Introduction:Linum usitatissimum (flax seed) has been cultivated for domestic use since prehistoric times. Its use as a dietary supplement becomes more popular nowadays. Nigella sativa seeds and oils have been widely used for centuries in the treatment of various ailments throughout the world. It is an important drug in the Indian traditional system of medicine like Unani and Ayurveda. Methods: This is a laboratory experimental in-vitro study using select-ed oral pathogens (Streptococcus mutans, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) cultured in nutrient agar. The pathogens were then inoculated in nutrient based broth and incubation for 24hours. Linum usitatissimum and Nigella sativa extract efficacy was tested by measurement of the zone of inhibition. The result of the extracts antimicrobial activities were compared with positive control (penicillin) and negative control(Dimethyl sulfoxide DMSO). The statistical analysis was done by using SPSS18. Results: The antibacterial effect of Linum usitatissimum and Nigella sativa extract is comparable to the effect of penicillin and this study shows that flax seed extract shows more potent antibacterial effect than Nigella sativa on Streptococcus mutans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa while both extracts didn’t show an effect on Klebsiella pneumoniae. Conclusion: The results of the present study scien-tifically validate the inhibitory capacity of Linum usitatissimum or Nigella sativa as antibiotic against selective oral pathogens this will contribute towards the development of new treatment options based on natural base products.
The immune system responds to stimulus by activation/increase or inhibition/decrease in activities. These immu-nomodulatory effects may be triggered by various factors in the environment including cytokines, hormones and growth factors, as well as flavonoids, antioxidants and various antigens in food and the environment. Immunosup-pression has a direct effect on the capacity of the immune system to fight against infection and cancer formation. A pro-inflammatory response, however, may induce further progression of tumours that had formed. Inflammation is also associated with many chronic illnesses including pain. The suppressive effects from phytochemicals have been shown in the potential to reduce T-lymphocyte proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Studies have demonstrated inhibi-tion of pro-inflammatory cytokines from flavonoid such as naringenin, green tea polyphenol extract, encapsulated fruit and vegetable juice powder concentrate. Feijoa sellowiana Berg var. coolidge fruit juice consumption exerted anti-inflammatory activity on edema-induced mice within first hour of treatment while agipenin, a natural flavonoid reduced neuroinflammation by protection against damage from dendritic cells stimulated T cells in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mouse models. Dietary polyphenols were found to exert a regulatory role on den-dritic cell function. Our own study showed immunosuppressive effect from increased T regulatory cells from papaya consumption. Increased regulatory cells are associated with cancer conditions. On the other hand, grape juice con-sumption mobilized gamma–delta T cells. Ginseng berry extract increased pro-inflammatory molecules in dendritic cells in the spleen while polysaccharide fractions from Momorica charantia, an edible medicinal vegetable increased various immune indexes. Fruits may also have endo-immunomodulatory function causing differential effects in male and female. Sex hormones can influence immune changes based on sex as seen in increased NK cells in males and antibodies in females. We observed a population of CD4-CD45RA-CD69+CD25- cells was significantly lower in males. However, none of these studies have been directly conducted on cancers. Investigation into this area may help improve decision making in cancer management.
Over the past decade, research involving immunometabolism, has been gaining much interest. The immune cell re-sponses of an individual may be influenced by metabolites released by the host or derived from the microbiota. How-ever, the immune response of an individual may vary depending on the health condition of an individual. During infection, the metabolic processes derived from the infectious diseases can effect the function of immune cells and thus determine the response or survival of the host during infection. Immunometabolism also has a role in tumor development although the mechanism of how tumor cells influence immune cell function is not well understood. Among the major meatbolic pathways that have been studied in immune cells include glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, the pentose phosphate pathway, fatty acid oxidation, fatty acid synthesis and amino acid metabolism. Understanding the tight connection between metabolomics and immunity in health and disease will be crucial as this could lead to therapeutic interventions or in developing metabolomic biomarkers in immunology.
