Displaying publications 21 - 40 of 375 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Harold Criso Ajin, Mohamed Kamel Abd Ghani, Nurul Farhana Jufri, Ahmad Zorin Sahalan, Wan Omar Abdullah
    MyJurnal
    Kajian ini dilakukan untuk menentukan prevalens jangkitan Trichomonas vaginalis, di kalangan wanita yang berumur 20 hingga 59 tahun di Hospital Umum Sarawak melalui pemeriksaan ke atas lumuran Pap lazim. Prevalens jangkitan ini dikaji di kalangan lima kumpulan etnik utama iaitu kaum Iban, Cina, Melayu, Bidayuh dan Orang Ulu. Penyaringan dijalankan pada lumuran Pap lazim ke atas 300 sampel slaid yang telah diproses dan dicelup menggunakan pencelup Papanicolaou. Berdasarkan maklumat pada borang permohonan penyaringan lumuran Pap, tanda dan gejala jangkitan diambil kira sebagai petunjuk penting semasa penyaringan kerana melalui tanda dan gejala jangkitan, lumuran Pap mempunyai hubungan yang rapat kepada ciri-ciri gambaran sitomorfologi jangkitan yang berlaku ke atas sel epitelial sekiranya ianya mengalami jangkitan. Kategori umur untuk setiap golongan etnik juga dijadikan sebagai salah satu faktor pengukur bagi menilai tahap kekerapan jangkitan. Hasil kajian menunjukkan trikomoniasis mencatatkan jangkitan sebanyak 7.7% kes. Jangkitan berlaku pada kesemua kumpulan etnik dan lebih kerap ditemui pada golongan umur 20 hingga 29 tahun. Kesemua kes turut menunjukkan tanda dan gejala jangkitan. Hasil kajian ini menunjukkan kepentingan menjalani ujian lumuran Pap sebagai ujian mengesan jangkitan Trikomonas vaginalis selain saringan awal pengesanan kanser serviks.
  2. Harold Criso Ajin, Mohamed Kamel Abd Ghani, Abdul Hamid Abd Aziz, Ahmad Zorin Sahalan, Wan Omar Abdullah
    MyJurnal
    Kajian ini dilakukan untuk menentukan prevalens jangkitan vaginosis bakteria di kalangan wanita yang berumur 20 hingga 59 tahun di Hospital Umum Sarawak, Malaysia melalui pemeriksaan ke atas lumuran Pap lazim. Prevalens jangkitan ini dikaji di kalangan lima kumpulan etnik yang utama iaitu kaum Iban, Cina, Melayu, Bidayuh dan kaum Orang Ulu. Penyaringan mikroskopi dijalankan ke atas 300 sampel slaid yang telah diproses dan dicelup menggunakan pencelup Papanicolaou. Berdasarkan kepada maklumat pada borang permohonan penyaringan lumuran Pap, tanda dan gejala jangkitan diambil kira sebagai petunjuk penting semasa penyaringan kerana melalui tanda dan gejala jangkitan, lumuran Pap mempunyai hubungan yang rapat dengan ciri gambaran sitomorfologi jangkitan yang berlaku ke atas sel–sel epitelium sekiranya ia mengalami jangkitan. Kategori umur untuk setiap golongan etnik juga dijadikan sebagai salah satu faktor pengukur bagi menilai tahap kekerapan jangkitan. Hasil kajian menunjukkan jangkitan vaginosis bakteria mencatatkan sebanyak 79.7% (239/300 kes). Jangkitan berlaku pada kesemua kumpulan etnik dan jangkitan lebih kerap ditemui pada golongan umur 20 tahun hingga 39 tahun. Majoriti kes (93.3%) menunjukkan tanda dan gejala jangkitan. Hasil kajian ini menunjukkan kepentingan menjalani ujian lumuran Pap sebagai ujian mengesan jangkitan vaginosis bakteria selain saringan awal pengesanan kanser serviks.

