Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) still remains a public health problem worldwide and the emergence of drug resistant TB (DR-TB) has worsened the situation as it is difficult and expensive to treat. The characterization of the genetic mutations underlying streptomycin resistance may be helpful in developing rapid detection methods which may guide clinicians in making therapeutic decisions. The aim of this study is to detect mutations causing streptomycin (STR) resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from Sabah. Methods: Susceptibility testing was carried out in MGIT system for 42 Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates. The drug resistant isolates were subject to whole genome sequencing and in-silico analysis was performed to detect the mutations in the sequence of the rpsL gene known to confer resistance to anti-tuberculous drugs. Results: Of the 42 positive isolates, 27 (64.3%) are shown to be susceptible towards first line drugs (FLDs) while 15 (35.7%) isolates were mono- and multiple resistant to the FLDs. Our findings reveal that the isolate 145 possess mutations at codon 43 within rpsL gene with amino acid change A to G (K43R). Conclusion: Findings from this study enable us to expand our knowledge of mutations causing drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the point mutations, which can be used as the potential marker for detection of drug resistant isolates.
Introduction: : Lymphatic filariasis is a public health problem in Malaysia. In sub-district Tangkarason, Beluran the nine rounds of Mass Drug Administration (MDA) do not seem to work in reducing the microfilaria (Mf) prevalence below the 2% threshold that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends for stopping MDA. The study aims to identify possible factors contributing to the transmission of lymphatic filariasis in the area. Methods: A total of 244 individuals from seven high risk localities, whom between the age of 19 and 99-year-old, were interviewed and tested for lymphatic filariasis antibody. The associated factors were analyzed using Chi-square test (Fisher exact test where applicable) and odds ratio (OR), and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) was estimated using logistic regression. Re-sults: The median age was 40-year-old (interquartile range: 30-53). The prevalence of brugian filariasis in the studied population was 31.1% (95% CI 0.25, 0.37). Prevalence of brugian filarial infection is higher in males than in females (34.6% vs. 27.4%, P = 0.219); and in older adults (≥ 56-year-old) than in young-and-middle-aged adults (46.3% vs 26.8%, P = 0.006). The older group is 2.4 times at higher odd of contracting the disease than the younger adults (95% CI 1.26, 4.38; P = 0.007). The prevalence of brugian filarial infection is higher among those who never receive pro-phylaxis treatment compared to those who had received medications (48.5% vs 28.4%, p = 0.021). Those who had received prophylaxis treatment have about 60% reduction in odd of lymphatic filariasis infection (OR 0.42; 95% CI 0.20, 0.89; P = 0.023). The proportion of the studied population who has outdoor jobs is 52.9%. The prevalence of brugian filarial is higher in this group compared to those with indoor jobs (38.0% vs 23.5%, p = 0.015). The older age group was significantly associated with brugian filarial infection after adjusting for other factors (AOR 3.20; 95% CI 1.63, 6.32). Conclusion: The older adults (≥ 56-year-old), those who never involved in MDA and those with outdoor jobs are associated with lymphatic filariasis infection in Beluran.
Introduction: In recent years, the variation in total fertility rate (TFR) has sparked public interest for demographic concerns on the global population shift towards an older age structure. This study aims to investigate the determi-nants of total fertility rate among Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines East Asian Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) region. Methods: Our empirical study consists of data collected from the United Nations Development Report of the UNDP, World Development Indicators (WDI) of the World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO) report 2018. We investigated the socio-economic determinants of fertility rate by analyzing a panel data set consisting of 28 years from 1990-2017 of the four countries. A statistical and econometric software EViews version 10 (HIS Global Inc., Irvine, CA, USA) were used to run a Pearson’s Correlation and a multiple regression analysis by panel least squares method. To investigate the determinants of TFR we have selected five socio- economic factors, these are- Infant mortality rate (IMR), Gross National Income Per Capita, PPP (GNI), Human Development Index (HDI), percentage of population living in urban areas (URB) and lastly Female Labor Force Participation Rate (FLP). Results:Pearson’s correlation showed that a statistically significant negative relationship exists between TFR and the 3 vari-ables- GNI, URB and HDI. A statistically strong positive relationship exists between IMR and TFR. However, our results from the empirical multiple regression model indicates that there is a statistically significant negative relation-ship exists between TFR and two of the independent variables GNI and FLP. Conclusion: The results of present study showed that an increase in the national income and female labor participation rate in the workforce could result in a decrease in total fertility rate. These findings may have implications for countries national policy for planning, development and resource allocation.