Immunomodulation is essential for controlling the immune system to maintain efficient immune surveillance and inflammation. Both arms of immunomodulation, namely immunostimulation and immunosuppression, are equally crucial in setting the optimal balance of immune response. However, diseases or conditions such as autoimmune diseases, tissue rejection due to transplantation and chronic inflammation require downregulation of overwhelming immune reactions. The conventional immunosuppressive drugs prevent the activation of immune cells, yet create an unsafe condition with toxic adverse effects. In such predicament, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) emerged as one of the safe immunosuppressive regiments and widely tested in clinical trials for numerous chronic inflammatory dis-eases. Mesenchymal stem cells are the origin of the stromal/mesenchymal cells in almost all solid organs, including the pulp of the tooth. In addition to providing structural support to the organ, MSCs participate in the tissue repair and regeneration by ameliorating an overly activated immune response locally and systemically. Regardless of the source, MSCs profoundly suppress the proliferation and effector functions of both innate and adaptive immune cells. The mechanism of inhibition primarily took place in the early phase of cell cycle and mediated via suppression of mainstream signalling pathways that involve cyclins and other cell cycle proteins. The antiproliferative activity of MSCs is not only limited to the healthy immune cells but extends to the various tumour cells of the immune system. Similarly, an array of cell signalling pathways that executed by cell cycle proteins found downregulated in the pres-ence of MSCs. The immunosuppressive activity exerted by MSCs is not specific to particular immune cells where it impairs a group of the common cell signalling pathways or putative cell cycle proteins which are vital elements for the proliferation.
Introduction: Colorectal cancer is one of the top three most commonly occurring cancer worldwide with more than 1.8 million cases in 2018. In Malaysia, colorectal cancer is the most common cancer in males and the second most common cancer in females. Albeit being the second most common form of cancer in Malaysia, there is a lack of a formal or structured national colorectal cancer screening programme in Malaysia and it remains a low priority in healthcare planning and expenditure in Malaysia. The risk of developing colon cancer is greatly influenced by factors such as lifestyle habits, genetic inheritance, diet, weight, and exercise. Kras, the most frequently mutated oncogene in cancer, occurs in about 50 percent of colorectal cancers. Methods: This study maps the kras gene involved in colon cancer pathway, using bioinformatics applications such as STRING version 11.0 and Cytoscape version 3.7.0 to provide a clear visualisation of all the related and involved proteins and genes that interact with this kras gene in the pathway. Results: The 3391 protein interactions were assembled and visualized in y organic form. Six spe-cific non-overlapping clusters of various sizes, which emerged from the huge network of protein-interactors using MCODE version 1.32 clustering algorithm were found. Biological Networks Gene Ontology (BiNGO) was used to determine two ontologies (molecular function and biological process) involved in the protein network. Based on the resulting protein-protein network interaction map, each interaction plays an important role in the cell cycle, meta-bolic pathways and signal transduction. Conclusion: Understanding these interactions provide insight into cellular activities and thus assist in the understanding of the aetiology of disease.
Probiotics are live microorganisms and when consumed in adequate amounts will confer health benefit on the host. Probiotic effects of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) have been reported extensively, which rely generally on the viability of LAB cells. However, we have reported extensively the prominent probiotic effects of cell less postbiotics metabolites produced by various strains of Lactobacillus plantarum isolated from Malaysian foods on rats, poultry and pigs. L. plantarum is a major species of LAB. Despite the emerging evidence of anticancer properties of LAB, very limited information is available on the cytotoxic and antiproliferative activities of cytobiotic metabolites produced by LAB. Recently, we have documented the selective antiproliferative and cytotoxicity of cytobiotic produced by six strains of L. plantarum on normal human primary cells, breast, colorectal, cervical, liver and leukemia cancer cell lines via MTT assay, trypan blue exclusion method and BrdU assay. Haemolytic assay was used to determine the toxicity of cytobiotic using human and various animal red blood cells. The cytotoxicity mode was subsequently determined for selected UL4 cytobiotic on MCF-7 cells due to its pronounced cytotoxic effect by fluorescent microscopic ob-servation using AO/PI dye reagents and flow cytometric analyses. The selective cytotoxicity effect on various cancel cells that occurred in a strain-specific and cancer cell type-specific manner whilst sparing the normal cells will be discussed in the presentation. Moreover, the antiproliferative effects and induction of late apoptosis effects against selected malignant cancer cells will be discussed further in the presentation. This report reveals the vast potential of cytobiotics produced by L. plantarum strains as functional supplement and as an adjunctive treatment for cancer.
