Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus Individuals Carry Different Periodontal Bacteria

ABSTRACT Objective: To identify etiologic microbiota associated periodontal diseases among diabetes patients and the factors related to the most commonly identified bacteria species. Material and Methods: Periodontal plaque samples from 11 diabetic participants and 13 non-diabetic controls were collected to assess their aerobic and anaerobic bacterial growth. Different distinct colonies were identified by microscopic and 16srDNA sequencing. Pearson's chi-square tests were conducted to examine any association between categorical variables. Results: The diabetic subjects revealed a more intense plaque formation with a mean plaque index of 2.4 compared to 1.8 in non-diabetics. A total of 86 bacteria were isolated from 24 plaque samples, 44 were aerobic, and 42 were anaerobic. Only aerobic isolates, 22 from diabetic patients and 22 from non-diabetic patients, were evaluated in these analyses. Bacillus spp. (B. cereus mainly) and Klebsiella spp. (K. pneumoniae, K. aerogenes, K. oxytoca) were detected markedly higher in non-diabetic individuals than in diabetic subjects (p=0.026 and p=0.021, respectively). Some bacteria were only identified in the dental plaque of diabetic individuals, namely, Bacillus mojavensis, Enterobacter cloacae, Proteus mirabilis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus hominis, Staphylococcus pasteuri, Streptococcus mutans, and Streptococcus pasteurianus. The presence of acid reflux and jaundice were significantly associated with the most common bacterial isolate, namely Bacillus spp., with the p-values of 0.007 and 0.001, respectively. Conclusion: Type-2 diabetes mellitus is associated with a higher amount of dental plaques. Periodontal plaque samples from diabetic and non-diabetic subjects possess differential microbial communities. Diabetic plaques contain more versatile microbes predominated by gram-positive streptococci and staphylococci.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Pertussis among a Public University Students in Malaysia

Abstract Objective: To study the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding pertussis among students in a public university in Malaysia. Material and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study using convenience sampling to recruit 171 respondents. The data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire comprised of four different parts: the socio-demographic data, the knowledge, the attitude and the practice towards the prevention of pertussis. The data were analyzed using correlation, independent t-test, and ANOVA according to the different study objectives and types of data. Results: More than half of the respondents (67.8%) indicated that they had heard about pertussis. The school or university (59.6%) was the most common source of information, followed by Internet (46.2%). The most of the respondents (43.9%) possessed moderate knowledge regarding pertussis and knew that Bordetella pertussis is the causative agent of pertussis (76.0%). A significant positive correlation between knowledge regarding pertussis with age (p=0.023) was observed, however, there was no association between age with attitude and practice (p=0.272 and 0.131, respectively). Gender and marital status did not influence the KAP regarding pertussis; nevertheless, significantly different between different faculties. Conclusion: Students from the Faculty of Medicine had the highest knowledge scores, while the students from the Faculty of Nursing had the most top attitude and practice scores compared to students from another faculty. The students from the public university generally had a good level of KAP regarding pertussis.

Knowledge, attitude and practice regarding exercise among people exercising in gymnasium and recreational parks around Kuantan, Malaysia.

Physical inactivity is becoming a global epidemic and lead to many diseases. This cross-sectional study tried to investigate knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) regarding exercise among married and single person attending gymnasium and recreational parks. Furthermore, this study tried to look for factors associated with regularity of exercise and to find association between knowledge and attitude on practice of exercise. A total of 103 participants aged above 18 years old were purposely selected to answer an interview-guided questionnaire. Likert scale was used for participants to answer the questionnaire on KAP and the total score for each knowledge, attitude and practice was computed to find the associations using SPSS. The mean age of the respondent was 25.34 years (SD=5.699). Knowledge was not significantly associated with practice (r=0.071, p=0.475). There was also no significant correlation between practice and attitude score (r=0.006, p=0.510). Therefore, there is no association between knowledge and attitude on practice of exercise. Besides that, endurance exercise like jogging, cycling and walking was a respondent’s choice as their exercise routine. Other than that, there are significant associations between factors of gender (p=0.014), marital status (p<0.001) and age (p=0.005) with regularity of exercise. This study found that single person is more regularly doing exercise than married people. Regularity of exercise could be influenced by motivation. Therefore, relevant policies and campaigns might be able to change and boost people towards practicing exercise regularly in Malaysia.

The Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors among Students of International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan Campus.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has become the leading cause of death among the non-communicable diseases worldwide. There are many contributing risk factors for the emergence of CVD. A cross-sectional study was conducted to observe the prevalence of CVD risk factors among International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Kuantan Campus (KC) students. 156 participants from different faculties and years of study participated; among them 56 participants were able to complete the whole procedures. A set of questionnaires were distributed to participants. Anthropometric measurements, weight, height, waist circumference, random blood glucose (RBG) and blood pressure were measured. Prevalence of hypertension was 4%. The mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was 114.268 ± 12.034 and 74.964 ± 8.636 of mmHg respectively. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was 34%, with women having a higher percentage (21%) than men (12%). The mean Body-Mass Index (BMI) was 22.184 ± 4.435 kg/m2. The waist circumference has an average of 71.661 ± 9.215 cm. Prevalence of high blood glucose was absent, and the mean blood glucose level was 6.007 ± 1.018 mmol/L. Dietary fibre-rich foods; vegetables were eaten 6-7 times per week, granola bars and fruits were eaten 1-2 times per week. Home cooked foods were taken 1-2 times per week. Fast foods were taken frequently around 3-5 times per week. The study community was engaged in physical activities such as brisk-walk, skipping and sports. Smoking prevalence was 4% only among the male population. The stress level was moderate. The students of IIUM KC practiced healthy diet and were physically active. The CVD-related risks do not prevail among the IIUM KC population.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Malaysian Public University Students on Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) account for 30% of all deaths in Malaysia. Major risk factors for CVD include age, gender, heredity, hypertension, cigarette smoking, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, obesity and physical inactivity. The current study was conducted to understand the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of University students regarding cardiovascular diseases. This is a cross-sectional study using a stratified random sampling method. Students of all faculties of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) in Kuantan Campus were included. The respondents were randomly selected from each faculty. The sample size was 163. KAP questionnaire was developed and distributed to the respondents involved. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 17.0. The mean and standard deviation of the knowledge, attitude and practice scores were 42.98±2.46, 57.12±5.73 and 26.7±3.507, respectively. Significant difference on knowledge scores were found between different faculties (p<0.001), also on attitude and practice scores in comparison between different genders (p = 0.005 and 0.017, respectively). This study also shows a significant positive correlation between attitude and practice scores (r=+0.354, p<0.001). IIUM students should engage in exercise more and develop a healthier lifestyle.