Introduction: Hypertension prevalence is increasing globally and has become a major issue of disease as it is a major cause for cerebrovascular, kidney and cardiovascular diseases. Even among treated patients, there is a dispropor-tional of blood pressure control causing a major public health challenge. This study is aimed to decide on the prev-alence of uncontrolled hypertension and its associated factors among hypertensive patient attending hypertension clinic at primary health clinics in Tuaran district. This study is justified by the fact that uncontrolled hypertension leads to high mortality, morbidity and even premature death. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study among 460 hypertensive patients attending three primary health clinics in Tuaran district, Sabah. Data were collected using structured modified questionnaires through interviews, physical examinations and patient’s medical records. Types of data collected include socio-demography, lifestyle behavior, physical examination, co-morbidity status and med-ical adherence. Data analysis done using SPSS version 24.0. Results: Prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension was 45.9%. The study found that factors significantly associated with uncontrolled hypertension with p
Introduction: Interprofessional scientific communication skills are an essential part of the medical profession. Mul-tiple research suggests poor interprofessional communication has direct correlations with poor patient outcomes. As part of the inaugural Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, a 5-minute station on science com-munication was introduced, assessed on three domains – logical thinking, communication skills, and general impres-sion. This station featured a panicky nurse calling a doctor to get them to calculate doses of a medication, using only upper primary school-level arithmetic and knowledge of ratios. Methods: 255 candidates, grouped into 3 separate geographical groups – Klang Valley, non-Klang Valley, and Borneo – participated in the MMI featuring a science communication station. Candidates were graded in the abovementioned three domains, and correlations were cal-culated between scores and various sociodemographic factors, with an objective written basic science test, and with overall scores. Also, quantitative analysis was done of the “red flag” comments for candidates deemed unsuitable for the practise of medicine. Results: The average scores for West Malaysia for logical thinking scores were higher than Borneo, with non-Klang Valley scores (4.1) significantly higher than Klang Valley (3.6). Communication scores were also significantly lower in Borneo compared to West Malaysia. General impression scores hence also showed a dis-crepancy between West Malaysian and Bornean scores. There were a total of 8 red flags, with reasons ranging from gross miscalculation with misplaced confidence, to nervous breakdowns while performing calculations. Conclusion: The present study showed that there is a distinct separation of science communication scores between geographic re-gions. Also it illustrates the yawning gap between academic knowledge and “translational” scientific knowledge. The results illustrate the need for medical curricula to boost resilience and translational computational skills in medical graduates who will be working in environments that demand usual abilities under unusual and trying circumstances.
Introduction: Clinical wastes produced by health facilities were considered as scheduled waste listed in the First Scheduled of the Environmental Quality (Scheduled Waste) Regulation 1989. The management of clinical waste in all government hospitals in Sabah were outsourced to private concession company. Until now, there was no research being done in Sabah to evaluate it. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on eight concessionaire com-panies located inside accredited non-specialist government hospitals in West Coast Division & Interior Division of Sabah. Data collected through Clinical Waste Management (CWM) Scores and Questionnaires. CWM scores adopt 5 elements of accreditation standard produced by Malaysian Society Quality in Health (MSQH). Questionnaires were used to collect concessionaire staff’s basic personal data, services and activities related to clinical wastes ac-cording to MSQH standard. Response from questionnaires were used to compare and support result gained from CWM scores. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: Two concessionaire companies got overall CWM scores ranging between 86% - 90%, while the other six companies were above 95%. It happened because both companies gained 81% and 73.3% on Policies and Procedures element. Result from questionnaires answered by 67 concessionaire staffs showed 98% of staffs had attended meeting, 97% had received an orientation, 97% had received training related to clinical wastes, 95% agreed that their work was monitored and no occupational disease and injury recorded between January to April 2019. These result correlate with CWM scores gained under Orga-nization Management element (99.6%), Human Resource Management element (90.1%), Facilities and equipment element (97%) and Safety & Quality Improvement element (100%). Conclusions: All concessionaire companies were implementing excellent clinical waste management in hospitals. CWM scores can be used to rank individual conces-sionaire company and provide pattern of uniformity or non-uniformity of the clinical waste management in Sabah.
