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- PublicationAssessing Weight Management Knowledge Among Undergraduate Students at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian Campus, Kelantan(2025-01)This study focuses on undergraduate students at Universiti Sains Malaysia's Kubang Kerian Campus in Kelantan's knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) about healthy weight control. 169 students in all, representing a range of demographic backgrounds, took part. A validated questionnaire measuring attitudes toward healthy eating, knowledge of nutrition, and compliance with suggested dietary behaviors was used to gather data. According to the results, 90.53% of participants knew a lot about nutrition, and 93.49% had favorable opinions about eating healthily. None of the subjects received a "good" practice score in spite of these favorable results, indicating a significant discrepancy between awareness and actual action. While gender, academic major, and year of study did not substantially correlate with KAP levels, statistical analysis revealed a significant correlation between ethnicity and KAP levels (p = 0.031). Furthermore, there was a slight, non-significant positive correlation (r = 0.089, p = 0.25) between BMI and KAP, and there was no significant relationship between BMI status and KAP levels (p = 0.086). These findings highlight the significance of implementing focused interventions to close the knowledge-practice gap, especially those that take cultural influences on eating habits into account. 8
- PublicationUnderstanding the reasons behind inadequate daily intake of fruits and vegetables in final year nutrition and dietetics students: a qualitative research(2025-01)Fruits and vegetables (FV) are a vital part of a healthy diet. According to the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines (2010), individuals should consume at least five servings of FV daily. This equates to two servings of fruits and three servings of vegetables, echoing the WHO 2003 recommendations. Based on their study area and nature of the degree, the final-year students enrolled in Nutrition and Dietetics programmes are expected to have better eating habits than their peers. However, studies found that students with high nutritional knowledge do not necessarily translate to healthy eating habits due to various factors and challenges. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to understand the reasons behind intake of FV in final-year Nutrition and Dietetics students. Individual interview sessions using Zoom were conducted with 11 female final-year students of the Nutrition (n=7) and Dietetics (n=4) programme. Interview time took approximately an hour per person. The interviews were conducted to uncover the influences, barriers and opinions that influenced their current daily intake of FV. The interviews were recorded and transcribed and checked before the thematic analyses. The themes and subthemes include; the current lack of dietary FV intake, personal perceptions and feelings towards FV intake, limitations in surroundings on eating habits; insufficient FV variety and availability and other barriers to practising healthy eating habits; and suggestions on improving FV intake. In conclusion, the study found that various factors cause participants to have inadequate daily intake of FV.
- PublicationOptimization of brown seaweed flour (kappaphycus alvarezii) to replace gelatin using response surface methodology (RSM) for gummy candy preparation(2025-01)The gummy confectionery industry is showing a growing interest in adding novel ingredients to conventional formulations since consumers are looking for healthier and more nutritious products. Kappaphycus alvarezii is a well-known source of important food hydrocolloids such as carrageenan which acts as gelling agents. Thus, in this study, the interaction effects of independent variables such as seaweed powder (4%, 5% & 6%), sugar (10%, 18% & 26%) and water (62%, 81% & 100%) from the original formulation was investigated to evaluate the optimal gummy candy formulation using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based on the texture profile analysis response. Two optimal formulations were obtained from RSM with minimum hardness, lower firmness and stickiness and high springiness attributes. Those optimized samples are gummy candy with (seaweed 4%, water 100%, sugar 26%) and (seaweed 5%, water 81%, sugar 18%). Comparative analyses were conducted between control gummies and these two most optimized samples. Results revealed that seaweed addition significantly increased moisture (56.86%), ash (1.63%), and fibre (0.39%) content while reducing fat (0.04%), and carbohydrate (39.06%) levels. Sensory evaluation indicated that gummies with seaweed were less preferred compared to control samples, with differences noted in texture, taste, and overall acceptability. Mould growth was monitored over three weeks, revealing that all samples remained mould-free in refrigeration, though gummies with seaweed exhibited mould in 3 days. The findings highlight the potential of seaweed-enriched gummies as functional foods, emphasizing the need for further optimization to balance enhanced nutrition with sensory appeal and shelf stability.
