Gymnostachyumcalcicola (Acanthaceae), a new species from limestone karst of Peninsular Malaysia.

A new species, Gymnostachyumcalcicola Rafidah, sp. nov. (Acanthaceae) is described from limestone karst in Peninsular Malaysia. Characters distinguishing it from related species, colour photographs, botanical illustration and provisional conservation status are provided.

Seasonal Occurrence of Cattle Fascioliasis in Kelantan, Malaysia.

A longitudinal study was conducted in five randomly selected farms in Kelantan, Malaysia to determine the seasonal occurrence of cattle fascioliasis and its association with climatic factors. A total of 480 faecal samples were collected by a random purposive sampling method from July 2018 to June 2019. The faecal samples were examined for the presence of Fasciola eggs using a formalin ether sedimentation technique. Meteorological data including temperature, humidity, rainfall, and pan evaporation were obtained from a local meteorological station. The overall prevalence of cattle fascioliasis in Kelantan was 45.8%. The prevalence was observed to be slightly higher during the wet season from August to December (50-58%) than during the dry season from January to June (30-45%). Meanwhile, the mean eggs per gram (EPG) were highest in June (191.1 ± 0.48) and lowest in October (77.62 ± 95.5). However, there were no significant differences in the mean of EPG between the monthly prevalence, tested using one-way ANOVA (p = 0.1828). A statistically significant association (p = 0.014) was observed between the disease and cattle breeds, with Charolais and Brahman showing lower odds of having the disease. There were significant moderate-to-strong positive correlations between cattle fascioliasis and rainfall (r = 0.666; p = 0.018) and humidity (r = 0.808; p = 0.001), as well as strong negative correlations with evaporation (r = -0.829; p = 0.001). The results indicated that the higher prevalence of cattle fascioliasis in Kelantan was correlated with the climatic factors, which include higher rainfall and humidity and lower evaporation.

First study on phenotypic and morphological characteristics of Malaysian Kedah-Kelantan cattle (Bos indicus) and method of estimating their body weight.

Background and Aim: Indigenous Kedah-Kelantan (KK) cattle are well adapted with distinguished reproductive capabilities; they account for more than 70% of the domestic beef production in Malaysia. The published literature on the phenotypic and morphometric characteristics of KK cattle are sparse and require further improvement. Therefore, this study was aimed to determine the phenotypic and morphometric characteristics of Malaysian KK cattle and method of estimating live body weight (BW). Materials and Methods: Morphometric and phenotypic measurements were taken from 184 KK cattle (102 males and 82 females) sourced from three regions. Each animal's color pattern was recorded for their coat, muzzle, face, eyelashes, horns, tail switch, hoof, and legs through visual observation. Length measurements were taken of the body, face, ear, horn, tail, and rump. Several morphological features such as length, width, and girth were measured using a measuring tape, while wither height and hip height were assessed with a measuring scale. Results: Brown is the predominant coat color in KK cattle (>82%). The overall means of head length, face width (FW), ear length, horn length, wither height, heart girth (HG), body length (BL), and rump length were 42.5±4.5, 17.3±2.9, 19.8±3.1, 9.9±4.4, 104.3±7.1, 127.4±13.2, 98.3±12.3, and 32.4±4.1 cm, respectively. Different morphometric parameters of length, width, and circumference were significantly ( p<0.01) larger in males than females, except for tail length and TG. Correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis clearly revealed that BL is the best parameter for estimating live BW in KK cattle. Conclusion: Phenotypic and morphometric measurements in this study showed that Malaysian KK cattle generally possess a brown coat pattern with smaller body size, while BL revealed to be the best parameter to predict BW. The data generated from this study would be useful as baseline data for the identification and selection of KK cattle based on their phenotypical- and morphological-features for further improvement of this breed.