  3. Noor Alaudin Abdul Wahab, Wan Fazlina Wan Hashim
    MyJurnal
    Garis panduan saringan telinga tengah oleh American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) telah menyarankan agar pendekatan kuantitatif digunakan untuk menginterpretasi keputusan timpanogram. Berbanding pendekatan kualitatif yang digunapakai untuk menginterpretasi timpanogram sebelum ini, pendekatan kuantitatif adalah lebih sesuai kerana ianya bersifat objektif serta dapat diaplikasi dengan peralatan timpanometer komersial yang terdapat di pasaran sekarang. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mendapatkan nilai mutlak ciri timpanometri iaitu puncak statik admitan akustik dikompensasi (Puncak Ytm), kelebaran timpanogram (TW) dan isipadu salur telinga luar (Vea) di kalangan kanak-kanak pra-sekolah normal dan Sindrom Down. Lima belas kanak-kanak normal dan 12 kanak-kanak Sindrom Down yang memenuhi kriteria pemilihan subjek terlibat di dalam kajian ini. Nilai purata Puncak Ytm dan Vea bagi kanak-kanak normal masing-masing adalah 0.36 mmho dan 0.57 cm3 manakala kanak-kanak Sindrom Down mencatat nilai purata 0.14 mmho dan 0.38 cm3. Kanak-kanak normal dan Sindrom Down masingmasing mencatatkan nilai purata TW 99.73 dan 148.65 daPa. Analisis statistik menunjukkan terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan di antara kedua-dua kumpulan subjek bagi ketiga-tiga nilai parameter timpanometri yang diperolehi.
  4. Satirah Zainalabidin, Coats, Paul, Wadsworth, Roger M.
    MyJurnal
    Myogenic tone is the response of the vascular smooth muscle to an increase in intraluminal pressure with vasoconstriction and with vasodilation when the pressure is decreased. Such myogenic tone contributes a level of physiological basal tone in response to neurohumoral stimuli. In spite of myogenic tone discovery by Sir William Bayliss 100 years ago, questions still remain regarding the underlying signaling mechanism of the myogenic response. Studies have shown that increased intraluminal pressure or wall tension leads to membrane depolarization, voltage-operated calcium channel (VOCC), stretch-activated cation (SAC) channels, extracelullar matrix (ECM) and actin cytoskeleton. Recently, evidence has shown a potential role for reactive oxygen species (ROS) as a key signalling mediator in the genesis of myogenic tone. The identification of the primary mechanosensors in the initiation of pressure-dependent myogenic tone is essential as these components could be potential therapeutical targets in the future.
  5. Mohd Fairul Syafiq Harun, Vijay Marimuthu
    MyJurnal
    Cervical Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential (cVEMP) is a routine vestibular test which checks the integrity of
    vestibulocollic reflex (VCR) pathway. Clinically, 500-Hz tone burst is widely used stimulus to evoke a cVEMP. Although
    several studies have suggested different plateau times (PT) for eliciting cVEMPs, but not many have reported the optimal
    PT for evoking cVEMP using 500 Hz tone burst stimuli. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of
    PT on cVEMPs elicited by 500 Hz tone burst at 95 dBnHL using four different PT (0, 2, 4 and 10 ms). Thirty healthy
    adults with normal hearing and vestibular systems participated in this study. Results revealed that the P1 latency was
    significantly longer for PT 10 ms compared to other PTs. N1 latency was significantly prolonged for long PT of 10 ms
    compared to PT 2 ms. P2 latency showed no significant differences among PTs. The P1-N1 inter-amplitude values
    however revealed no significant difference across all PTs. It was found that the P1-N1 inter-amplitude was severely
    affected after 4 ms of PT. This study concluded that the PT of either 0 or 2 ms yielded the most robust cVEMP.
  6. Sherin, Sokmum, Singh , Susheel Joginder, Vandort, Sandra
    MyJurnal
    This study aims to investigate the viability and effectiveness of the Hanen More Than Words (HMTW) programme amongst
    parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This quassi-experimental study involved 31 children (27 boys,
    4 girls; M = 34.58 months, SD = 3.67) who met criteria for ASD and their parents. The measurement was conducted in
    three phases; Time 1 (prior to intervention), Time 2 and Time 3 (at three and five months after the intervention begins).
