治疗痛风新药——尿酸盐阴离子转运蛋白-1抑制剂来西雷特

来西雷特为一口服尿酸盐阴离子转运蛋白-1抑制剂,尿酸盐阴离子转运蛋白-1与尿酸在肾脏中的吸收密切相关,来西雷特通过抑制其作用,发挥降低血清尿酸的作用。来西雷特于2015年12月在美国获批,与黄嘌呤氧化酶抑制剂联合应用治疗单独应用黄嘌呤氧化酶抑制剂而没有使血清尿酸水平达标的痛风。来西雷特最常见的不良反应包括头痛、流感及胃食管返流等。

赵姐的铁杆粉丝

“大姨,您好,您又来找赵姐了?真不巧呀,她出去送货了,得一小时后才能回来,耍不我先给您拿药?”一位大姨来西门店找赵红岩,刚好她出门了,同事小孙微笑着想帮一下手,可是大姨乐呵呵地说:“没事的,你们先忙,我等她一会吧,反正我也没啥事,就在这等小赵回来吧.”说着,大姨便到旁边的休息椅上坐下,耐心等待小赵回来.

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease Due to Enterovirus 71 in Malaysia

Hand foot and mouth disease is a febrile sickness complex characterized by cutaneous eruption (exanthem) on the palms and soles with simultaneous occurrence of muco-cutanous vesiculo-ulcerative lesions (enanthem) affecting the mouth. The illness is caused by a number of enteroviruses with coxsackievirus A16 and enterovirus 71 as the main causative agents. Human enterovirus 71 (EV71) belongs to the species Human enterovirus A under the genus Enterovirus within the family Picornaviridae. EV71 has been associated with an array of clinical diseases including hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD), aseptic meningitis, encephalitis and poliomyelitis-like acute flaccid paralysis. A large outbreak of HFMD due to highly neurovirulent EV71 emerged in Malaysia in 1997, and caused 41 deaths amongst young children. In late 2000, a recurrence of an outbreak of HFMD occurred in Malaysia with 8 fatalities in peninsular Malaysia. Outbreak of HFMD due to EV71 recurred in 2003 with an unknown number of cases and mortalities. A similar outbreak of HFMD with 2 recorded deaths in young children occurred in peninsular Malaysia in late 2005 and this was followed by a larger outbreak in Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo) with 6 reported fatalities in the early part of 2006. The current on-going outbreak of HFMD started in peninsular Malaysia in epidemiological week 12 of 2010. As with other HFMD outbreaks in Malaysia, both EV71 and CA16 were the main aetiological viruses isolated. In similarity with the HFMD outbreak in 2005, the isolation of CA16 preceded the appearance of EV71. Based on the VP1 gene nucleotide sequences, 4 sub-genogroups of EV71 (C1, C2, B3 and B4) co-circulated and caused the outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease in peninsular Malaysia in 1997. Two sub-genogroups (C1 and B4) were noted to cause the outbreak in 2000 in both peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak. EV71 of sub-genogroup B5 with smaller contribution from sub-genogroup C1 caused the outbreak in 2003. In the 2005 outbreak, besides the EV71 strains of sub-genogroup C1, EV71 strains belonging to sub-genogroup B5 were isolated but formed a cluster which was distinct from the EV71 strains from the sub-genogroup B5 isolated in 2003. The four EV71 strains isolated from clinical specimens of patients with hand, foot and mouth disease in the Sarawak outbreak in early 2006 also belonged to sub-genogroup B5. Phylogenetic analysis of the VP1 gene suggests that the EV71 strains causing the outbreak in Sarawak could have originated from peninsular Malaysia. Epidemiological and molecular data since 1997 show the recurrence of HFMD due to EV71 in Malaysia every 2 to 4 years. In each of the past outbreaks, more than one sub-genogroup of the virus co-circulate.

