwhile, the children answered a self-administered HRQOL questionnaire (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, PedsQL). Body weight and height were measured to obtain the body mass index (BMI). Results: About 48.8% of the adolescents were from households with food insecurity. The number of school-going siblings, occupation status of mother, occupation status of father, household income and house ownership status were predictors of food security status (p<0.05). After controlling for covariates, the HRQOL score and BMI were higher in adolescents from food-secure households than adolescents from food- insecure households (p<0.01). Conclusion: The prevalence of food insecurity was high and multifactorial. Food insecurity was further associated with HRQOL and BMI. Food assistance programmes are recommended to directly alleviate food insecurity. Concurrently, monetary and educational aids are advocated to reduce the economic burden, especially in low-income households.