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Objectives: Southeast Asia (SEA) is a rapidly ageing and a diversely populated region that requires strategies to maintain its populations' physical activity and sense of well‐being. While the benefits of group exercise programs are known, the characteristics and types of exercises in terms of their effectiveness for physical function and fidelity of the programs have yet to be defined within this population. Methods: Ovid, MEDLINE, Scopus, PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database), EBSCOHOST, Cochrane library and Open Grey databases were searched to identify relevant studies. Methodological quality was assessed using the PEDro Scale and the Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS). Meta‐analysis was undertaken when the same outcome measures were reported in a minimum of two studies with appropriate data. (PROSPERO: CRD42020177317). Results: Eleven studies with 900 participants were included, out of which 395 participants were allocated to group exercise programs and 383 completed the program. Culturally adapted Thai dance programs and multicomponent exercise programs were the most‐commonly reported group exercises. The Timed Up and Go test (TUG) and attendance rates were the most‐frequently reported outcomes. Meta‐analysis demonstrated significant improvement in physical function assessed using the Timed Up and Go test (Random effect model −1.27 s, 95% CI −1.65, −0.88, I2 = 74%). In two studies, adherence (81% and 94%) and dropout rates (4% and 19%) were reported. Conclusions: Group‐based exercise programs in Southeast Asia consisting mostly of culturally adapted Thai dance programs and multicomponent exercise programs appear to have positive effects on physical function. However, better descriptions of fidelity, including adherence, are required in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This scoping review synthesizes literature to examine the extent of research focusing on knowledge, awareness, perceptions, attitudes, and risky behaviors related to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Southeast Asia (SEA). The PRISMA-Scoping approach was adopted targeting articles published from 2018 to 2022, sought from CINALH, PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. A process of screening and elimination resulted in a total of 70 articles reviewed. Most of the studies were conducted in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia, with the majority focusing on HIV/AIDS. In general, studies examining knowledge, awareness, and risky behaviors related to STIs in SEA reported low levels across various cohorts. However, evidence suggests that these issues are more prominent among individuals with low levels of education or low socioeconomic status, those living in rural areas or those working in the sex/industrial sectors. Engaging in unsafe sex and having multiple partners are the key examples for risky sexual behavior, while fear of being rejected/discriminated/stigmatized and lacking STI awareness were identified as social risky behaviors in SEA. Overall, cultural, societal, economic and gender inequality (male dominance) greatly impact people's knowledge, awareness, perceptions, attitudes, and risky behaviors in SEA. Education is an important factor influencing healthy behavior; therefore, this scoping review calls for increased investment in educating vulnerable populations to prevent STIs, particularly in less-developed countries/regions of SEA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edible bird's nest (EBN) is a traditional Chinese delicacy made of the saliva of swiftlets found in Southeast Asia. With increasing demands for EBN, quality control of EBN products is important for safe consumption. The processing steps are particularly important for efficient extraction of bioactive compounds. Geographical location, collection place, and harvesting season contribute to differences in nutritional contents in EBN. Concerns regarding presence of adulterant, chemical, and microbial contaminants in EBN as well as authentication and chemical composition measuring methods are discussed in this review. Recent discoveries of beneficial health functions of EBN in antimicrobial and antiviral actions, immunomodulation, cancer prevention and treatment, tissue regeneration, cardiometabolic maintenance, antioxidant action and neuroprotection are also reviewed. Our review provides an update on the recent research on EBN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To examine the descriptive epidemiology of the patient population referred to paediatric rheumatology centres (PRCs) in Southeast Asia (SEA) and to compare the frequency of conditions encountered with other PRC populations. Methods. A web-based Registry for Childhood Onset Paediatric Rheumatic Diseases was established in 2009 and seven PRCs in four SEA countries, where paediatric rheumatologists are available, participated in a prospective 24 month data collection (43 months for Singapore). Results. The number of patients analysed was 4038 (788 from Malaysia, 711 from the Philippines, 1943 from Singapore and 596 from Thailand). Over 70% of patients evaluated in PRCs in Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand had rheumatic diseases (RDs), as compared with one-half of the proportion seen in Singaporean PRCs, which was similar to the Western PRC experience. Among RDs diagnosed (n = 2602), JIA was the most common disease encountered in Malaysia (41%) and Thailand (61%) as compared with systemic vasculitides in the Philippines (37%) and Singapore (35%) among which Henoch-Schönlein purpura was the most prevalent. SLE and related diseases were more common, but idiopathic pain syndrome and abnormal immunological laboratory tests were rarer than those seen in the West. JIA subtype distributions were different among countries. Among non-RDs (n = 1436), orthopaedic and related conditions predominated (21.7-59.4%). Conclusion. The frequencies of RDs seen by SEA PRCs were different from those in the West. Systemic vasculitides and SLE were common in addition to JIA. Paediatric rheumatologist availability and healthcare accessibility partially explain these observed discrepancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Experimental assays were carried out to validate traditional claims about medicinal plants collected by the Traditional Knowledge Documentation Program at the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre on the island of Borneo. The majority of the medicinal plants are utilised as traditional therapies for various diseases, including diarrhoea, food poisoning, vaginomycosis, sexually transmitted infections (gonorrhoea) and furunculosis. Six medicinal plants used as indigenous herbal medicines were individually screened for antimicrobial and antifungal effects using their crude extracts and were found to inhibit a broad range of pathogenic microorganisms. Plant extracts derived from Fibraurea tinctoria, Polyalthia hookeriana, Pyrenaria sp., Baccaurea lanceolata, Goniothalamus tapisoides and Goniothalamus velutinus were demonstrated to have the highest antimicrobial activities. Pyrenaria sp. showed significant antifungal activity against Candida albicans with minimum inhibitory and minimum fungicidal concentrations of 25μg/mL and 50μg/mL, respectively. The evidence in this study has highlighted the effectiveness of using the traditional knowledge approach to screen for antimicrobial and antifungal activity in plants to evaluate their potential as herbal remedies for human and animal protection against pathogens. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A novel clade of bat-associated Bartonella was detected in Leptocyclopodia ferrari bat flies. • Both 16 S–23 S rRNA and gltA sequences exhibited < 95 % similarity to all previously reported Bartonella spp. • New insight into the diversity of bartonellae associated with bats worldwide. Bartonelloses are emerging infectious diseases that are common in humans and animals worldwide. Several Bartonella species associated with companion animals such as Bartonella henselae and Bartonella rochalimae are species with zoonotic implications and have become a global concern. Other Bartonella species associated with wild animals, however, remain underappreciated particularly in the developing regions of the world. To explore further on this neglected bacterial agent, Leptocyclopodia ferrari (Nycteribiidae) bat flies collected from Cynopterus brachyotis (Pteropodidae), an endemic fruit bat species in Southeast Asia, were molecularly examined for the presence of Bartonella. Both 16 S–23 S ribosomal RNA intergenic spacer region and citrate synthase gene sequences exhibited less than 95 % similarity to all previously reported Bartonella spp. Further phylogenetic analysis revealed a novel clade of this Bartonella sp. with high bootstrap support. The vectorial capacity of bat flies in transmitting this novel pathogen merits further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interprets the business-related and secondary data on the rapidly growing economies of Southeast Asia and how it has resulted to an informational void affecting the practice of strategic management in the region. Distinction between emerging industrialized markets and the long-industrialized economies; Adaption of regional managers to the informational void.

