To investigate the relation of hypertension and anthropometric measurement among elderly in Malaysia.

This study aimed to determine the association between anthropometric measurement and dyslipidemia and their association with hypertension among older people. A cross sectional study was done among the residents in two old folks homes (Rumah Seri Kenangan Cheras and Little Sisters of the Poor) in urban Malaysia using a pre-tested guided questionnaire. Measurements taken were the blood pressure level, height and weight measurement and lipid profile. There were 92 respondents participated in the study. The prevalence of hypertension was 51.1%. The study found significant association between anthropometric measurement and hypertension although there was no difference in waist hip ratio measurement among hypertensive and normotensive individuals. Level of total cholesterol, LDL-C and triglycerides were significantly higher among hypertensive individuals compared to normotensive individuals. The prevalence rate of hypertension among residents in this study is higher compared to the national prevalence rate among the older adults. Appropriate invention programmes should be reinforced to reduce the complications of hypertension especially among institutionalized elderly

Sexual perceptions among people aged 45 years, association of reproductive health and socio-demographic factors in Klang Valley, Malaysia.

Objective: The objective of this research was to study the sexual perception and practices among people aged 45 years and above and the associated socio-demographic factors. Materials and methods: A cross sectional study was done on 473 middle aged and elderly people living in Klang Valley in 2005. They were married and literate. Data were collected by means of face to face interview using structured questionnaires and were analyzed using SPSS software. Logistic regression was used and p<0.05 was considered for statistical significance. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 54.36 ± 7.91 years and majority of them were in age group of 50-59yrs (41.25%) and 53.5 % were male. The ethnic distribution was 50.1% Malay, 23.3% Chinese and 26.6% Indians. Most of them (61 %) reported that they were healthy as compared to 39% who suffered at least from a major medical problem. Only 17.1% of respondents admitted that they had sexual problems and out of these 32% sought various types of treatment. There was a significant difference between satisfaction with sexual intercourse and gender, ethnicity, age, who initiated the sexual intercourse and presence of sexual problem. Conclusion: The findings indicate that older people present as wide a variety of sexual problem areas as younger individuals. Accurate information about sexuality in later life will enable professionals to better provide a desirable environment

Investigation of lipid profiles and lipid peroxidation in patients with type 2 diabetes.

The aim of this study was to investigat the lipid peroxidation of plasma as a marker of oxidant-induced protein damage the effects of oxygen radicals on glycated-hemoglobin and to find out the relationship between the increase level of Malondialdehyde (MDA) on HbA1C, lipid profiles and FBS (Fasting Blood Sugar) in patients with type 2 diabetes. This randomized study included 200 individuals, 100 cases had history of diabetic for at least 3 years (file in Isfehan hospital, Diabetic Center of Medical Sciences University) and 100 cases as the control group without history of diabetes. In both groups, level of MDA, FBS, lipid profiles and HbA1C were determined in fasting blood samples. Results showed that MDA level in diabetic patients was significantly (p<0.005) higher (0.9222 ± 0.3 μmol/L) than those in the control group (0.7428 ± 0.04μmol/L). The same was also true (p<0.05) for the level of HbA1C (9.387 ± 2.4 mg/dl in diabetic patients and 7.356 ± 1.0 mg/dl in the control group) and the FBS (163.31 ± 56mg/dl in patient group and 85.740 ± 10.1 in the control group). Furthermore, the concentration of, LDL significantly was higher (p<0.05) and the HDL level were significantly lower (p<0.05) in case group as compared to control group. The increased plasma lipid peroxidation and decreased plasma HDL that we observed in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus indicated that these may predispose to the development of cardiovascular complications

Effect of linoleic acid of Nigella sativa on MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells.