Hand hygiene knowledge, perception, and self-reported performance among nurses in Kelantan, Malaysia: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Nurses interact with patients 24 hours a day, and this connection has the potential to raise the risk of infection transmission to patients. Nursing plays a vital role in pre-venting healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) by ensuring that hand hygiene (HH) practises are followed and maintained. The purpose of this study was to evaluate nurses' knowledge, perceptions, and self-reported HH performance scores, as well as their correlation, in tertiary care hospitals in Kelantan, Malaysia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was undertaken in all four Kelantan tertiary care hospitals from December 2019 to February 2020. A stratified random selection method was used to obtain a sample of 438 registered nurses. A validated WHO self-administered HH knowledge and perception questionnaire for healthcare personnel was used to measure HH knowledge, perception, and self-reported HH performance. RESULTS: The mean (SD) score of knowledge was 15.08 (1.96) out of the total 25. The score of perception participants towards HH was 68.02 (10.14) out of the total 81 and the average self-reported HH performance was 87.58 (12.03) out of 100. Pearson's correlation analysis showed significant positive correlations between perception and knowledge scores; r (436) =0.17, p<0.001 and Perception and self-reported HH performance scores; r (436) =0.27, p<0.001. CONCLUSIONS: There is a strong link between knowledge and perception scores. Lack of understanding of HH during patient care might lead to a negative perception, which can affect overall self-reported HH performance. The need of monitoring and maintaining HH knowledge among nurses was established in this study.

First Report of Trypanosoma theileri in Equine Host and Tabanus sp. in Malaysia.

Trypanosoma (Megatrypanum) theileri is a non-pathogenic or weakly pathogenic parasite of domestic cattle that is cyclically transmitted by blood-sucking insects, mainly tabanid flies. It has been reported in several countries like Brazil, Venezuela, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Although the ruminant industry is actively expanded in Malaysia, T. theileri and T. theileri-like trypanosomes have never been reported from Malaysia. The low pathogenicity of this species might be the main reason for overlooking T. theileri in this country. This paper describes an unforeseen finding of T. theileri from the outbreak of T. evansi in the state of Kelantan, Malaysia. This is the first time T. theileri reported in Malaysia, and also the first time T. theileri is reported in equid. Clinical signs compatible with infection by blood protozoa were observed; however, it was uncertain whether they were due to T. theileri infection. The detection of T. theileri from the blood sample and Tabanus sp. were confirmed through molecular analysis with PCR and DNA sequencing. In the present study, T. theileri from one horse and one Tabanus sp. were clustered with sequences of the previously described phylogenetic lineages from Japan, Chad and Brazil cattle. Even though this species is claimed to be host-specific with ruminant host restriction, the finding from this study suggested that T. theileri can infect equine whilst other isolates are known to infect ruminant species only. It is suspected there were two genotypes of T. theileri circulating in at least two districts of Kelantan. Thus, further study on multiple DNA regions should be conducted to determine the strains of detected T. theileri in Malaysia. Its impact on the horse and cattle industry should also be revised.

Needle Stick and Sharp Injuries among Health Care Workers in Kelantan: A Retrospective Six-Year Cohort Study

@#Introduction: The prevalence of needle stick and sharp injuries (NSSIs) still high among healthcare workers and many of them, without reason had defaulted the post management follow up. Thus, the aim of the study was to determine factors associated with default follow up among healthcare workers sustained NSSIs in Kelantan. Method: A retrospective cohort study using secondary data from Sharp Injury Surveillance notification system within period of six years started from January 2010 was done. Data were collected using proforma and analysed using SPSS version 22.0. Two hundred and seventy cases were selected by using multistage random selection method. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors. Result: Majority of reported NSSIs involved female, with the mean age of 33 years. Most of them were intern that had less than ten years’ experience. Most of the accident occurred during office hours at tertiary healthcare setting during venepuncture for blood or intravenous fluid management. The workers with age less than 40 years and those who work at hospital setting have higher possibility to default the follow up with (Adj. OR 2.80; 95% CI: 1.12,7.00; p = 0.027) and (Adj. OR 4.65; 95% CI: 1.77,12.33; p = 0.002) respectively. Conclusion: NSSIs can occur at all level of occupational setting particularly among those who has less experience and work at tertiary healthcare setting. Thus, an intensive precaution action should focus on them since they are also the group that has higher odd to default the post management follow up.

First case report on molecular detection of Trypanosoma lewisi in an urban rat in Kelantan, Malaysia: An accidental finding.

