Silver preparations are commonly used for burns, but evidence of their effectiveness remains poorly defined. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of silver-containing dressings and topical silver for preventing infection and promoting healing in burns wounds through a meta-analysis of the available evidence. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and relevant databases were searched. Drug companies and experts in this field were also contacted. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of silver dressings or topical silver (used with dressings) compared with non-silver dressings were eligible for inclusion. We identified 14 RCTs involving 877 participants. One small trial of a silver-containing dressing showed significantly better healing time compared to the control [MD -3.6; 95% CI -4.94 to -2.26 for partial thickness burns and MD -3.9; 95% CI -4.54 to -3.26 for superficial burns]. Topical silver showed significantly worse healing time compared to the non-silver group [WMD 3.96; 95% CI 2.41-5.51] and showed no evidence of effectiveness in preventing wounds infection [WMD 2.48; 95% CI 0.39-15.73]. Our review suggests that silver-containing dressings and topical silver were either no better or worse than control dressings in preventing wound infection and promoting healing of burn wounds.
Surveillance studies on cercarial dermatitis were carried out in paddy growing areas in Peninsular Malaysia. It was observed that dermatitis in paddy planters occurred in paddy fields which were cultivated using animals such as bafflos or fields where domestic animals were allowed to graze during the off planting season as these animals harbored the parasite. The causative agent of cercarial dermatitis was Schistosoma spindale. A total of 215 small mammals trapped from Alor Setar and 126 trapped from Labu were examined for the schistosome. In Alor Setar Bandicota indica, Rattus argentiventer and Rattus rattus diardii were the only wild mammals found to be infected with the parasite, while in the Labu areas only Rattus tiomanicus jalorensis was positive for the schistosome. The occurrence of S. spindale in R. argentiventer and R.r. diardii in Alor Setar and in R.t. jalorensis in Labu constitute new host and geographic distribution records of the schistosome.
Rutoside (rutin; quercetin rutinoside) is a glycoside found in various plant products, including apples, citrus fruits and cranberries. Hydroxyethylrutosides (HR) are semisynthetic derivatives sold as standardized products for the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Commercially available products include Relvène(®) (France), Venoruton(®) (Switzerland) and Paroven(®) (United Kingdom). However, the evidence for their efficacy is inconclusive. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the evidence of efficacy and tolerability of hydroxyethylrutosides for CVI.
Dengue Fever (DF) and Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF) have been the most common urban diseases in Southeast Asia since the 1950s. More recently, the diseases have spread to Central and South America and are now considered as worldwide diseases. Both Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are involved in the transmission of DF/DHF in Southeast Asian region. The paper discusses the present status and future prospects of Aedes control with reference to the Malaysian experience. Vector control approaches which include source reduction and environmental management, larviciding with the use of chemicals (synthetic insecticides and insect growth regulators and microbial insecticide), and adulticiding which include personal protection measures (household insecticide products and repellents) for long-term control and space spray (both thermal fogging and ultra low volume sprays) as short-term epidemic measures are discussed. The potential incorporation of IGRs and Bacillus thuringiensis-14 (Bti) as larvicides in addition to insecticides (temephos) is discussed. The advantages of using water-based spray over the oil-based (diesel) spray and the use of spray formulation which provide both larvicidal and adulticidal effects that would consequently have greater impact on the overall vector and disease control in DF/DHF are highlighted.
Five formulations of Bacillus sphaericus (strain 2362) including aqueous suspension BSP 1, BSP 2, technical powder ABG 6184, corncob granules ABG 6185 (potencies 2 x 10(10), 2 x 10(7), 9.5 x 10(10), 5 x 10(10), 5 x 10(10) spore/g, respectively) and wettable powder ABG 6232 (1,000 BS ITU/mg) were tested against laboratory-cultured late third/early fourth instar larvae of Mansonia uniformis in floating screened cages in small plots at swampy ditches on Penang Island, Malaysia. Mean dosage/response values at 90% mortality levels were 6.93, 95.32, 1.45, 11.92 and 2.86 liters or kg per ha, respectively, for the formulations tested. There were practically no residual effects for the formulations tested with larvae introduced at 48, 96, and 168 h post-treatment. In trials of BSP 1, ABG 6184 and ABG 6185 (1 liter or 1 kg per ha) against immature Mansonia spp. in impounded paddy field ditches, improved efficacy and residual effects were obtained with mean reductions of 93.1, 91.9 and 80.4% at days 3, 7 and 14 posttreatment, respectively.
The possible insecticide resistance mechanisms of four Malaysian field-collected strains of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (Linnaeus) (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae), were characterized with biochemical assays and native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Elevated esterase activity (at low to moderate frequency) and altered acetylcholinesterase (low frequency) were detected in all field strains, while elevated glutathione S-transferase levels were present in only two strains. Seven esterase bands were separated by native PAGE; a greater intensity occurred in three bands in the resistant strains compared to the susceptible strain. Inhibition studies using specific inhibitors on polyacrylamide gels suggested that the slowest of these three esterases is a cholinesterase, while the other two are carboxylesterases with a preference for beta- over alpha-naphthyl acetate.
The residual efficacy of a relatively new pyrethroid, betacyfluthrin was compared with DDT against Anopheles sinensis Wiedemann in some village houses in Penang, Malaysia, for a period of 30 weeks. Efficacy was determined by exposing laboratory-cultured An. sinensis mosquitos to treated wall surfaces with either betacyfluthrin at 15 and 25 mg/m2 or DDT at 2,000 mg/m2 for one hour. Betacyfluthrin provided a longer residual effect (up to 210 days with > 70% mortality) compared with DDT. The potential of betacyfluthrin as a candidate for residual spraying for malaria control is discussed.
