Sports Nutrition and Food Knowledge among Malaysian University Athletes.

Sports nutrition and food knowledge can influence athletes' dietary intake, potentially affecting athletic performance. Limited studies have been conducted to identify sports nutrition and food knowledge among Malaysian university athletes. This study aimed to determine Malaysian university athletes' knowledge of sports nutrition and food, and their reference sources and preferred sports nutrition education programme. Seventy athletes (52.9% females, mean weight = 61.8 kg; height = 1.66 m) aged 18.5-22.4 years responded to an online survey administered using a Google Form. A score of ≥60% was considered as adequate knowledge. The average overall knowledge score was 58.6%. The highest knowledge score was for sports nutrition, specifically food intake periodicity (84.8%), while the lowest was for general food knowledge on fat (44.6%). An analysis of specific questions revealed a lack of understanding about the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables (only 14.3% answered correctly), the roles of vitamins and minerals in energy production (21.4%), and good sources of unsaturated fat (37.2%). The academician was the primary reference source (81%), while magazines were the least referred to sources (36%). The university athletes preferred sports camps (33%) over the other nutrition education programme options. More initiatives are needed to improve Malaysian university athletes' understanding and knowledge of sports nutrition and general food.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Prevalence and Type Distribution in Urban Areas of Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is the third leading cause of death in Malaysia, and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the principal aetiology that is responsible for its development. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence and distribution of HPV types among different age groups, ethnicity, and areas in Malaysia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 764 women aged 20-74 years old within the cities of Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Penang, and Kota Kinabalu underwent both cervical cytological assessment and HPV DNA analysis. Cervical cytology glass slides were prepared using the liquid base technique (Path TEZT TM). HPV DNA was extracted using TANBead® Nucleic Acid Extraction Kit (Taiwan Advanced Nonotech Inc.), then the types were further identified using a DR.HPV Genotyping IVD kit. RESULTS: The prevalence of HPV infection was 14.0% (107/764) with high-risk type at 10.7% (82/764) and low-risk type at 3.27% (25/764). The most common high-risk HPV types were HPV-52, 66, 33, 39, and 58 whereas low-risk HPV types were HPV-6, 40, and 81. The majority of HPV infections (80.37%) were detected in women with normal cytology results. The most prevalent HPV type among Chinese is 33 (n=6) followed by 16, 44, 58, 66 and 68 (n=5). Among Malays, HPV 16 and 51 were the two most prevalent types (n=2). The sensitivity of the HPV DNA test compared to cytology was 100% with a specificity of 88.37%. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that the most common high-risk HPV type among women living in urban areas in Malaysia is HPV 52, unfortunately which is not the type of infection the current HPV vaccine is covered for protection among females. These findings may contribute beneficial information to health care providers for the appropriate use of HPV vaccine in the prevention of cervical cancer in Malaysia.

Applicability of Brugia malayi immune antibody library for the isolation of a human recombinant monoclonal antibody to Echinococcus granulosus antigen B.

Echinococcus granulosus is a worldwide zoonotic infection that causes human cystic echinococcosis (CE) or hydatid disease. The present study describes the isolation and production of a monoclonal antibody against recombinant AgB protein using the developed Human AntibodY Disease ENhanced (HAYDEN)-Filariasis library. The DNA sequences of the isolated clones were analyzed, followed by gene analysis and binding assays. Clone E1 showed a full-length sequence and represents the IgHV5-LV3 antibody gene family. The antibody protein yield was satisfactory, and it reacted specifically against rAgB. The novel E1 protein is potentially useful for the development of an antigen detection assay for CE. The ability of the Brugia malayi immune antibody library to isolate antibodies against Echinococcus granulosus antigens highlights the broad coverage of immune antibody libraries.

A High-Throughput Magnetic Nanoparticle-Based Semi-Automated Antibody Phage Display Biopanning.

Panning is a common process used for antibody selection from phage antibody libraries. There are several methods developed for a similar purpose, namely streptavidin mass spectrometry immunoassay (MSIA™) Disposable Automation Research Tips, magnetic beads, polystyrene immunotubes, and microtiter plate. The advantage of using a magnetic particle processor system is the ability to carry out phage display panning against multiple target antigens simultaneously in parallel. The system carries out the panning procedure using magnetic nanoparticles in microtiter plates. The entire incubation, wash, and elution process is then automated in this setup. The system also allows customization for the introduction of different panning stringencies. The nature of the biopanning process coupled with the limitation of the system means that minimal human intervention is required for the infection and phage packaging stage. However, the process still allows for rapid and reproducible antibody generation to be carried out.

Delineation of BmSXP antibody V-gene usage from a lymphatic filariasis based immune scFv antibody library.

Phage display technology is an important tool for antibody generation or selection. This study describes the development of a scFv library and the subsequent analysis of identified monoclonal antibodies against BmSXP, a recombinant antigen for lymphatic filariasis. The immune library was generated from blood of lymphatic filariasis infected individuals. A TA based intermediary cloning approach was used to increase cloning efficiency for the library construction process. A diverse immune scFv library of 10(8) was generated. Six unique monoclonal antibodies were identified from the 50 isolated clones against BmSXP. Analysis of the clones showed a bias for the IgHV3 and Vκ1 (45.5%) and IgHV2 and Vκ3 (27.3%) gene family. The most favored J segment for light chain is IgKJ1 (45.5%). The most favored D and J segment for heavy chain are IgHD6-13 (75%) and IgHJ3 (47.7%). The information may suggest a predisposition of certain V genes in antibody responses against lymphatic filariasis.