Hand foot and mouth disease is a febrile sickness complex characterized by cutaneous eruption (exanthem) on the palms and soles with simultaneous occurrence of muco-cutanous vesiculo-ulcerative lesions (enanthem) affe...Hand foot and mouth disease is a febrile sickness complex characterized by cutaneous eruption (exanthem) on the palms and soles with simultaneous occurrence of muco-cutanous vesiculo-ulcerative lesions (enanthem) affecting the mouth. The illness is caused by a number of enteroviruses with coxsackievirus A16 and enterovirus 71 as the main causative agents. Human enterovirus 71 (EV71) belongs to the species Human enterovirus A under the genus Enterovirus within the family Picornaviridae. EV71 has been associated with an array of clinical diseases including hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD), aseptic meningitis, encephalitis and poliomyelitis-like acute flaccid paralysis. A large outbreak of HFMD due to highly neurovirulent EV71 emerged in Malaysia in 1997, and caused 41 deaths amongst young children. In late 2000, a recurrence of an outbreak of HFMD occurred in Malaysia with 8 fatalities in peninsular Malaysia. Outbreak of HFMD due to EV71 recurred in 2003 with an unknown number of cases and mortalities. A similar outbreak of HFMD with 2 recorded deaths in young children occurred in peninsular Malaysia in late 2005 and this was followed by a larger outbreak in Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo) with 6 reported fatalities in the early part of 2006. The current on-going outbreak of HFMD started in peninsular Malaysia in epidemiological week 12 of 2010. As with other HFMD outbreaks in Malaysia, both EV71 and CA16 were the main aetiological viruses isolated. In similarity with the HFMD outbreak in 2005, the isolation of CA16 preceded the appearance of EV71. Based on the VP1 gene nucleotide sequences, 4 sub-genogroups of EV71 (C1, C2, B3 and B4) co-circulated and caused the outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease in peninsular Malaysia in 1997. Two sub-genogroups (C1 and B4) were noted to cause the outbreak in 2000 in both peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak. EV71 of sub-genogroup B5 with smaller contribution from sub-genogroup C1 caused the outbreak in 2003. In the 2005 outbreak, besides the EV71 strains of sub-genogroup C1, EV71展开更多
AIM:To survey irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) using Rome Ⅲ criteria among Malays from the north-eastern region of Peninsular Malaysia.METHODS:A previously validated Malay language Rome Ⅲ IBS diagnostic questionnaire w...AIM:To survey irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) using Rome Ⅲ criteria among Malays from the north-eastern region of Peninsular Malaysia.METHODS:A previously validated Malay language Rome Ⅲ IBS diagnostic questionnaire was used in the current study.A prospective sample of 232 Malay subjects(80% power) was initially screened.Using a stratified random sampling strategy,a total of 221 Malay subjects(112 subjects in a "full time job" and 109 subjects in "no full time job") were recruited.Subjects were visitors(friends and relatives) within the hospital compound and were representative of the local community.Red flags and psychosocial alarm symptoms were also assessed in the current study using previously translated and validated questionnaires.Subjects with IBS were sub-typed into constipation-predominant,diarrhea-predominant,mixed type and un-subtyped.Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to test for association between socioeconomic factors and presence of red flags and psychosocial alarm features among the Malays with IBS.RESULTS:IBS was present in 10.9%(24/221),red flags in 22.2%(49/221) and psychosocial alarm features in 9.0%(20/221).Red flags were more commonly reported in subjects with IBS(83.3%) than psychosocial alarm features(20.8%,P < 0.001).Subjects with IBS were older(mean age 41.4 years vs 36.9 years,P = 0.08),but no difference in gender was noted(P = 0.4).Using univariable analysis,IBS was significantly associated with a tertiary education,high individual income above RM1000,married status,exsmoker and the presence of red flags(all P < 0.05).In multiple logistic regression analysis,only the presence of red flags was significantly associated with IBS(odds ratio:0.02,95%CI:0.004-0.1,P < 0.001).The commonest IBS sub-type was mixed type(58.3%),followed by constipation-predominant(20.8%),diarrheapredominant(16.7%) and un-subtyped(4.2%).Four of 13 Malay females(30.8%) with IBS also had menstrual pain.Most subjects with IBS had at least one red flag(70.8%),12.5% had two red flags and 16.7% with no r展开更多
For the assessment of the impact of future climate change on the hydrologic regime and water resources of Peninsular Malaysia, it is necessary to downscale the climate change simulations of a coarse scale General Circ...For the assessment of the impact of future climate change on the hydrologic regime and water resources of Peninsular Malaysia, it is necessary to downscale the climate change simulations of a coarse scale General Circulation Model to the region of Peninsular Malaysia at fine grid resolution. This paper presents a desktop review of the state of climate change parameters, namely rainfall and river flow over the Peninsular Malaysia for the 2041-2050 projection period. Analysis of the results from the models shows there will be a substantial increase in mean monthly precipitation over the North East Coastal region from historical 259.5 mm to 281.5 mm, from 289.0 mm to 299.0 mm and 221.8 mm to 239.5 mm over Terengganu and Kelantan, respectively. Meanwhile, for river flow projection, it will be an expected increase in interannual and intraseasonal variability with increased hydrologic extremes （higher high flows, and lower low flows） at Kelantan, Pahang, Terengganu, and Kedah watersheds in the future.展开更多