Adulticidal and larvicidal performances of a water-based pyrethroid microemulsion Pesguard PS 102 (AI d-allethrin and d-phenothrin, both at 5.0% w/w) and Vectobac 12AS, an aqua-suspension Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (B.t.i.) formulation (AI 1,200 ITU/mg) were assessed against mosquitoes Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus using a Leco ULV Fog Generator Model 1600 and a Scorpion 20 ULV AirBlast Sprayer. Laboratory-cultured mosquito adults and larvae were used for efficacy assessment. For trials using Leco, both pyrethroid and bacterial formulations were dispersed both singly and in combination with Pesguard PS 102 at a dosage of 0.2 liters/ha and B.t.i. at a dosage of 1.0 liter/ha. Similar trials with the Scorpion were also conducted with Pesguard PS 102 at a dosage of 0.2 liters/ha and a higher dosage of B.t.i. (1.5 liters/ha). Experiments were conducted in a football field (200 x 100 m) where five check points at 10, 25, 50, 75, and 100 m downwind from the spray nozzle were chosen for efficacy assessments. Knockdown and mortality were scored at 1 and 24 h postspraying. Results from both trials showed that mortality values varied with distance from spray nozzle. For trials with Leco, fogging with the combination of Pesguard PS 102 and B.t.i. provided larvicidal mortality of > 80% for both Aedes species and of > 60% for Cx. quinquefasciatus larvae at several check points, depending on wind conditions. Complete mortality of adult Aedes mosquitoes at 24 h posttreatment was also achieved, while mortality values for Culex adults reached > 90% under strong wind conditions. As for trials with the Scorpion 20, high adult and larval mortalities were also achieved, with > 90% mortality at some check points. The above study demonstrated the possibility of achieving both larvicidal and adulticidal effects when using a combination of B.t.i. and Pesguard PS 102 in ULV space spray.
Several parameters on the oviposition site preference of Aedes albopictus were studied, including color, container type, salinity, and water type. Dark-colored glass jars, especially black, blue, and red ones were preferred over light-colored jars. The black-colored ovitrap with a paper strip performed better than other types of containers. Seasoned tap water had the highest egg count when compared with a saline water series. In addition, water that had previously been used for the culture of Ae. albopictus was the most preferred for oviposition. The significance of this study in conjunction with the present Aedes mosquito surveillance and monitoring program is discussed.
Two new repellent formulations, KBR 3023 10% and 20% from Bayer AG, Germany, were evaluated together with DEET 10% and 20% as standard repellent formulations. Evaluation was based on two separate field studies: a daytime study (0900-1700 hr) in a forested orchard on Penang Island and a nighttime study (2100-0100 hr) in a squatter residential area on the adjacent mainland of peninsular Malaysia. Both studies were carried out by exposing humans with bare arms and legs to mosquitoes landing/biting for an eight hour period. Right arms and legs of the human baits were treated with different repellent formulations (KBR 3023 10%, 20% and DEET 10%, 20%) and the left limbs were left untreated to act as controls. The daytime study indicated that all four formulations were equally effective (P < 0.05) as repellents against the predominant Aedes albopictus with greater than 88.5% reduction in landing/biting in the first four hours and not less than 65.0% in the next four hours of the assessment period. In the night study, all four formulations were also found to be equally effective (P < 0.05) in repelling Culex quinquefasciatus, the predominant species. All four formulations provided complete protection against Cx. quinquefasciatus in the first two hours of exposure. The percentage reduction values were maintained above 90.0% for the next six hours of the assessment period. In conclusion, both the KBR 3023 and DEET formulations were found to be equally effective (P < 0.05) in providing a long-lasting reduction in human-mosquito contact in both the day and night field studies.
Comparative field efficacy studies of four mosquito coil formulations containing active ingredient of d-allethrin (0.19 or 0.28 w/w) and d-transallethrin (0.12 or 0.16% w/w) and blank coils without active ingredient were carried out in living rooms (mean size 54.1 m3) of residential houses in a squatter area in Butterworth, Malaysia. The major indoor biting mosquitos collected in the test site were that of Culex quinquefasciatus Say (84.7%). Mean percentage reduction of blank coils, coils with 0.19 and 0.28% d-allethrin and coils with 0.12 and 0.16% d-transallethrin were 29.0, 71.7, 70.9, 75.0 and 72.6%, respectively. The use of coils as a mean of personal protection against mosquitos is discussed.
HIV activism has a long history of advancing HIV treatment and is critical in dismantling HIV-related stigma. This study evaluated the psychometric quality of the HIV Activist Identity, Commitment, and Orientation Scale (HAICOS) to assess clinicians' propensity towards HIV activism in Malaysia. From November 2022 to March 2023, 74 general practitioners and primary care physicians in Malaysia participated in the study. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) extracted an internally consistent three-factor solution with 13 items: (1) HIV activist identity and commitment, orientation towards (2) day-to-day, and (3) structural activism. The Cronbach's alpha value was 0.91, and intra-class correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability was 0.86. Stigma-related (prejudice and discrimination intent) and clinical practice (comfort in performing clinical tasks with key populations and knowledge about HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis) measures supported the construct validity of the scale. The study provided concise, structurally valid, and reliable measures to evaluate HIV activism among clinicians.