    The outcome measures were assessed based on: (1) changes in parental facilitative strategies; (2) the children’s growth
    in vocabulary and (3) the progress of communication and social skills. The paired t-test were used to analyze the pre
    and post findings within the intervention and control group with p-value
  7. Deborah Xinyi Yong, Tze-Peng Wong
    MyJurnal
    “Following the child’s lead” and “collaborative consultation with parents” are solidly grounded in the best practice of
    early language intervention. However, the success of these two practices are based on assumptions that they are valued by
    families and that they can be feasibly implemented by the attending speech-language pathologist (SLP). Such assumptions
    can be unjustified in cultures that value the use of “adult-guided instructions” over following the child’s lead and when
    the work setting of the SLP does not readily accommodate those practices. This article takes the form of a position paper.
    Through review of the literature, the paper (1) identifies the research-cultural practice gap in early language intervention
    in Malaysia; (2) positions the two research-informed practices – following the child’s lead and collaborative consultation
    with parents, on the continuum of intrusiveness in early language intervention; and (3) proposes the techniques of Milieu
    Teaching as an approach to bridge the research-cultural practice gap in Malaysia.
  8. Ahmad Sh. A. Lafi, Fahrul Huyop, Jacinta Santhanam, Tzar Mohd Nizam Khaithi
    MyJurnal
    Ergosterol, a component of fungal cell membrane, has been frequently detected as an indicator of fungal presence and mass
    in environmental samples like soil. However, its detection in major pathogenic fungal species has not been investigated.
    In this study, the ergosterol contents of ten pathogenic fungal species were determined. Liquid chromatography was used
    for the detection and quantification of ergosterol extracted from fungal broth cultures. Results showed that ergosterol
    eluted as a single, well resolved peak in the chromatogram profiles of all tested fungi. Based upon relative amounts of
    ergosterol produced per fungal mycelial dry weight, three groups of fungal pathogens were identified, namely low ergosterol
    (Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans at 4.62, 6.29 and 7.08 µg/mg, respectively), medium
    ergosterol (Fusarium solani, Aspergillus fumigatus, Mucor sp., Penicillium sp., Cryptococcus gattii and Rhizopus sp.
    at 9.40, 10.79, 10.82, 11.38, 12.60 and 13.40 µg/mg, respectively), and high ergosterol (Candida tropicalis at 22.84 µg/
    mg), producers. Ergosterol was not detectable in bacterial samples, which were included as controls. This first report on
    ergosterol detection in major pathogenic fungal species indicates that ergosterol may be used as a biomarker to diagnose
    invasive fungal infections in clinical samples.
  9. Hartini Yusof, Mohamad Shafiq Aazmi, Teh Lay Kek, Mohd Zaki Salleh, Ili Ng Abdullah, Aminuddin Ahmad, et al.
    MyJurnal
    Obesity is a growing epidemic due to an accelerated phase of industrialization and urbanization with the overfed people
    now outnumbered the underfed. It is the major public health problem with a lot of research interest as it is associated
    with many complicated chronic disorders such as type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and cancers. A global
    estimation of 2.8 million deaths per year is due to obesity and there are tremendous on-going efforts to identify hosts
    and environmental factors that infl uence the cause and pathogenesis of obesity. Concerted efforts from different research
    groups had successfully shown that obese subjects have altered composition of gut microbiota and transplantation of this
    microbiota infl uences body weight in the germ-free recipient mice. The advancement of technology had made possible
    the study of gut microbiota which was unculturable for better understanding of their impact to human health. Rapid
    deep sequencing of DNA at reasonable cost through various options of platforms followed by data analysis using robust
    bioinformatic tools are an important way of analysing the gut microbiome. Here we review the role of gut microbiota
    which modulates host’s metabolic functions and gene expression, facilitating the extraction and storage of energy from the
    ingested dietary substances and leading to body-weight gain. We will discuss on the different techniques used, focusing
    on the high-defi nition technologies for the determination of the composition, function and ecology of gut microbiota. This
    allows the appropriate selection of platform which becomes the key for success of subsequent research.