Survival analysis of cholangiocarcinoma:A 10-year experience in Malaysia

AIM:To investigate the clinical features and survival of patients treated for cholangiocarcinoma in our institution and to analyze the factors affecting their survival.METHODS:This retrospective cohort study assessed patients diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma between January 1997 and December 2007 at the University Malaya Medical Centre in Malaysia.The clinical data and associated outcomes were collected using a structured proforma.RESULTS:Of the 69 patients diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma,38 (55%) were male;mean patient age was 61 years.Twelve patients (17%) had intrahepatic,38 (55%) had perihilar and 19 (28%) had distal tumors.Only 12 patients underwent curative surgery,including seven R0 resections.Only one patient died within 30 d after surgery.The overall median survival was 4 mo,whereas the median survival of R0 resected patients was 16 mo.The overall 1-,2-and 3-year cumulative survival rates were 67%,17% and 17%,respectively.Survival rates were significantly associated with curative resection (P=0.002),intrahepatic tumor (P=0.003),negative margin status (P=0.013),early tumor stage (P=0.016),higher tumor differentiation (P=0.032) and absence of jaundice (P=0.038).Multivariate analysis showed that tumor location was a significant independent predictor of patient survival.CONCLUSION:Curative,margin-negative resection of early stage,well-differentiated intrahepatic tumors is associated with improved patient survival.

Germline mutation analysis of MLH1 and MSH2 in Malaysian Lynch syndrome patients

AIM: To investigate the protein expression profi le of mismatch repair (MMR) genes in suspected cases of Lynch syndrome and to characterize the associated germline mutations. METHODS: Immunohistochemical analysis of tumor samples was performed to determine the protein expression profile of MMR protein. Germline mutation screening was carried out on peripheral blood samples. The entire exon regions of MLH1 and MSH2 geneswere amplifi ed by polymerase chain reaction, screened by denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (dHPLC) and analyzed by DNA sequencing to characterize the germline mutations. RESULTS: Three out of 34 tissue samples (8.8%) and four out of 34 tissue samples (11.8%) showed loss of nuclear staining by immunohistochemistry, indicating the absence of MLH1 and MSH2 protein expression in carcinoma cells, respectively. dHPLC analysis followed by DNA sequencing showed these samples to have germline mutations of MSH2 gene. However, no deleterious mutations were identifi ed in any of the 19 exons or coding regions of MLH1 gene, but we were able to identify MLH1 promoter polymorphism, -93G > A (rs1800734), in 21 out of 34 patients (61.8%). We identified one novel mutation, transversion mutation c.2005G > C, which resulted in a missense mutation (Gly669Arg), a transversion mutation in exon 1, c.142G > T, which resulted in a nonsense mutation (Glu48Stop) and splice-site mutation, c.2006-6T > C, which was adjacent to exon 13 of MSH2 gene. CONCLUSION: Germline mutations were identified in four Malaysian Lynch syndrome patients. Immunohistochemical analysis of tumor tissue proved to be a good pre-screening test before proceeding to germline mutation analysis of DNA MMR genes.

Characterization of clarithromycin resistance in Malaysian isolates of Helicobacter pylori

AIM： To characterize the types of mutations present in the 23S rRNA genes of Malaysian isolates of clarithromycin-resistant Helicobacter pylori （H pylorl~. METHODS： Clarithromycin susceptibility of H pylori isolates was determined by E test. Analyses for point mutations in the domain V of 23S rRNA genes in clarithromycin-resistant and -sensitive strains were performed by sequence analysis of amplified polymerase chain reaction products. Restriction fragment length polymorphism was performed using Bsa I and MboI enzymes to detect restriction sites that correspond to the mutations in the clarithromycin- resistant strains. RESULTS： Of 187 isolates from 120 patients, four were resistant to clarithromycin, while 183 were sensitive. The MIC of the resistant strains ranged from 1.5 to 24 pg/mL. Two isolates had an A2142G mutation and another two had A2143G mutations. A T2182C mutation was detected in two out of four clarithromycin-resistant isolates and in 13 of 14 clarithromycin-sensitive isolates. Restriction enzyme analyses with Bsa I and Mbo I were able to detect the mutations. CONCLUSION： Clarithromycin resistance is an uncommon occurrence among Malaysian isolates of Hpylori strains and the mutations A2142G and A2143G detected were associated with low-level resistance.

