The aims of the project were to determine the glycaemic and insulin responses of non-insulin dependent diabetic patients (NIDDM) to 3 traditional Malaysian meals compared to oral glucose, and to determine whether guar gum would affect these responses. Patients with NIDDM were tested with 75 g oral glucose and three common breakfast meals of the three main ethnic groups of Malaysia. When compared with the oral glucose group, significantly by lower blood glucose responses were seen at 90 and 120 minutes post prandial for nasi lemak (p<0.05) and at 60, 75 and 90 minutes for mee sup (p<0.05). No significant difference was seen for roti telur. There was no significant difference in plasma glucose at any time point of the study when the three test meals were compared with each other. Addition of 5g granulated guar gum mixed with water taken prior to the glucose significantly lowered the plasma glucose at 60, 120 and 150 minutes postprandially (p<0.05). Similarly for the test meals, guar gum significantly lowered plasma glucose concentration between 15 and 45 minutes (p<0.03) postprandial for nasi lemak and between 15 and 30 minutes (p<0.03) for mee sup but not with roti telur. With addition of guar gum, there was no significant change of insulin responses with the three meals but a significant increase was seen at 30 minutes (p<0.02) after ingestion of glucose.
This study was designed to evaluate the health and economic benefits of a workplace vaccination programme against influenza funded by the employer. Employees of a Malaysian petrochemical plant volunteered to take part in this prospective, non-randomised, non-placebo-controlled study. Demographic and health information, including influenza-like symptoms, sick leave and post-vaccination adverse events were collected via questionnaires. Cost-benefit analyses were performed from the employer's perspective.
RESULTS: A total of 1,022 employees took part in the study, with 504 choosing to be vaccinated against influenza, and 518 remaining unvaccinated. The rate of influenza-like illness (ILI) was lower among vaccinated (8.13%) than non-vaccinated subjects (30.31%). Fever and respiratory symptoms were associated with all ILI cases. ILI-related sick leave was taken by 58.54% of vaccinated employees with ILI and 71.34% of non-vaccinated employees with ILI. Vaccination was financially beneficial, with the employer saving up to US dollar 53.00 per vaccinated employee when labour costs only were considered. Savings rose to up to US dollar 899.70 when the operating income of each employee was also considered. Workplace vaccination of healthy adults against influenza had a clear impact on ILI rates, absenteeism and reduced productivity in this Malaysian company. The health benefits translated into financial benefits for the employer, with cost savings significantly outweighting the costs of the vaccination programme.