One of the oldest reservoirs in Peninsular Malaysia, Bukit Merah Reservoir, is a place in which locals participate in fishing activities. Inland fisheries are important to individuals, society and the environment; whereby they generate a source of income and food security. It is essential to gauge the nutrition value of fish caught in this location as food source, especially in terms of fatty acid composition, to better demonstrate its potential towards the betterment of human health and general well-being. From an initial list of 47 fish species available in Bukit Merah Reservoir, a total of seven edible freshwater fish species were identified, namely tinfoil barb (Barbonymus schwanenfeldii), Javanese barb (Barbonymus gonionotus), hampala barb (Hampala macrolepidota), beardless barb (Cyclocheilichthys apogon), glassfish (Oxygaster anomalura), striped snakehead (Channa striata) and horseface loach (Acantopsis dialuzona), and muscle fatty acid content was analysed to determine their nutritional value. Muscle of cyprinid fish contained substantial amount of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) compared to fish from Channidae and Cobitidae families. Javanese and tinfoil barbs muscle recorded the highest levels of combined eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) indicating the highest nutritional value comparatively. Unexpectedly, the striped snakehead, a predatory carnivore, contained lower levels of LC-PUFA compared to detrivorous/herbivorous fishes. This further justifies that the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content in fish muscle varies according to their feeding habits. Even though it has been recommended that marine fish be consumed to improve health to a certain extent, there still are benefits of consuming freshwater fish, as there are several species which contain considerable amounts of beneficial omega-3 PUFA.
There is a major concern about the increased use of antibiotics in dental practice and the emergence of resistant bacterial strains. In recent years, dentists have reported a shift from narrow-spectrum to broad-spectrum antibiotic prescriptions due to increasing antibiotic resistance. The aims of this study are to investigate the prescribing patterns of the therapeutic and prophylactic use for antibiotics in various dental situations by dental practitioners. The study also specifically investigates the prescribing habits of dental practitioners regarding certain cardiac conditions and related dental procedures in patients predisposed to infective endocarditis. This study utilized a questionnaire which was designed to investigate the antibiotic prescribing patterns by dental practitioners in the Klang Valley region. The returned questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS, to identify compliance to antibiotic guidelines by Malaysia National Clinical Guidelines (MNCG) (2003) and American Heart Association Guidelines (AHAG) (2008). 217 dentists responded to the questionnaire and the responses show that there is a wide variety of antibiotic prescriptions among dentists and there is also misuse of antibiotics in some clinical dental conditions. The results also show that there is a large variation in the antibiotic prescriptions patterns for prophylaxis against infective endocarditis. Furthermore, there is uncertainty as to which cardiac conditions required prophylaxis and for which particular dental procedures. This study concludes that there is a clear need for the development of prescribing guidelines, regular monitoring of antibiotic prescriptions by dental practitioners and educational initiatives to encourage the rational and appropriate use of the antibiotics.
A survey was conducted to assess dental caries experience and oral health related behaviour among Malaysian Territorial Army (TA) personnel. This cross-sectional study involved 284 personnel covering their socio-demography, oral hygiene habits and related behaviour and past utilization of dental services pattern. Dental caries were assessed using DMFT index. Caries prevalence was very high (97.2%; DMFT 8.15±5.36). Untreated decay (DT) was 3.67 (±3.15) and missing teeth (MT) 2.90 (±3.73). However, few were treated teeth (FT) at only 1.58 (±2.02). Almost everyone (98.2%) claimed they brushed their teeth at least once daily and 80% used fluoridated toothpaste. However, very few participants used dental floss (11.3%) while majority (60.2%) did not know about flossing. More than 70% were current smokers. Only 13.7% were regular attendees with the majority (86.3%) visiting the dentist only when they had dental problems. The most common reason (49.7%) for their last dental visit was related to presence of symptoms and few were (27.4%) for prevention. Symptomatic attendees are significantly more likely to have more severe caries experience than preventive oriented individuals (p=0.003). These findings support the importance of promoting preventive oral health utilization behaviour among army personnel.
