Breast milk expression among formally employed women in urban and rural Malaysia: A qualitative study

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Many women are unable to practice exclusive breastfeeding because they are separated from their infants while working. Expressing their breast milk helps them to continue breastfeeding. This study explores the perception and experiences related to the feasibility, acceptability and safety of breast milk expression among formally employed women in Kelantan, Malaysia. METHODS: A qualitative method using in-depth interviews was conducted from December 2008 to December 2009 among Malay women from urban and rural areas. A snowball sampling method was used to recruit the informants, and the interviews, which were facilitated by an interview guide, were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was conducted, with construction of codes and themes from each interview. RESULTS: Analysis of the interviews with 20 informants identified three themes related to breast milk expression. The themes were as follows: (i) lack of feasibility of expressing breast milk, (ii) negative feelings about expressing breast milk, and (iii) doubts about the safety and hygiene of expressed breast milk. The informants who did not practice exclusive breastfeeding believed that expressing their breast milk was not feasible, commonly because they felt there were not enough facilities for them. They also had negative feelings such as embarrassment. The safety and hygiene of the expressed breast milk was also their main concern. CONCLUSION: More practical and focused education, as well as provision of facilities, is needed for women to effectively and safely express and store their breast milk. The issue of inadequate milk production should be emphasized, especially by encouraging them to express their breast milk as a way to improve milk production.     

Novel strategy for biodegradation of 4-nitrophenol by the immobilized cells of Pseudomonas sp. YPS3 with Acacia gum

The mass organic compound 4-nitrophenol with low molecular is involved in many chemicals processes and most common organic pollutants. 4-Nitrophenol (4-NP) existing in soils and water bodies, thereby causing severe environmental impact and health risk. Even low concentrations are harmful to health and potential mutagenic and carcinogenic. Though the existing methods of biodegradation though effective, their popularity is hindered due to high cost. Hence, in the present study a less expensive method involving the use of Pseudomonas sp. with gum arabic (PAA) was tested. The biodegradation of 4-NP was thoroughly investigated by progressive characterization methods. The promising Pseudomonas sp. YPS 3 was identified with biochemical and molecular identification process. The average particle sizes of stable crystalline PAA was 8–20 nm. The experiments were conducted with optimized parameters viz., pH (7.0), concentration (30 ppm), temperature (37 °C) and time (6 h). The study was tested as adsorbent particle size on 4-NP concurrent adsorption-biodegradation. In addition, these Pseudomonas sp. YPS3 and its PAA are used as an eco-friendly for removal of toxic organic 4-NP pollutant from the ecosystems.     

The lipid composition of human testis in testicular feminization syndrome

Testicular tissues obtained from 12 cases of testicular feminization syndrome were subjected to lipid analyses. The total lipids formed 2.75% of the total wet weight of the testicular tissue. Total cholesterol represented 30%, glycerides 33% and phospholipids 37% of the total lipids, respectively. Fractionation studies revealed that free cholesterol formed 66.7% and esterified cholesterol 33.3% of the total cholesterol. Triglycerides represented 89.89% and monoglycerides 10.11% of the total glycerides. Separation of phospholipids showed that phosphatidly choline (46.54%) and phosphatidly ethanolamine (24.89%) to be the major phosphoipid classes.     

A collaborative approach to bridging the gap between wildlife managers and researchers

Although most wildlife professionals agree that science should inform wildlife management decisions, disconnect still exists between researchers and managers. If researchers are not striving to incorporate their findings into management decisions, support for research programs by managers can wane. If managers are not using research findings to inform management decisions, those decisions may be less effective or more vulnerable to legal challenges. Both of these situations can have negative consequences for wildlife conservation. We outline a collaborative research-management approach to bridging the gap between wildlife managers and researchers. We describe differences in perspectives, perceptions, and priorities between managers and researchers; outline how and why the divide between researchers and managers has likely occurred and continues to grow; and present specific strategies and recommendations to foster stronger collaborations between managers and researchers. We advocate increased synergy between managers and researchers based on a shared vision of conservation and a collaborative structure that rewards researchers and managers. Most importantly, we suggest that relationships and communication between managers and researchers must be established early in research development and decision-making processes, fostering the trust needed for collaboration. Institutions and agencies can facilitate these relationships by creating opportunities and incentives for integrating collaborative research into management decisions. We suggest this approach will strengthen ties between researchers and managers, increase relevance of research to management decisions, promote effectiveness of management decisions, reduce legal challenges, and ultimately produce positive, tangible, and lasting effects on wildlife conservation. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.     

