Malaysian Jungle Research Articles

Chemopreventive activity of Tualang honey against oral squamous cell carcinoma-in vivo.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemopreventive activity of Malaysian jungle Tualang honey (TH) after oral carcinogenesis induced with 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4 NQO). A total of 28 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were distributed into 4 groups as follows: group 1 (nontreated group); group 2 (control), which received 4 NQO during 8 weeks in drinking water only; and groups 3 and 4, which received 4 NQO for 8 weeks in drinking water and treated with TH 1000 mg/kg and 2000 mg/kg by oral gavage for 10 weeks. All rats from all experiments were sacrificed after 22 weeks, and the incidence of oral neoplasms and histopathologic changes were microscopically evaluated. Moreover, immunohistochemical expression was analyzed in tongue specimens by using image analysis software. The expression of particular genes associated with oral cancer were assessed by using RT2 Profiler PCR Array (Qiagen, Germantown, MD). TH significantly reduced the incidence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and suppressed cancer cell proliferation via diminishing the expression of CCND1, EGFR, and COX-2. Furthermore, TH preserved cellular adhesion (epithelial polarity) through overexpression of β-catenin and e-cadherin and inhibited the OSCC aggressiveness by downregulating TWIST1 and RAC1. Our data suggest that TH exerts chemopreventive activity in an animal model in which oral cancer was induced by using 4 NQO.

The anti-cancer effects of Tualang honey in modulating breast carcinogenesis: an experimental animal study

BackgroundHoney has been shown to have anti-cancer effects, but the mechanism behind these effects is not fully understood. We investigated the role of Malaysian jungle Tualang honey (TH) in modulating the hematological parameters, estrogen, estrogen receptors (ER1) and pro and anti-apoptotic proteins expression in induced breast cancer in rats.MethodsFifty nulliparous female Sprague–Dawley rats were used and grouped as follows: Group 0 (healthy normal rats control), Group 1 (negative control; untreated rats), Groups 2, 3 and 4 received daily doses of 0.2, 1.0 and 2.0 g/kg body weight of TH, respectively. The rats in groups 1, 2, 3, 4 were induced with 80 mg/kg of 1-methyl-1-nitrosourea (MNU). TH treatment in groups 2, 3 and 4 was started one week prior to tumor induction and continued for 120 days.ResultsThe TH-treated rats had tumors of different physical attributes compared to untreated negative control rats; the tumor progression (mean 75.3 days versus 51.5 days); the incidence (mean 76.6% versus 100%); the multiplicity (mean 2.5 versus 4 tumor masses per rat); the size of tumor mass (mean 0.41 cm versus 1.47 cm [p < 0.05]) and the weight of the tumor mass (mean 1.22 g versus 3.23 g; [p < 0.05]). Histological examinations revealed that cancers treated with TH were mainly of grades I and II compared with the non-treated control, in which the majority were of grade III (p < 0.05). TH treatment was found to modulate hematological parameters such as Hb, RBCs, PCV, MCV, RDW, MCHC, polymorphs and lymphocytes values. TH treatment groups were found to have a lower anti-apoptotic proteins (E2, ESR1 and Bcl-xL) expression and a higher pro-apoptotic proteins (Apaf-1 and Caspase-9) expression at serum and on cancer tissue level (p < 0.05).ConclusionTualang Honey alleviates breast carcinogenesis through modulation of hematologic, estrogenic and apoptotic activities in this experimental breast cancer animal model. Tualang Honey may be used as a natural ‘cancer-alleviating’ agent or as a supplement to chemotherapeutic agents.

Inhibitory effect of Malaysian Jungle [Tualang] honey in modulating experimental breast cancers induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU)

<h3>Introduction</h3> Recent studies have shown that honey has anticancer properties in tissue culture and in-vivo animal experiment against different types of cancers. Only a few studies suggested that honey might be useful in modulating experimental breast carcinoma in vivo. <h3>Aim</h3> To study the inhibitory effects of Malaysian Jungle Tualang honey (TH) on N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU)-induced rat mammary carcinogenesis. <h3>Methods</h3> Fifty female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 5 groups with 10 animals each (n=10); Group 1 did not receive MNU and did not receive honey (negative control); Group 2 received MNU but not honey (positive control). Groups 3, 4 and 5 were fed orally with 0.2, 1.0 or 2.0g/kg body weight of Tualang Honey daily respectively from day 0 of the experimentation. Cancer induction using MNU was done on the 7th day and development of mammary cancer masses was charted. All rats in all groups were given rat chowder ad lib. The rats in Groups 3, 4 and 5 continued to receive honey until the 120th day when they were sacrificed and subjected to autopsy. The tumors were harvested for gross and histopathological examinations. <h3>Results</h3> The total number of tumors developed in all groups was 105. The mean number of tumors developed per rat in Groups 2, 3, 4, 5 was 4.6 ± 0.60, 1.9 ± 0.40, 2.3 ± 0.30, and 1.7 ± 0.50, respectively. Honey was found to reduce the number of tumor masses, tumor incidence and tumor size; the mean size was ≤ 2.5cm³, smaller than control, ≤8.5cm³. The number of tumors developed in treatment groups was also significantly fewer (<i>p</i><0.05). His-topathological grading revealed that the majority of honey-treated group tumors were of grade 1=(32/62) (51.61%) and 2=(18/ 62)(29.03%). <h3>Conclusion</h3> Tualang honey has an inhibitory effect on breast carcinogenesis in rats when given one week prior to tumor induction.

