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There is increased interest in the novel approach of classifying food based on the nature of its processing and its contribution towards diet-related diseases. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to determine the relationship between this novel food classification system and nutritional status of adults in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu. This cross-sectional study involved 200 respondents aged 18 years and above. A self- and researcher-administered questionnaire consisting of three different parts, namely a sociodemographic profile, nutritional status assessment, and food classification system (via two days 24 hours dietary recall) was used to collect data. SPSS version 20.0 was used for data analysis. Results showed that energy contributions of respondents were dominated by foods from group 1 and group 2 i.e. unprocessed food, minimally processed food and processed culinary ingredients. The energy contribution from ultra-processed food consumption was 24% of the average total daily energy consumption at 1818 kcal. The average nutritional status of respondents showed both BMI (M = 25.33, IQR = 6.79) and body fat percentage (M = 28.01, SD = 9.08) were overweight. Further data, including waist circumferences (M = 84.57 cm, SD = 11.7); fasting blood glucose level (M = 5.3 mmol/L, IQR = 0.80); total cholesterol (M = 4.60 mmol/L, IQR = 1.6); triglycerides (M = 1.00 mmol/L, IQR = 0.44); and LDL level (M = 2.74 mmol/L, IQR = 1.35) were normal. Systolic blood pressure (M = 112.50 mmHg, IQR = 20) and diastolic blood pressure (M = 78.84mmHg, SD = 11.73) were optimal, and the HDL levels of the respondents were borderline (M = 1.42mmol/L, IQR = 0.47). Pearson and Spearman correlations were performed to determine the relationship between ultra-processed food consumption and nutritional status and found no significant relationship between both variables. All in all, the findings can be used in the development of evidence-based interventions aimed at encouraging the consumption of minimally processed foods and reducing ultra-processed food consumption among the general public.

Pasar merupakan salah satu kawasan di perbandaran yang sering menjadi kawasan hurungan atau infestasi tikus dan masalah ini sering dilaporkan di media massa. Tikus juga merupakan makhluk perosak bukan sahaja boleh merosakan malah adalah punca merebaknya penyakit. Menjadi tanggungjawab peniaga di pasar-pasar untuk mengawal kehadiran tikus ini ke pasar-pasar bagi memastikan kawasan premis pasar mereka selamat. Kajian ini dijalankan bagi melihat persepsi para peniaga dalam mengawal kehadiran tikus di pasar. Kajian ini melibatkan 56 orang responden iaitu peniaga dari dua kawasan kajian iaitu Pasar Moden Seksyen 6 dan Pasar Moden Seksyen 16, Shah Alam. Kajian menggunakan borang soal selidik dan data dianalisis menggunakan perisian Statistical Packages For Social (SPSS) versi 21.0. Statistik deskriptif seperti frekuensi, min dan sisihan piawai digunakan untuk mengenalpasti tahap keberkesanan pemboleh ubah yang dikenalpasti dan paling dominan dalam kawalan tikus oleh responden. Dapatan kajian menunjukan perancangan pemasangan perangkap tikus adalah aspek yang paling dominan iaitu min keseluruhan adalah 4.05 (SD = 0.648) berbanding aspek lain. Dapatan kajian juga menunjukan tidak terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan (α = 0.05) antara Pengetahuan Berkaitan Tikus (p = 0.676), Perancangan Pemasangan Perangkap Tikus (p = 0.666), Pembersihan Pasar dan Rekabentuk (p = 0.138) dan Kerjasama dengan PBT (p = 0.616) dengan kawasan pasar moden berkaitan. Oleh itu disarankan agar para peniaga meningkatkan lagi kesedaran berkaitan kawalan tikus. PBT pula perlu meningkatkan lagi promosi pendidikan kesihatan berkaitan kawalan tikus. Kerjasama yang lebih baik amat digalakan antara peniaga dan PBT agar perkara yang dirancang dan dilaksanakan dapat dilakukan dengan sempurna.

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is associated with adverse health outcomes in pregnancy and newborns. This study aims to determine the Vitamin D status among pregnant Malaysian women and its associations with specific maternal & pregnancy characteristics. Methods: This study utilised cross-sectional data from a prospective cohort study of pregnant women in Seremban district in which 259 pregnant women had available vitamin D data. Blood samples were taken <14th week of gestation. Serum 25-hydroxy Vitamin D [25(OH)D] levels were analysed using chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA) technology on the ARCHITECT iSystem and categorised using the Institute of Medicine (IOM) 2011 cut offs. A set of pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographics, obstetrics, and anthropometry. Results: Mean serum 25(OH)D was 32.83±11.37nmol/L. The prevalence of severe and mild VDD was 23.2% (n=60) and 68.3% (n=177), respectively. About 8.5% (n=22) of pregnant women were vitamin D insufficient and none had sufficient serum 25(OH)D (>75nmol/L). Early pregnancy body mass index (AOR=2.95, 95% CI=1.03-8.47), working status (AOR=3.17, 95% CI=1.06–9.50) and gravidity (AOR=0.68, 95% CI=0.48–0.98) were significantly associated with VDD. Conclusion: The present study showed a high prevalence of VDD among pregnant women in Malaysia, especially among those who were overweight or obese, working in indoor environment and primigravida.

Food insecurity affects food intake, and it could prevent an individual from consuming enough nutritious food to support and maintain health. The aim of this paper is to determine the prevalence and factors influencing food insecurity among Malaysian households. In 2014, the Malaysian Adult Nutrition Survey (MANS) was carried out, and one of the components measured was food insecurity. Six out of sixteen questions from the food security core-module questionnaire were adopted and answered by 2962 adults. The results showed that about 25.0% adult experienced food quantity insufficiency, 25.5% had food variety insufficiency, 21.9% practised reduced size of the meal, and 15.2% skipped main meal due to lack of money to spend on. For the parents, 23.7% only rely on cheap food to feed children, and 20.8% could not afford to purchase various foods to feed their children. Location, strata, race, level of education, working status and household income shows significant difference while none of the nutritional status components found to be difference in all six parameters of food insecurity measured. Logistic regression with adjusted odds ratios discovered race, education level and household income were related to risk to all six parameters of food insecurity. In conclusion, food insecurity can be a serious problem in Malaysia. An effective and comprehensive effort by the government in terms of policy solution is required to increase education level and ensure an adequate income for every household. Therefore, future research should focus on some of those promising policy solutions and at the same time, study the other possible underlying factors that may lead to food insecurity.

Chlamydias are obligatory intracellular parasites which were discovered b Halberstaedter and Prowazek in 1907. (Schachter, & Danson, 1979) At that time, it was discovered in producing the inclusion in the conjenctiva an d shortly thereater, the chlamydial infections of the human genital tract were recognized . At first, the chlamydiae, long considered to be viruses, have an uncertain taxonomic status. But they are now considered to belong to the family chlamydiaceae, which contain the genus chlamdiae. The organisms belonging to this genus are obligate procaryotis parasites that re[licate intraccellularly in eukaryocytes. All members of this genus undergo a complex develpomental cycle within the host cell cytoplasm and share a common antigen.

Throughout the medieval period there was no contribution to the subject of occupational diseases, and it was not until the sixteenth century that definite information relating to diseases of miners and workmen in dangerous trades was found. It was in the middle of the sixteenth century that two remarkable men, Agricola and Paracelsus wrote on the subject of miners diseases. Agricola described in "De re Metallica" (Agricola, 1556) the diseases that prevailed in the mining community.Paracelsus based his monograph on occupational diseases of mine smelter workers (Paracelsus, 1567) on his experience as town physician in Villach, Australia.