- PublicationScreening of the anti-proliferative effects of baicalein and carbon nanodot combination on hela cancer cells(2025-01)This study identifies the anti-proliferative effects of a novel combination therapy using baicalein, a flavonoid, and carbon nanodots (CDs) on HeLa cervical cancer cells. Baicalein, known for its potent anti-cancer properties, has shown limitations in clinical applications due to low bioavailability. Carbon nanodots, with their excellent biocompatibility, solubility, and drug delivery potential, were used as a carrier to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of baicalein. The study evaluated the anti-proliferative effects of the baicalein-carbon nanodot (Bai-CDs) combination in comparison to standalone treatments of baicalein, CDs, and cisplatin on HeLa cells using the MTT assay. Results demonstrated that the combination therapy significantly inhibited cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner with the IC50 69.85 ± 4.145μg/ml and p-value less than 0.05. These findings highlight the potential of the Bai-CDs combination as a new therapeutic strategy for cervical cancer, providing enhanced bioavailability and targeted anti-cancer effects while minimizing adverse outcomes associated with conventional chemotherapy
- PublicationAnticancer effects of apis cerana and heterotrigona itama honeys on temozolomide-resistant glioblastoma cells(2025-01)Glioblastoma is characterized by high aggressiveness and poor prognosis with median survival rate of less than 15 months. Due to the complexity of surgery to remove whole tumour and rapid development of chemoresistance towards temozolomide (TMZ), apitherapy using honey emerges as potential alternative treatment for glioblastoma due to its rich phenolic compounds with high antioxidant properties. However, the difference between Apis cerana honey and Heterotrigona itama honey for anti-glioblastoma effects has not been extensively studied. In this study, the phytochemical composition of A. cerana and H. itama honey were compared using phytochemical screening test and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. Their antioxidant capabilities were also compared using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. Then, the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of both honeys on TMZ-resistant glioblastoma cell line (DBTRG-05MG cells) were determined using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, while the analysis of cancer invasiveness and recurrence were determined through scratch assay and clonogenic assay respectively. After that, gene expressions between both honey-treated DBTRG-05MG cells were compared using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to elucidate their effects towards apoptosis (MDM2 gene), metastasis (WNT5A gene) and chemoresistance (YTHDF2 gene). The analysis revealed that A. cerana honey contained higher levels of alkaloid and saponin as compared to H. itama honey, which contributed to its higher antioxidant activity as evidenced via the DPPH assay. This data was also supported by its lower IC50 value (130.5 ± 33.1 mg/mL) than H. itama honey (185.8 ± 27.6 mg/mL) in 72-hour treatment on DBTRG-05MG cells. In contrast, H. itama honey contained higher levels of flavonoid than A. cerana honey. Both honeys shared similar functional groups as indicated in FTIR analysis. A. cerana honey exerted strong inhibitory effect towards invasiveness and migration of DBTRG-05MG cells with its lowest closure percentage up to 72 hours while H. itama honey exerted strong prophylactic effect towards recurrence of DBTRG-05MG cells with its lowest colony number formed. However, there was no significant difference in MDM2, WNT5A and YTHDF2 expressions between honey-treated DBTRG-05MG cells. These findings suggest that A. cerana honey could be more effective in killing TMZ-resistant glioblastoma cells while H. itama honey could be more effective in preventing glioblastoma recurrence. The anticancer effect of each phytochemical in both honeys should be further investigated in future for better elucidation towards apoptotic, metastasis and chemoresistance mechanisms
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- ItemCiri-Ciri Kejuruteraan Dan Ketahanlasakan Terhadap Mortar Simen Berpolimer(Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2011-04)Struktur konkrit tetulang merupakan struktur yang paling meluas digunakan dalam pembinaan pada hari ini. Dari segi itu, bahan komposit simen muncul sebagai bahan binaan yang paling utama dalam sektor binaan di seluruh dunia. Jadi, inovasi dalam pembentukan komposit simen memberikan inspirasi terhadap kajian ini. Objektif utama kajian ini adalah menganalisis kesan-kesan penambahan polimer ke dalam mortar dari segi ciri-ciri kejuruteraan dan ketahanlasakannya. Penyelidikan ini juga bertujuan untuk meningkatkan pemahaman kita tentang bagaimana penggunaan polimer dapat meningkatkan prestasi mortar dari segi kejuruteraan dan ketahanlasakannya.
- ItemKinetic Light Shelf Design And The Impacts On Daylighting Performance In Tropical Climate(Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2021-01)This research aims to introduce an optimized office workspace that meets the sufficient daylight availability by using a manually controlled kinetic light shelf system. This research determines the light-shelf controlled parameters that can be manually adjusted and are applicable under tropical climate according to these variables: modified horizontal locations, height positions, external and internal parts depth, and external and internal parts tilt angles.