Exposure to PM2.5 from traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) can cause health risk among residents in the urban area. Those who work outdoors are vulnerable to TRAP. PM2.5 from TRAP contain various carcinogenic and mutagenic compounds that can cause genotoxicity to human health. This study indicated that exposure to the higher level of PM2.5 in the urban areas had exhibited an increased in the formation of micronucleus (MN) among respondents. Traf- fic policemen experienced a high concentration of PM2.5 that lead to higher MN frequency compared to the office workers.
Prolonged standing has been identified as one of the risk factors which is associated with occupational injuries. Therefore, the primary aim for this study is to determine the association between prolonged standing and muscle dis- comfort among workers who have to stand for long periods of time. A total of 74 respondents were given and asked to complete a self-administered Borg’s Scale questionnaire. After that, the completed questionnaire was analysed using statistical analysis. This study highlighted the correlation between height, weight and age of the respondents with muscle discomfort following exposure to prolonged standing. Besides that, the association between prolonged standing and muscle discomfort also will be highlighted. In short, the prevalence of leg muscle discomfort was higher compared to the muscle discomfort experienced by the other body parts.
Frequent and high severity exposure to hazards can contribute to increased probability of harm among workers in agricultural sectors. Systematic risk assessment process will assist employers to mitigate risk using suitable control methods. The aim of this study was to perform Hazards Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control (HIRARC) in commodity-based agricultural plantation in Malaysia. This was a cross-sectional study among 74 workers in se- lected cocoa and tea plantations. All work activities performed at the plantations were video recorded and hazards were identified from interview-based questionnaire and work observations. The highest Risk Rating (RR) within work activities was harvesting characterised by prolonged standing with repetitive bending. Ergonomic hazard is the most common hazard. The outcome of this study can be used to provide information to assist employers and authorities in the management of safety and health at the selected type of plantations.
This paper studies the muscle discomfort among police officers when carrying out their work. The objective of this study is to give a basic introduction of ergonomic problems in among police officers and risk controls in relation to minimize the ergonomics risk factors. This paper gives quick review of muscle discomfort problems and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) among police officer. An ergonomic application has been purposed in the liter- ature to solve the problem related with design of mechanical.
This is a cross-sectional study aims to estimate the concentration of bio-aerosols in a manufacturing factory. There were 108 respondents involved with 100% response rate. Self-administered questionnaire was used to collect infor- mation on socio-demographical characteristics and work characteristics. IUALTD standardized questionnaire was used to measure respiratory symptoms among respondents. Duo Sas Super 360 was used to measure the concentra- tion of airborne bacteria and fungi. Twenty four air sampling was completed. Findings shows that only prayer room (650 cfu/m3) recorded to have bacteria concentration beyond the standard acceptable limit. The most prevalent reported respiratory symptoms were cough and phlegm (22.2%) followed by wheezing and chest tightness (20.4%). There were no significant association between socio-demographical factors, work factors and airborne bacteria and fungal concentration with respiratory symptoms. Better ventilation with regular cleaning of prayer cloth and carpet is warranted for the prayer room. Future study is recommended to include knowledge, attitude and practice related to hygiene among workers.
Heat stress is a serious problem among agricultural workers. Workers who are exposed to the extreme heat or work in hot environments may be at risk of heat stress. The physiological changes and heat related symptoms could occur due to heat stress. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine the impact of heat on the health and productivity of cassava farm workers in Kratie province of Cambodia. The sampling method was a convenient sampling with some inclu- sive criteria. A total of 125 cassava farm workers were selected to participate in this study. The information was collected through a face to face interview using a questionnaire form. Questions were asked on heat exposure during work and heat related symptoms. The environmental heat was measured using heat stress monitor WBGT and data logger for 2 hours for each day. Automatic blood pressure monitor was used to measure blood pressure and heart rate, while ear thermometer measured the body temperature. All measurements of physiological changes were conducted during the rest and work time of the workers. Observations were conducted to determine the production hourly output of workers by using productivity forms. The productivity was determined by calculating the total of cassava roots harvested per hour, which started from
9.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. The results indicated that the highest average of heat stress index were 32.11°C and 32.36°C re- spectively whereby the daily exposure to heat during work, exceeded the threshold limit value (TLV) of 27.5°C for heavy metabolic workload level with 75% work, 25% rest regimen. Meanwhile, the highest prevalence of heat related symptoms reported among workers were tiredness/weakness (84.4%), followed by heavy sweating (82.4%) and headache (61.6%). The blood pressure, heart rate and core body temperature were below the standard, indicated that the workers were fully acclimatized. There was no significant difference in the physiological changes between male and female during the resting and working period. Heavy sweating, heat, BMI and working time were the factors that were significantly related with productivity. In conclusion, the cassava farm workers in Kratie, Cambodia were exposed to high level of heat stress, which reduced their work productivity.