Inhibitory Effects of Tualang Honey on Experimental Breast Cancer in Rats: A Preliminary Study

The study was conducted to determine the effect of Malaysian jungle Tualang Honey (TH) on development of breast cancer induced by the carcinogen 7,12-dimethylbenz(α)anthracene (DMBA) in rats. Forty nulliparous female Sprague-Dawley rats were given 80 mg/kg DMBA then randomly divided into four groups: Group 1 served as a Control while Groups 2, 3 and 4 received 0.2, 1.0 or 2.0 g/kg bodyweight/day of TH, respectively, for 150 days. Results showed that breast cancers in the TH-treated groups had slower size increment and smaller mean tumor size (≤ 2 cm3) compared to Controls (≤ 8 cm3). The number of cancers developing in TH-treated groups was also significantly fewer (P<0.05). Histological grading showed majority of TH-treated group cancers to be of grade 1 and 2 compared to grade 3 in controls. There was an increasing trend of apoptotic index (AI) seen in TH-treated groups with increasing dosage of Tualang Honey, however, the mean AI values of all TH-treated groups were not significantly different from the Control value (p>0.05). In conclusion, Tualang Honey exerted positive modulation effects on DMBA-induced breast cancers in rats in this preliminary study.

Misidentification of Burkholderia pseudomallei as Burkholderia cepacia by the VITEK 2 system

A previously healthy Chinese male returned from working in the Malaysian jungle with a fever. A blood culture grew Gram-negative bacilli that were initially identified as Burkholderia cepacia by the VITEK 2 system but were subsequently found to be Burkholderia pseudomallei by partial sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The identification of B. pseudomallei using commercially available automated systems is problematic and clinicians in non-endemic areas should be aware of the possibility of melioidosis in patients with a relevant travel history and blood cultures growing Burkholderia spp.

Opening and operation of the Pasir Panjang quarry: a dedicated armourstone quarry in the Malaysian jungle

Abstract In August 1993 Baggermaatschappij Boshalis was awarded a contract for the construction of a breakwater (1400 m parallel to the coast) and four rock groynes (180 m each) in Malaysia. The award was based on the company's alternative design, which was to use 11 and 20 t concrete armour units (tetrapods) totaling 115 000 m 3 of concrete and 2.1 x 10 6 t of rock with sizes from 50 mm to 9.0 t. The quantities of the various rock grades chosen in the alternative design were optimized to suit the assumed production possibilities of rock block sizes from sources in the area. After award of the contract, a new quarry only 8.0 km from the construction site was opened, the nearest existing quarry being 38 km away. The new quarry started deliveries on 1 April 1994 and completed them on 17 April 1995. A case history of the quarry is presented, emphasizing the economic importance of the rock fragmentation and the logistics common to most dedicated armourstone quarry operations. It describes the tender stage, the choice of quarry location and the choice of the various specified rock gradings made during the breakwater design process. The blasting procedures used to obtain the required gradings and quantities are discussed. The particular features and problems associated with opening and operating a dedicated armourstone quarry — for example, the selection plant, the stockpiling procedures, shipping and materials quality control procedures — are amplified upon.

Growth of Malaysian Paragonimus westermani in Mammals and the Mode of Transmission of the Fluke among Mammals.

The host susceptibility of Malaysian Paragonimus westermani was observed in cats, dogs and rats, infected with metacercariae. In rats, worms were harboured in the muscles and the flukes were morphologically similar to the excysted metacercariae except for their slightly larger body size. In cats, about a half number of the flukes were recovered from muscles and 40% from cysts found in the lungs. Majority of the flukes from these cysts were mature. In dogs, few mature flukes were obtained from cysts in the lungs and about 90% of flukes were recovered from muscles. The flukes from the muscles of cats and dogs were of the same juvenile stage as those from rats. The juvenile flukes recovered from muscles of the animals were orally given to dogs and cats. Majority of the flukes were found in cysts in the lungs and most of them were fully mature. However, some juvenile flukes still remained in the muscles of cats and dogs. Therefore, the Malaysian P. westermani has a higher final host susceptibility than those from other localities. The present study suggests that many species of animals living in Malaysian jungle serve as paratenic hosts and may play an important role in the completion of the life cycle of P. westermani in Malaysia.

