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Perceptions of climate change and associated health impacts among communities in Johor River Basin, Malaysia

Kwa YC, Suboh N, Kay DSW, Lee CIS, Walsh CL, Goodson ML

Med J Malaysia, 2024 Jul;79(4):397-407.
PMID: 39086336

INTRODUCTION: As climate change is threatening every region of the world, extreme weather events resultant of global warming is occurring at increasing rate and scale in Malaysia. Weather-related disasters such as flood and haze pose critical challenges to the infrastructure and raise public health concerns in the country, especially when main economic sectors rely heavily on climate variability. Public perception on environmental issues is crucial for development of pro-environmental policies. Among studies conducted to understand public awareness regarding global warming, reports of perception on the health impacts were very limited. Taking this limitation into account, this study was designed to examine the perception on the health impacts of climate change among the diverse communities living in the Johor River Basin.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted through cloud-data-based digital questionnaires completed by randomly selected residents in the Johor River Basin (n=647). Data was analysed with descriptive statistics using SPSS 27 (IBM®) Software. Comparisons between indigenous and non-indigenous communities were performed using Chi square analysis.
RESULTS: Respondents in this study consisted of indigenous people (n=79) and non-indigenous people (n=568). Indigenous respondents generally perceived more frequent occurrence of extreme weather events in the next 20 years, even for the phenomena unfamiliar in Malaysian settings. All respondents showed similar concerns for health impacts of global warming, although the non-indigenous respondents perceived the risk further into the future (25 years) compared to the indigenous respondents who perceived current or imminent (<10 years) risks. Intense concerns for self, children, family members and community were shown by nearly all indigenous respondents (97-99%), while the non-indigenous people in this study expressed stronger concerns at country level and for future generations. During the last haze episode, most indigenous respondents (85%) did not notice any change in air quality nor discomfort among family members, in contrast 70% of the nonindigenous respondents claimed to have suffered from breathing problems themselves as well as others in the family. All respondents were concerned about air quality in their surroundings, indigenous people were concerned for the near future (<10 years), and non-indigenous people were concerned for the next 25 years.
CONCLUSION: In this study, respondents were generally concerned about the health impacts of unimpeded global warming. There was significant difference in perceptions between indigenous and non-indigenous respondents. The findings were useful, complemented with further studies, to improve understanding of public awareness and to help develop relevant education programmes accessible for wider audience.
Multifaceted anticancer mechanisms of tribenzyltin carboxylates: DNA minor groove targeting and inhibition of key enzymes in DNA replication, nucleotide synthesis, and redox homeostasis

Anasamy T, Foo YY, Saw WS, Kwa YC, Wei C, Heh CH, et al.

Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol, 2026 Mar;399(5):7505-7531.
PMID: 41389349 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-025-04890-6

Tribenzyltin carboxylates complexes, namely tri(4-fluorobenzyl)tin[(N,N-diisopropylcarbamothioyl)sulfanyl]acetate (C1) and tribenzyltin isonicotinate (C9), have been reported to exhibit significant anticancer activity via the death receptor and mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. However, understanding their upstream mechanism remains crucial. This study utilized both in silico and in vitro approaches to elucidate their mechanism of action. Molecular docking analysis indicated that C1 and C9 interacted with the minor groove of DNA. Fluorescence displacement assays confirmed their interaction with DNA through the minor groove. In enzyme inhibition assays, C1 showed significant inhibition of thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) activity, while C9 exhibited a dose-dependent effect, consistent with their docking affinities (- 4.1 and - 4.3 kcal/mol, respectively). Both compounds strongly inhibited human DNA topoisomerase I (TopI), supported by docking energies of - 7.0 and - 6.6 kcal/mol, respectively. The nearly complete inhibition of TopI across all treatment groups highlights it as a key molecular target. Additionally, C1 and C9 bound to thymidylate synthase (TS) with docking energies of - 7.2 and - 7.7 kcal/mol, respectively, leading to a marked reduction in TS levels. Molecular dynamics simulations of the TopI, TS, and TrxR complexes revealed that both C1 and C9 maintained stable binding within their respective active sites throughout the 100 ns trajectories. In summary, C1 and C9 primarily target the DNA minor groove and inhibit key enzymes such as TopI, TrxR, and TS, shedding light on their intricate mechanisms of action. These findings underscore the potential of C1 and C9 as promising multitarget metal-based anticancer agents.

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