  10. Omar R, Knight VF, Mohammed Z, Tholasee GM
    MyJurnal
    While the prevalence of visually impaired children constitutes a small portion of the visually impaired population, it is important to determine whether the low vision services available are utilised by these children. This is important as previous studies have shown that children have a very high rate of successful low vision device use compared to adults. This was a cross sectional retrospective study. Fifty nine low vision clinic children records were evaluated. The results showed that 25.4% of the children were categorised as with moderate low vision, 30.5% with severe low vision and 40.7% were categorised as blind. The major causes of low vision were congenital cataract, congenital nystagmus, congenital glaucoma, macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. Low vision rehabilitation for near work using magnifiers improved the vision of 30.5% of the low vision children. This finding suggests that 1/3 of low vision children could benefit from low vision rehabilitation. The low vision devices most commonly prescribed to the children in this study were stand magnifiers, hand-held magnifiers and spectacles. This study illustrates the key role of optometrists in the management of visual impairment in Malaysian children. It would appear that the establishment of low vision services in government hospitals using trained optometrists is a cost effective method of service delivery. Therefore more low vision children would have access to proper low vision rehabilitation and through that rehabilitation, their quality of life can be improved.
    Key words: children, low vision
    Study site: Klinik Penglihatan Terhad Pusat Perubatana, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  11. Norhani Mohidin, Tee, Lee Fung
    MyJurnal
    This survey represents an initial examination of contact lens practice in Malaysia. It is based on a questionnaire that was sent to selected members of the Association of the Malaysian Optometrists to survey the prescribing habits of g contact lenses and care products. Questions included types of lenses prescribed, care systems frequently recommended and types of complications seen. Optometrists in Malaysia prescribed an average of 90 new pairs of contact lenses per year. Soft lenses made up 84% of the prescription followed by 14% of rigid gas permeable lenses and 1.5% of polymethymethacrylate lenses. Disposable/frequent replacement lenses accounted for 60% of the soft lenses prescribed. The most commonly prescribed disinfecting system was chemical disinfection. The most common complication seen during aftercare consultation was dry eye-related problems.
  12. Norimah A.Karim, Nik Shanita Safii, Safiah Mohd Yusof, Norazliana Mohd Noor, Zawiah Ahmad, Tee, E Siong
    MyJurnal
    This paper reports the nutrition knowledge of Malaysian elderly, as part of a nationwide study to evaluate the status of nutrition knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of food and nutrition among various communities in Malaysia. A total of 906 elderly, age ranging between 60 to 96 years old, with mean age 67.4 ± 6.7 years representing all states in Malaysia participated in the study. An interview administered questionnaire was used to assess the nutrition knowledge and to collect demographic data of the elderly. Subjects were in the 60-65 years (51%) and more than 65 years (49%) age category. There were 46% Malays, 32% Chinese, 6% Indians while the remaining 16% comprised of other minority groups in Malaysia such as Iban, Kadazan, Melanau, Orang Asli and others. More than half of the elderly (54%) had no formal education, 36% completed primary schooling and only 9% finished secondary education. Overall 73% elderly were categorized as having poor nutrition knowledge, 18% moderate and only 9% good. The minority groups had the highest percentage of poor nutrition knowledge (91%) while the Chinese had the highest percentage of good nutrition knowledge (11%). More female (78%) than male (67%) had poor nutrition knowledge, in contrast to more male (10%) than female (8%) with good nutrition knowledge. Chi square test showed that there was a significant correlation between educational status and nutrition knowledge. This was reflected in the results which showed that 81% elderly with no formal education were categorized in the poor nutrition knowledge group. Majority of the elderly did not know about foods to be consumed most (88%), or to be eaten least (87%). Only a quarter to a third of the elderly responded correctly to questions on nutrient function and content. The question on foods with high salt was well responded by the elderly (65%). It is quite discouraging to show that a majority of Malaysian elderly had poor nutrition knowledge. This study indicated that appropriate nutrition education interventions need to be implemented to improve the shortcomings of nutrition knowledge among the Malaysian elderly.
