Displaying publications 21 - 25 of 25 in total

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  1. Chai Fung Kiew, Chee Ping Chong
    MyJurnal
    Non-communicable diseases are raising much concern in Malaysia due to changing lifestyles which is parallel to the economic development. Intervention program like community health screening (CHS) allows early detection, prevention and reduction of chronic diseases and its risk factors. This study aimed to assess the obesity level, risk factors for chronic diseases and blood cholesterol level among the Malaysian public. A health screening program was conducted on April 2012 at Sungai Pinang township, in the state of Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. A convenient sample of the general public was recruited. Screening tests consisted of measurements of blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, visceral fat accumulation (VFA) and blood cholesterol. Chi-square analysis was used to determine the difference between prevalence of obesity among subjects with different age groups and gender. Out of 76 recruited subjects, 23.7% had systolic blood pressure of 140 mmHg or greater and 7.9% had diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg or greater. Approximately 51% of the subjects were obese (BMI ≥ 27.5 kg/m2). Body fat percentage was high in 63.6% and 63.0% of male and female subjects, respectively. High VFA (≥15) was found in 19.8% of subjects. There were three newly discovered hypercholesterolemia cases (total cholesterol ≥ 5.2 mmol/L). Counselling was given during the health screening program to help the public to take necessary measures to reduce risk factors while preventing complication resulting from these chronic diseases. In conclusion, prevalence of obesity found to be high in the present screened population.
  2. Aishah Hamzah, Ab Fatah Ab Rahman
    MyJurnal
    The appropriateness of sampling times and indications for monitoring of serum drug concentrations for the purpose of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) were evaluated at three hospitals on the east coast of Malaysia. Appropriateness criteria for indication and sampling were adapted from previously published criteria and with input from local TDM pharmacists. Six drugs were chosen, namely gentamicin, digoxin, carbamazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin, and valproic acid. A total of 265 TDM requests were evaluated. Appropriateness of the indication for TDM ranged from 77.4% to 82%, while that for sampling ranged from 34.2% to 62.1%. There were no significant differences between the three hospitals in both categories of appropriateness. Among different drug groups, the percentage of appropriate indication was found to be highest with antiepileptic drugs. Antiepileptic drugs, however, had the lowest rate of appropriate sampling. Overall, findings from the three hospitals showed very encouraging results with almost 80% of the requests considered as appropriately indicated. However, the percentage of appropriateness of sampling was lower, and thus may require further investigation.
  3. Chua, Siew Siang, Wong, Wai Kee, Lee, Hong Gee, Richard, Yvonne, Jennifer, Tan See Hui
    MyJurnal
    The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) adopted a set of Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) guidelines in 1993 and recommended that the regulatory bodies of individual countries should adapt the guidelines in accordance with their resources. The Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society (MPS) introduced its benchmarking guidelines (BMG) in 2003 as a means to raise the professional standards of the community pharmacy practice in Malaysia. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the extent to which community pharmacies have adopted the BMG. A cross-sectional study was conducted using mail questionnaires, which were posted to all community pharmacies in Malaysia. A total of 371 questionnaires (29.2%) were returned. Only 51.0% of the respondents were aware of the BMG. The extent of compliance with the guidelines was 62.6+21.1% (mean + standard deviation), with a median of 65%. The type and ownership of the community pharmacies were significantly associated with compliance with certain aspects of the guidelines. The main problem in complying with the BMG was financial constraint, and this problem was more likely to occur with independent than with chain pharmacies. However, the respondents generally agreed that most aspects of the BMG could be achieved in less than five years. Since the level of awareness among community pharmacists regarding the BMG is low, the MPS should promote or publicise the BMG further. The BMG should be reviewed before being used as part of the criteria for the accreditation of community pharmacies, as proposed by the MPS to further improve the quality and standards of community pharmacies in Malaysia.
  4. Chin, J.H., Ismail, S., Hussin, A.H.
    MyJurnal
    The aim of this study was to investigate the acute (one-day treatment) effect of a methanol extract of
    Orthosiphon stamineus, Benth on glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic young male and female Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. The methanol extract of O. stamineus was administered orally (5, 31.25, 125 and 500 mg/kg) to diabetic rats, and the effect on GST activity was measured by the method of Habig et al. (1974). No lethality and no significant changes in body weight and water intake were observed in the treated group as compared to the control group. A significant increase in the activity of GST was observed in the liver S-9 cytosolic fraction of diabetic male SD rats treated with 125 mg/kg (P < 0.01) and 500 mg/kg (P < 0.01) of the methanol extract O. stamineus. Administration of 500 mg/kg (P < 0.01) of the methanol extract of O. stamineus to diabetic female SD rats increased GST activity when compared to the control group. This study indicates that the methanol extract of O. stamineus could affect the activity of GST in rat liver and the effect seen was dose-dependent.
  5. Al-Faqeh, H.H., Muhammad, B.Y., Nafie, E.M., Khorshid, A.
    MyJurnal
    We attempted to investigate possible hepatoprotective effect of Eurycoma longifolia jack (ELJ) using carbon tetrachloride-induced (CC14) acute hepatotoxicity model in rats. Hepatotoxicity was induced by oral administration of 4.0mg/kg of CCI4 in corn oil (1:1) once to one experimental group of 5 rats and, in three other similar groups, challenged doses (300, 750 and 1500 mg/kg respectively) of ELJ were given one day before and one hour after 4.0 mg/kg CC14 and then once daily for three consecutive days. Three other groups of 5 rats each serving as controls were administered with distilled water, corn oil and ELJ (750mg/kg) only respectively. Rats were sacrificed on day three (corn oil & CC14 treated groups) and on day 4 (Distilled water, ELJ alone and CC14 with graded doses of ELJ treated groups) and samples of blood and liver tissue were taken for biochemical (serum) and histopathological examinations to assess hepatoprotection of ELJ against CC14-induced hepatotoxicity. In the low (300mg/kg) and medium (750 mg/kg) dose ELJ treated groups, CCI4 induced moderate inflammation, fatty acid change and necrosis of hepatocytes while in the high (1500mg/kg) dose ELJ, CC14 induced severe inflammation, fatty acid change and necrosis of hepatocytes. Biochemical measurements of ALT and ALP shows a moderate and insignificant reduction of serum levels in the low dose ELJ group but a more significant reduction in the medium and high dose ELJ groups when compared with the CC14 only group. The increase in serum total bilirubin caused by CC14 was non-significantly reduced by all the doses of ELJ. Animals treated with CC14 alone and in groups treated with both CC14 and graded doses of ELJ had a reduction in body weight, food and water intake but in ELJ (750mg/kg) only treated group, no such reduction in body weight, food and water intake was observed. This observation suggest that ELJ administered alone did not cause any toxic effect to the liver but in combination with CCI4, appeared to synergize the CC14-induced hepatotoxicity which increases as the dose of ELJ is increased. The anorexic, hypodypsic and reduced body weight evident in the CC14 alone and in ELJ plus CC14 treated groups but not in animals treated with ELJ alone, suggests that ELJ alone does not induce anorexia, hypodypsia or loss of weight. In conclusion, the results of our study suggest that ELJ is not hepatotoxic when given alone and appeared to have some degree of protective effects in rats against CC14-induced hepatotoxicity.
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