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• The study identified and ranked causes of common accidents in construction projects. • The risk assessment of construction accidents in a regional context is presented. • Development of a risk assessment approach based on hazard identification and analysis. • Adoption of six-sigma evaluation scale to enhance safety performance. The construction industry is one of the most dangerous industries worldwide due to deadly fatalities and accidents recorded yearly. Though many countries have established and implemented safety programs, the situation does not seem to have been mitigated. This study aims at developing a risk assessment approach that can be used to enhance the safety performance of construction projects. The study has employed pair-wise comparisons and weighting-by-ranking surveys to establish risk scores and weights for the various construction accidents, and their potential causes. Data has been collected from safety professionals in 15 large construction sites across the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The study revealed that the type of accident with the highest risk score is "falling objects", while the most significant cause is excessive winds on the project site. The developed approach was applied on an on-going car park construction project. Results showed that slips, trips and falls had the best safety performance. Furthermore, based on six sigma evaluation, the average project safety performance was at 2.33-sigma which implies that 228,739 accidents may occur in every million opportunities. The paper also provided recommendations to improve the safety performance of the case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major shortcoming of multiple trays cabinet dryer is uneven drying of the products being dried on different trays. Mixed-mode solar crop dryers with and without thermal storage materials were developed and tested under the same meteorological conditions of Zaria, Nigeria. The dimensions of the dryers were: 0.65 m, 0.30 m 2 , 0.9 m, 0.7 m, 1.64 m and 0.43 m for collector length, collector area, the height of the drying chamber, chimney height, length of the drying chamber and width of the drying chamber respectively. It was observed that the average drying rates, collector efficiencies, and drying efficiencies of the solar crop dryers with and without thermal storage for June and August 2016 test period are 2.71 × 10 −5  kg/s and 2.35 × 10 −5  kg/s, 67.25% and 40.10%, 28.75% and 24.20% respectively. As per the experimental results, the efficiency of the dryer with the storage materials is enhanced by about 13% due to the thermal storage used. The extent of the variation of the drying products on different trays was investigated using statistical t -test analysis. The p -values obtained revealed that there was no significant difference between the drying rates of the yam slices on different positions of the trays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Molecular typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) has greatly enhanced the understanding of the population structure of MTB isolates and epidemiology of tuberculosis (TB). To characterize prevalent genotypes of MTB, microarrays‑based spoligotyping and mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit‑variable number of tandem repeats (MIRU‑VNTR) were applied on 80 isolates collected from primary health care facilities in Tanga, North‑eastern Tanzania. A total of 18 distinct spoligotypes were identified. The lineages by order of their predominance were EAI and CAS families (26.25%, 21 isolates each), LAM family and T super‑family (10%, 8 isolates each), MANU family (3.75%, 3 isolates), Beijing family (2.5%, 2 isolates) and S family (1.25%, 1 isolate). Overall, sixteen (20%) strains could not be allocated to any lineage according to the SITVIT_WEB database. The allelic diversity ( h ) for specific MIRU‑VNTR loci showed a considerable variation ranging from 0.826 of VNTR locus 3192 to 0.141 of VNTR locus 2059. The allelic diversity for 11 loci (VNTR 3192, 2996, 2165, 960, 4052, 424, 4156, 2531, 1644, 802 and 3690) exceeded 0.6, indicating highly discriminatory power. Seven loci (VNTR 2163b, 2401, 1955, 577, 4348, 2687 and 580) showed moderate discrimination (0.3 ≤ h ≥ 0.6), and three loci (VNTR3007, 154 and 2059) were less polymorphic. The present study suggests that the TB cases in Tanga might be caused by a diverse array of MTB strain families that may be indicative of a cosmopolitan population with frequent migration and travel. Microarray‑based spoligotyping and MIRU‑VNTR could be reliable tools in detecting different MTB genotypes in high burden settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Brucella species are easily transmitted by aerosols and can be acquired in the laboratory. Aim: To report the management of a large exposure to Brucella melitensis that occurred over six days in a hospital diagnostic laboratory. Methods: Fifty-one exposed staff were managed according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. A further 96 non-exposed laboratory staff were tested for seroprevalence. Testing was carried out using the Brucella sp. serum agglutination test. Findings: Twenty-seven people had high-risk exposure and 24 had low-risk exposure. High-risk staff were offered post-exposure prophylaxis. Twelve (44.4%) agreed to this, of whom eight (66.7%) completed the course. Overall compliance with