OBJECTIVE: This case report highlights the first detection of Trypanosoma lewisi, a blood protozoan parasite found in an urban rat in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rat trapping was carried out within the Kota Bharu vicinity near a local wet market. A total of 38 rats were captured and subjected to peripheral blood smearing using Giemsa stain. Positive rats were sent for histopathological analysis for the evaluation of the organ samples. RESULTS: The presence of trypanosomes was found in one sample from a blood smear. This was connected to a histological lesion on kidney tissues, which revealed a high concentration of trypanosomes. Additionally, the positive sample was confirmed as T. lewisi based on molecular diagnosis via polymerase chain reaction and subsequent sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. CONCLUSIONS: This finding serves as a baseline for further surveillance on T. lewisi population among urban rats in Kelantan and possible zoonotic transmission to humans.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Bovine Fascioliasis in Kelantan, Malaysia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Bovine fascioliasis is an important zoonotic parasitic disease that causes significant economic losses to the livestock industry. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of bovine fascioliasis in Kelantan. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 308 stool and blood samples of farmed cattle were collected from December 2017 to June 2018. The stool samples were examined microscopically for the presence of Fasciola spp. eggs following a formalin-ether sedimentation process. The blood samples were subjected to a commercial ELISA kit (Bio-X-Diagnostic, Rochefort, Belgium) for the detection of anti-Fasciola IgG antibody. The association between coprological findings and risk factors was determined using Pearson's chi-square (χ2). The coproprevalence and seroprevalence of bovine fascioliasis was 14.6% and 37.3%, respectively. There were significant (P < 0.05) associations between the risk of infections and the sex, type of feedings, anthelmintic treatment and farm hygiene. Female cattle (OR: 3.104; 95% CI: 1.265, 7.615), feeding by grazing (OR: 4.458; 95% CI: 1.823, 10.90), untreated cattle (OR: 3.833; 95% CI: 1.620, 9.071), non-schedule anthelminthic treatment (OR: 3.927; 95% CI: 1.685, 9.152) and farm that have never been cleaned (OR: 2.829; 95% CI: 1.428, 5.608) showed higher odds of Fasciola spp. infection. These findings suggested bovine fascioliasis is a serious veterinary disease in Kelantan. Thus, appropriate control, prevention and monitoring strategies of this parasitic infection are urgently needed to reduce the burden of the disease.

Fascioliasis pada lembu adalah penyakit parasit zoonotik penting yang menyebabkan kerugian ekonomi yang signifikan pada industri ternakan. Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk menentukan prevalens dan faktor risiko fascioliasis pada lembu ternak di Kelantan. Dalam kajian keratan rentas ini, sejumlah 308 sampel tinja dan sampel darah daripada lembu ternak telah diambil dari Disember 2017 hingga Jun 2018. Sampel tinja telah diperiksa secara mikroskopik bagi mengesan kehadiran telur Fasciola spp. melalui proses sedimentasi formalin-eter. Sampel darah telah disaring menggunakan kit ELISA komersial (Bio-X-diagnostics) untuk pengesanan antibodi anti-Fasciola IgG. Hubungan antara penemuan koprologi dan faktor risiko telah ditentukan dengan menggunakan ujian Chi-ganda dua (χ2). Koproprevalens dan seroprevalens fascioliasis pada lembu masingmasing adalah 14.6% dan 37.3%. Terdapat perbezaan signifikan (P < 0.05) antara risiko jangkitan dan jantina, kaedah pemakanan, penggunaan ubat cacing dan kebersihan ladang. Lembu betina (OR: 3.104; 95% CI: 1.265, 7.615), kaedah pemakanan melalui teknik ragut (OR: 4.458; 95% CI: 1.823, 10.90), lembu yang tidak dirawat (OR: 3.833; 95% CI: 1.620, 9.071), rawatan secara tidak berkala (OR: 3.927; 95% CI: 1.685, 9.152) dan ladang yang tidak pernah dibersih (OR: 2.829; 95% CI: 1.428, 5.608) merupakan antara risiko lebih tinggi untuk dijangkiti Fasciola spp.. Penemuan ini mencadangkan bahawa fascioliasis pada lembu adalah penyakit veterinar yang serius di Kelantan. Oleh itu, strategi kawalan, pencegahan dan pengawasan yang sesuai bagi jangkitan parasit ini amat diperlukan untuk mengurangkan beban penyakit ini.

