Post-mortem microbiology (PMM) is an important tool in identifying possible causes of sudden unexpected death, as an infectious cause is highly suspected. However, contamination is a major problem in microbiology, and this has increased the difficulty determining the true pathogen that contributes to death in post-mortem cases. Skin commensals are common contaminants in blood cultures. This study was conducted to investigate the skin flora on early deceased bodies and observe the bacteria detected at different post-mortem intervals (PMIs). As blood is usually drawn from the neck and femoral sites for PMM examination, the two body sites were chosen as the sampling sites. Skin swab samples from the neck and femoral (n=80) of each early deceased body were collected by sterile cotton swabs. DNA was extracted from the swabs and then subjected to high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing by using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Staphylococcus was found to be the most dominant genus in both neck and femoral sites. LEfSe results showed that Cutibacterium is significantly different at the neck site while Corynebacterium is more abundant at femoral site. There are significant differences at genus level between PMI<5H and PMI>5H at both neck and femoral sites. The findings of the present study may act as a reference for microbiologists and forensic pathologists when mixed growth or contamination occurs in post-mortem blood cultures.

Parent-implemented language intervention (PILI) is one of the intervention approaches used in managing late talkers (LTs). Yet, there are few evidence-based PILI programs available for parents of LTs. This scoping review aimed to (a) assess the characteristics of participants depicted in the literature related to PILI programs for parents of LTs, (b) provide an overview of the structure and design of the available PILI programs for parents of LTs, and (c) explore the effectiveness of the programs in relation to the characteristics of reviewed studies. The scoping review was performed by adhering to the general principles prescribed by Arksey and O’Malley (2005). Articles that fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were published from 1980 to 2018 were selected. Two reviewers independently charted the information from the identified articles. A total of 15 articles were selected. The results were reviewed in terms of participant characteristics, intervention characteristics, and effectiveness of PILI programs. Most adult participants in PILI studies were mothers and included child participants with either expressive language delay or receptive and expressive language delay. Moreover, there were different structures and designs of PILI programs for parents of LTs. Preliminary evidence indicated that PILI was more effective than no/delayed intervention and could be as effective as direct therapy provided by clinicians. A discussion related to the findings was also presented.

The HACEK organisms consist of the non-influenzae Haemophilus sp., Aggregatibacter sp., Cardiobacterium sp., Eikenella corrodens and Kingella sp. are responsible for a sizable percentage of infective endocarditis cases worldwide with the mortality rate of 18%. Amongst them, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is the most common pathogen strongly associated with infective endocarditis. A. actinomycetemcomitans forms part of the oral microbiota and is also the etiological agent of periodontitis. Here, we present a case of a 37-year-old man with underlying obstructive uropathy, that sought treatment for postural hypotension and symptomatic anaemia with fever. Later, he had developed decompensated congestive cardiac failure with aortic regurgitation. A cardiac echocardiogram revealed the presence of vegetation on the aortic valve. Blood culture grew A. actinomycetemcomitans, and he was treated with furosemide and ceftriaxone. A further dental examination showed the patient is having chronic periodontitis, which could be the possible source of A. actinomycetemcomitans causing infective endocarditis. The patient was then transferred to the National Heart Centre for the first time for further management after completion of 4 weeks of intravenous antibiotics. As the pathogen is fastidious, rapid and newer technology like MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry provides rapid and accurate identification for appropriate patient clinical management.