• This review summarizes the infections of Rickettsiae, including the newly discovered regional species in vectors, humans and animals in Southeaswt Asia. • Issues on some unidentified Rickettsiae that elicit immune responses and production of antibodies that were cross-reactive with the antigens used are discussed. • Knowledge gaps which required attention are also identified in this review. Rickettsioses are emerging, and re-emerging diseases caused by obligate intracellular arthropod-borne bacteria that infect humans and animals worldwide. Various rickettsiae such as Orientia, Rickettsia, Anaplasma and Ehrlichia have been circulated in companion, domesticated and wild animals through bites of infected ticks, fleas, lice or mites. This review summarizes the infections of rickettsiae, including the newly discovered regional species Rickettsia thailandii, Candidatus Rickettsia sepangensis, Candidatus Rickettsia johorensis, Candidatus Rickettsia laoensis, Candidatus Rickettsia mahosotii, Candidatus Rickettsia khammouanensis, Candidatus Anaplasma pangolinii, and other novel genotypes in vectors, humans and animals in Southeast Asia. Issues on some unidentified rickettsiae that elicit immune responses and production of antibodies that are cross-reactive with the antigens used are discussed. Knowledge gaps which required attention are also identified in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the impact of the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president on Southeast Asia, and the state of the regional economy.

A foreword to the forty-second edition of the journal "Southeast Asian Affairs" is presented.

An introduction is presented in which the author, director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, notes that the publication is an annual review of the Southeast Asian region covering the year 2013 and cites topics including economic growth, geopolitics, and tensions in the South China Sea.

A foreword to "Southeast Asian Affairs" is presented.

Cardiovascular diseases account for approximately half of all deaths in Asia. The present analysis aimed to evaluate characteristics, antithrombotic management patterns (AMPs), and outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who underwent in-hospital percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and survived to hospital discharge, using data from the EPICOR Asia registry (NCT01361386). Two-year post-discharge follow-up data were analyzed from 8757 ACS PCI patients from EPICOR Asia (218 centers, eight countries). Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE; death, non-fatal myocardial infarction [MI], non-fatal ischemic stroke), PCI characteristics, and AMPs were recorded. For MACE, time - to - event was analyzed using Cox regression. Primary PCI was performed in 62.0% of ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI), 38.7% of non-STEMI (NSTEMI), and 24.2% of unstable angina (UA) patients. At 12 months, 88.1% of patients were on dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), with no differences by index event. Most (61.5%) still received DAPT at 2 years. Two-year incidences of mortality, composite MACE, and bleeding were 3.6%, 6.2%, and 6.6%, respectively. Risk of death and MACE was increased with STEMI and NSTEMI vs. UA. Patients from East Asia showed lower mortality and more bleeding vs. Southeast Asia/India. Many patients in EPICOR Asia underwent PCI and received DAPT up to 2 years post-discharge. These real-world findings improve our understanding of AMP impact on outcomes in Asian patients with ACS undergoing PCI. • In EPICOR Asia, primary PCI was performed in 8757 ACS survivors, mostly for STEMI. • At 1 and 2 years post discharge, 88.1% and 61.5%, respectively, were on DAPT. • Two-year risk of death and MACE was increased with STEMI and NSTEMI vs. UA. • East Asia patients showed lower mortality and more bleeding vs. Southeast Asia/India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]