Linezolid-resistant Enterococcus casseliflavus and Enterococcus gallinarum isolated from poultry farms in Kelantan, Malaysia

Aims@#Linezolid has become a decisive therapy in treating infections with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). Currently, the emergence of linezolid-resistant Enterococcus further complicates the therapeutic options and leads to global health threat not only in hospital setting but in the community. The study aimed at antimicrobial pattern of Enterococcus isolated from 6 poultry farms in Kelantan, Malaysia.@*Methodology and results@#Between February and December 2019, 300 broiler cloacal swab sample (Gallus gallus domesticus) were collected and screened for linezolid-resistant enterococci (LRE) using a standard biochemical and antimicrobial susceptibility tests. Among all the samples, 32.3% (n=97/300) grew Enterococcus, 71.1% (n=69/97) of it were identified Enterococcus casseliflavus by molecular identification, whilst remaining isolates 28.9% (n=28/97) were further identified as Enterococcus gallinarum by 16S rRNA sequencing. None of the isolates were found to exhibit high-level resistance to vancomycin. However, 3/97 (3.1%) were exhibit resistance to high-level gentamicin based on Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion test. Whereas 48/97 (49.5%) of isolates were observed to be resistant to ampicillin, 28/97 (28.9%) were resistant to penicillin. Surprisingly, among the two strains isolated, 18.6% (n=18/97) of it were resistant to linezolid. Isolates showed resistance to linezolid by disk diffusion test were verified by VITEK-2 automated system (bioMérieux, USA) with MIC ≥8 µg/mL. All antimicrobial susceptibility test and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) results were interpreted according to Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI). @*Conclusion, significance and impact of study@#In conclusion, this study has reported the prevalence of linezolid resistant Enterococcus (LRE) in highly intrinsic antibiotic resistant of E. casseliflavus and E. gallinarum in Malaysia poultry farms, alongside with the truancy of vanA strains. The emergence of LRE strains is an alarming problem to the animal husbandry and healthcare setting worldwide. This could lead to potentially untreatable and life-threatening enterococcal infections. Even more worrying is the spread of LRE to geographical regions where these strains were previously unreported, which may pose a global health threat. Antimicrobial surveillance in poultry husbandry is thus, dimly necessary to prevent wide spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Metagenomic data of bacterial community from different land uses at the river basin, Kelantan.

The data provided in the article includes the sequence of bacterial 16S rRNA gene from a high conservation value forest, logged forest, rubber plantation and oil palm plantation collected at Kelantan river basin. The logged forest area was previously notified as a flooding region. The total gDNA of bacterial community was amplified via polymerase chain reaction at V3-V4 regions using a pair of specific universal primer. Amplicons were sequenced on Illumina HiSeq paired-end platform to generate 250 bp paired-end raw reads. Several bioinformatics tools such as FLASH, QIIME and UPARSE were used to process the reads generated for OTU analysis. Meanwhile, R&D software was used to construct the taxonomy tree for all samples. Raw data files are available at the Sequence Read Archive (SRA), NCBI and data information can be found at the BioProject and BioSample, NCBI. The data shows the comparison of bacterial community between the natural forest and different land uses.

Dataset of complete genome assembly and analysis of mycobacterium tuberculosis strain SIT745/EAI1-MYS.

