Norafiza Zainuddin

Background: Microplastics (MPs) are increasingly detected in human biological samples, including human breast milk (HBM), raising concerns regarding infant exposure during early development. However, analysing MPs in HBM remains challenging due to its complex composition and limited standardised detection methods. This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier-Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy for identifying MPs in HBM following enzymatic digestion and oxidative treatment. Methods: Processed samples were filtered, visually screened under a stereomicroscope, and analysed using ATR-FTIR. Spectral matches were compared with a polymer reference library. Results: Several polymer signatures were detected, including polypropylene (PP), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSPE), with match scores ranging from low to moderate confidence (0.43–0.55). These findings show that ATR-FTIR can support preliminary MP screening in HBM, but accuracy is limited by spectral resolution, library constraints and contamination risks. Improved contamination control upgraded software libraries, and integration of complementary techniques such as Raman spectroscopy and pyrolysis-GC-MS are recommended to strengthen reliability. Conclusion: Overall, this work provides early analytical insight into MP detection in HBM and highlights key considerations for method optimisation in future studies.

Background: Milk kinship, in some cultures, posits that infants who receive breast milk from non-biological mothers establish a consanguinity, prohibiting future marriage between the recipient infants and the biological children of the breastfeeding mother. This kinship may be influenced by specific miRNAs in breast milk that modulate gene expression epigenetically, leaving marks within the recipient infants. Research Aim: This study aims to identify lactation-specific miRNAs shared among milk siblings, compare miRNA similarity between a breastfeeding mother’s milk and milk siblings’ plasma, and determine their persistence post-infancy. Methods: RNA was extracted from plasma and breast milk samples, followed by NanoString miRNA analysis to profile individual miRNAs. Differential Gene Expression (DGE) analysis using the R studio NOISeq package identified significantly expressed miRNAs across all samples. Results: Detailed comparisons revealed that several similarly detected miRNAs in milk siblings were present in their corresponding breastfeeding mother’s milk. DGE analysis identified five miRNAs: hsa-let-7b-5p, hsa-miR-223-3p, hsa-miR-873-3p, hsa-miR-23a-3p, and hsa-miR-378e, with hsa-miR-23a-3p exhibiting the most consistent expression pattern throughout the study. Conclusion: This study successfully identifies potential lactation-specific miRNAs that may be shared between milk siblings, providing valuable insights and laying a foundation for future identification of milk kinship biomarkers. However, despite promising findings, current evidence remains insufficient to establish a definitive link between these miRNAs and milk kinship. Further research is required to confirm these findings.

This study successfully developed and evaluated a multi-step digestion protocol for the effective extraction and identification of microplastics (MPs) from human breast milk (HBM). The method combined hexane-mediated lipid removal, enzymatic digestion using Candida rugosa lipase at a milk-to-enzyme ratio of 20:1, protein digestion with potassium hydroxide (KOH) at 1:3 ratio, and oxidative treatment with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) at 10% concentration. Ethanol was found essential for reducing sample viscosity, particularly post-saponification, thereby facilitating efficient filtration. Results showed that extended incubation times during enzymatic digestion notably enhanced lipid removal and improved clarity of the digestate, contributing to higher extraction efficiency. This protocol establishes a reproducible framework for reliable isolation and downstream spectroscopic identification of MPs in breast milk. Despite these advances, improvements in mechanical handling and contamination control are necessary to further enhance accuracy and consistency. The present findings contribute important methodological advancements to the field and support the urgent need for standardised, scalable protocols in monitoring neonatal exposure to environmental microplastic contaminants. Future work should expand on validation across diverse sample sets and explore correlations between MP presence and neonatal health outcomes.

Safety of infants nursed by their infected mothers is crucial to knowing whether the virus can be transmitted vertically through mothers’ milk. This study aims to collect and compile data from available studies on the immunological and microbiological components that can be found in COVID-19 infected mothers who breastfed their infants and to investigate the state of the infants who received breast milk while their mother is still confirmed to be positive with the virus. A systematic review was done from 28 articles that have passed the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the study. Qualitative data synthesis was applied to extract and analyze the results. Breast milk of mothers who were still infected with the virus does not harm the infants and instead giving them the extra protection against them. The contents in the mother’s milk also were found to have neutralizing ability against the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 and able to inhibit neutralizing antibodies (NAb) against receptor-binding domain (RBD) protein mutants. Infants who were infected with COVID-19 did not obtain the virus from their mother’s milk and no further complications were found in the infants after they were healed from the virus. Mothers can be well assured to continue breastfeeding their infants while contracting the disease as there is no evidence of virus transmitted through breast milk found. Appropriate strategies and guidelines must be followed during the breastfeeding process to minimize the risk of transferring the virus to infants through other method such as coughing or sneezing.

Individuals with a history of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exhibit memory immunity acquired during natural infection. However, a decline in immunity after infection renders these individuals vulnerable to re-infection, in addition to a higher risk of infection with new variants. This systematic review examined related studies to elucidate the antibody response in these infected individuals after messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccination. Hence, the focus of this review was to ascertain differences in the concentration of binding and neutralising antibodies of previously infected individuals in comparison to those of infection-naive individuals after administration of two doses of mRNA vaccination through available case-control and cohort studies. Positive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test or detectable anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies at the baseline in included studies showed categorisation of infected and uninfected individuals. This review utilised three online databases: PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane with the following keywords: (COVID-19 OR 'Coronavirus Disease 2019' OR SARS-CoV-2) AND Immun* AND (Pfizer OR BioNTech OR BNT162b2 OR Comirnaty OR Moderna OR mRNA-1273) from January 2019 to July 2021. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocol (PRISMA-P) 2020 guidelines and assessment based on the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool (CCAT), we included 13 related qualified papers of observational studies discerning the binding and neutralising antibody concentrations of infected and uninfected individuals after administration of mRNA vaccines, such as the BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 vaccine. The mRNA vaccines induced robust binding and neutralising antibody responses in both groups. However, infected individuals showed induction of higher antibody responses in a shorter time compared to uninfected individuals. Hence, a single dose of mRNA vaccination for infected individuals may be sufficient to reach the same level of antibody concentration as that observed in uninfected individuals after receiving two doses of vaccination.

Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is the severe form of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, which can extremely lead to dehydration, significant weight loss, electrolyte and metabolic imbalances. Importantly, early identification of HG symptoms can help to reduce the severity and prevent complications. Although HG is associated with many adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, there is limited understanding about the risk factors. This review provides current data of genetic and maternal factors that are linked to HG. All observational studies published in English that investigated the genetic or maternal factors associated with HG from 2011 until 2021 were systematically searched using PubMed, Scopus, and ProQuest electronic databases. A total of 1462 citation titles was identified, of which 47 potentially relevant abstracts were screened. Of those, 15 studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The genetic variants in ryanodine receptor 2 gene (RYR2), growth differentiation factor-15 gene (GDF15), and protein coding insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7) were found to be associated with HG. On the other hand, several potential maternal factors contributing to the onset of HG were age, Helicobacter pylori infection, body mass index status, a history of HG in a previous pregnancy, high serotonin levels, and reproductive factors. In view of the lack of strength of overall evidence for risk factors related to HG, it is first imperative to establish a precise definition for HG in a diverse study population. Nevertheless, to conclude, this review was able to provide current data of genetic and maternal factors that are associated with HG.

MGMT and SPOCK2 Promoter Methylation in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma: A Study in Two Tertiary Health Centres in the East Coast of Malaysia