The complete VP1 protein of EV71 was truncated into six segments and fused to the C-terminal ends of full-length nucleocapsid protein (NPfl) and truncated NP (NPt; lacks 20% amino acid residues from its C-terminal end) of newcastle disease virus (NDV). Western blot analysis using anti-VP1 rabbit serum showed that the N-terminal region of the VP1 protein contains a major antigenic region. The recombinant proteins carrying the truncated VP1 protein, VP1(1-100), were expressed most efficiently in Escherichia coli as determined by Western blot analysis. Electron microscopic analysis of the purified recombinant protein, NPt-VP(1-100) revealed that it predominantly self-assembled into intact ring-like structures whereas NPfl-VP(1-100) recombinant proteins showed disrupted ring-like formations. Rabbits immunized with the purified NPt-VP(1-100) and NPfl-VP(1-100) exhibited a strong immune response against the complete VP1 protein. The antisera of these recombinant proteins also reacted positively with authentic enterovirus 71 and the closely related Coxsackievirus A16 when analyzed by an immunofluorescence assay suggesting their potential as immunological reagents for the detection of anti-enterovirus 71 antibodies in serum samples.

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COVID-19 is a potentially fatal infectious disease that requires effective vaccines to keep the outbreak under control. Despite the ongoing efforts for an effective vaccine, public hesitancy towards vaccines is now one of the main concerns to the global health in containing this global pandemic. Thus, this preliminary study was carried out to assess the degree of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the general public in Malaysia and to identify the underlying reasons for their hesitancy by using 5C psychological antecedents of vaccination. This study was conducted by carrying out a cross-sectional online survey for approximately two months between January to February 2021, involving 385 participants. The survey contained questions based on the 5C model proffered by WHO. The data from the survey were analyzed using Smart PLS 3 for statistical analysis, with the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). According to the findings, only 62.5 percent out of the 385 participants had planned to get the COVID-19 vaccine, while the remaining 37.5 percent did not. The results also showed that confidence, calculation, collective responsibility, and constraints had a significant influence on vaccine hesitancy but not complacency. There is a degree of vaccine hesitancy towards the COVID-19 vaccines among the Malaysian population, although the data that we have obtained cannot be used to generalize for the entire Malaysian population due to the small sample size. Thus, for the vaccination campaign to be more effective, it should focus more on addressing the issue relating to confidence, calculation, collective responsibility, and constraints and less on complacency.

The increase in antibiotic resistance globally necessitates the search for alternative therapeutic agents. Among the common antibiotic-resistant bacteria, MRSA and MRSE cause a wide range of infections with limited treatment options. Trigonella foenum-graecum has been widely used particularly in Asian countries in food and as a supplement. In this study, the anti-bacterial activity of T. foenum-graecum essential oil, boiled aqueous and ethanolic extracts was determined against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Propionibacterium acnes, MRSA, and MRSE by using the agar well diffusion assay. For determination of the zone of inhibition, Clindamycin (2 µg/disc) was used as a comparison for the anti-bacterial susceptibility results. The maximum zone of inhibition was observed with the boiled aqueous extracts of T. foenum-graecum against MRSA (20 mm), while the essential oil and ethanolic extracts of T. foenum-graecum did not show any zones of inhibition against all the tested staphylococcal and P. acnes isolates. Qualitative phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of flavonoids and terpenoids in all three extracts tested, among these boiled aqueous extract contained the highest number of phytochemicals which could account for the higher anti-bacterial activity exhibited by the boiled aqueous extracts. Hence, the T. foenum-graecum seeds show a potential application as an anti-bacterial agent against skin pathogens, particularly in the formulation of a skincare product.