Aims: Banana peel (BP) waste is still underutilized in Malaysia, which can be used as source of renewable energy. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a device that utilizes biomass to convert chemical energy into electrical energy with help of the microbial catalysis. The present study evaluates the current generation of MFC supplemented with BP waste as substrate for Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853. Methodology and results: The CHNS result shows that the C:N ratio of BP is 27:1 which is within the optimum C:N ratio for the microbial food requirement. Fluctuation of current increases as concentration of banana peel extract (BPE) decreases from 1:10, 1:20, 1:40 and 1:80, thus making 1:10 BPE optimum. Current fluctuation is related to microbial activity due to the sufficiency of nutrients which subsequently affect the performance of MFC. BPE and banana peel slurry (BPS) comparison shows that BPS is optimum. BPE reaches a maximum current of 3.91 µA in ascending phase which is higher compared to BPS (3.65 µA). In descending phase, BPE current drops to 2.31 µA compared to 2.98 µA of BPS. In stationary phase, BPS able to maintain a higher current compared to BPE. MFC maximum current was doubled to 6.52 µA when PEM was treated priorly. Conclusion, significance and impact of study Besides exploring and improving the ability of MFC as an alternative for power production other than fossil fuel, this research also encourage society to fully utilize waste as a source of renewable energy instead of throwing it into garbage without productivity.

Objectives: Insulin degludec (IDeg)/insulin aspart (IAsp; IDegAsp) is a co-formulation of 70% IDeg and 30% IAsp. According to several randomized controlled trials, IDegAsp is effective and safe for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A subgroup analysis of the ARISE study was conducted to explore the safety and efficacy of IDegAsp among Malaysian patients with T2DM in real-world settings. Methodology: ARISE, an open-label, multicenter, non-interventional, prospective study was conducted between August 2019 and December 2020. Adult Malaysian patients with T2DM who were enrolled from 14 sites received IDegAsp as per the local label for 26 weeks. The primary endpoint was change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels from baseline to end of study (EOS). Results: Of the 182 patients included in the full analysis set, 159 (87.4%) completed the study. From baseline to EOS, HbA1c (estimated difference [ED]: –1.3% [95% CI: –1.61 to –0.90]) and fasting plasma glucose levels (ED: –1.8 mmol/L [95% CI: –2.49 to –1.13]) were significantly reduced (p<0.0001). The patient-reported reduced hypoglycemic episodes (overall and nocturnal) during treatment. Overall, 37 adverse events were observed in 23 (12.6%) patients. Conclusion Switching or initiating IDegAsp treatment resulted in significant improvements in glycemic control and a reduction in hypoglycemic episodes.

Liposomes are phospholipid bilayer vesicles, which are biocompatible, biodegradable and nontoxic vehicles suitable for numerous drug and gene delivery applications. In this review, we discuss the prospect of using liposome technology in the development of a vaccine for tuberculosis. Tuberculosis remains an important health problem that requires the development of an effective vaccine, especially since the only approved vaccine for it continues to be the Bacille Calmette-Geurin (BCG) one developed 100 years ago. This review focuses on the different applications of liposomes toward achieving this goal. Numerous liposomal formulations showing prospect in the research stage and in clinical trials are discussed.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been spreading like a wildfire everywhere in the globe. It has been challenging the global health care system ever since the end of 2019, with its virulence and pathogenicity. Recent studies have shown the association between ABO blood group, Rhesus blood type and susceptibility to COVID-19 infection. Various studies and few meta-analyses have been done and some might be inconsistent; therefore, this meta-analysis was done to assess the relationship between different ABO and Rhesus blood types on the susceptibility to COVID-19 infections. This meta-analysis assessed the odds ratio of COVID-19 infection of different ABO and Rhesus blood types. Subgroup analyses according to (1) age and gender matched; (2) different blood group antigens; (3) Rhesus positive and negative of each blood group were carried out. Publication bias and Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2) were also done to assess the risk of bias in these publications. It was found that blood group A showed significant difference in odds ratio of COVID-19 infection (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.08-1.24). Blood group AB showed significant difference in odds ratio when studies with lower QUADAS-2 score were removed. This means that populations with blood group A and AB are more likely to be infected with COVID-19. As there is a higher tendency that blood group A and AB to be infected with COVID19, precautious care should be taken by these populations.