At the moment there is no system to evaluate climate suitability for oil palm cultivation. Most of land evaluation systems in Peninsular Malaysia often overlooked climate as not important on the assumption that the ef...At the moment there is no system to evaluate climate suitability for oil palm cultivation. Most of land evaluation systems in Peninsular Malaysia often overlooked climate as not important on the assumption that the effect of climatic factors on oil palm yield are small. The system to evaluate climate suitability was proposed and it follows the FAO Framework for Land Evaluation but employs a parametric approach using climatic data which are easily available. The climatic criteria used are mean annual temperature, mean daily maximum temperature, mean daily minimum temperature, mean annual rainfall, length of dry season, amount of sunshine and mean annual relative humidity. The evaluation of climate was carried out using information from nine meteorological stations in Peninsular Malaysia viz. Alor Star （Kedah）, Ipoh （Perak）, Kuala Lumpur, Malacca （Malacca）, Kluang （Johore）, Senai （Johore）, Kuantan （Pahang）, Kuala Krai （Kelantan） and Tanah Merah （Kelantan）. The results for actual suitability classification showed that eight of the stations are highly suitable （S 1） for oil palm cultivation with land indices ranging from 75 to 93. One station Alor Star is moderately suitable （S2y） due to dry season. The results for potential suitability classification showed that all the stations are highly suitable for oil palm cultivation with land indices ranging from 90 to 99.展开更多
Lowland tropical forest in Peninsular Malaysia consist a valuable dipterocarp timber species. In fact, dipterocarp tree species growth well when the ecology is maintained and their growth are dependent on the micro cl...Lowland tropical forest in Peninsular Malaysia consist a valuable dipterocarp timber species. In fact, dipterocarp tree species growth well when the ecology is maintained and their growth are dependent on the micro climate and also affected by lithology types. This study was carried out to identify and map tree species dominancy by lithology types at Hulu Sedili Forest Reserve （HSFR） using Geographic Information System （GIS） technique. Different lithology type maps were derived namely Igneous, Sedimentary and Limestone. Through GIS operations tree species data collected from pre-felling inventory and ground survey were overlaid with lithology features. Results showed that at Sedimentary and Igneous types, the presence of dipterocarpaceae family is only 3.09%, and non-dipterocarpaceae family was 96.91%. Syzygium spp. （19.83%） was the most abundance in Igneous and Sedimentary. Meanwhile, Elateriospermum tapos （9.92%） and Lauraceae＇s family （7.22%） were found to be the most dominant species in Sedimentary types, Macaranga spp. （11.21%） and Elateriospermum tapos （11.02%） in igneous types. However, a Limestone type was discarded from analysis due to unavailable pre-felling data. Thus, this study indicated that there was variation in species dominancy of different lithology types. On the other hand, GIS demonstrated its capability as a useful tool in identifying and maps the location of trees species based on lithology types.展开更多
Twenty four soils of Peninsular Malaysia derived from a varied geology and providing a range of particle size classes as well as different profile development stages were chosen for the study. Land characteristics and...Twenty four soils of Peninsular Malaysia derived from a varied geology and providing a range of particle size classes as well as different profile development stages were chosen for the study. Land characteristics and land qualities were used to determine the land suitability for oil palm cultivation. The results show that land characteristics have stronger influence on the yield of oil palm compared to land qualities. The use of the Framework for Land Evaluation together with the combined limitation-parametric approach enabled a more meaningful interpretation of the land units. Results demonstrated that land characteristics are recommended for land evaluation for oil palm cultivation.展开更多
This paper focuses on Malaysian Muslims perspective towards food safety, environment and animal welfare aspects of Halal principles in manufactured foods. Cross-sectional consumer data were collected through a survey....This paper focuses on Malaysian Muslims perspective towards food safety, environment and animal welfare aspects of Halal principles in manufactured foods. Cross-sectional consumer data were collected through a survey. One thousand seven hundreds and sixteen （1,716） Muslim respondents all over Peninsular Malaysia were interviewed randomly via structured questionnaire in 2009 to address the issues on Muslim consumers＇ understanding and perspective of Halal principles and its relation to food safety, environmentally friendly and animal welfare. Descriptive and Chi-square analysis were used to analyze the data collected. The findings revealed that majority of respondent relate Halal principles to food safety because Halal principle not only about slaughtering of animals but must also be Tyoibah or clean. The consumers from East of Peninsular Malaysia, with higher level religiosity and education level are more likely to understand the true meaning of Halal principles, Measuring the extent of consumers＇ understanding of Halal principles is vital, since Halal does not only focus on the Islamic processing but also sustainable concept of hygiene, sanitation and safety.展开更多