  13. Ahmad Rohi Ghazali, Wee Xian Lee, Xiang Yi Chen, Asmariah Ahmad, Tava Shelan Nagapan
    Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia, 2018;16(101):27-33.
    MyJurnal
    Drug Metabolizing Enzyme (DME) has been a target of natural chemopreventive agents to inhibit, retard and reverse the process of carcinogenesis. Pterostilbene, an analog to resveratrol has been reported to possess various pharmacological benefits including chemoprevention. In our study, benzo[a]pyrene-induced HT-29 colorectal cell line was used as the DME model. The activity of phase I enzyme CYP1A as determined by the 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylation (EROD) assay was found to be inhibited significantly by pterostilbene at 50 μM, 75 μM and 100 μM (p ≤ 0.01, p ≤ 0.05, p ≤ 0.01 respectively) compared to the benzo[a]pyrene treated group. Meanwhile, pterostilbene induced glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity significantly (p ≤ 0.01) at 50 μM as compared to the untreated. In addition, However, the protein expression of CYP1A1 and GST in pterostilbene treated group was not significantly affected compared to untreated. On the other hand, pterostilbene at 25 and 75 μM were able to increase the protein expression of transcription factor Nrf2 significantly (p ≤ 0.01). Results indicated that pterostilbene could reduce metabolic activation of procarcinogens and increase the detoxification process which can be potentially developed as chemopreventive agent.
  14. Chan, Yoke Mun, Rahimah Abdul Kadir, Tengku Aizan Abdul Hamid, Tanti Irawati Rosli
    MyJurnal
    Loss of teeth can affect masticatory efficiency in older adults. This may result in avoidance or modifications in food
    choices and lead to lower intake of important nutrients among older individuals. The aim of this study was to determine
    the association between tooth loss and body mass index, BMI, among older adults in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan. A
    cross-sectional study was carried out on 428 older adults aged 50 years and above from selected villages in district of
    Kuala Pilah. Respondents were interviewed to collect information on their demographic characteristics. Number of tooth
    loss was determined through oral assessment, followed by anthropometric assessment to calculate the BMI of respondents.
    Findings showed that majority of the respondents were overweight and obese, 40.4% and 19.9% respectively, while only
    a small proportion was underweight, 3.9%. The proportion of edentulism (total tooth loss) was 18.3% and majority of
    the older adults had lost more than 12 teeth (77.1%) and less than 4 pairs of occluding posterior teeth (86.0%). Total
    and partial tooth loss was found to be not significantly associated with BMI. In relation to the arrangement of teeth,
    older adults with reduced number of posterior occluding pairs of teeth were more likely to experience unsatisfactory
    BMI (OR = 3.61, 95% CI: 1.48, 8.76). This may suggest that functional arrangement of the tooth in the oral cavity is more
    important than the number of tooth loss alone. Thus, maintaining an optimum number of teeth for chewing is essential
    for maintenance of ideal BMI.
  15. Yap, Wei Boon, Rina Anak Sujang, Tan, Seng Toong
    MyJurnal
    Many studies have shown that probiotic strains added to a number of probiotic products are not compatible to that of
    claimed. It is thus of note to validate probiotic strains added to probiotic products. In this study, three probiotic drinks,
    A, B and C, were cultured on MRS agar and the number of bacterial colonies was enumerated. The bacterial counts
    recovered from A (9.3 ± 6.9 log CFU/ml) and C (9.0 ± 6.9 log CFU/ml) were signifi cantly higher than B (5.2 ± 3.5 log
    CFU/ml) and achieved the minimal amount recommended for probiotic bacteria. All of the isolates appeared as gram
    positive rods microscopically and were proven to be catalase negative. However, there were only A1, A2, B4 and C1 that
    were highly tolerant to the gastrointestinal pH 3 to 6. The four isolates produced and secreted antimicrobial substances
    which inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). C1 showed the greatest
    growth inhibition by forming 17.50-mm and 17.85-mm inhibition zones against E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. The
    16s rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were performed to further identify the twelve isolates. The twelve isolates
    were found to be Lactobacillus (L.), particularly L. casei and L. paracasei. However, the bacteria isolated from drink B
    were incompatible to the labelled ones. In conclusion, probiotic drinks are possible to contain different bacterial counts
    and probiotic strains from the labelled ones. These differences might affect health benefi ts rendered by probiotic strains
    to consumers.