Introduction: Childhood vaccination is proven as the most effective intervention to prevent and reduce children mortality caused by Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPD). It is a major public health concern globally as there are still existences of vaccine incompletion. Despite good immunization coverage, outbreaks of VPD are still reported from time to time with serious implications. The aim of this study is to assess the association between maternal health literacy with completion of childhood vaccination. Methods: A cross- sectional study design was conducted among mothers with children aged 5 years and below using a face to face interview questionnaire. Data entered and analyzed using SPSS version 22. Chi square was used to look for association between two categorical data. Results:Majority of respondents were mother‘s aged 30’s, Malays (76.1 %), completed secondary education (74.8 %) un-employed (63.8 %).Study showed (98.99%) children completed vaccination however (1.01 %) had incomplete vac-cination. There was significant findings on association between maternal education and partner‘s education, main language, employment status and household income with health literacy. The mean health literacy score among the incomplete vaccination group was slightly lower (36.9) compared to the completed vaccination group (39.4). The problematic health literacy was seen at (17.4 %) and the sufficient health literacy was (82.6%). Conclusion: The finding indicated that there is an association between maternal education, partner‘s level of education with health literacy. The health literacy score among those who completed vaccination was slightly higher. Initiatives focusing on maternal health literacy could further improve vaccination completion among children.
Introduction: There has been a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases in Malaysia over the recent years. In overcoming this issue, parents as the main caregiver of their children play a major role, which is to protect their children against diseases via vaccinations. This study aimed to examine the parents’ vaccine knowledge, aware-ness, and hesitancy in relation to their children’s immunisation status and to determine the association between the parents’ vaccine knowledge, awareness, and hesitancy. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a sample size of 405 parents was conducted in the Sandakan health clinics from February 2018 to April 2018 by employing validated questionnaires adapted from two studies. Results: The median ± IQR of the total vaccine knowledge and awareness scores (ranging from 0-10) were 7.00±3.00 and 8.00±4.00, respectively. Meanwhile, the median ± IQR of the total vaccine hesitancy scores (ranging from 0-100) was 16.67±20.00, with only 27 (6.8%) parents being vaccine-hesitant (scores >50). Most of the children (n=376, 92.8%) were immunised in the study. It observed a significant association between the children’s immunisation status and the parents’ vaccine knowledge scores (p = 0.005). Nevertheless, the children’s immunisation status was not significantly associated with the parents’ vaccine awareness and hesitancy scores. The positive Spearman correlation value (r = 0.551) signified that the parents’ vaccine knowledge was posi-tively associated with their vaccine awareness. On the other hand, both the vaccine knowledge and awareness were negatively correlated to the vaccine hesitancy as indicated by the negative Spearman correlation value (r = -0.397 and r = -0.351 respectively). Conclusion: The study established that the parents with a better understanding about vaccinations were more likely to keep their children’s immunisation up-to-date. It was also revealed that improving the parents’ knowledge and raising their awareness about the importance of vaccination are vital in reducing their vaccine hesitancy.
Introduction: Malaria is a public health concern and still endemic in Malaysia particularly in Sabah. Malaria is due to plasmodium parasite which can be further divided into human malaria and zoonotic malaria. Plasmodium knowlesi, a zoonotic malaria species, is increasing in trend and alarming despite of ongoing prevention and control measures especially in Sabah. Methods: This is a case-control study involving a total of 169 respondents which comprises of 43 cases and 126 controls from Mukim Paginatan and Mukim Nalapak, Ranau. A simple random sampling were used to select subjects. Results: This study found male, forest related and doing outdoor activity has higher risk of contracting malaria. Village house is another significant risk factor. The specific risk factors with the strongest association with malaria is the presence of monkey near housing or farm area (OR5.667; 95% CI: 2.429, 13.220), live near forest (OR 5.330; 95% CI: 1.209, 23.495), presence of pond or pool or river near house (OR 4.222; 95% CI: 1.552, 11.490), doing outdoor activity after 5 PM (OR 3.434; 95% CI: 1.522, 7.748) and ever overnight in the hut (OR 2.724; 95% CI: 1.334, 5.561). Conclusion: This study shows several risk factors that associated with malaria knowlesi. Based on the identified risk factors, preventive and control measure can be improved and optimized.