Rome Ⅲ survey of irritable bowel syndrome among ethnic Malays

AIM:To survey irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) using Rome Ⅲ criteria among Malays from the north-eastern region of Peninsular Malaysia.METHODS:A previously validated Malay language Rome Ⅲ IBS diagnostic questionnaire was used in the current study.A prospective sample of 232 Malay subjects(80% power) was initially screened.Using a stratified random sampling strategy,a total of 221 Malay subjects(112 subjects in a "full time job" and 109 subjects in "no full time job") were recruited.Subjects were visitors(friends and relatives) within the hospital compound and were representative of the local community.Red flags and psychosocial alarm symptoms were also assessed in the current study using previously translated and validated questionnaires.Subjects with IBS were sub-typed into constipation-predominant,diarrhea-predominant,mixed type and un-subtyped.Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to test for association between socioeconomic factors and presence of red flags and psychosocial alarm features among the Malays with IBS.RESULTS:IBS was present in 10.9%(24/221),red flags in 22.2%(49/221) and psychosocial alarm features in 9.0%(20/221).Red flags were more commonly reported in subjects with IBS(83.3%) than psychosocial alarm features(20.8%,P < 0.001).Subjects with IBS were older(mean age 41.4 years vs 36.9 years,P = 0.08),but no difference in gender was noted(P = 0.4).Using univariable analysis,IBS was significantly associated with a tertiary education,high individual income above RM1000,married status,exsmoker and the presence of red flags(all P < 0.05).In multiple logistic regression analysis,only the presence of red flags was significantly associated with IBS(odds ratio:0.02,95%CI:0.004-0.1,P < 0.001).The commonest IBS sub-type was mixed type(58.3%),followed by constipation-predominant(20.8%),diarrheapredominant(16.7%) and un-subtyped(4.2%).Four of 13 Malay females(30.8%) with IBS also had menstrual pain.Most subjects with IBS had at least one red flag(70.8%),12.5% had two red flags and 16.7% with no red flags.The commonest red flag was a bowel habit change in subjects > 50 years old and this was reported by 16.7% of subjects with IBS.CONCLUSION:Using the Rome Ⅲ criteria,IBS was common among ethnic Malays from the north-eastern region of Peninsular Malaysia.

Depth distribution and ecological preferences of periphytic algae in Kenyir Lake,the largest tropical reservoir of Malaysia

We studied the depth distribution of periphyton,growing on inundated dead trees in Kenyir Lake,Malaysia in June 1995.The algal floral composition and structure manifested changes down the depth gradient in terms of species richness,abundance,diversity and cell density.In regression analysis,all these algal attributes were negatively correlated with the depth gradients at P<0.05.In terms of species richness,the bacillariophytes showed dominance over the cyanophytes and chlorophytes;whereas with respect to standing crop,the cyanophytes showed dominance over the bacillariophytes and chlorophytes.The chlorophyll a was higher at the mid and bottom-depths than the surface-depth in both the downstream and upstream sites,which showed that vertical productivity or biomass accumulation was greater in low light irradiance.The product-moment correlation analysis showed that conductivity,turbidity,dissolved oxygen,reactive phosphate and ammonium-nitrogen were highly correlated with the algal assemblage data.However,photosynthetic active radiation(PAR) showed poor correlation with the community data.These observations have cast some light on the autoecological characteristics,habitat preferences and environmental responses of tropical periphytic communities.

Risk modification of colorectal cancer susceptibility by interleukin-8-251T>A polymorphism in Malaysians

AIM: To investigate the allele and genotype frequencies and associated risk of interleukin (IL)-8-251T>A polymorphism on colorectal cancer (CRC) susceptibility risk. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples of 255 normal controls and 255 clinically and histopathologically confirmed CRC patients were genotyped for IL-8-251T>A polymorphism employing allele-specific polymerase chain reaction. The relative association of variant allele and genotypes with CRC susceptibility risk was determined by calculating the odds ratios (ORs). Corresponding χ 2 tests on the CRC patients and controls were carried out and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined using Fisher's exact test. The allele frequencies and its risk association were calculated using FAMHAP, haplotype association analysis software. RESULTS: On comparing the frequencies of genotypesof patients and controls, the homozygous variant AA was significantly higher in CRC patients (P = 0.002) compared to controls. Investigation on the association of the polymorphic genotypes with CRC susceptibility risk, showed that the homozygous variant IL-8 -251AA had a significantly increased risk with OR 3.600 (95% CI: 1.550-8.481, P = 0.001). In the case of allele frequencies, variant allele A of IL-8 -251 showed a significantly increased risk of CRC predisposition with OR 1.32 (95% CI: 1.03-1.69,P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Variant allele and genotype of IL-8 (-251 T>A) was significantly associated with CRC susceptibility risk and could be considered as a high-risk variant for CRC predisposition.