  16. Hasnah Haron, Norfasihah Raob, Tan, Mei Chen
    MyJurnal
    Kajian ini dijalankan untuk menentukan kesan perencatan fi tat terhadap bioavailabiliti kalsium (Ca), ferum (Fe) dan zink (Zn) dalam produk kacang soya tempatan terpilih. Fitat menyebabkan kesan perencatan terhadap penyerapan mineral seperti Ca, Fe dan Zn dengan membentuk kompleks yang tidak larut dan tidak dapat dicernakan. Kesan perencatan fi tat terhadap bioavailabiliti mineral seperti Ca, Fe dan Zn telah dianggarkan dengan nisbah molar fi tat kepada mineral. Kandungan fi tat ditentukan dengan menggunakan kaedah pertukaran anion dan kandungan mineral ditentukan dengan Spektrofotometer Serapan Atom (AAS). Produk kacang soya dibeli dari pasar malam dan gerai makanan yang terletak di Cheras dan Sri Rampai, Kuala Lumpur. Setiap sampel yang dibeli dari kedua- dua lokasi dianalisis secara duplikat. Kajian ini mendapati kek soya dan kesemua masakan yang mengandungi tempe tidak mempunyai kandungan fi tat. Ini mungkin disebabkan oleh kehadiran R. oligosporus yang menghasilkan fi tase lalu menghidrolisiskan kandungan fi tat semasa proses fermentasi tempe. Terdapat lima jenis sampel makanan yang mempunyai nisbah molar fi tat/Ca > 0.24, sepuluh jenis sampel makanan dengan nisbah molar fi tat/ Fe > 1, lapan jenis sampel makanan mempunyai nisbah molar fi tat/ Zn > 15 dan satu jenis sampel makanan mempunyai nisbah molar [fi tat x Ca]/ Zn > 200. Keputusan nisbah molar fi tat/ mineral dari kajian ini menganggarkan bioavailabiliti Ca, Fe dan Zn yang rendah. Kesimpulannya, kek soya dan masakan mengandungi tempe mempunyai bioavailabiliti mineral yang tinggi manakala tau-hoo pok bakar mempunyai bioavailabiliti mineral yang rendah.

  17. Teoh, Hsien-Jin, Tan, Kai Ling
    MyJurnal
    A total of 306 Malaysian university students and staff were surveyed to ascertain the physical and emotional effects of the polluted haze on them. All subjects completed self-reported questionnaires. Analysis of the results indicated that the majority of subjects reduced their outdoor activities and sports, and also reported an increase in emotional and physical health problems. The results indicated that there was a general increase in emotional problems such as feeling depressed, lacking in energy, not feeling like doing anything, feeling anxious and afraid, difficulty sleeping, feeling agitated and irritable, and having no appetite. There was also an increase in physical symptoms such as itchy or red eyes, itchy or running nose, dry throat/cough, headaches, nausea, and fever. This study indicated that emotional and behavioural problems are just as common during the haze, when compared with physical health problems. The study also suggests that there are a broad range of problems which health care and human resource departments need to be aware of and take precautions to minimize during a haze.
