INTRODUCTION Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide and is the leading cause of cancer death. Smoking is a major contributor to the pathogenesis of lung cancer. Cytochrome P450 2A6 (CYP2A6) is responsible for the metabolic activation of most tobacco carcinogens. CYP2A6 genetic polymorphism can cause variations in the human metabolism of xenobiotics. We performed this meta-analysis to determine the association between whole-gene CYP2A6 deletion polymorphism (CYP2A6*4) and lung cancer risk. METHODS The PubMed, SAGE, Science Direct, the Cochrane Library and Ovid databases were searched for observational studies before October 2018. Methodological quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS). RESULTS Nine case-control studies involving 4385 lung cancer cases and 4142 controls were included in the analysis. The random-effects model was used to combine results from individual studies. The pooled odds ratio was 0.39 (95% CI: 0.27-0.56). There was no heterogeneity across studies (χ 2 =2.49, p=0.96, I 2 =0%). CONCLUSIONS Current evidence from the case-control studies suggests that the CYP2A6 whole-gene deletion polymorphism decreases the risk of lung cancer. Further research is needed to identify any potential confounding factors that may impact this association.

The use of the vaccine in Asia is still very much limited and remained controversial due to its safety, which has yet been properly assessed and evaluated. Hence, the objective of this review is to assess the safety of the CYD-TDV dengue vaccine of the efficacy trials conducted in Asia. A total of 309 related articles were generated from the electronic database search using relevant keywords and only four of the articles were selected for the final review process. The seroprevalence at baseline of the participants involved in the studies was between 50 percent and 80 percent. In terms of the safety of the CYD-TDV vaccine, injection site reaction (pain, swelling, erythema) recorded a relative risk (RR) at 95% CI of (0.46—1.76) and systemic reactions (fever, headache, myalgia) also with RR at 95% CI of (0.89—1.81) were detected among the participants. Among the four studies reviewed, three studies reported some severe adverse effect experienced by the participants with RR at 95% CI of (0.92—2.11). In terms of the immunogenicity, high GMT values were reported for DENV-2 at 67.8 (95%CI of 64.8-70.8), DENV-3 at 73.1 (95% CI of 69.9-76.3) and DENV-4 at 65 (95%CI of 62-67.9) where even though lower values were reported it is consistent with other published studies on the immunogenicity of the CYD-TDV against the DENV serotypes. This review showed that the CYD-TDV can be considered for use in Asia, but with several conditions and following current safety recommendations.

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Background: Terengganu state has experienced fifteen COVID-19 communal clusters throughout the year 2020. Knowing the predisposing factors of COVID-19 transmissibility can be helpful in planning the control and preventive measures. This study aimed to describe the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients in Terengganu state, and to determine the predictors for SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility using RT-PCR cycle threshold (Ct) value as surrogate marker. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Terengganu state including all COVID-19 cases from 1st March 2020 until 31st January 2021 based on retrospective record review. The inclusion criteria were individuals with laboratory RT-PCR confirmed positive test for COVID-19. Descriptive statistics, simple and multiple linear regression analyses were employed for statistical analysis. Result: There were 2,142 COVID-19 cases in Terengganu during the studied period. The mean age of cases was 33 (±17) years. Majority of COVID-19 cases were male (60.6%), adult (70.0%) and from working group (49.2%). 3.9% of cases were healthcare workers. Among the common symptoms were fever (17.2%) and cough (14.0). The mean RT-PCR Ct value was 25.76 (±10.99). Multiple linear regression revealed older age, male gender, having fever and cough as the significant predictors for high SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility with β: -0.06 (95%CI: -0.09,-0.03); p<0.001; β: -3.80 (95%CI: -4.73,-2.86); p<0.001; β: -1.31 (95%CI: -2.54,-0.08); p=0.037; β: -1.86 (95%CI: -3.51,-0.20); p=0.028, respectively. Conclusion: Early detection and isolation of vulnerable cases based on pinpointed risk factors in centralized quarantine station or hospital is recommended to reduce the risk of transmission and to ensure optimal care is given.