INTRODUCTIONMillions of Muslim patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) fast during Ramadan. However, little is known about the metabolic impact of Ramadan fasting. We aimed to study the changes in body composition and metabolic profile in this group of patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODSWe studied 29 Southeast Asian Muslim patients with type 2 diabetes; all underwent pre-Ramadan education. Study variables were weight change, body composition (using multifrequency bioimpedance method, InBody S20®, Biospace, South Korea), blood pressure (BP), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting lipid profile, and caloric intake assessment using FoodWorks® nutrient analysis software.

RESULTSTwenty-three subjects fasted ≥15 days; mean ± SD: 57 ± 11 years; 52% were males. HbA1c improved significantly (8.6 ± 2.4% pre-Ramadan vs 8.0 ± 2.3% end-Ramadan, P = 0.017). Despite similar body weight, there was reduction in body fat mass (BFM) (30.9 ± 11 kg vs 29.2 ± 12.2 kg, P = 0.013). Multivariate analysis suggested that the reduction in HbA1c was attributed by reduction in BFM (β = -0.196, P = 0.034). There was no change in visceral adiposity (visceral fat area (VFA)) but stratification by gender showed a reduction amongst females (137.6 ± 24.5 cm2 to 132.5 ± 25.7 cm2, P = 0.017). These changes occurred despite similar total caloric intake (1473.9 ± 565.4 kcal vs 1473.1 ± 460.4 kcal, P = 0.995), and proportion of carbohydrate (55.4 ± 6.3% vs 53.3 ± 7.5%, P = 0.25) and protein intake (17.6 ± 4.1% vs 17.3 ± 5.4%, P = 0.792), before and during Ramadan respectively, but with increased proportion of fat intake (11.9 ± 2.4% vs 13 ± 11.7%, P = 0.04). Seven out of 23 patients had medications adjusted to avert symptomatic hypoglycaemia but none of the patients developed severe hypoglycaemia.

CONCLUSIONRamadan fasting can be practiced safely with prior patient education and medication adjustment. It also confers modest benefits on metabolic profile and body composition, especially among females.

Adult ; Aged ; Biomarkers ; blood ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Body Composition ; Body Mass Index ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; blood ; physiopathology ; Energy Intake ; Fasting ; physiology ; Female ; Glycated Hemoglobin A ; metabolism ; Holidays ; Humans ; Islam ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prospective Studies ; Sex Factors ; Singapore ; Weight Gain ; Weight Loss

Coccidiosis is a major recurring problem in the poultry industry and is caused by infection of one or more of the seven Eimeria species known to infect chickens, with Eimeria tenella among the best studied and economically important. Studies on the genetic diversity of E. tenella strains is essential for the development of universally acceptable diagnostic markers and vaccines against the disease. Eimeria tenella internal transcribed spacer-1 (ITS-1) and apical membrane antigen-1 (AMA-1) sequences from different parts of the world are available in the public domain and therefore provide suitable comparative markers for genetic diversity study. In this study, the ITS-1 and AMA-1 sequence diversity of two local E. tenella strains, namely EtNSN6 and EtSGR6 were characterized. Both ITS-1 and AMA-1 sequences for EtNSN6 and EtSGR6 were retrieved by mapping to their respective genome sequences generated using next generation sequencing. Multiple sequence alignment of the ITS-1 and AMA-1 sequences with selected homologous sequences revealed the presence of a total of five and 13 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) respectively. All SNPs appeared to occur at random and did not show any unique pattern based on geographical regions while no insertions and deletions (indels) was found to occur in the aligned sequences. However, unique bases that defined certain strains were detected. Phylogenetics analyses performed with Maximum Parsimony (MP) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) methods revealed similar topology for the internal groups with all the E. tenella ITS-1 and AMA-1 sequences grouped in the same clade supported by high bootstrap confidence. This confirmed that both EtNSN6 and EtSGR6 samples are E. tenella strains. Sequence comparison and phylogenetics analyses further suggest the possibility of low genetic diversity among E. tenella strains.

There is evidence that a substantial part of genetic predisposition to prostate cancer (PCa) may be due to lower penetrance genes which are found by genome-wide association studies. We have recently conducted such a study and seven new regions of the genome linked to PCa risk have been identified. Three of these loci contain candidate susceptibility genes: MSMB, LMTK2 and KLK2/3. The MSMB and KLK2/3 genes may be useful for PCa screening, and the LMTK2 gene might provide a potential therapeutic target. Together with results from other groups, there are now 23 germline genetic variants which have been reported. These results have the potential to be developed into a genetic test. However, we consider that marketing of tests to the public is premature, as PCa risk can not be evaluated fully at this stage and the appropriate screening protocols need to be developed. Follow-up validation studies, as well as studies to explore the psychological implications of genetic profile testing, will be vital prior to roll out into healthcare.
Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; genetics ; Genetic Testing ; Humans ; Kallikreins ; genetics ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Prostatic Secretory Proteins ; genetics ; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases ; genetics ; Risk Factors

This study was carried out to determine from bacterial profiling to the bacterial profiles of head lice among the Orang Asli communities. The head lice were collected from Orang Asli community volunteers. The surface sterilized head lice pools were subjected to genomic DNA extraction while next generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was performed using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Six female and three male head lice identified as Pediculus humanus capitis were collected. A total of 111 368 number of NGS sequencing reads were recorded while another 223 bacterial taxa sequences were obtained. Symbiotic bacteria showed the highest number of reads, with Arsenophonus and Rhodococcus sequences being the most abundant genera in the female and male samples, respectively. The female head lice contained a more distinct microbial diversity. Amongst the pathogenic bacterial species sequences noted were the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Streptobacillus moniliformis, Haemophilus influenzae, Bordetella pertussis and Acinetobacter baumannii. The 16S rRNA genome sequencing revealed a number of rare and pathogenic bacterial species within the head lice of the Orang Asli. The socio-economic practices of the community which involved forest foraging and hunting, and their poor living conditions potentially facilitated the transmission of zoonotic bacterial pathogens, including those found within the head lice. Hence, there is the possibility that the head lice could serve as vectors for the transmission of pathogenic bacteria. This study highlighted the diverse microbial community found within the head lice’s gut of the Orang Asli, with the detection of multiple rare and pathogenic bacteria capable of causing severe infections.