Geochemistry of Tertiary sandstones from southwest Sarawak,Malaysia: implications for provenance and tectonic setting

Tertiary sandstones collected from southwest Sarawak, Malaysia, were analyzed to decipher their provenance, weathering, and tectonic setting. The studied sandstones have a sublitharenite composition and are dominantly composed quartz with little mica and feldspar, and a small amount of volcanic fragments. These sand- stones were generally derived from quartz-rich recycled orogenic sources. They have relatively high SiO2 content with low Na20, CaO, MnO, and MgO contents. Values of Chemical Index of Alteration （CIA） of these rock samples vary from 71 to 93, with an average of 81, implying intense chemical alteration during weathering. A felsic igneous source is suggested by a low concentration of TiO2 com- pared to CIA, enrichment of Light Rare Earth Elements, depletion of Heavy Rare Earth Elements, and negative Eu anomalies. A felsic origin is further supported by a Eu/Eu＊ range of 0.65-0.85 and high Th/Sc, La/Sc, La/Co, and Th/ Co ratios. This work presents the first reported geochemical data of Tertiary sandstones of the Sarawak Basin. These data led us to conclude that the sandstones were dislodged from recycled orogenic sources and deposited in a slowly subsiding rifted basin in a passive continental tectonic setting.

Annual Reports of Non-profit Organizations （NPOs）： An Analysis

Non-profit organizations （NPOs） in Malaysia are not subjected to statutory requirement to follow the accounting standards when preparing their annual reports. This study analyzed the annual reports of 100 NPOs registered with the Registry of Society （ROS） under the charity and religious categories. The objectives of this study are： （1） to determine the current state of reporting practices by NPOs; and （2） to describe the contents of a set of annual reports and the financial statement presentation of NPOs. This study found that there were variations in reporting practices among the charity and religious categories of NPOs. On average, the results show that NPOs do not focus on the disclosing information required by the ROS, the governing body of NPOs. This indicates that the regulators need to strongly practice enforcement to strengthen the compliance of the annual reports submission. Overall, the findings of this study provide useful information to regulators as a basis for preparing and presenting NPOs＇ annual report framework in the future.

Anti-hepatitis A seroprevalence among chronic viral hepatitis patients in Kelantan,Malaysia

AIM:To determine the seroprevalence of anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV) antibodies in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) and to justify the need for hepatitis A vaccination.METHODS:Patients (n=119) were enrolled between July and September 2009.The diagnosis of CLD was based on the presence of viral markers for more than 6 mo.The diagnosis of liver cirrhosis was based on clinical,biochemical and radiological profiles.Patient serum was tested for anti-HAV IgG.RESULTS:The overall anti-HAV seroprevalence was 88.2%.The aetiology of CLD was hepatitis B in 96 patients (80.7%) and hepatitis C in 23 patients (19.3%).Mean age was 44.4 ± 14 years.Patients were grouped according to age as follows:24 (20.2%) patients in the 21-30 years age group,22 (18.5%) in the 31-40 years age group,31 (26.1%) in the 41-50 years age group,23(19.3%) in the 51-60 years age group and 19 (16.0%) patients aged greater than 60 years,with reported seroprevalences of 66.7%,95.5%,93.5%,91.3% and 94.7%,respectively.There was a marked increase of seroprevalence in subjects older than 30 years (P=0.001).CONCLUSION:Our study demonstrated that patients aged greater than 30 years of age were likely to have natural immunity to hepatitis A.Therefore,hepatitis A vaccination may not be routinely required in this age group.

Fraud Prevention Mechanisms of Malaysian Government-Linked Companies： An Assessment of Existence and Effectiveness

Understanding the root causes of fraud and learning about the most effective fraud prevention mechanisms are critical in reducing the incidence of financial fraud. Therefore, this study solicits the views of fraud investigators on the existence and effectiveness of fraud prevention mechanisms within Government-Linked Companies （GLCs）. Specifically, effective fraud prevention mechanisms （FPM） should be undertaken by five critical groups, namely the board of directors, audit committees, external auditors, internal auditors, and anti-fraud specialists. A total of 147 questionnaires were distributed to fraud investigators of all public listed GLCs in Malaysia. Out of those, a total of 45 usable responses were received, which represents an effective response rate of 30.6%. In terms of existence, the respondents ranked ＂management review of internal controls＂ and ＂external audits of financial statements＂ as the top-most FPMs. This was followed by other mechanisms such as operational audits, internal audits and internal control review/improvements by departments. Out of the 27 fraud prevention mechanisms, fraud investigators perceiyed surprise audits, fraud hotline, fraud prevention program and training, anti-fraud policy, fraud vulnerability reviews, operational audits, whistle-blowing policy, internal audit or fraud examination department, and, imposing penalty and disciplinary action as more effective than the others. Overall, this study provides important insights to practitioners and organizations in identifying fraud prevention mechanisms that are most effective.

