Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been the number one cause of death since the last three decades in Malaysia and diabetes mellitus and hypertension are considered as major risk factors. A study to reduce risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in the community (PIKOM) through education and lifestyle changes was undertaken. The study population was from four different areas in Peninsular Malaysia - Kota Bharu and Bachok in Kelantan ; Raub in Pahang; Gunung Besout in Perak and Felda Palong in Negri Sembilan. The subjects invited to participate in this study ware aged between 30 - 65 years, did not have any debilitating illnesses and no known history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension or cardiovascular disease. Subjects were asked to come to the local clinic in a fasting state and after physical examination, blood was taken for plasma glucose and lipids. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was then performed. A total of 4,121 subjects participated in the study. The proportion of subjects with diabetes mellitus was highest in Felda Palong area (20.3%) and lowest in Raub area (7.1%). The proportion of subjects with hypertension was also highest in Felda Palong area (38.6%) and lowest in Raub area (29.1%). This could be attributable to the subjects in Felda Palong having the highest mean Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR). There were significant associations between diabetes and hypertension with age and obesity. Subjects with diabetes mellitus and hypertension also had the highest mean age, BMI, WHR and plasma cholesterol.In conclusion, the proportion of patients with risk factors for CVD was high and intervention studies through education and lifestyle changes were being carried out to see their effectiveness.
Uric acid is a waste product of the human body where high levels of it or hyperuricemia can lead to gout, kidney disease and other health issues. In this paper, Finite Difference Time Doman (FDTD) simulation method was used to develop a plasmonic optical sensor to detect uric acid with molarity ranging from 0 to 3.0 mM. A hybrid layer of gold-zinc oxide (Au-ZnO) was used in this Kretschmann-based Surface Plasmon Resonance (K-SPR) technique with angular interrogation at 670 nm and 785 nm visible optical wavelengths. The purpose of this study is to observe the ability of the hybrid material as a sensing performance enhancer for differentiating between healthy and unhealthy uric acid levels based on the refractive index values from previous study. Upon exposure to 670 nm wavelength, the average sensitivity of this sensor was found to be 0.028°/mM with a linearity of 98.67 % and Q-factor value of 0.0053 mM-1. While at 785 nm, the average sensitivity is equal to 0.0193°/mM with slightly lower linearity at 94.46 % and Q-factor value of 0.0076 mM-1. The results have proven the ability of hybrid material Au-ZnO as a sensing performance enhancer for detecting uric acid when compared with bare Au and can be further explored in experimental work.