Simultaneous and rapid quantification of microalga biomolecule content using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

Lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates are the major constituents found in microalga cells, in varying proportions, and these biomolecules find applications in different industries. During microalga cultivation, to efficiently manipulate, control, and optimize the productivity of a specific compound for a specific application, real-time monitoring of these three cell components is essential. In this study, a method using measurement of electrical capacitance was developed to simultaneously determine the lipid, protein, and carbohydrate content of microalga cells without the requirement for any pre-processing steps. The marine microalga Nannochloropsis oculata was cultivated under nitrogen starvation conditions to induce lipid accumulation over a period of 22 days. The correlation between the electrical capacitance of the microalga culture and the intracellular biomolecule content (determined by standard techniques) was investigated, enabling subsequent deduction of microalga intracellular content from electrical capacitance of the culture. The accuracy and precision of the technique were proven by validating an independent sample. The main advantage of the proposed technique is its capability of quantifying microalga composition within a few minutes, significantly faster than currently available conventional techniques.     

Proteomics in antibiotic resistance and tolerance research: Mapping the resistome and the tolerome of bacterial pathogens

Antibiotic resistance, the ability of a microbial pathogen to evade the effects of antibiotics thereby allowing them to grow under elevated drug concentrations, is an alarming health problem worldwide and has attracted the attention of scientists for decades. On the other hand, the clinical importance of persistence and tolerance as alternative mechanisms for pathogens to survive prolonged lethal antibiotic doses has recently become increasingly appreciated. Persisters and high-tolerance populations are thought to cause the relapse of infectious diseases, and provide opportunities for the pathogens to evolve resistance during the course of antibiotic therapy. Although proteomics and other omics methodology have long been employed to study resistance, its applications in studying persistence and tolerance are still limited. However, due to the growing interest in the topic and recent progress in method developments to study them, there have been some proteomic studies that yield fresh insights into the phenomenon of persistence and tolerance. Combined with the studies on resistance, these collectively guide us to novel molecular targets for the potential drugs for the control of these dangerous pathogens. In this review, we surveyed previous proteomic studies to investigate resistance, persistence, and tolerance mechanisms, and discussed emerging experimental strategies for studying these phenotypes with a combination of adaptive laboratory evolution and high-throughput proteomics.     

Patterns of transgene inheritance in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

There have been very few studies of the inheritance of introduced genes (transgenes) in fish. We have followed the inheritance of the mammalian fusion gene MTrGH from founder generation transgenics (originating from eggs microinjected with the MTrGH DNA) to offspring in crosses with control fish. Initial screening of the founder generation transgenics was by analysing DNA from blood samples. Only three out of six fish which carried the novel gene in blood DNA transmitted it to their offspring, despite the presence of the gene in DNA extracted from the sperm of all four male fish in this group. The frequency of transgenics in the progeny groups from the three fish which transmitted the gene varied widely: in one of these groups more than one type of MTrGH restriction pattern was found. These results suggest widespread mosaicism in founder generation transgenics.     

Pertussis toxin inhibits neuropeptide Y-induced feeding in rats

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is the most powerful peptide drug stimulating feeding in rats. Rats with paraventricular hypothalamic (PVH) cannulae were used to investigate the mechanisms involved in NPY-induced feeding. Consistent with previous reports, injection of 2 μg of NPY into the PVH significantly increased the cumulative food intake over 1-, 2- and 4-hr periods. Ad lib feeding decreased significantly two days after pertussis toxin (PT) administration, but recovered to nearly normal levels on the fourth day. PT had no immediate effect on NPY-induced feeding; however, four days after PT was injected NPY (2 μg) did not increase the food intake compared to control. In vitro investigations showed that isoproterenol-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in the hypothalamus of control rats was inhibited by NPY. In PT-treated rats, however, no inhibition of cAMP production was observed. These results suggest that cAMP may mediate NPY-induced feeding and that a PT-sensitive G protein may be involved in this signal transduction.