Instant noodles had been found to be contaminated with heavy metals such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As). This study aims to determine the heavy metals (Pb, Cd, As) concentration in popular instant noodles from Ma- laysian market. Seven different brands of commercially popular instant noodles were randomly sampled from the market. The samples were prepared by dry ashing method prior to analysis by using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrophotometer (ICP-MS). Results showed that all seven samples detected with heavy metals which the concentration for Pb in two samples exceeded the maximum permitted level of Malaysian Food Act and Regulation of 2 mg/kg. This finding indicated that instant noodle can be one the sources of chronic exposure to toxic heavy metals through food consumption which later might cause health effects. Instant noodles in Malaysian market need to be closely monitored to ensure the food quality and safety for consumption. Further study which focuses on the source of contamination as well as the health risk of consuming this contaminated noodles is strongly recommended.
Bauxite mining activities in Felda Bukit Goh, Kuantan, has been in operation since early 2013. The uncontrolled min- ing activities created dusty environment which led to health complaints from the surrounding residence. The mining activities had also caused anxiety and stress among the community due the noise which disturb their well-being and their sleep (1). The objectives of this study were to determine and relate selected heavy metal levels (As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb and Al) in the dust in the classrooms of a school located near to the mines with the respiratory health symptoms reported by the parents of the selected school children. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 121 students randomly selected from the Primary 4 and 5 clusters. Questionnaires were used to collect information on their back- ground and their respiratory health symptoms. Environmental sampling for 16 dust samples consisted two samples (window and corridors) from each of the eight classes (four from each Primary 4 and 5) were collected using 400W vacuum cleaner with special filter from these classrooms. The dust samples were analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results showed that the levels of heavy metal in the dust were high in both the Primary 5 and Primary 4 classes. The mean heavy metal levels in the dust from the classroom area varied signifi- cantly and decreased in the order of: Al > Cr > Ni > Pb > As > Cd. The mean ranges were as follows: Al (39360.15- 110824.1 mg/kg); Cr (2364.84- 4726.009 mg/kg); Ni (699.9606-1443.36 mg/kg); Pb (434.3067- 1650.76 mg/kg); As
(200.7891-454.7241 mg/kg); and Cd (10.9107-34.9902 mg/kg) respectively. The levels were higher at the corridor than the window. Nasal congestion (45.5%) was the highest respiratory symptoms experienced by the school chil- dren. There was a significant correlation between the respiratory health symptoms reported with absenteeism in the year 2015 when the mining activities were at the peak. There was a significant correlation between dust Pb levels with respiratory reported symptoms of the school children. Other risk factors which contributed to the respiratory symptoms reported were the close location of their houses to the mining areas, young age and low family income.
The effects of poor air quality are a serious issue in urban areas, wherever most people live and work. Precise moni- toring of air quality in real-time is crucial to enable prompt and fitting resolutions for outdoor workers and the public. This study is meant to provide information and to understand current knowledge on the use of mobile wireless sensor network for outdoor air pollution assessments and monitoring. A search of the literature was carried out using an appropriate query for the search of papers across various databases. Majority of the previous studies researched have reported that mobile wireless sensors are versatile and could be applied in exposure assessments and monitoring of outdoor air quality. The reviewed articles proved that mobile wireless sensors are a practical device that can effec- tively detect air pollution and will facilitate to boost the protection of the community, personal health care as well as environmental monitoring.
