A survey was conducted at 100 different rice fields in coastal areas of West Malaysia to identify most common and prevalent weeds associated with rice. Fields surveyed were done according to the quantitative survey method by using 0.5m x 0.5m size quadrate with 20 samples from each field. A total of 53 different weed species belong to 18 families were identified of which 32 annual and 21 perennial; 12 grassy, 13 sedges and 28 broadleaved weeds. Based on relative abundance the most prevalent and abundant weed species were selected in the coastal rice field. Among the 10 most abundant weed species, there were four grasses viz. Echinochloa crusgalli, Leptochloo chinensis, Echinochloo colona, Oryza sotivo L. (weedy rice).; four sedges viz. Fimbristylis miliacea, Cyperus iria, Cyperus difformis, Scirpus grossus and two broadleaved weeds viz. Sphenocleo zeylonica, Jussiaea linifolio. Leptochloa chinensis, E. crusgalli, F. miliocea, E. colona were more prevalent and abundant species out of the 10 most dominant weed species in the coastal rice field of Peninsular Malaysia.
Madhupur forest area, Tangail is one of early human settlements in Bangladesh. Having abode in the vicinity of the forest, a strong ethnobotanical practice has prevailed in this area since ancient time. Due to the rapid deforestation during the last few decades, many plants have already disappeared or are facing extinction. Thus we attempted to document the medicinal plant use of Madhupur forest area with a view to preserve the ethnobotanical knowledge and in order to protect the biodiversity of this area.
A comparative study of understorey birds inhabiting different habitats, that is, virgin jungle reserve (VJR) and regenerated forest (RF), was conducted in Ulu Gombak Forest Reserve and Selangor and Triang Forest Reserve, Negeri Sembilan, Peninsular Malaysia. The objective of this study was to assess the diversity of understorey birds in both habitats and the effects of forest regeneration on the understorey bird community. The mist-netting method was used to capture understorey birds inhabiting both habitats in both locations. Species composition and feeding guild indicated that understorey bird populations were similar in the two habitats. However, the number of secondary forest species such as Little spiderhunter (Arachnothera longirostra) in VJR is increasing due to its proximity to RF. This study discovered that RFs in both study areas are not yet fully recovered. However, based on the range of species discovered, the RFs have conservation value and should be maintained because they harbour important forest species such as babblers and flycatchers. The assessment of the community structure of understorey birds in VJR and RF is important for forest management and conservation, especially where both habitats are intact.
BACKGROUND: This paper presents the level of colorectal cancer awareness among multi-ethnic rural population in Malaysia.
METHODS: A rural-based cross sectional survey was carried out in Perak state in Peninsular Malaysia in March 2011. The survey recruited a population-representative sample using multistage sampling. Altogether 2379 participants were included in this study. Validated bowel/colorectal cancer awareness measure questionnaire was used to assess the level of colorectal cancer awareness among study population. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was done to identify socio-demographic variance of knowledge score on warning signs and risk factors of colorectal cancer.
RESULTS: Among respondents, 38% and 32% had zero knowledge score for warning signs and risk factors respectively. Mean knowledge score for warning signs and risk factors were 2.89 (SD 2.96) and 3.49 (SD 3.17) respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between the knowledge score of warning signs and level of confidence in detecting a warning sign. Socio-demographic characteristics and having cancer in family and friends play important role in level of awareness.
CONCLUSIONS: Level of awareness on colorectal cancer warning signs and risk factors in the rural population of Malaysia is very low. Therefore, it warrants an extensive health education campaign on colorectal cancer awareness as it is one of the commonest cancer in Malaysia. Health education campaign is urgently needed because respondents would seek medical attention sooner if they are aware of this problem.
The blood clam, Tegillarca granosa, is widely cultivated in China. We isolated 6 microsatellite loci from T. granosa and used them to investigate genetic diversity and population structure of 5 widely distributed populations of blood clam collected from eastern and southeastern China. The allele number per locus varied from 4 to 9, and the polymorphism information content value was 0.301 to 0.830. The mean observed and expected heterozygosities varied from 0.304 to 0.460 and 0.556 to 0.621, respectively; the population from Yueqing had the smallest observed heterozygosity. In the neighbor-joining tree, Shandong, Fenghua and Yueqing populations clustered together, and there was geographic divergence between Shandong and Guangxi populations. Some microsatellite loci that were isolated from these mainland China samples were not found in blood clams collected from Malaysia.