Impacts of Aquaculture and Domestic Wastewater on the Water Quality of Santubong River, Malaysia

Developments along the Santubong River basin may have an impact on the aquatic ecosystem. To determine the impacts of activities on the water quality, ten stations were selected for water quality study over 9 months. Results show that salinity increases from 14.0 PSU upstream to 30.4 PSU downstream. Lowest DO range was 2.3-4.1 mg/L. TSS ranged was 20-135 mg/L and the highest was observed near construction and residential areas, the second and third highest near shrimp culture discharge areas. BOD5 was the highest near construction and residential areas. BOD5 of a station near shrimp culture was not significantly different from the residential areas. Two stations near shrimp culture site also recorded the highest Chl-a. The highest ammonia-nitrogen, nitrite-nitrogen and reactive phosphorus were observed at stations near shrimp farm sites whereas nitrate-nitrogen was the highest near construction and residential areas. Cage culture site showed the highest phosphorus and second highest nitrite-nitrogen and ammonia-nitrogen. This study showed that TSS and BOD5 were elevated near residential and construction areas and nutrients were elevated near shrimp farm sites resulting in algal bloom. Therefore, it is recommended that residential and shrimp farm discharge be treated to acceptable quality before discharge to protect the aquatic resources.

Infiltration Study for Urban Soil： Case Study of Sungai Kedah Ungauged Catchment

The DID （Department of Irrigation and Drainage） in Malaysia has produced a manual on urban stromwater management specifically for the Malaysia region with usage of infiltration method towards controlling the quantity and quality of surface runoff. With this method, the volume of surface runoff can be reduced and flood problems in major cities can be eliminated. The study areas of Sungai Kedah ungauged catchment are located at the northern region of Malaysia. The Kota Setar sub-catchment is located at the downstream of Sungai Kedah with the newly completed development of control barrage at the upper Kota Setar. This paper will describe the analyses of the infiltration curves at Kota Setar. The resulting infiltration maps have developed based on the infiltration capacities.

Factors related to diabetes mellitus： Study on diabetes patients at HUSM, Kelantan

A study was conducted to identify the factors related to diabetes mellitus among the diabetes patients at HUSM Kelantan. A total of 972 diabetes mellitus patients who had attended Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia （HUSM） from 2005 to 2006 were involved in the study. The significant findings include： （1） Mean age of diabetes patients under the study was 44.36 years old; （2） The average age of patients from control group and pre-diabetes group which came from the middle-age were 44.30 and 42.43 years old respectively. Patients from diabetes group had recorded the highest mean age of 53.24 years old which are the elderly; （3） There was a significant difference in the average blood sugar between patient age group of〈30 years old and patient age group of〉30 years old. However, there was no significant difference in the mean blood sugar between male and female patients; （4） There were significant associations between diabetes mellitus and gender, occupation and clinical symptoms such as tired, polyuria and polydipsia. However, there was no significant association between diabetes mellitus and polyphagia symptoms. The authors believed that the symptoms ofpolyuria and polydipsia were highly associated with the chances of the patients to get diabetes mellitus.

Corporate Governance Mechanisms： Evidence From Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises （SMEs）