Introduction: Despite considerable effort invested for tuberculosis (TB) control, the outcome has not been optimal due to several barriers. Stigma has been an important factor that hinders the completion of full course of TB treat-ment, i.e. it results in poor treatment adherence. This systematic review is aimed to review the interventions target-ing tuberculosis related stigma in order to improve treatment adherence among tuberculosis patients in developing countries. Methods: A systematic electronic database search (PubMed, Google Scholar, ProQuest, Science Direct, Ovid, Spring and Cochrane) covering articles published between 2008 and 2019 had been conducted using truncat-ed search words of “stigma related to tuberculosis”, “TB Stigma”, “Intervention”, “treatment adherence”, “treatment compliance”, and “developing countries”. Only English articles exploring stigma among TB patients and its anti-stig-ma intervention in developing countries were included. Results: A total of 846 articles were retrieved and 346 were excluded due to duplication while another 361 non-relevant articles at the stage of title screening were excluded. Subsequently, 119 articles were excluded for not fulfilling inclusion criteria and only 3 studies remained. Conclu-sion: From the three articles, TB treatment outcomes were improved with the use of stigma intervention, including health education and counselling, self-support, and psychological support interventions. Optimal implementation of stigma interventions may vary by setting, resources, and the local TB epidemiology. More controlled interventional research is needed in stigma reduction that leads to improve TB adherence in developing countries.
Introduction: Fewer men were engaged in taking responsibility of their own health. Previous evidence showed that the roles of masculinity, self-rated health status, social support and health literacy level affecting health seeking behaviour among men. However, there is still lack of evidence in Malaysia. The objective of this study was to deter-mine the factors influencing health seeking behaviours among male university students. Methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted in Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. Recommended sample size was 360 respondents. Out of eight faculties, using EXCEL randomization technique, first 4 faculties were selected. The selected faculties were Faculty of Business and Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Language and Communication. Based on the name list given from each faculty, alternate names very selected to participate. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaire. Results: 354 male students participated in this study. Total of 259(73.2%) students were reported to have low overall health seeking behaviour. Chi-square analysis showed of all the variables, there was correlation between health literacy level (r = 0.149, n = 354, p
Introduction: Chemical pesticide is commonly used among vegetable family farmers in Sabah. There is no system to monitor adverse health effects. This study is to determine the blood cholinesterase activity and associated factors among vegetable family farmers. Methods: A cross sectional study has involved 163 farmers aged 18-60 years old. Validated questionnaire was used to assess the associated factors. Lovibond AF267 Cholinesterase Kit was used to determine the blood cholinesterase activity. Chi square test was used to determine the association between blood cholinesterase activity and socio demographic factors and work practices. Results: Approximately 23.3% of study sample had low blood cholinesterase activity. There were significant associations between low blood cholinesterase activity with older age group (p
Introduction:Diabetes is high in the agenda of public health issues with significant prevalence of diabetic-related amputations. Prosthetic restoration post-amputation is imperative to reduce disability, but its success is influenced by several factors. This study analysed the practice, and the determining factors affecting prosthetic restoration among major lower limb amputees with diabetes in Sabah. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study among 65 major lower limb amputees with diabetes referred for rehabilitation medicine services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital from 1st January 2015 to 31st December 2017. Demographics data, pre-morbid diseases, levels of amputation and prac-tice on prosthetic restoration (suitability for restoration, duration from prosthetic application to restoration, funding issue) are primary evaluated factors. Results: Forty-nine, fifteen and one amputees had below knee amputation, above knee amputation and hip disarticulation respectively. Forty-three amputees (66.2%) were deemed suitable for prosthetic restoration but only 27 were prosthetically restored, with mean duration from prosthetic application to res-toration of 5.92±2.189 months. Having additional pre-morbid diseases did not reduced the likelihood of suitability for prosthetic restoration compared to those only with diabetes (p=0.082). Funding issue is the key factor affecting prosthetic restoration with higher likelihood for restoration among those eligible through governmental agencies funding (p=0.027). Conclusion: In Sabah, low rate of suitability for prosthetic restoration is observed among major lower limb amputees with diabetes. A larger study is warranted to investigate causes of such low rate of suitability for prosthetic restoration among this specific population in the effort to reduce public health burden from major lower limb amputation-related disability.