In this dataset, we report the genome assembly and data analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain SIT745/EAI1-MYS. Previously, this strain was isolated from a Malaysian patient with extra-pulmonary tuberculosis, and identification of this strain is done by spoligotype patterns with fifteen known Shared International Type (SITs). Further analysis showed that this strain has a remarkable phylogeographical specificity for Malaysia. Based on the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) nucleotide database information, the complete genome consists of 150 contigs with various sequence lengths and was not assembled. In this assembly, the aforementioned contigs along with reference sequence from Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain H37Rv and Mycobacterium bovis strain AF2122/97 was used for gap closures, were assembled into a single circular chromosome length of approximately 4.42 Mega bases (Mb) with an average GC content of 65.6%. The single circular chromosome was shown to contain 4,009 protein-coding sequences, 3 ribosomal RNAs, 45 transfer RNAs, and 12 superclasses distributed with 277 subsystems which constitute nearly 1900 genes, respectively. The genome information will provide fundamental knowledge of this organism as well as insight for understanding genomic and proteomic profiling, phylogenetic relationship.

Measuring Health Clinics’ Workload Pressure in Kelantan Using the Workload Indicator of Staffing Needs

@#Introduction: Proper distribution of human resources is an important factor ensuring high-quality performance and sustained service quality. The aim of this study was determining the workload pressure among medical officers in health clinics (HCs) in Kelantan. Method: A record review survey was conducted between January and April 2019 using human resources data for 2018 involving HCs in Kelantan. It included all the HCs in Kelantan and excluded community clinics. Workload pressure was determined using a tool known as Workload Indicator of Staffing Needs, developed by World Health Organization. A high workload pressure was defined as a ratio between required and acquired medical officers of less than 1. The data were presented descriptively using as frequencies and percentages. Results: All 85 HCs in Kelantan were involved in the study; 90% (9/10) of the Kelantan districts recorded high workload pressure. Moreover, 68.2% (58/85) HCs had high workload pressure. Tanah Merah, Tumpat, Pasir Mas, and Kota Bharu had the most HCs with high workload pressure, and most such HCs were found in areas with a high-density population, requiring huge coverage. Conclusion: The Kelantan State Health Department should develop better human resource distribution strategies to ensure the sustainability of quality care in HCs.

Prevalence of Smoking and Its Associated Risk Factors Among Secondary School Students in Kelantan, Malaysia

@# Minimizing smoking initiation among adolescents has been identified as a strategy to reduce the prevalence of tobacco induced diseases among Malaysian adults. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with smoking among secondary school- going adolescents in the state of Kelantan, Malaysia. Methods: A school-based survey was carried out in Kelantan to determine the prevalence and associated factors of smoking among Kelantanese adolescents. Two-stage cluster sampling was used to ensure the representativeness of the sample. A self-administered validated questionnaire was utilised to obtain data from the selected respondents. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with smoking behaviour among school-going adolescents. Results: The study revealed that 10.1% (95 CI 8.5-11.9%) of the selected respondents were current smokers. The prevalence of male who smoked was significantly higher compared to female. MLR revealed that, males, respondents with at least one smoking parent/guardian, as well as the respondents with less supportive parents/ guardian were more likely to smoke. However, by having a few numbers of close friends and helpful peers in the school had shown no significant association for being the current smokers. Conclusion: The study showed that the prevalence of smoking was a bit lower than the national prevalence, and smoking behaviour was predominant among male adolescents in Kelantan state. Comprehensive measures with the involvement of parents/guardians were imperative to tackle smoking habits among adolescents by targeting high-risk groups identified in the study.

First report of equine Setaria digitata (von Linstow 1906) infestation in Malaysia.

The occurrence of Setaria digitata in a horse is reported for the first time in Malaysia. An 8-year-old Thoroughbred cross mare was referred to the University Veterinary Clinic with the primary complaint of corneal opacity and excessive eye discharge. After initial treatment with Terramycin eye ointment, corneal opacity cleared partially to reveal a moving thread-like cylindrical worm in the anterior chamber of the eye. The parasite was successfully removed surgically, and examination under the light microscope revealed that the isolated worm (length = 45 mm) was a 5th stage larva of S. digitata based on morphological criteria. Confirmation of the species of the worm was through molecular methods. The 12S rRNA gene was PCR-amplified, and the purified amplicon was directly sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the isolated roundworm showed 100% sequence similarity with that of S. digitata in NCBI GenBank database (Accession no.: KY284626.1). This report is the first confirmed case of equine ocular setariasis by S. digitata in Malaysia. The current study provides evidence that S. digitata is an etiological agent of ocular infection and its presence in Malaysia.