This paper aims to investigate the extent to which Malaysian small- and medium-sized enterprises （SMEs） adopted corporate governance （CG） principles and their effects on firm performance. The principles examined included： establishing clear roles and responsibilities; strengthening composition; and reinforcing independence. The paper is based on a questionnaire survey study among 113 SMEs that consisted of 35% （39） of manufacturing and related services and 65% （74） from services including information and communication technology （ICT）, primary agriculture, construction, mining, and quarrying. The analysis of the data indicates that 32% of the respondents said that the primary reason why they have their own business is to have control over their own working life. This fmding appears to confirm the f＇mancing theory that SMEs owners have other goals than profitability. In addition, 30% of SMEs perceived that the most important role played by the board is risk management; hence, these boards have a greater control over financial risks that may lead to better financial performance. The analysis also shows that 81% of the respondents＇ board consisted of internal board members only. These enterprises need to see the important role of external board members as a source of advice providers and experts to them. For policies relating to clear roles and responsibilities of board, only 28% of the respondents established clear functions reserved for the board and those delegated to management; substantial respondents did not draw up policies relating to reinforce board independency （between 75% and 79%） and to strengthen board composition （46%）. Besides, 68% of the respondents have the position of chairman and CEO held by same individuals and 81% of the chairman is an executive member of the board. These findings suggest that SMEs cannot see the importance of strengthening board and having independent board members. Regression analysis also indicates that board independence has a significant and positive impact on firm performance. Hence, SMEs need to appreciate networking advantages, competency, and strategic knowledge that the right board can offer. The governmental ministries and agencies in Malaysia need to take active measures to encourage SMEs to strengthen their board governance, because SMEs are the important economic powers for stimulating national economic growth. This paper contributes to the empirical literatures on the adoption of CG principles and their effects on SMEs＇ firm performance in emerging markets.

PMU Based Monitoring and Estimation of Inter-area Power Oscillation for Singapore-Malaysia Interconnection Power System

This paper proposes a PMU （phasor measurement unit） based monitoring and estimation scheme of power system small-signal stability in Singapore-Malaysia interconnection power system through a 50-Hz and 500 kV transmission line. Two PMUs are installed in the power system interconnection network of Singapore-Malaysia. One PMU is located in Singapore and the other one in Malaysia （Penang）. Both PMUs measure the single-phase voltage phasor. The data filtering technique based on FFT （Fast Fourier Transform） is employed to extract oscillation data for single mode. Finally, some analysis results of monitoring and estimation of Singapore-Malaysia interconnected power system based on application practice of the CampusWAMS are presented and analyzed.

Ontogenetic changes in feeding and food preferences of the dog conch Laevistrombus canarium Linnaeus 1758 (Mollusca： Gastropoda) from Merambong shoal, Malaysia

Laevistrombus canarium is one of the marine gastropod mollusks that have high commercial value, particularly in the aquaculture sector in Malaysia. This study was conducted to determine the feeding and food items of L. canarium at different ontogenetic stages （juveniles, sub-adults and adults） from Merambong shoals, Malaysia. Field observations on feeding activity were conducted, followed by detailed laboratory analysis on the stomach content. Five-minutes observations on randomly selected individuals were conducted at the field sampling site and their feeding activities were recorded with reference to age stage. Various shell sizes from each ontogenetic stage were randomly collected and quickly anaesthetized with ice and preserved in 10% formalin before being transported to the laboratory for stomach content analyses. Field observations showed that L. canarium mainly grazed on epiphytes occurring on seagrass （46.67%）, followed by sediment surface （40%） and epiphytes occurring on macroalgae （13.33%）. Stomach content analyses showed a significant difference （P〈0.05） in gastro-somatic index （Gasi） between the juveniles （0.39±0.05）, sub-adults （0.68±0.09） and adults （0.70±0.05） （P〈0.05）. Food items found in the conch stomach include diatoms, detritus, foraminifera, seagrass and macroalgae fragments, sand particles and shell fragments. The Index of Relative Importance （%IRI） indicates three main types of food dominated the three ontogenetic stages namely diatoms, sand particles and detritus. However, no significant difference （P〉0.05） was detected between the three main food items （diatoms, sand particles and detritus） among the ontogenetic stages. Therefore, feeding activity revealed the role of the dog conch in the marine food network. While, classification of the types of food consumed by L. canarium through stomach content analysis determines the particular position of the gastropod in the food chain. Further studies are needed to provide a better insight between trophic relationships ofL. eanarium with marine ecosystem.

Stress perceptions and leadership orientation of Malaysians： Exploring their similarities and differences with Americans

To explore the management orientation of employees in Malaysia and the United States, this paper focuses on comparing the leadership and stress perception of respondents in these two different countries. It appears that Malaysians and Americans have a significantly higher score on the relationship-orientation than task-orientation. Similarly, the female respondents in Malaysia had a significantly higher score on the relationship orientation. Finally, the responses of these 216 Malaysian respondents were compared with the 87 Americans, demonstrating significantly higher scores for respondents from the U.S. on both orientations. For management and practical application, suggestions and implications for future studies are presented.