Introduction: Airway inflammation is the pathological hallmark of chronic inflammatory airway diseases, especially asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Airway epithelium plays an indispensable role in these diseases by secreting inflammatory mediators and cytokines in response to foreign substances, such as lipopolysac- charide (LPS). Previous studies have shown that diarylpentanoid analogues, especially 5-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3-hy- droxy-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)penta-2,4-dien-1-one (DHHPD) and 2-benzoyl-6-(3,4-dihydroxybenzylidene)cyclohex- en-1-ol (BDHBC), significantly inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production; suggesting their anti-inflammatory property. However, the therapeutic potential of DHHPD and BDHBC in airway inflammation has not been explored. Thus, this study aims to investigate their effects on interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 gene expression in LPS-induced Calu-3 cells, a cellular model of human airway epithelium. Methods: MTT cytotoxicity assay was carried out to identify non-cy- totoxic concentrations of DHHPD and BDHBC on Calu-3 cells. RT-PCR was done to determine IL-6 and IL-8 gene expression levels. Results: DHHPD and BDHBC were not cytotoxic on Calu-3 cells up to 200µM. Four non-cyto- toxic concentrations were chosen – 6.25, 12.5, 25 and 50µM to determine the effect of both compounds on gene expression. All four concentrations of DHHPD and BDHBC significantly inhibited LPS-induced mRNA expression of IL-6 while all concentrations of BDHBC, except 6.25µM, significantly reduced IL-8 mRNA expression. Similar find- ing was obtained for DHHPD, except that at 50µM, there was no inhibition of IL-8 mRNA expression. Conclusion: Diarylpentanoid analogues, DHHPD and BDHBC, are proven to be effective in suppressing LPS-induced IL-6 and IL-8 gene expression. However, further studies are required to confirm their inhibitory effects on the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Introduction: Thymoquinone (TQ), a bioactive compound from Nigella sativa is known for its various medicinal properties. Due to the low solubility of TQ, nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) has been used as a delivery system to improve its efficacy. Nevertheless, the effect of TQ-NLC when administered intravenously is unclear. This study investigated the acute toxicity profile of intravenous administration of TQ-NLC in an in vivo model. Methods: Twelve female Sprague dawley rats were assigned randomly into two groups (n=6); a control and a treatment group that received normal saline and 25 mg/kg TQ-NLC, respectively, via intravenous injection. The rats were observed for 14 days for any alterations to their usual physical conditions such as behaviour and mortality, body weight, food intake, organ-to-body weight ratio, and haematological, biochemical and histopathological profile. Results: There were no significant changes (p>0.05) in the body weight, food intake, organ-to-body weight ratio, and haematological, bio- chemical and histopathological profile between TQ-NLC treatment and the control group. However, inflammation was observed at the site of injection on the rat’s tail. Conclusion: Intravenous administration of TQ-NLC (25 mg/kg) did not exert acute toxic effect in female Sprague dawley rats. The data can be used as a basis to further develop TQ- NLC as a potential therapeutic drug.
Introduction: Preparation of herbal mixtures from the traditional knowledge has been used for over centuries to im- prove and maintain health condition. Nonetheless, lack of scientific evaluations on regard to their bioactive metab- olites as a mixture and their pharmacological effects have yet to be reported. Therefore, the objectives of this study are 1) to determine the effect of processing techniques (blending and juicing) on extracting polyphenols and 2) to determine the effect ratio of honey in herbal mixture (containing ginger, garlic, honey, apple cider vinegar, and lem- on juice). Methods: Raw ingredients such as garlic, ginger, lemon and apple cider (1:1:1:1) were used as the base for this herbal mixture. The base was either blended using a blender or juiced using a juicer. The mixture was simmered (85oC - 100oC) until reduced to half of the initial volume and cooled down before being added with honey in 1:1 (rA) or 1:3 (rB) ratio. The mixtures were tested for pH, total phenolic, total flavonoid content and alpha glucosidase inhibitory activities. Results: Both of juiced samples in both honey ratio (rA and rB) have lower acidity compared to blended samples. Total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) also showed significantly high- er levels (p
Recently, one of the head and neck tumours located at the nasopharynx epithelium known as nasopharyngeal carci- noma (NPC) have been associated with few cancer-promoting compounds that derived from alcohol, salt preserved foods consumptions and tobacco smoking such as acetaldehyde, nitrosamine, nicotine. These cancer-promoting compounds present the ability to damage the genome and disrupt cellular metabolic processes. This review will discuss further on the molecular mechanism of acetaldehyde, nitrosamine, nicotine and NPC risk. Acetaldehyde can exert influence as carcinogen macromolecular adducts to cellular proteins and DNAs whilst nitrosamines that commonly found in preserved salted foods/diets can contribute as a powerful carcinogen via endogenous nitrosation and reactives molecules by CYP2E1. Nicotine present in tobacco could reacts with nitrosamine to form NNN and NNK known as carcinogenic agent. NNK mediates unstable reactive oxygen species that can induce DNA lesion (α-hydroxylation of NNN at positions 2’and 5’) and microenvironment alteration for tumorigenesis. In conclusion, this study suggests acetaldehydes, nitrosamine and nicotine may contribute to NPC tumourigenesis.