In the last few years, air within homes have been indicates by various and emerging body as more serious polluted than those outdoor. Prevalence of respiratory inflammation among school children aged 8 and 10 years old attending national primary schools in urban and rural area were conducted in Klang Valley. Two population studies drawn from the questionnaires were used to investigate the association between indoor particulate matter (PM2.5 & PM10) in a home environment and respiratory implication through the understanding of biological responses. Approximately 430 healthy school children of Standard 2 and Standard 5 were selected. Indication of respiratory symptoms using adaptation questionnaire from American Thoracic Society (1978). Sputum sample collection taken for biological analysis. IL-6 then was analyse by using ELISA techniques. Indoor PM2.5 and PM10 were measured using Dust Trak Aerosol Monitor. The mean concentration of PM2.5 (45.38 µg/m3) and PM10 (80.07 µg/m3) in urban home environment is significantly higher compared to those in rural residential area (p=0.001). Similar trend also shows by the prevalence of respiratory symptom. Association were found with PM2.5 and PM10 with the level of IL-6 among school children. A greater exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 are associated with higher expression of IL-6 level suggesting that the concentration of indoor particulate in urban density area significantly influence the health of children.
The 185delAG* BRCA1 mutation is encountered primarily in Jewish Ashkenazi and Iraqi individuals, and sporadically in non-Jews. Previous studies estimated that this is a founder mutation in Jewish mutation carriers that arose before the dispersion of Jews in the Diaspora ~2500 years ago. The aim of this study was to assess the haplotype in ethnically diverse 185delAG* BRCA1 mutation carriers, and to estimate the age at which the mutation arose. Ethnically diverse Jewish and non-Jewish 185delAG*BRCA1 mutation carriers and their relatives were genotyped using 15 microsatellite markers and three SNPs spanning 12.5 MB, encompassing the BRCA1 gene locus. Estimation of mutation age was based on a subset of 11 markers spanning a region of ~5 MB, using a previously developed algorithm applying the maximum likelihood method. Overall, 188 participants (154 carriers and 34 noncarriers) from 115 families were included: Ashkenazi, Iraq, Kuchin-Indians, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Tunisia, Bulgaria, non-Jewish English, non-Jewish Malaysian, and Hispanics. Haplotype analysis indicated that the 185delAG mutation arose 750-1500 years ago. In Ashkenazim, it is a founder mutation that arose 61 generations ago, and with a small group of founder mutations was introduced into the Hispanic population (conversos) ~650 years ago, and into the Iraqi-Jewish community ~450 years ago. The 185delAG mutation in the non-Jewish populations in Malaysia and the UK arose at least twice independently. We conclude that the 185delAG* BRCA1 mutation resides on a common haplotype among Ashkenazi Jews, and arose about 61 generations ago and arose independently at least twice in non-Jews.
Previous studies indicated that a tropical freshwater eel Anguilla bicolor bicolor occurs in Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indonesia and Australia, but an intensive survey has indicated an extended distribution range for the species into Peninsular Malaysia. Thus, A. b. bicolor is a native subspecies of Malaysia.
Domestic dogs, Canis lupus, have been one of the longest companions of humans and have introduced their own menagerie of parasites and pathogens into this relationship. Here, we investigate the parasitic load of 212 domestic dogs with fleas (Siphonaptera) chewing lice (Phthiraptera), and ticks (Acarina) along a gradient from rural areas with near-natural forest cover to suburban areas in Northern Borneo (Sabah, Malaysia). We used a spatially-explicit hierarchical Bayesian model that allowed us to impute missing data and to consider spatial structure in modelling dog infestation probability and parasite density. We collected a total of 1,968 fleas of two species, Ctenocephalides orientis and Ctenocephalides felis felis, from 195 dogs (prevalence, 92 %). Flea density was higher on dogs residing in houses made of bamboo or corrugated metal (increase of 40 % from the average) compared to timber or stone/compound houses. Host-dependent and landscape-level environmental variables and spatial structure only had a weak explanatory power. We found adults of the invasive chewing louse Heterodoxus spiniger on 42 dogs (20 %). The effect of housing conditions was opposite to those for fleas; lice were only found on dogs residing in stone or timber houses. We found ticks of the species Rhipicephalus sanguineus as well as Haemaphysalis bispinosa gp., Haemaphysalis cornigera, Haemaphysalis koenigsbergi, and Haemaphysalis semermis on 36 dogs (17 %). The most common tick species was R. sanguineus, recorded from 23 dogs. Tick infestations were highest on dogs using both plantation and forest areas (282 % increase in overall tick density of dogs using all habitat types). The infestation probability of dogs with lice and ticks decreased with elevation, most infestations occurred below 800 m above sea level. However, the density of lice and ticks revealed no spatial structure; infestation probability of dogs with these two groups revealed considerable autocorrelation. Our study shows that environmental conditions on the house level appeared to be more influential on flea and lice density whereas tick density was also influenced by habitat use. Infestation of dogs with Haemaphysalis ticks identified an important link between dogs and forest wildlife for potential pathogen transmission.