serological follow-up at baseline, 2, 4, 6 weeks and 8 months was 45.9%. Despite this poor compliance there were no clinical brucellosis cases and no seroconversion in the 47.1% of staff tested at 8 months. Brucella sp. seroprevalence among all staff tested was 3/147 (2.0%). Conclusion: Lack of experience with Brucella spp. and lack of policies for handling potentially hazardous organisms contributed to this prolonged exposure. As compliance with current recommendations may be poor, the optimum frequency of serological follow-up and target groups for prophylaxis should be reassessed. Laboratories in low- or non-endemic areas must prepare for potential isolation of Brucella spp. The impact of human brucellosis in Malaysia requires further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the results of an International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) surveillance study from 2002 through 2007 in 98 intensive care units (ICUs) in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. During the 6-year study, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System (NNIS) definitions for device-associated health care-associated infection, we collected prospective data from 43,114 patients hospitalized in the Consortium's hospital ICUs for an aggregate of 272,279 days. Although device utilization in the INICC ICUs was remarkably similar to that reported from US ICUs in the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network, rates of device-associated nosocomial infection were markedly higher in the ICUs of the INICC hospitals: the pooled rate of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABs) in the INICC ICUs, 9.2 per 1000 CL-days, is nearly 3-fold higher than the 2.4-5.3 per 1000 CL-days reported from comparable US ICUs, and the overall rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia was also far higher, 19.5 vs 1.1-3.6 per 1000 ventilator-days, as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection, 6.5 versus 3.4-5.2 per 1000 catheter-days. Most strikingly, the frequencies of resistance of Staphylococcus aureus isolates to methicillin (MRSA) (80.8% vs 48.1%), Enterobacter species to ceftriaxone (50.8% vs 17.8%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to fluoroquinolones (52.4% vs 29.1%) were also far higher in the Consortium's ICUs, and the crude unadjusted excess mortalities of device-related infections ranged from 14.3% (CLABs) to 27.5% (ventilator-associated pneumonia). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Routine handling successfully habituated eland to the system and sample collection. • Eland with heavier body masses are more nervous and difficult to handle. • Calm animals (low temperament score) enter the handling system earlier than others. • Eland were generally less excitable when exiting the system after repeat handling. • Immunocastration does not affect the temperament of common eland during handling. The temperament of captive common eland (Taurotragus oryx) during handling is crucial for their management, as they have been identified as an ideal antelope for game meat farming, and are well-represented in captive antelope populations world-wide. Generally speaking, common eland are considered undomesticated, and thus maintain their natural prey instincts, making it necessary to habituate them to routine handling. Immunocastration can be implemented as part of the herd management strategy in mixed or single-sex eland groups, and might reduce aggressive behaviour of males by blocking the production of testosterone, thereby improving docility for ease of handling. Within this study, data was collected to determine the influence of routine handling and immunocastration on the temperament of common eland during handling. Twenty-nine common eland were divided into two groups: sub-adults (n = 15; ca. 2 years old; 182.9 ± 59.37 kg) and juveniles (n = 14; ca. 6 months old; 94.18 ± 24.76 kg), and they were routinely handled every two weeks over a four-month period (10 handling events). Within each age group, females, males, and immunocastrated males were present. Immunocastration treatment was administered during the second and fourth handling events (2 mL Improvac®/ animal). During handling, animals were individually driven through the raceway and finally restrained in a squeeze chute, where routine biological samples and measurements were collected. Faecal androgen metabolite (fAM) concentrations were measured for each event, for males only. Each animal was focally sampled for specific behaviours during the handling. A temperament score was obtained by observing the general state of the animal from the point of entering the raceway, until its exit from the squeeze chute. Generalized linear mixed models tested the influence of immunocastration, week, group, fAM concentration, and body weight on the temperament score. Immunocastration did not affect the temperament score, the general state in the squeeze chute, the order of entering the handling system, and the chute exit. However, the temperament score and the state in the squeeze chute improved overtime (with animals being less nervous). Moreover, animals with low temperament scores (calmer) entered the system earlier, and exited the system calmly over the repeated handling period. The results show that routine handling through a raceway and squeeze chute system leads to habituation, and improves the ease of handling in common eland. However, immunocastration did not affect the