Recent molecular phylogenetic studies indicate that the rafting Indian plate harboured several isolated vertebrate lineages between ca. 130 and 56 Myr ago that dispersed and diversified 'out of India' following accretion with Eurasia. A single family of the amphibian order Gymnophiona, the Ichthyophiidae, presently occurs on the Indian plate and across much of South East Asia. Ichthyophiid phyl...

In 1988, the World Health Assembly resolved to interrupt wild poliovirus (WPV) transmission worldwide. By 2006, the annual number of WPV cases had decreased by more than 99%, and only four remaining countries had never interrupted WPV transmission: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan (1). The last confirmed WPV case in India occurred in January 2011 (2), leading the World Health Organizat...

1Clinical Research Directorate/Clinical Monitoring Research Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, NCI Campus at Frederick, Frederick, Maryland 21702, USA; 2Collaborative Clinical Research Branch, Division of Clinical Research, National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, USA; 3Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University/Mahidol Oxford Research Unit, Th...

Despite increasing recognition of the importance of communication in animal health, especially in recent zoonotic disease outbreaks, some studies have showed that there are gaps in its conceptualisation and practice (Alders and Bagnol 2007; Hickler 2007). This research project aims to define animal health communication and propose a model of its practice. The aim of agricultural extension is to...

A 29 year old Thai woman presented with non-specific features and examination revealed left upper zone consolidation and hepatosplenomegaly. The initial clinical differential diagnosis included tuberculosis and melioidosis. She died four days after admission, while still under investigation. Postmortem examination revealed antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus, disseminated Penicillium mar...

A pandemic of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis occurred in south-east Asia during 1970 and 1971, and became epidemic in Lucknow in May 1971. From the conjunctival swabs adenovirus-like agents were isolated in monkey kidney tissue culture; one was typed as adenovirus 2. In paired sera rising antibody titres were found against an adeno-like agent isolated and the picornavirus (EC2/71) isolated i...

The SEA-ORCHID project (South East Asia Optimising Reproductive Child Health in Developing countries) initiated a survey among undergraduate medical students at five South-East Asia universities to ascertain their understanding of evidence-based practice, information seeking practices, access to Information Technology and evidencebased databases as well as their understanding of clinical practi...

There is a profound ignorance in Australia about Islamic law. One of the major aims of the Australian Journal of Asian Law is to inform and to encourage debate. At a time when the distance between Islamic and secular traditions seems wider than at anytime in living memory, this special issue is our attempt to open serious debate among legal scholars about syarî’ah. We believe the initiative is ...

The clinical features of 23 cases of frontoethmoidal meningoencephalocele are described in two South East Asian populations. The clinical, embryological, and epidemiological evidence may support an early teratogenic insult in the aetiology of this congenital defect. Frontoethmoidal meningoencephalocele (FEM) is a congenital abnormality involving the herniation of meninges and cerebral tissue th...