Host specificity of avian coccidia

The term 'species specific' in reference to the host specificity of avian coccidia, has been used rather loosely for many years. A strong belief in strict species specificity has led to many new species of coccidia being described from oocysts isolated from the faeces of wild birds, primarily on the grounds that no coccidium had previously been described from that particular host species, A complicating factor is that animals can often have oocysts (Fig. I), passing through their intestines, of coccidia specific to other hosts. These 'foreign' oocysts might be derived directly from prey in the case of carnivorous birds, or indirectly from faecal contamination of their food in the case of granivorous birds, In the past, this has sometimes misled researchers into naming spurious new species which have subsequently been sunk in synonymies. But equally, there is the chance that an oocyst from a 'wrong' host might be correctly identified with the original description but incorrectly assumed to be capable of completing its life cycle in another host. The extremely wide host range recorded t for Isaspora lacazei is very suspect from this point of view. Hence, careful experimental procedures and a precise terminology regarding host specificity are clearly of paramount importance. Dunng the recent Georgia Coccidiosis Conference 2 discussion developed on the precision of terms used to describe the host specificit/es of avian coccidia, and I hope that this short review might stimulate further research in this area. Perusal of Pell~rdy's taxonomic monograph ~ shows that, w~thin the Galliformes at least, the range of hosts then known included extremely few congeneric species so that no reliable conclusions regarding species, as opposed to genus, specificity could be drawn at that t/me. However, the descriptions 3A of five nominal species of Eimeria from the Ceylon jungle fowl Gallus lafayetii* (Fig. 2) u g have at least partly resolved the problem. Two of these species, E. indentata and E. ~. d~minuta, were subsequently isolated from • Malaysian jungle fowl (Gallus gallus spadiceus) and have been synonymized with E. maxima and E. acervulina, respect/vely 5, and a further unidentified sample (E I ) from (2. lafayetii has been shown 6 to be E. praecax. The domesticated fowl is descended from the red jungle fowl G. galgallus, so perhaps this question might yet be answered in the affirmative, although more parasites should be studied first. However, some avian Eimena can cross the sub-family barrier; for example, E dispersa of the turkey Meleagris gallopava (Meleagridinae) can develop in the pheasant Phasianus colchicus, the partridge A/ectaHs graeca and the fowl G. gallus (Phasianinae) as well as in the bobwhite quail Colinus virglnianus (Odontophorinae)9; and E, co/chici of the common pheasant Phasianus calchicus can develop in Meleagris gallapava r°. lsospara species (sensu stricto) seem to be rare in the Galliformes, but one species, I. mayuri, from the peafowl Pavo cristatus (Phasianinae) cannot develop

HBAg-positive chronic liver disease associated with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in the senoi

Necropsy and clinical data show that primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC) is the commonest cancer among the Senoi (a Malaysian aboringine group). The other aboringine tribes do not appear to have this high predilection for liver cancer. In the necropsy series, PHS was present in 10 out of 22 Senoi patients with cirrhosis. All the 22 livers contained hepatocytes that stained with Shikata's orcein stain and specific immunoperoxidase and immunofluorescent stains for hepatitis B antigen (HBAg). This observation raises the strong possibility that hepatitis B may be an important etiologic factor in the development of cirrhosis and PHC in the Senoi. The reason for the high susceptibility of the Senoi for HB virus infection is not clear, and the role of aflatoxin in the pathogenesis of PHC in the Senoi has yet to be determined. That the Senoi are a numerically small community, maintaining their own unique dietary and social customs and living in readily accessible areas in the Malaysian jungle, makes them an ideal population for the study of factors in the etiology of liver cancer.

Experimental infection of chickens with two species of Eimeria isolated from the Malaysian jungle fowl.

Two species of Eimeria isolated from jungle fowl of Malaysia were examined in infections of chickens. Eimeria diminuta reproduced well in the embryo CAM and caused severe infection of the lower small intestine and caeca of chickens, but did not develop in the duodenum. It reproduced well in chickens and severely affected their body weight gain. The endogenous stages and oocysts were similar to E. acervulina var. mivati and cross-protection tests with this parasite and E. acervulina confirmed the close relationship between them. It is suggested that the parasite should be referred to as E. acervulina var. diminuta.The oocysts of another species examined (E. indentata) were similar to E. maxima: the parasite reproduced well in chickens, was pathogenic and showed marked cross-protection against two strains of E. maxima isolated in Britain. The name E. maxima var. indentata is suggested for this parasite.When low immunizing doses of two strains of E. maxima isolated and maintained in Britain were given, they did not completely cross-protect against re-infection with the heterologous strain.

Working with Aborigines on the Edge of the Malaysian Jungle

Working with Aborigines on the Edge of the Malaysian Jungle