Seasonal variation of heavy metals and metallothionein contents in Asian swamp eels, Monopterus albus (Zuiew, 1793) from Tumpat, Kelantan, Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: Levels of toxic metal exposure in indigenous inhabitants are key bioindicators of the severity of environmental contamination. This study measured the seasonal variation of heavy metals and metallothionein (MT) contents in Asian swamp eels (Monopterus albus) from a paddy field situated in Tumpat, Kelantan, Malaysia, to identify prevalence, patterns and associations and togain insight on the suitability of MT as a biomarker for metal exposure. METHODS: Gill, muscle and liver tissues of M. albus (n = 50) sampled during the ploughing, seedling, growing and harvesting phases of rice growing were collected. The concentrations of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and cadmium (Cd) in these tissues were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. MT from each sample was isolated and purified, and subsequently quantitated using UV spectrophotometry. Associations between metal and MT concentrations, season and tissue type were evaluated using Pearson correlation and ANOVA with post-hoc Tukey HSD analysis. RESULTS: Zn was present in higher quantities in gill and liver tissues, while Cu levels were elevated solely in liver. Patterns of non-essential metal accumulation were varied: Cd was detected in low concentrations in all tissues, while Pb and Ni were abundant in gill tissues across all seasons. MT concentration in liver tissue was consistently higher than that found in muscle or gill tissue, except during the growing phase. Moreover, significant correlations (P < 0.05) were observed for Cd, Ni, and Zn when MT was employed as metal exposure biomarker. However, no significant association was found between high Pb and Ni levels and MT concentration in gill tissue.Variation of bioaccumulation rates of heavy metals among the different tissues was observed. Some of these metal concentration differences were found to be associated with MT concentration and, by extension, to its high metal-binding capacity. CONCLUSIONS: Significant liver MT-Zn, MT-Cd, and MT-Ni correlations found in this study emphasised the role of metallothionein as a biomarker for exposure of zinc, cadmium and nickel metals in M. albus.

The association between social cohesion and community disaster resilience: A cross-sectional study.

A cross-sectional study design was created, using the Index of Perceived Community Resilience (IPCR) and Buckner's Index of Cohesion (BIC) to survey 386 flood evacuees from six communities in Kelantan, Malaysia, in 2015. The respondents were mostly female (54.7%); lived in basic housing (95.6%); average income (55.9%); secondary level schooling (81.1%); not involved with community organisations (95.1%), volunteering activities (91.2%), or emergency teams (96.9%); inexperience with injury during flooding (94%); experienced the emergency disaster (61.6%); and their mean age was 49 years old. Overall, respondents scored a high level of community disaster resilience (CDR) (mean 3.9) and social cohesion (mean 3.79). Also, respondents' housing type, event of injury during disaster, volunteering in post-disaster activities, and emergency team participation were significantly associated with CDR (p = 0.001-0.002), organisational involvement (p = 0.016), and emergency disaster experience (p = 0.028) were significantly associated with social cohesion. The Pearson correlation coefficient results mostly showing a moderate, weak, and one with a strong relationship. There is a strong relationship between community participation (CDR) in events and BIC variables (r = 0.529, p = 0.001). Other analysis shows a moderate but significant relationship with BIC; is open to ideas (r = 0.332, p = 0.001); community has similar values/ideas (r = 0.421, p = 0.001); sense of pride (r = 0.389, p = 0.001); strong leadership (r = 0.339, p = 0.001); positive change (r = 0.484, p = 0.001); and able to handle problems (r = 0.454, p = 0.001). Overall, the results show that respondents had high levels of CDR and social cohesion, while the demographic characteristics show the impact of CDR and social cohesion. In conclusion, the data gives original insight into the level of association between social cohesion and disaster resilience, which could be used as a building block in sustainable disaster recovery. There is a need to explore this further on programmes designed to improve social cohesion across communities.