Food borne diseases like cholera, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, dysentery and food poisoning occur as the results of ingestion of foodstuffs contaminated with microorganisms or chemical. The true incidence of food borne disease in Malaysia is unknown, however the incidence is low ranging from 1.56 to 0.14 cases per 100,000 population and the food poisoning cases is on the rise as the evident by the incident rate of 62.47 cases per 100,000 population in 2008 and 36.17 in 2009. The rapid population growth and demographic shift toward ageing population, changing eating habit such as consumption of raw or lightly cooked food, long storage of such food, lack of education on basic rules of hygienic food preparation and food trading without appropriate microbiological safety procedure become contributing factors for food borne diseases. Food borne disease in Malaysia is in the rise and the direct and indirect cost management of FBD will become one of the most common issues to face by the government. The world is spending millions and millions in cost of treatment due to food borne diseases. The information on this paper was collected via findings of previous journals, data and statistics from the MOH of Malaysia and WHO websites. As a result, authors found that the prevention and management of the food borne disease outbreak needs to be addressed seriously.
The evolution in lifestyle and dietary habits of the Malaysian people that have taken place over the last few decades can be largely attributed to both family and social environment. These factors are known to affect the nutritional status of the community, in both children and adults. Reduced physical activity and changes in their diet have been one of the contributing factors to the rising prevalence of overweight and obesity. However, in Malaysia, in which nutrition transition has been a norm, it is worrying when the trends of overweight and obesity have been rising steadily over the years especially among children. Although numerous strategies to control obesity in Malaysia have been taking place, many had shown little effect. Analysing strategies implemented at national level is thus crucial in order to ascertain reasons for the shortfalls of these strategies especially among children. Obesity most commonly begins as early as the ages of 5 and 6 years, or during adolescence. Obesity is indeed a major public health concern due to its huge negative impact on the society at large which is well supported by evidence-based literatures. Managing this issue is complex and holistic approach is thus crucial in reducing its incidence and prevalence.
All living organisms including human beings in this biosphere are constantly exposed to a variety of xenobiotics. The enormous chemical load in the environment has been primarily through the modernization, industrialization and changes in lifestyle. The changing food habits to suit modern living pose a serious threat to a healthy life. Among others, consumption of soft drinks invariably forms a part of modern life. Mostly children and adolescents are the target groups vulnerable to frequent consumption, compromising the nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables, milk and milk products. Logically, the quality of the soft drinks is determined by the type and quantity of chemicals present, including those present inherently in the water used for such preparations. The impact of soft drinks on human health has been a subject of in depth research. Consumption of soft drinks plays a major role in a variety of diseases like obesity, diabetes, dental and bone disorders and others, more so among children and adolescents. The toxic effects of soft drinks have gained much attention, due to the frequent scientific reports and media attention. The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive scrutiny of the impact of soft drinks on health, as well as to suggest alternatives for a healthy life style.
1. Study of the structure and mode of life of Malleus regula provides the basis for consideration of the "hammer" species, M. malleus and M. albus.
2. M. regula occurs byssally attached, vertically disposed on rocky substrates associated with mud and is widely distributed in the tropical Indo-Pacific.
3. The distal two-thirds of the elongated shell is exclusively prismatic. By means of special pallial retractors the mantle lobes can be withdrawn within the nacreous region.
4. The massive opisthodetic ligament has a short secondary extension of fusion layer.
5. A promyal chamber on the right side proximal to the adductor increases water flow into the exhalant chamber.
6. The long filibranch ctenidia provide a vertically extended food-collecting surface.
7. The foot is concerned with planting of the massive byssus which emerges through a notch in the right valve but on the under ( i.e., dorsal) surface. There is also a unique and very long accessory foot, ventrally grooved, everywhere ciliated and in constant writhing activity due to blood pressure and intrinsic muscle. Moving freely throughout the lower mantle cavity it can only be concerned with cleansing.
8. Pseudofaeces are ejected from the distal tip of the mantle cavity.
9. M. malleus, the black hammer shell, occurs vertically embedded in coarse sand or sandy gravel. Byssus threads are attached to fragments within the substrate. The great anterior and posterior elongations of the hinge line (also exclusively prismatic) are separated by the byssal notch (now affecting both valves).