The aims were to investigate the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) within gender disparities in Malaysian older adults, and to determine the predictors of MCI according to gender disparities. A community-based sample of urban, multiethnic dwelling elderly aged 60 years of age and above from Cheras, Kuala Lumpur was recruited. Prevalence of all-type MCI, amnestic-type MCI (am-MCI) and non-amnestic-type MCI (nam-MCI) was assessed using comprehensive neuropsychological batteries. The association between demography, socioeconomic status, lifestyle practices, and nutritional status and health risk factors with MCI were examined. Predictors of MCI occurrence between gender disparities were determined. The prevalence of all-type MCI, am-MCI and nam-MCI was 21.1%, 15.4% and 5.7%, respectively. Binary logistic regression indicated that hypercholesterolemia is the significant predictor for MCI in men after adjustment for age, ethnicity and total years of education. While, in women, MCI was best predicted by married status, without exercise practice, overweight and obesity. These results suggest that approximately one-fifth of the studied elderly people had MCI. Predictors for MCI are totally different between men and women. It is critical to identify those at higher risk for MCI in order to implement preventative measures to delay or reverse this abnormal condition.
PURPOSE: TO DETERMINE: (i) the mammographic parenchymal patterns in Malaysian women and whether the breasts are dense on mammogram; (ii) the effect of age on breast density; (iii) the effect of parity on breast density; (iv) the difference in breast parenchymal patterns among the major races of women in Malaysia.
METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of 1,784 patients (981 Malays, 571 Chinese, 214 Indians and 18 others) who had undergone mammography during the 1-year study period. Majority of women (41.7%) were aged between 51 and 60 years and majority (43%) had 3-4 children. The Tabar classification (Pattern I - V) was used to evaluate breast parenchymal patterns on mammogram. Tabar Pattern I was further divided into 3 sub-groups (Pattern IA, IB, and IC). The different patterns were then grouped into dense (IB, IC, IV, V) and not dense (IA, II, III) breasts. The SPSS package was used for statistical analysis.
RESULTS: Majority (59%) of Malaysian women had dense breasts (Pattern IB 29%, IC 20%, IV 5%, and V 5%) and 41% did not have dense breasts (Pattern IA 28%, II 6%, and III 7%). Age and parity were inversely related to breast density (p < 0.0001). Chinese women (65.7%) had the highest percentage of dense breasts (p = 0.69, odds ratio = 1.22), followed by the Indians (57.2%) and the Malays (50.5%).
CONCLUSION: Majority of women had dense breasts but Pattern IV, which has been associated with increased risk of breast cancer, was seen in only 5% of the women. The breast density reduced steadily with increasing age and parity. There was no statistically significant difference in breast density in the three main races.
KEYWORDS: Mammography; breast density; breast parenchymal patterns
The study's aim was to construct and validate a diabetes mellitus knowledge questionnaire in Bahasa Malaysia for Orang Asli (OA-DKQ). The questionnaire was administered to; case (Orang Asli) and control (administrative staff) groups at baseline and retested two weeks later. The Cronbach's Alpha was used to determine internal consistency and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to determine test-retest reliability. The OA-DKQ has an internal consistency of 0.806. These findings suggest the OA-DKQ is an acceptable instrument to assess knowledge and preventive behaviour in Orang Asli (86 words).
The population size, age-class structure, and movement of the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana (L.) (Dictyoptera: Blattidae), were studied in three sewers in Penang, Malaysia, from September 2008 to October 2009. Eighteen to 20 glass-jar traps (two per manhole) were deployed for a 24-h period during each sampling occasion at each sewer. Adults and nymphs were active throughout the study period, with an average monthly trap catch of 57-97 adults and 79-99 nymphs. The mean proportions of adults and nymphs at the three sewers ranged from 0.47 to 0.57. Of the 2177 male and 2717 female cockroaches marked and released over the three sewers, recapture rates were 29.4-45.8 and 30.8-47.0%, respectively. The proportion of marked males and females did not differ significantly from the proportion of recaptured marked males and females. However, the mean number of times a marked female was recaptured was significantly greater than that of males. Of the 783 males and 1,030 females that were marked and recaptured, 19.4 and 24.7%, respectively, had moved between manholes, and significantly more females than males moved between manholes. Of the 406 recaptured marked adults that moved between manholes, 90.4% moved a distance of 2-20 m from their initial release site; one male moved 192 m, the longest distance recorded. Trap catch on each sampling occasion was positively correlated with daily mean temperature. The number of cockroach movements between manholes also was correlated with the mean daily minimum temperature.
Allele frequencies of 15 short tandem repeat (STR) loci, namely D5S818, D7S820, D13S317, D16S539, TH01, TPOX, Penta D, Penta E, D3S1358, D8S1179, D18S51, D21S11, CSF1PO, vWA, and FGA, were determined for 154 individuals from the Kadazan-Dusun tribe, an indigenous population of East Malaysia. All loci were amplified by polymerase chain reaction, using the Powerplex 16 system. Alleles were typed using a gene analyzer and the Genemapper ID software. Various statistical parameters were calculated and the combined power of discrimination for the 15 loci in the population was calculated as 0.999999999999999. These loci are thus, informative and can be used effectively in forensic and genetic studies of this indigenous population.
