The incidence of dengue in Malaysia has increased from 15.2 per 100,000 in 1973 to 361.0 per 100,000 population by the year 2014. The same trend was seen in case fatality rates that went up from 0.16% to 0.62% between 2000 to 2013.1,2 More than 60% of the cases were from the Klang Valley region. In Pahang the dengue incidence rates from 2004 to 2014 showed a similar increase from 40.9 to 193.8 per 100,000 population and an increase in case fatality rates from 0.07% to 0.3% too was observed between 2000-2014. Fortunately these figures were below the national average.3
Food insecurity has become one of the concerning issues in public health. The purpose of this study was to investigate household food security status and its relationship with childhood obesity in Kuantan, Pahang. This comparative cross sectional study was conducted in Kuantan, Pahang among 128 mothers aged 18 to 55 years with the children aged 7 and 13 years. Data on food security status was collected using Radimer/Cornell hunger and food insecurity instrument through telephone survey while children's height and weight as well as socio-demographic data were measured and obtained during schools visits. A total of 23% of the respondents were food secure. However, 77% experienced food insecurity where 52% were household food insecure, 9% women were individual food insecure and 16% fell into the child hunger category. Income (p=0.04), income per capita (p=0.033), household size (p=0.032) and area of living (p=0.001) were the significant risk factors for household food insecurity. The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children were 60.6% in food insecure households which was higher compared to food-secure households (38.4%). However, there were no significant association between childhood obesity and food security status. This study demonstrates that the prevalence of food insecurity and childhood obesity in Kuantan, Pahang is a major concern. The results warrant the need
for further investigation to identify complex interaction between food insecurity and
childhood obesity.
Liver perfusion has been the standard method to digest and isolate liver
cells including liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC). Poor cannulating skills through
portal vein results in a waste of animal resource. Familiarization of both liver perfusion
technique and adhering strictly to aseptic technique during cell handling ensure high
cell yield, minimum morphology disruption and cell contamination. We aimed to present
a method of liver perfusion procedure followed by the isolation of LSEC. (Copied from article).
Introduction: Undernutrition among under-five children is a very common issue in Malaysia, especially among the Orang Asli population. Therefore, identifying the prevalence and factors associated with undernutrition will assist in tackling the issue of undernutrition and reducing the morbidity and mortality rate associated with it. Methods: A total of 47 conveniently selected Orang Asli children aged 6 to 59 months from Kampung Paya Bungor, Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang participated in this cross-sectional study. A face-to-face interview was carried out by using the validated Questionnaire for the Study of Malnutrition in Rural Malaysia 2009. The weight and height of the children were measured and plotted on the growth chart. All the data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 24.0. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the background characteristics of the respondents and univariate analyses were used to identify suitable factors to be included in multivariate analysis. Binary logistic regression was done to determine independent factors associated with undernutrition. Results: The overall prevalence of undernutrition was 55.3%. The prevalence of underweight, stunting and wasting was 34.0%, 34.0% and 14.9% respectively. This research also revealed that gender (p=0.042) and family size (p=0.024) was shown to have a statistically significant association with undernutrition. However, there were no significant associations between undernutrition with other factors. Conclusion: The prevalence of undernutrition among under-five Orang Asli children was a concern. It was found that the factors associated with undernutrition were female children and children from small families. Prompt interventions aimed at the Orang Asli community should be done to overcome these problems.