10. Shells are usually excessively irregular due to the great exposure to damage and the almost unlimited powers of rapid repair by the three pallial extensions.
11. M. albus, the white hammer shell, is stouter and inhabits muddy sand. During growth it loses the byssus with reduction of the foot and byssal retractors and closure of the byssal notch. The accessory foot is not affected. The animal becomes anchored in the substrate exclusively by the anterior and posterior extensions of the shell.
12. Description of the typically rounded Isognomon ephippium leads to that of the elongated I. isognomon which occupies precisely the same habitat as M. regula.
13. It lacks the pallial retractors, promyal chamber and accessory foot of Malleus, the nacreous region is more extended distally and the ligament is multivincular (the formation of which is discussed), producing some posterior, but never any anterior, extension of the hinge line.
14. A remarkably dense mixed bed of M. regula and I. isognomon in Darvel Bay, Sabah (Borneo), is described. Different spawning periods, by preventing competition during settlement, may account for this complete intermixing of sympatric species, which, however, are generalized herbivores where numbers are not limited by food supply.
15. From a basic epifaunal habit (Pteria, Isognomon, M. regula), members of the Pteriacea have become adapted for infaunal life within sponges (Vulsella, Crenatula) or within soft substrates ( M. malleus, M. alba and the Pinnidae).
16. There is final discussion about elongation in monomyarians, i.e., in the genus Malleus and in I. isognomon.
Tooth wear is the loss of tooth tissue and structures not due to caries. It can occur in various forms either attrition, abrasion, erosion, noncaries cervical lesion (NCCL) or a combination of two or more forms. The objective of this study was to determine the patterns and associated aetiologies of tooth wear among adults in Kelantan, Malaysia. This crosssectional study involved 81 adults with tooth wear which was visually assessed using the Smith and Knight Tooth Wear Index (TWI). A questionnaire was used to seek putative aetiologies of the wear. Data were analyzed and the results were expressed as frequencies and percentages. Six thousand three hundred and eighty four tooth surfaces were examined in 1596 teeth. 17.4% surfaces had tooth wear; 80% scored 1, 18% scored 2 and 2% scored 3. Among the 81 cases of tooth wear, 29 (35.8%) had abrasion; 25 (30.9%) had attrition; 1(1.2%) had erosion while 26 (32.1%) had the combined type. Among those with abrasion, majority had the habit of eating freshwater clams (Corbicula fluminea) as local delicacy where most of the times people use their teeth to pry open the clam shells. Erosion was related to the pooling of carbonated drinks or beverages in the mouth before swallowing. In conclusion, most adults experienced abrasion and the most common possible associated aetiology is the way of eating clams.
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.
The unstable living situation in Iraq in the last 10 years after 2003 war affected the daily life of most Iraqis, and especially the children. The objective of this study was to explore the effects of an unstable living environment on children’s health. A community-based qualitative study was done to collect data from 20 mothers of children (age 7 to 8years old) through in-depth interview (IDI). Data was recorded using tape recorders and was later transcribed and analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis techniques. The majority of mothers interviewed said the past nine years of unstable security in the capital had affected their daily life; some mothers also expressed concern about their child’s nutritional status, their eating habits during the school day, and the unhealthy food being sold at school canteens. As a conclusion, the unstable living situations in Baghdad city after the last war had affected the cognitive and nutritional development of children. More precautions should be taken by parents to ensure their children safety in the future.
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.
Introduction: As eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and others are generally becoming more prevalent, it is essential to have a culturally accepted and locally validated questionnaire that is able to detect abnormal eating habits. Objective: To translate the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) into Bahasa Malaysia (BM) and to determine the construct validity, reliability and other psychometric properties of the BM version. Method: Two parallel forward and backward translations were done in BM in accordance to guideline. Its validation was determined by using confirmatory factor analysis among 298 secondary school children. Results: The BM EDE-Q had very good internal consistency with global Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.879. For construct validity, majority of the items managed to produce values of more than 0.4 for confirmatory factor analysis with four unforced distinct factors detected. Conclusions: Analyses of reliability and validity of this BM version of EDE-Q yielded satisfactory results. The BM version produced in this study had good psychometric properties and it is applicable to the Malaysian population. Findings indicated that cultural factors in eating habits certainly influences the effort to adapt the questionnaire within a Malaysian setting.