temperament of the male common eland during handling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zika virus (ZIKV) is transmitted to humans primarily via the bites of infected female Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. The mosquitoes are also the vector for the transmission of dengue viruses. Malaysia is a dengue hyperendemic country. To date, there has been no ZIKV-associated outbreak reported, could immunity from dengue virus (DENV) infection cross-neutralizes ZIKV, remains unknown. Here, we investigate the neutralization capacity of dengue immune serum against the different ZIKV strains. Healthy blood donor serum samples were retrieved and screened for the presence of dengue and Zika antibodies using Dengue virus-specific IgM and IgG ELISA and anti-ZIKV IgM and IgG ELISA kits. Selected sera samples were then evaluated for their neutralizing capacity against the ZIKV strains, ZIKV P6-740 and ZIKV PRVABC59, using the Foci Reduction Neutralization Test (FRNT). Results were analyzed according to the neutralizing antibody titers with 50% reduction of foci numbers (FRNT50) and 90% reduction of foci numbers (FRNT90) as the cut-off points. Based on the ELISA results, 118 of 215 samples were positive for dengue IgG but negative for dengue IgM and Zika antibodies. A subset of 43 (DENV IgM-/IgG+ with ZIKV IgM-/IgG-) sera samples was selected for subsequent neutralization assay. Neutralization results showed that 40 samples (93.0%) and 19 samples (44.2%) were positive (FRNT50 ≥20 and FRNT90 ≥20) for ZIKV neutralizing antibodies, respectively. In addition, 22 samples (55.0%) showed differential neutralization (FRNT50) with ≥ 4-fold differences against two ZIKV strains. Results from the study showed that dengue immune sera could cross-neutralize ZIKV efficiently. Neutralization efficient across both ZIKV strains. In addition, we also demonstrated that dengue immune sera could induce differential neutralization capacities against different ZIKV strains. These findings have implications in our understanding of the importance of serum cross reactivity in flavivirus infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estuarine sandstones often exhibit complex diagenetic pathways due to the interaction of fluvial and shallow marine processes, resulting in significant reservoir heterogeneities. The Yolde Formation is an important petroleum reservoir in the Northern Benue Trough, NE Nigeria. However, diagenetic and reservoir quality evolution of the formation are still poorly understood. This study utilizes thin-section petrography, XRD, SEM, and fluid inclusion microthermometry to analyse the composition, diagenesis, and reservoir quality of the sandstones. Results show that the sandstones are mainly arkose and subarkose in composition; they are generally well-sorted and vary in grain size from very fine-to coarse-grained. Three diagenetic stages are identified: early, middle, and late. The early stage includes feldspar dissolution, formation of kaolinite, development of clay coating, and mechanical compaction. The middle stage comprises the formation of authigenic chlorite and Fe-oxide cements. The late-stage diagenesis involves illitization of kaolinite, formation of dickite, albitization of K-feldspar, and precipitation of quartz overgrowths. The diagenetic evolution of the sandstones was strongly controlled by their compositional makeup. The feldspathic nature of the sandstones resulted in the formation of kaolinite, illite, and quartz overgrowths, through feldspar dissolution and silica supply. The inner and middle estuarine facies have inhibited the development of quartz overgrowths due to well-developed clay coatings, whereas the outer estuarine facies were well-cemented by quartz overgrowths due to lack of clay coatings. Illitic clay coatings were found to be effective in preventing quartz cementation. Fluid inclusion analysis reveals that the formation temperatures of the quartz overgrowths range from 98 °C to 135.5 °C, corresponding to burial depths ranging between 2.3 and 3.5 km. These findings would provide useful insights that would reduce the risks of exploration of the sandstones and also supplies potential input data for forward diagenetic modelling of their subsurface equivalents in similar depositional settings elsewhere. • The compositional makeup of the sandstones influenced their diagenetic evolution. • Well-developed clay coatings impeded quartz cementation in the estuarine facies. • The outer estuarine facies lack clay coats due to hydrodynamic and wave processes. • Quartz cement formed at temperatures varying from 98 to 135.5 °C (av. 126.0 °C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B Background: b Concurrent bacteraemia in dengue patient is uncommon but most often will result in severe adverse clinical outcome. One of the genomic regions was found showing greater genetic similarity to methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) genomes in the NCBI Genbank repository, and harboured multiple phage-associated virulence factors ( -hemolysin, cytolytic pore-forming proteins, etc.). Therefore, we aim to investigate the genomic features of a methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) strain isolated from a dengue patient, in order to elucidate the possible genetic drives for the pathogenicity of this organism. [Extracted from the article]