Background: Breast cancer is one of the main life-threatening diseases which a woman may face during her life. Several lifestyle factors such as weight gain, obesity, fat intake and decreased level of physical activity are associated with breast cancer risk. In vitro and vivo studies showed that, Linoleic acid (LA) is one of the main fatty acids composition of Nigella sativa. The objective was to investigate inhibitory and anti-cancer effects of Linoleic acid on the MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. Methods: The apoptosis and cytotoxic activity assay was used in order to find toxic effects and the results were supported by flow cytometry (Cell cycle analysis). The results showed the cytotoxic effect of Linoleic acid on the breast cancer cell can be considered as an anti-cancer effect of LA. Results: According to our findings, when the concentration of lionleic acid was increased, compared with the concentrations currently being reported, it showed an anti-cancer effects. The IC50 was 84.72µl/ml. There was a significant (p<0.05) effect between the treatment groups which are more than IC 50 and the control group. Conclusion: We came to this conclusion that Linoleic acid has an inhibitory effect on human breast cancer cell lines which can be due to its two double-bandings molecular structure

Health-related quality of life among hypertensive patients compared with general population norms.

The 36-item short form (SF-36) health survey is the most popular generic HRQOL instrument that has been widely used to measure several population studies and variety of health conditions, including hypertension. The objectives of this study were to compare the HRQOL of hypertensive patients with that of a general population norm and analyze differences according to the presence of comorbid conditions such as diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular comorbidities. A total of 388 hypertensive patients was included in this cross-sectional study. Socio-demographic information and the presence of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular comorbidities were recorded. HRQOL was assessed by using SF-36 instrument. General linear models were used to identify statistically significant differences in scale scores. Hypertensive patients reported lower scores in six SF-36 dimensions except bodily pain and role emotional dimension when compared with Malaysian norms. After adjusting for socio-demographic variables (age, gender, education and employment), SF-36 scores in the presence of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular comorbidities were comparably limited and both had statistically significantly lower scores than hypertensive patients without comorbidities. Hypertension reduced HRQOL and cardiovascular comorbidities exacerbate reductions. Hence, future research of effective interventions should include ensuring desirable HRQOL as well as controlling blood pressure to prevent or reduce comorbidities of hypertension

Disseminating cervical cancer knowledge : impact of a public seminar.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer after breast cancer among women in Malaysia. Cervical cancer screening using Pap smear provides an appropriate way for early detection and prevention of cervical cancer if appropriately implemented. Knowledge and attitudes toward disease and illness have been shown to influence cervical cancer screening in populations. This study was carried out to evaluate the immediate effects of an educational intervention through a scientific seminar on short-term knowledge acquisition. A quasi-experimental pre-test / post-test design was used to assess the efficacy of the public seminar on cervical cancer awareness among Malaysian women. A public seminar was organized by Faculty of Medicine and Health Science University Putra Malaysia. This public seminar focused on how Cervical Cancer Screening can be more accepted by most women in Malaysia and many other Asian and Middle East countries. Data were gathered via a self-administered questionnaire as pre-test. Immediately after delivering speeches by keynote speakers; post-test was carried out. The finding revealed that correct responses increased from 39% (pre seminar) to 71% (post seminar) and there was a significant difference in means scores of knowledge and attitude in pre-test and post-test (P < 0.001). An educational intervention had a positive effect on short-term knowledge and awareness of cervical cancer in Malaysian women. Additional research is necessary to assess long-term retention of information and what effect, if any, increased knowledge has on health behaviour

Toxicity effect of Nigella sativa on the liver function of rats.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the toxic effect of Nigella sativa powder on the liver function which was evaluated by measuring liver enzymes and through histopathological examination of liver tissue. Methods: Twenty four male Sprague Dawley rats were allotted randomly to four groups including: control (taking normal diet); low dose (supplemented with 0.01 g/kg/day Nigella sativa); normal dose (supplemented with 0.1 g/kg/day Nigella sativa) and high dose (supplemented with 1 g/kg/day Nigella sativa). All of supplements administered in powder form mixed with rats' pellet for 28 days. To assess liver toxicity, liver enzymes measurement and histological study were done at the end of supplementation. Results: The finding revealed that there was no significant change in serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) between treatment groups. Histopathological study showed very minimal and mild changes in fatty degeneration in normal and high doses of Nigella sativa treated group. Inflammation and necrosis were absent. Conclusion: The study showed that supplementation of Nigella sativa up to the dose of 1 g/kg supplemented for a period of 28 days resulted no changes in liver enzymes level and did not cause any toxicity effect on the liver function

Comorbid conditions and health-related quality of life among hypertensive patients.