Populations of several thrips species were estimated using yellow sticky traps in an orchard planted with mango, Mangifera indica L. during the dry and wet seasons beginning in late 2008-2009 on Penang Island, Malaysia. To determine the efficacy of using sticky traps to monitor thrips populations, we compared weekly population estimates on yellow sticky traps with thrips population sizes that were determined (using a CO(2) method) directly from mango panicles. Dispersal distance and direction of thrips movement out of the orchard also were studied using yellow sticky traps placed at three distances from the edge of the orchard in four cardinal directions facing into the orchard. The number of thrips associated with the mango panicles was found to be correlated with the number of thrips collected using the sticky trap method. The number of thrips captured by the traps decreased with increasing distance from the mango orchard in all directions. Density of thrips leaving the orchard was related to the surrounding vegetation. Our results demonstrate that sticky traps have the potential to satisfactorily estimate thrips populations in mango orchards and thus they can be effectively employed as a useful tactic for sampling thrips.
Channa striata, locally known as "haruan", is economically important in fisheries and aquaculture industries in several Asian countries. DNA sequencing, based on a partial segment of the Cytochrome oxidase c subunit 1 (CO1) gene, was used to determine genetic variation in C. striata samples from four different populations on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The highest nucleotide and haplotype diversities were observed in the Linggi population (π = 0.0067, h = 0.835), and the lowest in the Timah Tasoh population (π = 0.0008, h = 0.286). Apart from Kajang-Linggi, which was insignificant, F(ST) values were significant (p < 0.05) in all pairwise-population comparisons. Consequently, it is inferred that genetic structuring C. striata populations in this region was largely shaped by a common origin, with secondary influences from geographical factors and isolation.
The relationships between vertebrate pests and crop damage are often complex and difficult to study. In palm oil plantations rodents remain the major pests, causing substantial monetary losses. The present study examined the numerical and functional responses of rodents to changes in the availability of oil palm fruit and the damage associated with that response. For the study, 200 traps were set in pairs on a 10 × 10 trapping grid for 3 consecutive nights in each of 6 study plots at 8-week intervals in a 2569 ha oil palm plantation at Labu, Negeri Sembilan state in Peninsular Malaysia over 14 months. A total of 1292 individual rats were captured over 25 200 trap-nights. Animals were identified, aged, sexed, weighed and measured. An index of the relative abundance of rats was calculated based on trapping success. Damage to infructescences was assessed at each trap point. Regardless of the age of palms, there were positive and significant relationships between the relative abundance of rats and numbers of infructescences. The levels of damage to infructescences were significantly correlated with the relative abundance of rats. A steep increase in damage was observed with an increase in mature infructescences, indicating a feeding preference of rats for mature infructescences. For both males and females of all rat species, there were weak and non-significant correlations between body condition and infructescence numbers. These results indicated that there was a numerical and a functional response by rats to the availability of palm fruit and a resulting increase in depredation of oil palm fruits. The ways in which this information might aid in future pest control are discussed.
The most economically important form of aquaculture is fish farming, which is an industry that accounts for an ever increasing share of world fishery production. Molecular markers can be used to enhance the productivity of the aquaculture and fish industries to meet the increasing demand. Molecular markers can be identified via a DNA test regardless of the developmental stage, age or environmental challenges experienced by the organism. The application of 16s and cytochrome b markers has enabled rapid progress in investigations of genetic variability and inbreeding, parentage assignments, species and strain identification and the construction of high resolution genetic linkage maps for aquaculture fisheries. In this review, the advantages of principles and potential power tools of 16s and cytochrome b markers are discussed. Main findings in term of trend, aspects and debates on the reviewed issue made from the model of aquatic species for the benefit of aquaculture genomics and aquaculture genetics research are discussed. The concepts in this review are illustrated with various research examples and results that relate theory to reality and provide a strong review of the current status of these biotechnology topics.
This study examines the determinants of Papanicolaou Smear Test (PST) screening for cervical cancer among women in Malaysia. Attention is focused on the reasons different population subgroups give for non-screening. We find that Indian women are the least likely to have had a PST and also the least likely to know the reasons why one is screened. Malay women are less likely than Chinese women to have received a PST and are more likely to report embarrassment as the reason for not being tested. Urban women are less likely than rural women to have been tested and more likely to state lack of time as the reason. These results suggest targeted interventions may be necessary to increase screening rates in Malaysia.
Study name: Malaysia Non-Communicable Disease Surveillance-1 (MyNCDS-1) survey