Prevalence of Geriatric Giants Among Older People in Kelantan Malaysia

@#Introduction: Geriatric Giants are the impairment that appear in older people. It comprises of impaired cognition, urinary incontinence, instability, fall and immobility. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of Geriatric Giants among older people living in three different living environment; own home, pondok and old folks home. Methods: This comparative study involved 471 respondents from Kelantan. There were 157 participants each from own home, pondok and old folks home. The prevalence of Geriatric Giants were determine by 10 minutes comprehensive screening which was developed to diagnose and manage the Geriatric Giants (WHO, 2007) and prevalence were compared using chi-square tests or Fisher exact test. Results: Prevalence of dementia among respondents of old folks home (11.5%), pondok (6.4%) and own home (0.6%). Prevalence of urinary incontinence among respondents of own home (22.3%), old folks home (16.6%) and pondok (14.0%). Prevalence of instability among respondents of old folk home (31.2%), pondok (27.4%) and own home (14.0%). Prevalence of fall among respondents of pondok (33.1%), old folks home (24.25) and own home (19.7%). Old folk home respondents had the highest prevalence of moderate and severe immobility There were significant difference in prevalence of dementia ((Fisher exact p value <0.001), instability (χ2(2)=13.957,p=0.001), fall (χ2(2)=7.629,p=0.022) and mild and moderate immobility. Conclusion: Old folks home respondents had more prevalence of Geriatric Giants compared to their other counter parts.

Estimation of carbon pool in soil, above and below ground vegetation at different types of mangrove forests in Peninsular Malaysia.

This paper evaluated the total carbon stock of mangrove ecosystems in two contrasting sites: a fishing village in Delta Kelantan (DK) and Ramsar sites in Johor Park (JP). In both sites, aboveground carbon was significantly higher than belowground carbon, and stems contained more carbon than leaf and root partitions. The average carbon concentration of individual mangrove species (44.9-48.1%) was not significantly different but the larger biomass of the DK samples resulted in vegetation carbon stock that was higher than that in JP. Season played an important role in soil carbon stock-a pronounced wet season in DK coincided with the dry season in JP. The total carbon pool was estimated to be 427.88 t ha-1 in JP and 512.51 t ha-1 in DK, where at least 80% was contributed by soil carbon. The carbon dioxide equivalent was 1570.32 t ha-1 CO2e (JP) and 1880.91 t ha-1 CO2e (DK).

Non-specificity of sequence characterised amplified region as an alternative molecular epidemiology marker for the identification of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhi.

OBJECTIVE: Identification of Salmonella Typhi by conventional culture techniques is labour-intensive, time consuming, and lack sensitivity and specificity unlike high-throughput epidemiological markers that are highly specific but are not affordable for low-resource settings. SCAR, obtained from RAPD technique, is an affordable, reliable and reproducible method for developing genetic markers. Hence, this study investigated the use of SCAR as an alternative molecular epidemiological marker for easy identification of S. Typhi in low-resource settings. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty RAPD primers were screened through RAPD-PCR against a panel of common enterobacteriaceae for the best RAPD band pattern discrimination to develop SCAR primers that were used to develop a RAPD-SCAR PCR. Of this number, 10 were selected based on their calculated indices of discrimination. Four RAPD primers, SBSA02, SBSA03, SBSD08 and SBSD11 produced suitable bands ranging from 900 to 2500 bp. However, only SBSD11 was found to be specific for S. Typhi, and was cloned, sequenced and used to design new SCAR primers. The primers were used to amplify a panel of organisms to evaluate its specificity. However, the amplified regions were similar to other non-Typhi genomes denoting a lack of specificity of the primers as a marker for S. Typhi.

Vatica najibiana (Dipterocarpaceae), a new species from limestone in Peninsular Malaysia.

Vatica najibiana Ummul-Nazrah (Dipterocarpaceae), from the Relai Forest Reserve, Gua Musang, Kelantan and Gua Tanggang, Merapoh, Pahang, is described and illustrated. This species is Endangered and known from small populations restricted to two isolated karst limestone hills. The type locality, Relai Forest Reserve limestone, is currently under threat from encroaching oil palm plantations and ongoing logging, which, if it continues, will threaten the Kelantan population with extinction. The morphology of V. najibiana and the similar V. odorata subsp. odorata and V. harmandiana is compared.