Newly analysed major and trace element compositions of the Kanawa shales deposited in the Pindiga Formation reveal the provenance history and depositional conditions during the late Cenomanian - early Turonian time in the Gongola Sub-Basin of the Upper Benue Trough. We conclude that the source of the siliciclastic detritus in the Kanawa shales of the Pindiga Formation are igneous rocks of predominantly intermediate chemistry with a temporal trend towards more felsic compositions. The source rocks presumably underwent intense chemical weathering with CIA, PIA and CIW values up to 89.51, 97.30, and 97.56, respectively, which led to enhanced shale deposition in the Gongola Sub-basin. Obtained relatively high Fe/Mn and Zr/Rb ratios in the Kanawa shales suggest deposition under relatively strong hydrodynamic conditions in presumably shallow water. Additionally, integrated bivariate plots of Ga/Rb vs. K 2 O/Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 vs. Al 2 O 3 +K 2 O + Na 2 O with the ratios of Sr/Ba, Rb/K, MgO/Al 2 O 3 x100, V/Cr, V/(V + Ni) V/(V + Cr), P/Ti and Ba/Ti indicate deposition under a warm, humid climate in dominantly anoxic and brackish water conditions under relatively low primary productivity conditions. This interpretation aligns with the global climate and redox conditions during the late Cenomanian – early Turonian times. The tectonic setting bivariate diagrams of K 2 O/Na 2 O vs. SiO 2 and SiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 vs. K 2 O/Na 2 O, as well as the high and low quartz multidimensional diagrams, reveal a rift basin in a passive margin depositional environment, confirming earlier works on the evolution of the Benue Trough. • Igneous rocks of predominantly intermediate chemistry provenance. • Deposition in predominantly anoxic and brackish water conditions under a warm, humid climate. • Low primary productivity and relatively strong hydrodynamic conditions. • Rift of passive margin tectonic settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluvio-deltaic strata host significant volumes of hydrocarbons in different basins across the world, and are characterized by depositional heterogeneities and varying diagenetic overprints, owing to complex interactions of different depositional processes in diverse sub-environments. An understanding of the heterogeneities at different scales is critical to the prediction of reservoir quality distribution and architecture in these strata. The Campanian-Maastrichtian Gombe Sandstone is one of the targeted reservoirs in recent hydrocarbon exploration in the Northern Benue Trough, NE Nigeria. However, to date, the diagenetic and reservoir quality evolutions of the sandstone are not well understood. In this study, a multi-technique approach (consisting of thin-section petrography, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses) was employed to link depositional facies and diagenesis to reservoir quality. Results of the study indicate that the sandstones are principally arkosic and subarkosic in composition, and were deposited in lower delta front/prodelta, upper delta front/mouth bar, distributary channel, and interdistributary tidal bar/channel depositional environments. The sandstones experienced both shallow burial and some relatively of deep burial diagenesis. Kaolinite is the most abundant eogenetic cement in the sandstones, and was particularly found to be more abundant in the interdistributary tidal bar/channel and lower delta front/prodelta depositional environments due to their significant amounts of reactive detrital feldspars and muscovite precursors, respectively. The interdistributary tidal bar/channel and the distributary channel depositional facies were highly susceptible to siderite cementation, owing to their proximity to organic-rich mudstone lithofacies. Mechanical compaction was more intense in the lower delta front/prodelta than in the interdistributary tidal bar/channel sandstones, due to the presence of high clay matrix content in the former, which enhanced ductility and close packing. The interdistributary tidal bar/channel sandstones form the best reservoir quality because of the very low amounts of detrital pore-filling matrix (average 1%; n = 24) and less compaction compared to the lower delta front/prodelta, upper delta front/mouth bar and distributary channel sandstones. Grain-coating smectitic clays were best developed in the lower delta front/prodelta, upper delta front/mouth bar and distributary channel, whereas they are poorly developed in the interdistributary tidal bar/channel sandstones. The overall low volumes of deep burial, mesogenetic cements in the sandstones (e.g., illite, dickite, and quartz overgrowths) suggest that the Gombe Sandstone spent short residence time in mesogenetic realm before being uplifted. The results of this study would provide useful input data and understanding that can be utilized for forward diagenetic modelling and burial history construction for the subsurface Gombe Sandstone reservoir in the Northern Benue Trough and similar sedimentary formations elsewhere. • Reservoir quality of Gombe Sandstone is controlled by depositional facies and diagenesis. • Porosity is lost mainly due to compaction than due to cementation. • Kaolinite is the most important cement and was more developed in prodelta and interdistributary tidal bar/channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A national SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing consortium was established in Aug 2021 to help monitor the emergence of the COVID-19 variants. Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre (TIDREC) received samples from the states of Kedah, Kelantan, Perak, and Terengganu between Aug 2021 and March 2022 and samples from Kedah and Perlis from 1 Apr 2022. In the current study, we sequenced and analyzed the SARS-CoV-2 strains received from Kedah between July 2021 to June 2022. The RNA was extracted and screened for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA using qRT-PCR. Samples with a Ct value less than 32 were selected for sequencing. The genome libraries were prepared using Ion AmpliSeq™ SARSCoV-2 Research Panel and sequenced using the Ion GeneStudio™ S5 Prime System. The genome sequences were assembled, and SARS-CoV-2 lineages were assigned using PANGOLIN COVID-19 Lineage Assigner. A total of 310 samples were sequenced and analyzed. Results showed that all 310 samples belonged to two groups of Variants of Concern (VOC), Delta and Omicron. Our results revealed that between Aug 2022 and mid-December, the Delta variant was the only circulating VOC in Kedah, with AY.59 as the dominant circulating lineage. The Omicron, BA.1.1, was first detected on 21 Dec 2022 in our collection. The Delta and Omicron variants were co-circulated in Kedah between Jan and Feb 2022. After that, the Omicron BA.2 lineage was reported in Feb 2022, and it replaced the BA.1 and its descendent lineages as the dominant lineage starting in March 2022. The Omicron BA.5 lineage was first detected in samples collected on 26 May 2022, suggesting the emergence of BA.5 in Kedah. We reported the continuous introduction, dispersal, and replacement of SARS-CoV-2 variants in Kedah, Malaysia. Continuous monitoring of the circulating SARS-CoV-2 is vital to detect the emergence of newer SARSCoV-2 variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface and environment disinfection is an important part of infection control strategies, especially in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Ozone, a highly reactive oxidant, is a widely used disinfectant in many industries including food, healthcare and water treatment. It has a broad-spectrum activity and leaves no harmful residues. However, most demonstrated efficacy has been at high ozone levels (>1ppm) which can be harmful to humans in case of exposure. Here, we undertook a study to evaluate if exposure to ozone is effective in inactivating SARS-CoV-2 and feline coronavirus (FCoV) even at low concentrations. Ozone at 0.07, 0.1 and 1.2 ppm were evaluated for its virucidal activity against SARS-CoV-2 and FCoV. An ozone gas generator (Medklinn Air + Surface Sterilizer (CerafusionTM Technology), Medklinn, Malaysia) supplied controlled levels of ozone to a custom-built chamber of 1.5 ft3 (1.5ft x 1ft x 1ft) where dry virus films containing 1 × 104 PFU of test virus were exposed to ozone gas for 0.5h, 1h, 3h, 5h, and 8h. The experiment was performed at ambient temperature (23-24oC) and relative humidity (RH) of 55% (FCoV only) and 85% (SARS-CoV-2 and FCoV). At low level of ozone of 0.1ppm, >90% reduction of both viruses was achieved after 3h exposure at 85% and 55% humidity. At 1.2ppm, >90% reduction of both viruses was achieved after 0.5h exposure at 85% humidity. Ozone at 0.07ppm, however, did not show good efficacy as reduction not exceeding 90% was achieved only after 8h exposure at 85% and 55% humidity. The study demonstrated that low concentration of ozone of at least 0.1 ppm reduced SARS-CoV-2 and FCoV by >90% when used at 85% humidity. The use of low level ozone presents a safer alternative for disinfecting enclosed spaces and greatly reduces any potential harmful health effects in case of accidental exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Malaysia, dengue is hyperendemic with recurrent outbreaks occurring since 1980s. Dengue virus type-2 (DENV-2) is one of the predominant serotypes causing the recurring outbreaks with an increase in the number of cases. This study aimed to investigate the evolutionary dynamics driving the DENV-2 recurring outbreaks over the past three decades. Two hundred and three Malaysian DENV-2 isolates from 1987-2018 were isolated from dengue patient sera retrieved from the WHOCC for Arbovirus Reference & Research depository at TIDREC, University Malaya. The DENV-2 RNA was extracted and amplified for the envelope (E) gene by RT-PCR assay. The complete E gene was sequenced, and the sequences obtained were subjected to phylogenetic and mutational analyses. Our Bayesian maximum clade credibility tree revealed two circulating DENV-2 genotypes in Malaysia: Cosmopolitan and Asian I. The DENV-2 Cosmopolitan (86%) is the most prevalent genotype and responsible for the recurring outbreaks from 1989-2018, while the Asian I (14%) genotype was scarcely detected in the region from 1987 to 1998. Phylogenetic analysis showed that there were two lineages of DENV-2 Cosmopolitan clustered into two clades, CI and CII. In comparison to the CI lineage, the CII lineage was more efficiently evolved and expanded with many recurrent outbreak-causing strains in 1995- 1997, 2005-2007, and 2017-2018, clustered in ladder-like topology. In contrast, only a few virus strains from 1995-1997 and 2005-2007 outbreaks were clustered into CI lineage. The virus strains of CI showed slower estimated evolutionary rates (9.553 × 10-4 rates/site/year) than the CII viruses (1.407 × 10-3 rates/site/year). One non-conservative amino acid substitution, H52Q (Domain I/II hinge), was observed to distinguish the CI from CII. We