Identification of the major allergen of Macrobrachium rosenbergii (giant freshwater prawn)

Objective:To characterize the major allergens of Macrobrachium rosenbergii.(giant freshwater prawn).Methods:Raw and cooked extracts of the giant freshwater prawn were prepared.The IgE reactivity pattern was identified by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyaerylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE)and immunoblotting technique with the sera of 20 skin prick test(SPT)positive patients.The major allergen identified was then characterized using the proteomics approach involving a combination of two-dimensional(2-DE)electrophoresis,mass spectrometry and bioinformatics tools.Results:SDS-PAGE of the raw extract showed 23 protein bands(15-250 kDa)but those ranging from 40 to 100 kDa were not found in the cooked extract.From immunoblotting experiments,raw and cooked extracts demonstrated 11 and 5 IgE-binding proteins,respectively,with a molecular mass ranging from 15 to 155 kDa.A heat-resistant 36 kDa protein was identified as the major allergen of both extracts.In addition,a 42 kDa heat-sensitive protein was shown to be a major allergen of the raw extract.The 2-DE gel fractionated the prawn proteins to more than 50 different protein spots.Of these,10 spots showed specific:IgE reactivity with patients'sera.Matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-lime of flight(MALDI-TOF)analysis led to identification of 2 important allergens,tropomyosin and arginine kinase.Conclusions:It can be concluded that the availability of such allergens would help in component-based diagnosis and therapy of prawn allergies.

Increased IgG Rheumatoid Factor-Positivity in the Asian Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Irrespective of Ethnicity

Aim of Work: Initial observations implied IgG rheumatoid factor (RF) to be common among Malaysian rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. We tested this hypothesis and used a multiethnic RA cohort (Malays, Chinese and Indians) to investigate whether the IgG RF predominance might be genetically or environmentally determined. Patients and Methods: 556 serum samples comprising 171 patients classified as RA according to the 1987 ACR criteria, 60 patients with other rheumatic diseases and 325 non-rheumatic controls were tested for IgG RF, IgM RF and anti-CCP by ELISA. The findings were then tested in a larger RA case-control cohort (n = 1844). Results: IgG RF predominated over IgM RF in all the investigated ethnic groups. The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of IgG RF (55.6%, 91.2% and 80.2%, respectively) were superior compared to IgM RF, but comparable to anti-CCP. IgG RF was however, also increased in the Malaysian controls, but the IgG RF superiority over IgM RF was still apparent after cutoff adjustment according to the 1987 ACR criteria. Autoantibody levels did not differ between the three ethnic groups. The Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves showed larger areas under the curves for IgG RF (0.826) and for anti-CCP (0.867) than for IgM RF (0.737). Review of the literature showed consistently higher sensitivity for IgG RF in studies of Asian RA patients as compared to Caucasian and African-American studies. Conclusion: Increased frequency of IgG RF-positive in RA populations with different genetic background living in Malaysia argues for an environmental factor selectively amplifying the IgG RF response.

Impact of Palm Oil versus Other Oils on Weight Changes: A Systematic Review

Objective: The present review aimed to determine the effect of palm oil versus other oils on changes in body weight or Body Mass Index (BMI). Design: A systematic review was conducted. Studies were identified by database searching (EMBASE, PUBMED, CENTRAL, SCOPUS, PROQUEST, Web of Science [ISI Web of Knowledge], Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Library (CINAHL Plus), LILAC and ClinicalTrials.gov. Searching, selecting and reporting were done according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) Statement. Setting: Palm oil vs other oils intervention study on weight or BMI changes. Subjects: Individuals participating in palm oil vs other oil intervention study. Results: A total of 182 studies were screened for eligibility, five studies were finally included. Three studies compared the effect of palm oil vs sunflower oil on weight changes and BMI. One study examined the effect of hybrid palm oil vs extra virgin olive oil on weight changes. The last study examined the effect of palm oil vs olive oil vs lard on weight changes. Out of 292 participants in five studies, only one study (Iggman, 2014) had a low risk of bias. In this study, there was no significant difference between the group that received sunflower oil and palm oil (SMD: 0.04, 95% CI: -0.59 to 0.66). Other four studies had unclear risk of bias. Conclusions: Based on the review, there is insufficient evidence to suggest the impact of palm oil intake on weight changes or BMI.

Association between Comorbidities and Selected Sociodemographic Factors with Complications of Diabetes: Results from the National Diabetic Registry Malaysia

Background: This study aims to determine the hazard ratio of having any complication from diabetes mellitus, and the associations between comorbidities and risk of having any complications from diabetes mellitus among diabetic patients who have attended government primary care clinics. Methods: Secondary data were retrieved from the Malaysian National Diabetic Registry which included all patients who received care. The data from the study on the socio-demographic, diabetes complications, clinical and treatment characteristics were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Cox regression was performed to estimate the hazard ratio for comorbidities, tobacco use, duration of diabetes and socio-demography characteristics upon time to diabetic complications. Results: Adjusted for other covariates, increase number of comorbidities contributed the highest hazard ratio risk: 1 comorbid (aHR: 2.47, 95% CI: 2.39, 2.55), 2 comorbidities (aHR: 4.34, 95% CI: 4.22, 4.47), 3 comorbidities (aHR: 6.56, 95% CI: 6.31, 6.81) and 4 comorbidities (aHR: 9.13, 95% CI: 8.20, 10.17). Other factors: age > 40 years (8%) Malays (27%) and smokers (10%) have hazard risks to develop diabetic complications. Conclusions: Increase in number of comorbidities will increase the risk of getting diabetes complications. Other factors such as age, gender, race, smoking status and duration of diabetes are also noted to contribute to increase risk for diabetes complications.