Disease relevance of Pacific Islands

• Noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is a major public health problem among Polynesians in the South Pacific. The prevalence of NIDDM on Niue Island is higher than other Pacific Islands and is increasing [1].

High impact information on Pacific Islands

• We examined the molecular epidemiology and evolution of Ross River (RR) virus in Australia and the Pacific Islands. Nucleotide sequences of the E2 and E3 genes of five RR virus strains revealed remarkable conservation between 1959 and 1989 with a maximum divergence of only 3.3% [2].
• More than 11000 blood samples have been examined for glutamicpyruvic transaminase (GPT) and almost 9000 for Esterase D(EsD) in the Asian-Pacific area; GPT3 and GPT6 were detected in several population groups in New Guinea, Singapore and some Pacific islands [3].
• We employed 663-bp fragments of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) mitochondrial gene to investigate the evolution and biogeography of 13 Hawaiian succineid land snail species, six succineid species from other Pacific islands and Japan, and various outgroup taxa [4].
• HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 polymorphisms in Pacific Islands populations [5].
• Five HLA-DRB1 alleles were observed to be the most frequent amongst all the studied Pacific Islands populations [5].

Associations of Pacific Islands with chemical compounds

• Telehealth in the Pacific Islands: a perspective and update from the Fiji School of Medicine [6].
• Members of the last two groups are known in the Western Hemisphere only from Central Pacific Islands and may reflect intrusion of elements of the Australian Region [7].
• Age-adjusted nutrients expressed as percentage contribution to total energy intakes showed that Maori and Pacific Islands men and women consumed less carbohydrate, fibre and calcium, and more protein, fat, saturated fat and cholesterol than European men and women, respectively [8].
• A third of the strains originated overseas, most commonly Australia or one of the Pacific Islands. The rate of MRSA isolation was higher in the North Island than the South Island. Two-thirds of the MRSA had only a low level of methicillin resistance and were not multiresistant [9].

Gene context of Pacific Islands

• There are two single reports of patients from South Pacific Islands and Bangladesh. We describe a family from central Thailand, in which this Hb Lepore-Hollandia interacts with a common beta globin variant (beta(E) resulting from the codon 26, G-->A mutation) and alpha(+) thalassaemia (alpha(3.7)) [10].
• The highest incidences occur in eastern and southeastern Asia, some of the Western Pacific islands, and sub-Saharan Africa. Intermediate incidences are found in eastern and southern Europe, the Caribbean, Central America, and Western Asia. Hepatocellular carcinoma is uncommon in the remaining countries [11].
• The Pacific Islands Families: First Two Years of Life (PIF) Study was designed to redress this knowledge gap [12].
• The Pacific Islands Internet Project (PIIP) in UNDP, Suva [13].
• MBC / UNAIDS / SPC Pacific Islands AIDS / STD strategic planning. Project update [14].

References