Objectives: To assess the occlusal features, tongue habits, lip competence and their gender dimorphism in 12 years old Malaysian Malay school-children.
Materials and methods: The method involved cl inical examination of 208 subjects from public schools in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. Occlusal status was assessed according to Angle classification. The following features were also assessed and recorded: overjet, overbite, traumatic overbite, crowding, spacing, midline diastema, cross bite, scissors bite, dental midline shifts, canine displacement, missing teeth, traumatically fractured teeth, tongue thrust and lip competence. Descriptive statistics were used for all measurements; Chi-square was used to assess gender differences.
Results: Class I malocclusion is most prevalent in boys and girls (44.0% and 43.8% respectively), followed by Class Ill malocclusion (31% in boys and 30 .4% in girls). Anterior crowding was found in 69.7% of the sample while anterior spacing was found in 30.8%. Incompetent lips were more common in boys than gir1s.
Conclusions: The prevalence of malocclusion in this age group may warrant the need for more preventive and interceptive measures in dental and oral health planning.
A cross-sectional study was conducted to ascertain the relationship between parental oral health perception on the importance of the deciduous dentition and the dental caries status of their preschool children. Clinical oral examination of the preschool children was performed and self-administered questionnaires were given to the parents to be completed. Four hundred and eight preschool children were examined and 390 of their parents responded to the self-administered questionnaire. Those parents who brought their children for regular dental check-up at least once a year; favoured restorative treatment and practised tooth brushing habit before bedtime were more likely to have children with significantly lower mean 'dft' as well as higher proportions of caries free mouth (> 50 %). Those children who started early in practising tooth brushing also had better dental caries status but the differences were not significant. However, there were no significant and appreciable differences in their mean 'dft' with respect to the frequencies of tooth brushing per day. It was concluded that parents with better oral health perception as reflected by those parents who (a) practiced regular dental check-up for their children; (b) favoured restorative treatment for their children's decayed deciduous teeth; (c) ensured their children brushed their teeth before bedtime are associated with better dental caries status of their preschool children.
Polyphenol is a non-nutrient phytochemical compound existed abundantly in plant-based diet which has the properties to prevent age related oxidative damage induced diseases. However, there are difficulties in quantifying its intake and local food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for the assessment is not available. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and validate FFQ for estimation of dietary polyphenol intake among 93 individuals aged 60 years and above recruited from several senior citizen clubs in Klang Valley. Phase I of the study involved the development of FFQ consisted of 117 items under 9 categories and formation of the database extracted from PHENOL-EXPLORER. In Phase II, the intake of polyphenol estimated using FFQ was compared with reference method consisted of 2-day diet records and diet history questionnaire (DHQ). The mean dietary polyphenol intake estimated from FFQ and the reference method was 2770.7 ± 1552.4 mg/d and 2171.4 ± 898.8 mg/d, respectively. Spearman’s rho and Kendall’s tau-b analysis indicated that there was a significant positive correlation between polyphenol intake estimated from FFQ and reference method (r = 0.41, p < 0.001; r = 0.28, p < 0.001). For Bland-Altman plot, 95.7% of scattered plot fell within ± 1.96 SD limits of agreement revealed that there was good agreement between the two methods used. Cross-classifi cation analysis showed that 36.6% was categorized in the same quartile, 78.5% in identical and contiguous quartiles, with only 3.2% in the opposite quartiles. Regression analysis showed that all categories in FFQ signifi cantly account for the inter-variance for dietary polyphenol intake after controlling for the other variables (R2 = 1.000, p < 0.001). In conclusion, the newly developed FFQ is considered valid and has the potential to be used as a tool to estimate polyphenol intake among elderly individuals in Malaysia.