Mouth rinses which function as breath fresheners, medicaments, and antiseptics can also deliver oral therapeutic agents. This study evaluated and compared the antifungal effects of synthetic and herbal mouth rinses on oral C. albicans and C. glabrata via disk diffusion, minimal inhibition concentration (MIC), minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC), time-kill assay, and growth profile tests. The four chemical mouth rinses, namely Brand O (A), Brand M (B), Brand H (C), and Brand B (D) used in the study showed positive antifungal activity in these two species. The average diameter of the inhibition zones obtained from the disk diffusion test was higher in mouth rinse B (C. albicans = 12.0 ± 0.9 mm, C. glabrata = 13.5 ± 0.8 mm) compared to those in C, A and D. Both Candida species exhibited similar MIC and MFC values, ranging from 1.63 ± 0.5 to 18.75 ± 0.0 µg/mL and 6.51 ± 2.01 to 50.00 ± 9.36 µg/mL, respectively. These synthetic mouth rinses had efficient killing activity eliminating 50% of the growing population of both Candida spp. following 15 seconds exposure time. Analyses of the growth profile curves showed that mouth rinses B and A resulted in rapid growth depletion of both Candida spp. Meanwhile, three herbal mouth rinses, namely Brand S (E), Brand C (F), and Brand P (G), were less effective against C. albicans and C. glabrata. Mouth rinses B and A contained cetylpyridinium chloride and chlorhexidine, respectively, and could be an effective alternative for controlling and preventing oral candidiasis.

Aims: Symbiotic bee fungus associated with the stingless bee larval food has been revealed to play a major role in performing a mutual relationship with the host. The fungus is believed capable to produce crucial nutrients that are required for larval pupation. However, detailed information on the fungus identification isolated from the larval food of our native Indo-Malaya stingless bee, Heterotrigona itama (Hymenoptera: Apidae), is poorly understood. Hence, this study was conducted to determine the effect of fungus isolated from the stingless bee larval food on the survival of H. itama larvae and identify the isolated fungus using both morphological and molecular analyses. Methodology and results: Elisa plates designed with F-bottom type were used as artificial brood cells in a controlled condition. The eggs transferred to Elisa plates were kept in the incubator with 75%-100% humidity and 25 ± 2.5 °C of temperature. This study carried out in three different treatments: (1) microbes-free larval food, (2) fresh larval food and (3) microbes-free larval food with fungus supplement. Results showed that the survival of H. itama larvae depends on the presence of beneficial fungus with the highest survival rate (Treatment 2 = 85.71%). The absence of the beneficial fungus in the fluid food of H. itama showed the lowest survival rate (Treatment 1 = 37.14%). Microscopy analysis showed that the fungus had various forms, including unconjugated asci, round-shaped ascospore and pseudohyphae. The molecular characterisation of the isolated fungi was performed using 23S rRNA gene sequencing using universal primers ITS1 and ITS4. DNA barcoding of three isolated fungi confirmed all isolated fungi matched Panus lecomtei (Basidiomycetes; Poriales; Polyporaceae) with 99.70% of similarity. Conclusion, significance and impact of study This study provides information on the importance of whitish fungus in appearance that existed in the brood cell, which is proposed to be the crucial component of in-vitro stingless bee queen rearing protocol.
Bees--microbiology

Introduction: The emergence of a novel Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in a pandemic. Rapid and accurate diagnosis method is crucial to reduce the disease burden and to improve early diagnosis approaches to control of the disease. Real time Reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) has been identified by the World Health Organization as the most sensitive and specific method of detection. However, the success of this assay relies on the quantity and quality of the extracted viral RNA. Methods: Various methods have been developed for nucleic acid extraction however, the methods have not been assessed. RNA extraction was performed from 24 nasopharyngeal swab samples using a manual extraction kit (GF-1) and an automated extraction kit (Genolution). The concentration and purity of the extracted RNA samples were measured, and its performance were tested using qRT-PCR. Results: The average concentration and purity of the RNA samples extracted using GF-1 kit was higher compared to Genolution. Similarly, the qRT-PCR assay using the RNA samples extracted using manual extraction was better compared to automated kit. Conclusion: Both the manual and automated extraction kits have its advantages and disadvantages in terms of yield and purity. However, with proper optimization, both methods may be used for routine molecular diagnostic of COVID-19 in laboratories.