We described a case of positive molecular detection of leptospirosis in urine sample following prolonged hospital- ization. Relevant clinical history had raised suspicion to leptospirosis infection. A significantly high level of creat- inine kinase suggested possibility of rhabdomyolysis. Blood and urine samples collected on 4th day of admission were negative for leptospires culture and serological method showed no significant evidences of positive infection. Molecular detection of Leptospira spp. in blood sample was positive but not in urine sample. After seven weeks of infection, leptospiral DNA was detected in urine sample using molecular method.
Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common cancers that affected human in more than half of the world population. Although there is yet any alternatives treatment found for this disease, the antitumor property of thymoquinone has been well studied in most of cancer cell lines. Nonetheless, poor bioavailability of TQ limits its efficiency. The encapsulation form of TQ, TQ-NLC is suggested to enhance its bioavailability as well as cytotoxicity towards cancer cells via increasing resistance time and targeting drug to specified location in the body. Therefore, it is a great advantage to look at the effects of TQ-NLC towards HepG2. This study is design to look at the anti-pro- liferative effect of TQ-NLC on HepG2 and the changes in the cells morphology. Methods: Both cells were bought from ATCC and cultured in supplemented DMEM. Cell viability was determined via MTT assay. Pro-apoptotic effect of TQ-NLC was further confirmed with Annexin V staining. Morphology hallmarks of apoptosis of treated cells were also analysed using inverted microscope. Images were captured at 24, 48 and 72 hours. Results: TQ-NLC was very potent towards HepG2 compared to 3T3 with the relative IC50 of 25 µM. TQ-NLC was also more potent compared to the non-encapsulated form, TQ. Further analysis confirmed that TQ-NLC capable to increase the percentage of apoptotic cells in time-dependent manner. Qualitatively, all treated cells displayed the apoptosis morphology with increasing concentration and longer time-point. Conclusion: TQ-NLC showed greater cytotoxic effects towards HepG2 which was further confirmed with the morphological analysis.
Introduction: Curcumin is an active constituent derived from turmeric with a variety of pharmacological activities. It suppressed cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in several cancer cell lines. However, due to its poor bio- availability, derivative analogue of curcumin has been synthesized to enhance the drug-like effects. BHMC was synthesized by removing β-diketone moiety from curcumin structure and modify it into conjugated double bonds. It has been proved to exhibit stronger anticancer effects with improved bioavailability compared to curcumin. Ob- jective: This study aims to investigate the toxicity effect of BHMC and curcumin on human liver cancer, HepG2 and non-cancer mouse fibroblast, 3T3. Methods: Both cell lines were purchased from ATCC and cultured in sup- plemented DMEM. Cell viability was determined via MTT assay and confirmed with trypan blue assay. Morphology hallmarks of apoptosis of both treated cells were analyzed using inverted microscope at 40X magnifications. Results: BHMC and curcumin were very potent towards HepG2 and normal 3T3. These data were further confirmed with trypan blue assay which showed that both compounds significantly reduced the percentage of HepG2 and 3T3 cells viability. Both treated cells also displayed all the morphology hallmarks of apoptosis upon treatment. Conclusion: BHMC has a greater cytotoxicity effect on HepG2 compared to curcumin despite its non-selective cytotoxicity effect on non-cancer 3T3.