文摘Hand foot and mouth disease is a febrile sickness complex characterized by cutaneous eruption (exanthem) on the palms and soles with simultaneous occurrence of muco-cutanous vesiculo-ulcerative lesions (enanthem) affecting the mouth. The illness is caused by a number of enteroviruses with coxsackievirus A16 and enterovirus 71 as the main causative agents. Human enterovirus 71 (EV71) belongs to the species Human enterovirus A under the genus Enterovirus within the family Picornaviridae. EV71 has been associated with an array of clinical diseases including hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD), aseptic meningitis, encephalitis and poliomyelitis-like acute flaccid paralysis. A large outbreak of HFMD due to highly neurovirulent EV71 emerged in Malaysia in 1997, and caused 41 deaths amongst young children. In late 2000, a recurrence of an outbreak of HFMD occurred in Malaysia with 8 fatalities in peninsular Malaysia. Outbreak of HFMD due to EV71 recurred in 2003 with an unknown number of cases and mortalities. A similar outbreak of HFMD with 2 recorded deaths in young children occurred in peninsular Malaysia in late 2005 and this was followed by a larger outbreak in Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo) with 6 reported fatalities in the early part of 2006. The current on-going outbreak of HFMD started in peninsular Malaysia in epidemiological week 12 of 2010. As with other HFMD outbreaks in Malaysia, both EV71 and CA16 were the main aetiological viruses isolated. In similarity with the HFMD outbreak in 2005, the isolation of CA16 preceded the appearance of EV71. Based on the VP1 gene nucleotide sequences, 4 sub-genogroups of EV71 (C1, C2, B3 and B4) co-circulated and caused the outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease in peninsular Malaysia in 1997. Two sub-genogroups (C1 and B4) were noted to cause the outbreak in 2000 in both peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak. EV71 of sub-genogroup B5 with smaller contribution from sub-genogroup C1 caused the outbreak in 2003. In the 2005 outbreak, besides the EV71 strains of sub-genogroup C1, EV71
基金Supported by Malaysian Society of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Research Award 2008
文摘AIM:To survey irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) using Rome Ⅲ criteria among Malays from the north-eastern region of Peninsular Malaysia.METHODS:A previously validated Malay language Rome Ⅲ IBS diagnostic questionnaire was used in the current study.A prospective sample of 232 Malay subjects(80% power) was initially screened.Using a stratified random sampling strategy,a total of 221 Malay subjects(112 subjects in a "full time job" and 109 subjects in "no full time job") were recruited.Subjects were visitors(friends and relatives) within the hospital compound and were representative of the local community.Red flags and psychosocial alarm symptoms were also assessed in the current study using previously translated and validated questionnaires.Subjects with IBS were sub-typed into constipation-predominant,diarrhea-predominant,mixed type and un-subtyped.Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to test for association between socioeconomic factors and presence of red flags and psychosocial alarm features among the Malays with IBS.RESULTS:IBS was present in 10.9%(24/221),red flags in 22.2%(49/221) and psychosocial alarm features in 9.0%(20/221).Red flags were more commonly reported in subjects with IBS(83.3%) than psychosocial alarm features(20.8%,P < 0.001).Subjects with IBS were older(mean age 41.4 years vs 36.9 years,P = 0.08),but no difference in gender was noted(P = 0.4).Using univariable analysis,IBS was significantly associated with a tertiary education,high individual income above RM1000,married status,exsmoker and the presence of red flags(all P < 0.05).In multiple logistic regression analysis,only the presence of red flags was significantly associated with IBS(odds ratio:0.02,95%CI:0.004-0.1,P < 0.001).The commonest IBS sub-type was mixed type(58.3%),followed by constipation-predominant(20.8%),diarrheapredominant(16.7%) and un-subtyped(4.2%).Four of 13 Malay females(30.8%) with IBS also had menstrual pain.Most subjects with IBS had at least one red flag(70.8%),12.5% had two red flags and 16.7% with no r
文摘For the assessment of the impact of future climate change on the hydrologic regime and water resources of Peninsular Malaysia, it is necessary to downscale the climate change simulations of a coarse scale General Circulation Model to the region of Peninsular Malaysia at fine grid resolution. This paper presents a desktop review of the state of climate change parameters, namely rainfall and river flow over the Peninsular Malaysia for the 2041-2050 projection period. Analysis of the results from the models shows there will be a substantial increase in mean monthly precipitation over the North East Coastal region from historical 259.5 mm to 281.5 mm, from 289.0 mm to 299.0 mm and 221.8 mm to 239.5 mm over Terengganu and Kelantan, respectively. Meanwhile, for river flow projection, it will be an expected increase in interannual and intraseasonal variability with increased hydrologic extremes （higher high flows, and lower low flows） at Kelantan, Pahang, Terengganu, and Kedah watersheds in the future.