  18. Samsudin S, Tan KCH
    MyJurnal
    Mental health is an integral component to the formation of human capital performance. Human capital with high productivity is the key factor to the growth of a country. Thus, this study aims to investigate the relationship between the level of mental health of undergraduate students in Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) with their performance. Mental health was measured using the General Health Questionnaire 12-item (GHQ-12) and the performance was based on the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). A total of 316 undergraduate students at UUM had answered questionnaires that were distributed. The data were analysed descriptively and the effect of the level of mental health on performance was tested using probit model. Based on GHQ-12, 48% respondents were found to have a good mental health status. A total of 67.21% of the students who obtain CGPA 3.67 and above have a good level of health compared with only 36.08% for those with CGPA under 3.67. Based on the probit model, the level of mental health was found to be significant at 1% level in influencing the CGPA. These findings provide indication to policy makers of the importance of mental health in influencing the students’ performance. Mental health education programs should be implemented or enhanced to raise awareness of the importance of good mental health state among students in higher education institution.
    Keywords: CGPA; GHQ-12; mental health; productivity; Kedah; Malaysia
  19. Ahmad Rohi Ghazali, Maziani Abdullah, Asmah Hamid, Asmariah Ahmad, Tava Shelan Nagapan, Ismarulyusda Ishak, et al.
    MyJurnal
    Pesticides and chemical fertilizers are widely used in agriculture to increase crop productivity among farmers. However, exposure to pesticides will give potential risk to human health. The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency of micronucleus (MN) and binucleus (BNu) formation in buccal cells from farmers who were exposed to pesticides using the MN assay. Buccal swabs were collected from the farmers in Tanjung Karang (n = 32) and Kelantan (n = 43) using wooden tongue depressor. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain demographic data of the farmers. Cytogenetic analysis was carried out by Acridin Orange (AO) staining 0.0025% (w/v). The frequency of MN and BNu as the biomarkers for cytogenetic damage was observed by using a fluorescence microscope. Comparison of frequency of MN and BNu is conducted in two areas namely Tanjung Karang, Selangor and Kelantan because of the agricultural activity and the type of pesticides used are different. Results showed that the frequencies of both MN and BNu among farmers in Tanjung Karang were significantly higher (p < 0.05) compared to farmers in Kelantan. Meanwhile, for the socio-demographic factors (age, smoking status, working period), MN and BNu frequencies among farmers in Tanjung Karang were also significantly higher (p < 0.05) as compared to farmers in Kelantan. While in the aspect of pesticide exposure, the frequencies of MN and BNu showed no significant difference between the frequency of pesticide spraying (p > 0.05) and the practices of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) (p > 0.05). This may suggests that cytogenetic changes were not influenced by these factors. In addition, correlation study shows positive correlation between the frequency of MN with the pesticide exposure of farmers in Tanjung Karang (p > 0.05, r = 0.015) and Kelantan (p > 0.05, r = 0.0158). Besides, the frequency of BNu also has a positive correlation with the pesticide exposure among farmers in Tanjung Karang (p > 0.05, r = 0.036) and farmers in Kelantan (p > 0.05, r = 0.013). Hence, this present study demonstrated that exposure to pesticides increased the formation of MN and BNu among farmers and the prolonged use of pesticides may induce genotoxicity and DNA damage to human
  20. Shazli Ezzat Ghazali, Noor Aini Mohd Yusoff, Ponnusamy, S., Syahiza Abas
    MyJurnal
    Perkembangan kognitif dan pertumbuhan fizikal di kalangan kanak-kanak bergantung kepada status pemakanan mereka, termasuklah tabiat pengambilan sarapan pagi. Objektif kajian ini adalah untuk melihat pengaruh pengambilan sarapan pagi sebelum ke sekolah ke atas pencapaian kognitif kanak-kanak sekolah rendah. Satu kajian hirisan lintang dijalankan di kalangan kanak-kanak sekolah rendah di bandar dan luar bandar. Subjek kajian mengandungi 165 pelajar Melayu yang berusia 10 tahun. Tiga jenis subskala daripada ujian Wechsler Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children-III digunakan untuk mengukur tahap kognitif kanak-kanak tersebut iaitu arithmatik, pengkodan dan digit span. Hasil kajian didapati kanak-kanak yang mengambil sarapan pagi mencatatkan pencapaian yang tinggi secara signifikan dalam arithmetik (p
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links