conclude that the recurring DENV-2 outbreaks in Malaysia were caused by the viruses that evolved from the pre-existing Cosmopolitan gene pool and might be associated with naïve human population present in the endemic region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organization has listed Snakebite Envenoming (SBE) as a priority neglected tropical disease, with a worldwide annual snakebite affecting 5.4 million people and injuring 2.7 million lives. In many parts of rural areas of Africa and Asia, medicinal plants have been used as alternatives to conventional antisnake venom (ASV) due in part to inaccessibility to hospitals. Systemic reviews (SR) of laboratory-based preclinical studies play an essential role in drug discovery. We conducted an SR to evaluate the relationship between interventional medicinal plants and their observed effects on venom-induced experiments. This SR was reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. The Modified collaborative approach to meta-analysis and review of animal data from experimental studies (CAMARADES) and SYRCLE's risk of bias tools were used to appraise the included studies. Data were searched online in Medline via PubMed, Embase via OVID, and Scopus. Studies reporting in vivo and in vitro pharmacological activities of African medicinal plants/extracts/constituents against venom-induced pathologies were identified and included for screening. Data from the included studies were extracted and synthesized. Ten studies reported statistically significant percentage protection (40–100%) of animals against venom-induced lethality compared with control groups that received no medicinal plant intervention. Sixteen studies reported significant effects (p ≤ 0.05) against venom-induced pathologies compared with the control group; these include hemolytic, histopathologic, necrotic, and anti-enzymatic effects. The plant family Fabaceae has the highest number of studies reporting its efficacy, followed by Annonaceae, Malvaceae, Combretaceae, Sterculiaceae, and Olacaceae. Some African medicinal plants are preclinically effective against venom-induced lethality, hematotoxicity, and cytotoxicity. The evidence was extracted from three in vitro studies, nine in vivo studies, and five studies that combined both in vivo and in vitro models. The effective plants belong to the Fabaceae family, followed by Malvaceae, and Annonaceae. [Display omitted] • A preclinical systematic review was conducted on plants' efficacy against venom. • Both in vivo and in vitro models have been utilized in evaluating plants' efficacy. • Some medicinal plants are effective against some snake venom-induced pathologies. • The Fabaceae family of plants is more effective against snake venom toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Listeria monocytogenes is highly abundant in nature as a saprophyte and capable to utilize a variety of carbon sources, mainly derived from decaying plants. The transcriptional activator regulator (PrfA) that mediates the expression of virulence genes, is inactive in the presence of nutrient rich sources including nature environment and laboratory culture media. However, PrfA activity is highly induced in host cell and caused listeriosis, suggesting PrfA activity is controlled by the nutrient availability in their surroundings. This study is to identify the key nutrient that induce PrfA activity in the host cell. L. monocytogenes ATCC19111 (hemolytic) and L. monocytogenes ATCC15313 (non-hemolytic) were selected to profile the metabolic differences. Four Phenotype MicroArray assay (PM1 to PM4) including carbon, nitrogen and sulphur-phosphorus assay were performed to profile their phenotype characteristics. Phenotype MicroArray assay was validated though determining the growth of L. monocytogenes at optical density of 600nm (OD 600). There are significant metabolism differences among haemolytic and non-haemolytic L. monocytogenes , particularly in carbon metabolism. The shared carbon sources by both L. monocytogenes are mainly phosphotransferase system (PTS) sugar, suggesting PTS sugar is not involving in L. monocytogenes pathogenesis. Interestingly, the rate of respiration of L. monocytogenes ATCC15313 is significantly higher than L. monocytogenes. Two potential carbon sources namely L-serine and D-Gluconic acid were found to be potentially involved in L. monocytogenes pathogenesis as they are only metabolized by L. monocytogenes ATCC19111. D-Gluconic acid is metabolized by L. monocytogenes through pentose phosphate pathway where the intermediates are involved in nucleotide synthesis that could possibly form amino acid. Besides, L-serine metabolism is involved in amino acid metabolism pathway and produced other amino acids as intermediates, suggesting the amino acids are involved in L. monocytogenes pathogenesis. Phenotype MicroArray is a simple and bioinformative technology for physiological differences determination in different bacteria strains. L. monocytogenes metabolized carbon sources readily compared with other sources. L-serine and D-Gluconic acid as carbon sources were found to be potential in pathogenesis of L. monocytogenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infection is one of the major factors that determine clinical outcome among patients requiring intensive care unit (ICU) support. The attending mortality is high and depends on source of infection, organisms associated, timeliness and appropriateness of the treatment