Hypertension and its comorbid conditions mayaffect patients’ quality of life. This study is to de-termine the relationship between comorbid condi-tions and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) inhypertensive patients. A total of 173 hypertensivepatients were included in this cross-sectional study.Data on sociodemography, prevalence of comor-bid conditions, and the Medical Outcomes Study36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) scoreson HRQOL were obtained through guided intervi-ew, using pre-tested questionnaires. The influenceof sociodemography and comorbid conditions onSF-36 scores was assessed. Age, gender, and edu-cational level affected most domains of SF-36 scalenegatively. Hypertensive patients with heart diseasecondition recorded lower scores in most of the SF-36 domains. Diabetes too affected negatively fivedomains especially the physical constructs. Previ-ous stroke has a negative impact on physical fun-ctioning, general health, vitality, and mental health,whereas the negative influence of nephropathy onlyaffected physical functioning. We conclude thathypertension and comorbid conditions are associ-ated with decreases in HRQOL. Therefore, preven-ting or reducing the complications of hypertensionis needed in order to improve quality of life amonghypertensive patients

Preventive effect of Nigella sativa on metabolic syndrome in menopause induced rats.

In women facing menopause, end of menstrual activity is accompanied by lower levels of estrogen and gradual weight gain. Postmenopausal weight gain sounds an alarm for women’s health and may lead to hyperlipidemia, a lipid increase and glucose intolerance. These phenomena are connected to lifestyle-related diseases such as hypertension, type II diabetes mellitus, arteriosclerosis and metabolic syndrome, making it essential to prevent weight gain in women. This study was conducted using an ovariectomized rat model to determine the metabolic impact of Nigella sativa in experimental menopause induced rats.Forty ovariectomized Sprague Dawley rats, weighting 250 to 350 g were used in the study and randomly allotted into one of five experimental groups. Animals were given either different doses of N. sativa (300, 600, 1200 mg/kg/day) as treatment groups or distilled water (1 ml) and conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) (200 μg/kg/day) by intra-gastric gavage as negative and positive control group respectively for 21 days. Food and water intake were measured daily and body weight and biochemical parameters were measured at baseline, 11th day and at the end of experiment. The treatment groups showed significant (P < 0.05) improvement with reference to daily body weight gain, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and blood glucose (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between groups in serum triglyceride concentration. These results suggested that treatment with N. sativa exert a therapeutic and protective effect by modifying weight gain, improving lipid profile and blood glucose as well as hormonal level which is believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome during menopause

Alternative supplement for enhancement of reproductive health and metabolic profile among perimenopausal women: a novel role of Nigella sativa

Objective(s): The aim of this open label crossover study was to investigate the effects of Nigella sativa on reproductive health and metabolic profile of perimenopausal women in Rawang, Malaysia. Materials and Methods: Sixty nine perimenopausal women aged 45 to 65 were allocated into the experimental group treated orally with 1600mg/day of encapsulated pure powdered N. sativa compared to control groups treated with placebo for 12 weeks. At the end of study, participants underwent washout period for fourteen days before being crossed over and continued for another cycle of treatment. Participants were abstained from taking any other drugs, herbal preparations or food supplements throughout the study. Body weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure, biochemical parameters and hormonal levels were measured at baseline and at the end of experiment for both cycles. Face to face interview was carried out at baseline and every week to check for compliance, minimize dropouts and to record reproductive health and quality of life indicators using Greene climacteric and SF-36 instruments. Results: The treatment groups in both cycles showed significant improvement with reference to low density lipoprotein cholesterol and blood glucose (P<0.05). There were no significant differences between groups in total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein and triglyceride concentration. Treatment with N. sativa induced a significant reduction of prevalence and severity of menopausal symptomsas well as significant improvement in some components of quality of life (P<0.05). Conclusion: These results suggested that treatment with N. sativa exert a therapeutic and protective effect by modifying weight gain, improving lipid profile and blood glucose as well as hormonal level which is believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome during menopause