The purpose of the present study was to determine the periodontal profile, toothbrushing habits and oral hygiene status of patients referred to a teaching institution for periodontal treatment, based on patients' treatment records. A total of 207 consecutive patients diagnosed with periodontitis who had been interviewed and clinically examined over a period of approximately one year were included in this study. The assessments of plaque levels, bleeding on probing (BOP) scores, probing pocket depth (PPD) and degree of bone loss from radiographs were made. The average age of this study group was 45 ± 12.8 years old with an age range of 20 to 76 years. The subjects comprised of 40% Malays, 34% Chinese and 26% Indians. The male to female ratio was almost 1.5: 1. These patients presented with high plaque and BOP scores. These findings do not concur with the high frequency of toothbrushing reported (86.5 % of subjects brushing twice or more times per day). This may reflect on the ineffectiveness of brushing as evident from their high plaque scores. Periodontal pockets were detected in 69 % of the teeth in these patients with an average of 17 teeth per patient being involved. Probing pocket depths of >6mm was found on the average in 3 teeth per patient. Alveolar bone loss as assessed from radiographs was detected in 52 % of the teeth in this study group of which 12 teeth per patient on the average exhibited this. Advanced bone loss involving about 2/3 and more of the root length was detected on the average on 1 tooth per patient. Early onset periodontitis accounted for about 5% of the total cases seen. About 21 % of subjects suffered from advanced adult periodontitis. Hence about a-quarter of the patients referred already had marked periodontal destruction.
Participation in contact sports has been shown to carry a considerable risk of sustaining dental injuries. It is important for athletes to use available preventive gear to protect themselves from these injuries. Aim of the study: To assess the knowledge, habit and preferences of using mouthguards among university athletes. Materials and Method: Self-administered questionnaires, consisting of Part A - Age, gender, type of sporting activities, total hours dedicated to sports training, level of sports representation; Part B - Awareness of risk of dental injuries, knowledge on mouthguards such as definition of a mouthguard, role of mouthguard, use of mouthguards and reasons for not wearing mouthguards; and Part C — Experience of sustaining dental injuries during sports activities, were distributed. Athletes who were university students over 18 years and under 30 years of age and athletes who claimed to know about mouthguards were included in the study. Results: Data of a total of 225 respondents were analysed, consisting of 68% (n=154) male and 32% female (n=71) with the mean age of 21 years old. Only 46% (n=104) knew exactly about mouthguards and its role in the prevention of dental injuries during sports. Thirty seven percent of them (n=84) have used mouthguards and they were mostly in the martial arts group. The mouthguards were usually provided by the management team (62%). Forty percent of the respondents (n=91) claimed to have sustained dental injuries while playing sports and the injuries occurred more frequently in hockey (65.3%), basketball (60%) and soccer (45.2%). Conclusions: The incidence of dental trauma in contact sports shows that the awareness and use of mouthguards must be intensified. Awareness campaigns focusing on dental trauma should be organized to improve the knowledge of athletes.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Optimal sleeping habits are important for health development of infants. The role of culture in sleep habits cannot be underestimated. We aimed to characterize sleep patterns, sleep practices, and sleep problems; and assess the sleep settings and parental perceptions of sleep problems in children from birth to 36 months in countries in the Southeast Asian (SEA) region.
PARTICIPANTS: Parents and caregivers of infants and toddlers (birth to 36 months old) from countries in Southeast Asia participated in this study.
METHODS: Data was collected using the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire for a total of 5,987 children from 6 countries in the SEA region (967 Indonesia/ID, 997 Malaysia/MY, 1,034 Philippines/PH, 1,001 Singapore/SG, 988 Thailand/TH, and 1,000 Vietnam/VN).
RESULTS: The sleep variables varied among SEA children studied. Bedtimes and nighttime sleep varied across the region by as much as 1 hr 34 min and 1 hr 15 min respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: Despite being geographically very close together and having some common sociocultural characteristics, sleep variables in the young child within the SEA region do differ in significant ways.