received. Methods&Materials: Case records of patientswhowere admitted into our 5bedded ICU over a 4 year period were retrospectively reviewed. The average number of admission was 20 per month. A preformed questionnaire was administered and data on clinical and microbiological profile of all the patients with documented infection was obtained. Results: Eighty four episodes of infections were identified in 76 patients. Road traffic accident 29/76(38.2%) and pulmonary embolism12/76(15.8%) were the leading cause of admission. The most common infection was skin and soft tissue infection (SSI) 30/84(35.7%) followed by UTI 23/84(27.4) and primary bacteraemia 18/84(21.4) with the least beingVAP3/84(3.6%). Most of the cases of UTI occurred in patients with RTA and renal failure, while the highest number of primary bacteraemia was seen among patients with burns and renal failure. The most frequent isolates were S. aureus 35/84(41.7%), K. pneumonia 18/84(21.4%) and E. coli 13/84(15.5%). K. pneumonia 2/5(40%) and P. aerugenosa 1/5(20%) were the leading cause of pneumonia, while S. aureus was the commonest cause of SSI 16/30(53.3%), primary bacteremia 10/18(55.6%) and line infection 5/5(100%). There were 3 cases of VAP one each caused by K. pneumonia, P. aerugenosa and S. aureus. High rate of resistance to cloxacillin 19/35(54.3%) and co-trimoxazole 17/26(65.4%) was noted among the S. aureus isolates. All the enterobactrecae isolates that were tested against meropenem were fully susceptible, while resistance rate to ceftriaxone was high; E. coli 5/9(55.6%), K. pneumoniae 10/14 (71.4%) and proteus spp 2/4 (50%). With exception to meropenem and colistin, ciprofloxacin had a better resistance profile against P. aerugenosa and isolated enterobactriacae compared to the other tested B-lactam agents. Conclusion: The study underscores the need to improve infection control practice in our ICU. Resistance to commonly used antibiotic was high and this makes the choice of empiric antibiotic difficult, hence measures to curtail the emergence of resistance pathogens need to be adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A previously completed project on the surveillance of West Nile virus (WNV) among migratory birds in Malaysia found that the local WNV isolates were clustered with the WNV lineage 2. This project was conducted at the Kuala Gula Bird Sanctuary, a site which is home to some 200 species of birds and a popular tourist destination. Since human-vector-animal interactions can only intensify in the years to come due to increased eco-tourism and economic activities, we sought to assess the possibility of local mosquitoes carrying viruses belonging to the Alphavirus and Flavivirus genera through a mosquito-surveillance program. The CDC miniature light trap was placed around possible landing areas of migratory birds. Sampling of mosquitoes was carried out during the period of migratory birds' stopover in Malaysia in 2017. After morphological identification, the captured mosquitoes were sorted pools with each pool containing ten individuals. Following that, they were homogenized and subjected to RNA extraction. Pan- Alphavirus and Flavivirus primers were used for RT-PCR amplification of the extracted RNA samples and, the amplified product was sequenced and subsequently analysed. A total of 137 pools (n=1370 mosquitoes) containing Culex gelidus, Culex pseudovishnui, Culex tritaeniorhynchus and Culex vishnui were studied. From that, a PCR product was successfully amplified using the Pan- Flavivirus primers on one Cx. tritaeniorhynchus pool. BLAST analysis revealed that the amplified sequences had 83.52% similarity to Old Port virus (OPV). Next Generation Sequencing is currently ongoing to obtain the full or near-full-length OPV genome sequences. Our results suggest that the mosquito-surveillance program has to be maintained and magnified as it signalled a potential uncovering of greater novel mosquito-borne viruses. Even though still unclassified, the OPV could possibly cause disease in humans and animals, hence justifying further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bartonellosis is a vector-borne disease with worldwide prevalence. Several Bartonella associated with companion animals such as Bartonella henselae and Bartonella quintana are the species with zoonotic implications and have become a global concern. Other bartonellae associated with wild animals, however, remain underappreciated particularly in the developing regions of the world. To explore further on this neglected bacterial agent, Leptocyclopodia (Nycteribiidae) bat flies collected from Cynopterus brachyotis (Pteropodidae), an endemic fruit bat species in Southeast Asia, were molecularly examined for the presence of Bartonella based on 16S-23S ribosomal RNA and citrate synthase genetic markers. Both 16S-23S ribosomal RNA and citrate synthase sequences exhibited less than 95% similarity to all previously reported Bartonella spp. Further phylogenetic analysis revealed a novel clade of Bartonella , designated 'clade VII', providing insight into the six known clades of bartonellae associated with bats worldwide Considering the zoonotic emergence from bat reservoirs, zoonotic potential of bat-associated bartonellae should not be disregarded, including the newly detected clade of Bartonella in this study. Thus, further studies of this novel clade, especially on its taxonomy, prevalence, pathogenicity as well as the vectorial capacity in bat flies should be carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All the isolates were resistant to both cefotaxime and ceftazidime, except for two ESBL-producing E. coli which showed resistance to only cefotaxime. In vitro activity of flomoxef on ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolates from surgical site infections - A Multicentre Study in Malaysia B Background: b Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become an important public health problem faced by the global community and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria of the Enterobacteriaceae family, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), have been associated with nosocomial infections. [Extracted from the article]