Ergonomics is a science focusing on the study of human fit, decreasing human fatigue and discomfort through the design of new product. Prevention related to workers injury and illness such as muscle discomfort is part of the main goals in ergonomics interventions. Thus, this present study investigates the effectiveness of ergonomic interventions such as footrest and floor conditions in reducing workers lower leg muscle discomforts during prolonged standing. The main objective of this study was to determine and compare the lower leg muscles discomfort (exertion percent- age (%)) of Gastrocnemius and Tibialis Anterior among the respondents using the two ergonomic interventions (foot- rest and anti-fatigue mat). About 60 healthy subjects were recruited to stand for 2 hours (120 minutes) while using the two interventions in different session with one week interval between each test session. During standing, lower leg muscle discomfort of Gastrocnemius and Tibialis Anterior muscles were continuously monitored. Changes in lower leg muscle discomforts over standing time were measured using the surface Electromyography (sEMG). In this study, the sEMG readings showed that the percentage of exertion (%) were increasing with time (within 120 minutes) on muscles for both legs with the usage of the interventions (footrest and anti-fatigue mat). However, the percentage of exertion (%) from the sEMG readings were lower compared to previous studies. The independent t-test was used to find the mean changes on exertion percentage (%) between each muscles of both legs for the two interventions. Results found that there were significant exertion percentage at certain time with 15 minutes time period within the 120 minutes standing. This study showed that the ergonomic interventions (anti-fatigue mat and footrest) gives a low number of exertion percentage (%), showing a reduced muscle discomfort to the lower leg muscles compared to previous studies and interventions. In comparisons with footrest, this study showed that anti-fatigue mat is more applicable for the assembly workers in the industrial factory. The data produced by the comparisons between the two interventions can be useful especially to the Department of Occupational Safety and Health Malaysia (DOSH) in enhancing the safety and wellbeing of industrial workers in Malaysia.
To achieve rapid economic development, many countries including Malaysia resort various activities to exploit nat- ural sources such as mining. As a consequence, mining are an important economic activity which has the potential to contribute to the development of areas endowed with the ore. Studies have been carried out in countries where the impact were on the environment and health. However, fewer studies have been carried out on the effects of min- ing on health especially the children. This paper provides a review of the process description, properties of bauxite, bauxite production and the potential health effects of heavy metals from mining ores on children’s health. The aims of this article are to evaluate the most frequently reported effect towards health and heavy metals levels in biomark- ers such as blood, urine, hair and toenail among children mining areas. Respiratory problems were most commonly reported effects associated with mining activities. Heavy metals such as lead, aluminum, chromium, nickel are also elevated from normal levels due to mining activities. Specific mitigated measures need to be taken in order to solve the problems and protect the public health especially children as they are vulnerable and represent the non-occupa- tionally exposed population.
The generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) in South East Asian and developing countries has become a serious concern worldwide. Population growth, urbanization, economic productivity and demand for consumption had accelerated the amount of waste generation each year. This paper presents a short definition of MSW landfill, an overview of current status of MSW landfills in Malaysia and generation of solid waste in Malaysia and other neigh- bouring countries.
The purpose of this study was to determine the level of ergonomic knowledge and safety among contractor of a selected construction site located in Georgetown, Penang. The study also tried to identify the restrictions in imple- menting ergonomic and safety programs in the workplace. Prior to the study, a field investigation were conducted by the researcher and the researcher found out that workers are practicing poor body posture in the site and thus decided to conduct this study. Data were collected primarily from a questionnaire and the data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney test due to the small sample size which only involved 35 respondents. Results from the study shows respondents have high in ergonomic knowledge (p=0.962,>0.05). Several factors restricting the implementation of ergonomic programs are “lack of management support” and “lack of information and training”.
Anaemia is a common health problem during pregnancy, which leads to adverse health consequences to both moth- ers and infants. Health education is an important strategy in preventing anaemia. It’s success to improve haemoglo- bin level depends on the methods and design. This review aimed to identify the methods used and the effectiveness of health education intervention in improving anaemia in pregnancy. A systematic review of studies published in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Science Direct and PubMed from January 2010 to April 2017 was conducted using various keywords. Initial search revealed 274 articles, which later reduced to eight after being screened for inclusion crite- ria that consist of intervention study and involving pregnant women as participants. Health education intervention program with various delivery methods were proven to significantly reduce the prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy. Group discussion, health talk, poster presentation and educational pamphlet were common methods used in health education intervention.