文摘At the moment there is no system to evaluate climate suitability for oil palm cultivation. Most of land evaluation systems in Peninsular Malaysia often overlooked climate as not important on the assumption that the effect of climatic factors on oil palm yield are small. The system to evaluate climate suitability was proposed and it follows the FAO Framework for Land Evaluation but employs a parametric approach using climatic data which are easily available. The climatic criteria used are mean annual temperature, mean daily maximum temperature, mean daily minimum temperature, mean annual rainfall, length of dry season, amount of sunshine and mean annual relative humidity. The evaluation of climate was carried out using information from nine meteorological stations in Peninsular Malaysia viz. Alor Star （Kedah）, Ipoh （Perak）, Kuala Lumpur, Malacca （Malacca）, Kluang （Johore）, Senai （Johore）, Kuantan （Pahang）, Kuala Krai （Kelantan） and Tanah Merah （Kelantan）. The results for actual suitability classification showed that eight of the stations are highly suitable （S 1） for oil palm cultivation with land indices ranging from 75 to 93. One station Alor Star is moderately suitable （S2y） due to dry season. The results for potential suitability classification showed that all the stations are highly suitable for oil palm cultivation with land indices ranging from 90 to 99.
文摘Lowland tropical forest in Peninsular Malaysia consist a valuable dipterocarp timber species. In fact, dipterocarp tree species growth well when the ecology is maintained and their growth are dependent on the micro climate and also affected by lithology types. This study was carried out to identify and map tree species dominancy by lithology types at Hulu Sedili Forest Reserve （HSFR） using Geographic Information System （GIS） technique. Different lithology type maps were derived namely Igneous, Sedimentary and Limestone. Through GIS operations tree species data collected from pre-felling inventory and ground survey were overlaid with lithology features. Results showed that at Sedimentary and Igneous types, the presence of dipterocarpaceae family is only 3.09%, and non-dipterocarpaceae family was 96.91%. Syzygium spp. （19.83%） was the most abundance in Igneous and Sedimentary. Meanwhile, Elateriospermum tapos （9.92%） and Lauraceae＇s family （7.22%） were found to be the most dominant species in Sedimentary types, Macaranga spp. （11.21%） and Elateriospermum tapos （11.02%） in igneous types. However, a Limestone type was discarded from analysis due to unavailable pre-felling data. Thus, this study indicated that there was variation in species dominancy of different lithology types. On the other hand, GIS demonstrated its capability as a useful tool in identifying and maps the location of trees species based on lithology types.
文摘Twenty four soils of Peninsular Malaysia derived from a varied geology and providing a range of particle size classes as well as different profile development stages were chosen for the study. Land characteristics and land qualities were used to determine the land suitability for oil palm cultivation. The results show that land characteristics have stronger influence on the yield of oil palm compared to land qualities. The use of the Framework for Land Evaluation together with the combined limitation-parametric approach enabled a more meaningful interpretation of the land units. Results demonstrated that land characteristics are recommended for land evaluation for oil palm cultivation.
文摘This paper focuses on Malaysian Muslims perspective towards food safety, environment and animal welfare aspects of Halal principles in manufactured foods. Cross-sectional consumer data were collected through a survey. One thousand seven hundreds and sixteen （1,716） Muslim respondents all over Peninsular Malaysia were interviewed randomly via structured questionnaire in 2009 to address the issues on Muslim consumers＇ understanding and perspective of Halal principles and its relation to food safety, environmentally friendly and animal welfare. Descriptive and Chi-square analysis were used to analyze the data collected. The findings revealed that majority of respondent relate Halal principles to food safety because Halal principle not only about slaughtering of animals but must also be Tyoibah or clean. The consumers from East of Peninsular Malaysia, with higher level religiosity and education level are more likely to understand the true meaning of Halal principles, Measuring the extent of consumers＇ understanding of Halal principles is vital, since Halal does not only focus on the Islamic processing but also sustainable concept of hygiene, sanitation and safety.