Poster: Physics track: Radiation protection, secondary tumour induction and low dose PO-1423: Ionizing radiation dose-effect indicator for cancer risks in medical radiation personnel S. Shahid, K. Masood, M. Riaz, S. Abubakar, S. Ali. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract: Background: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and dengue virus (DENV) co-circulate in areas endemic with the Aedes mosquito vectors. Both viruses cause similar illnesses which may be difficult to distinguish clinically. CHIKV is also associated with persistent arthralgia. Objectives: To compare and describe factors which differentiate between DENV and CHIKV infections on presentation; and to describe predictors of persistent arthralgia in CHIKV patients. Study design: Patients aged >14 years diagnosed with acute CHIKV and DENV infections in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were retrospectively identified. Clinical and laboratory data were obtained from medical records, and compared. CHIKV patients were telephoned 15–24 months later and interviewed about persistent symptoms. Logistic regression analysis was performed. Results: A total of 53 CHIKV and 113 DENV patients were included. CHIKV patients were older and more likely to be female. CHIKV was independently associated with arthralgia and rash, while DENV was associated with myalgia, raised aspartate transaminase, and leucopaenia. Forty CHIKV patients were followed up, with a median duration of self-reported arthralgia of 3 months (range, 0–24 months). Eighteen (45%) had persistent arthralgia beyond 4 months, for which age >40 years was an independent predictor. At 1 year, 9 (22.5%) patients had arthralgia. Conclusion: In Kuala Lumpur, selected clinical and laboratory predictors help to distinguish between DENV and CHIKV infections. Persistent arthralgia was a frequent sequel of CHIKV infection in this cohort. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Incorporating Silica fume and Fly ash into PP-filled mortar improved the strength and inhibit its shrinkage. • Silica fume enhanced the mechanical properties of PP-filled mortar, but had an adverse effect on its shrinkage properties. • Fly ash inhibited the development of PP-filled mortar shrinkage, but decreased its early strength. • The optimal combination contents of Silica fume and Fly ash in PP-filled mortar were 7% and 15%. Adding polypropylene (PP) plastic into concrete or mortar partially instead of sand is an effective way to recycle plastic waste, but its low strength is still a problem to be solved. This work investigated the possibility of improving the mechanical properties and inhibiting the shrinkage of cement mortar with recycled PP plastic by incorporating silica fume (SF) and fly ash (FA) into the mortar. An experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effects of SF, FA, and the composite admixture of SF and FA on the fluidity, physical properties, mechanical properties, compressive strength, flexural strength, and microstructure of PP-filled cement mortar. The results showed that the addition of SF or FA reduced the porosity and water absorption of the PP-filled mortar. The combination of SF and FA reduced the porosity and water absorption, improved the compressive and flexural strength, and promoted the strength development of the PP-filled mortar in later stage. Compared with control group, the 28-d compressive strength and flexural strength of PP-filled mortar with 7% SF and 15% FA increased by 10.04% and 8.48%, and its 56-d autogenous shrinkage just increased by 1.62% and drying shrinkage decreased by 3.23%. Considering the strength and shrinkage characteristics, the optimal combination contents of SF and FA were 7% and 15%, respectively. Adding SF and FA into PP-filled mortar provides a new solution to solve the problems of low strength and large shrinkage of plastic mortar, which can not only promote the application of plastic waste in mortar, but also consume the industrial wastes, and protect the ecological environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melting curve analysis revealed that the real time PCR was specific and sequencing of the purified PCR product confirmed the organism as JEV (strain MY8662). B Background: b Japanese encephalitis (JE) is caused by the mosquito-borne Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). [Extracted from the article]

B Conclusion: b These findings suggest that RFLO and Bartonella spp. are commonly present in fleas infesting stray dogs and cats in rural and urban communities in Malaysia. B Background: b Rickettsial infections are rarely diagnosed in Malaysia, due to the lack of awareness and useful diagnostic tools in the clinical setting. [Extracted from the article]