- ItemPeperiksaan Perkhidmatan Pegawai Tadbir N41 Kertas I 2 Mei 2018(Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2018-05-02)Tarikh : 2 Mei 2018 (Rabu) Masa : 9.00 pagi – 12.00 tengahari (3 jam) Tempat : Kampus Induk, Kampus Kejuruteraan & Kampus Kesihatan
- ItemDentofacial characteristics of Malay patients with repaired cleft lip and palate in Kelantan(2005-11)Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is the most common congenital facial defect. Patients with CLP suffer from feeding, breathing, middle ear infections as well as psychosocial and other problems. The treatment requires interventions from multiple disciplines which start from the first day of life and continue up to the age of 20 to 21 years. Prolong treatment from birth to adulthood is expensive and is a burden for the patient, family and for the society. The facial development of CLP patients often does not follow usual development of growth even after corrective surgeries. Growth impairment becomes progressively apparent as patients reach maturity regardless of the mechanisms. Therefore, an understanding about the anomalies of dentofacial region is important as it determine the facial harmony and balance. This is essential to achieve the ideal goal of treatment of cleft patients. A cross-sectional comparative study was done by direct facial measurements, by measuring lateral cephalometry and dental cast of 75 treated cleft and 75 noncleft Malay subjects. The age range was from 8 to 40 years. The study subjects were divided into three age groups: children (8 to 12yrs), adolescent (13 to 18 yrs) and adult (19 to 40 yrs) of both genders. Results of this study revealed that the measurements of dental arch dimensions and the upper and lower incisors' relation to the respective plane of CLP patients were significantly different from that of the noncleft subjects of all age groups. The anterior-posterior arch length, transverse dimensions in inter canine region, inter second permanent premolar or deciduous second molar region, inter first permanent molar region and in angular measurements for upper and lower central incisors to the respective maxillary and mandibular plane were found significantly higher in noncleft groups in all ages (p<0.05). The philtrum width and skeletal anterior-posterior angular measurements were found significantly higher for the cleft subjects while the upper lip height was significantly higher for noncleft subjects among all age groups. The study further revealed that certain facial (nasal width, nasal, philtrum and upper anterior facial heights) and skeletal (anterior-posterior: Sella-Nasion-Point B, SNB and Point A-Nasion-Point B, ANB; vertical: Maxilla-mandibular angle, MMA and anterior lower facial height, ALFH) measurements were unique to children, adolescent and adult study subjects. These dentofacial characteristics of Malay patients with repaired cleft lip and palate in Kelantan, as revealed by the present study, would be useful to develop a more ideal treatment protocol. It will, therefore, contribute a better quality of life to the CLP patients, their families and the society.
- ItemERECTILE DYSFUNCTION PATIENTS IN INSTITUT UROLOGI & NEFROLOGI (IUN), HOSPITAL KUALA LUMPUR (HKL) AND CLINICAL TRIAL WITH TRANSURETHERAL ALPROSTADIL (MUSE®)(Pusat Pengajian Sains Perubatan Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2001)The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors contributing towards erectile dysfunction (ED) in patients followed-up in the Institut Urologi & Nefrologi, Hospital Kuala Lumpur between 1st . March 1999 to 31st . August 1999. One hundred and fiftyfour patients were included in this study. The mean age of the patients was 52.68 years. The youngest was 22 and the oldest was 76 year-old. Most were between the age of 45 and 65 year-old. Diabetes mellitus and hypertension played a major role as contributing factors in the overall study population. 45.4% of the patients have diabetes mellitus and 29.2% have hypertension. 41.5% of the patients have single contributing factor towards erectile dysfunction whereas 29.2% have two and 10.4% of the patients have three contributing factors. In 18.2% of the studied patients the cause of ED were unknown. In term of racial distribution, Malays contributed 48.7% of the study sample; Indian 25.3% and Chinese constitute about 22.1 %. 35 patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the clinical trial with transurethral alprostadil (MUSE®). Thirty patients (85.6%) completed the in-clinic titration phase. Of these, 18 patients (60%) responded well to the MUSE® and they were sent home with the medication. However only 33.3% of patients completed the home phase. In conclusion, diabetes mellitus plays an important role in our patients with erectile dysfunction and MUSE® is one of the alternative treatment for such condition.