The aim of the present study is to investigate the differences in attitude among three groups of people as academicians, social institution workers and general population that explain about poverty. A total of 105 respondents were recruited in Kuala-Lumpur. Attitude toward Poverty Short Form Scale was used to determine the attitude toward poverty. There are 3 constructs in this scale as personal deficiency, stigma and structural perspectives. The participants were requested to complete the Attitude toward Poverty Short Form Scale. Statistical result of One-way ANOVA test revealed that academicians and general population ascribed personal deficiency more than stigma and structural perspectives to explain poverty. Social care institution workers perceived personal deficiency as least important determinant to poverty. Demographic profiles such as gender, higher education status and high income individuals emphasized more on individualistic perspective too. The results provide evidence that poverty is ascribed to individual insufficient effort. This indicates that appropriate approach can be implemented to modify behavior of these individuals.

Introduction: Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is a global health problem. It is common in poverty areas and indicates poor nutrition and health. According to Islamic beliefs, dates and goat milk are considered as superfood for preservation of health. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the beneficial effects of dates and goat milk on IDA. Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 57 female adults with IDA. They were assigned to 5 groups with different feeding protocol (normal diet, dates, goat milk, both dates and goat milk and ferrous fumarate). Full blood count and iron profile were assessed at the beginning of the study and repeated at weeks 4, 8 and 12. Results: There was significant improvement in reticulocyte count and haemoglobin level in all three groups supplemented with dates and goat milk. The group supplemented with dates also showed increased in packed cell volume (p<0.005) while group supplemented with goat milk showed raised red cell count (p<0.005). The iron profile (ferritin and transferrin level) improved in all three groups supplemented with dates and goat milk (p<0.005). Discussion: Dates and goat milk improved the haematopoietic and iron profile in IDA subjects in accordance with previous reports on animal model. This may be contributed by the high iron content in dates and presence of biochemical components in dates and goat milk that enhanced iron bioavailability. Therefore, inclusion of dates and goat milk may be considered as a supplementary diet in IDA subjects.

This study aimed to explore the socio-demographic characteristics, mental health status, and perceived causes of pandemic fatigue with COVID-19 pandemic fatigue among the general population of Malaysia. The data was collected online during the transition from the COVID-19 pandemic phase to the endemic phase in Malaysia from 1 to 30 April 2022. Sociodemographic data, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), perceived causes of pandemic fatigue, and the Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS) were included in the survey. The chi-square test and a simplelogistic regression analysis were used to identify predictors of pandemic fatigue. The completed survey (N = 775) included individuals aged 18 years or above [mean 31.98 (SD = 12.16)] from all states in Malaysia. Pandemic fatigue prevalence was 54.2%. Severe to extremely severe depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were detected in 11.2%, 14.9%, and 9.1% of the participants, respectively. Younger age, non-Malay ethnicity, living alone, and higher income categories were significantly higher in the fatigued group. Higher DASS-21 scores on all domains were associated with higher FAS scores. Meanwhile, high scores for perceived tiredness from complying with the COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), perceived risk of infection from COVID-19, perceived hardship due to the pandemic, perceived public complacency during the pandemic, and perceived changes due to the pandemic were associated with a higher FAS score. This study provides valuable information for policymakers and mental health professionals worldwide on pandemic fatigue and its associated factors, including mental health status in Malaysia.

Background The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic occurred due to the dispersion of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Severe symptoms can be observed in COVID-19 patients with lipid-related comorbidities such as obesity and diabetes. Yet, the extensive molecular mechanisms of how SARS-CoV-2 causes dysregulation of lipid metabolism remain unknown. Methods Here, an advanced search of articles was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, EBSCOhost, and Web of Science databases using terms from Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) like SARS-CoV-2, lipid metabolism and transcriptomic as the keywords. From 428 retrieved studies, only clinical studies using next-generation sequencing as a gene expression method in COVID-19 patients were accepted. Study design, study population, sample type, the method for gene expression and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were extracted from the five included studies. The DEGs obtained from the studies were pooled and analyzed using the bioinformatics software package, DAVID, to determine the enriched pathways. The DEGs involved in lipid metabolic pathways were selected and further analyzed using STRING and Cytoscape through visualization by protein-protein interaction (PPI) network complex. Results The analysis identified nine remarkable clusters from the PPI complex, where cluster 1 showed the highest molecular interaction score. Three potential candidate genes (PPARG, IFITM3 and APOBEC3G) were pointed out from the integrated bioinformatics analysis in this systematic review and were chosen due to their significant role in regulating lipid metabolism. These candidate genes were significantly involved in enriched lipid metabolic pathways, mainly in regulating lipid homeostasis affecting the pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2, specifically in mechanisms of viral entry and viral replication in COVID-19 patients. Conclusions Taken together, our findings in this systematic review highlight the affected lipid-metabolic pathways along with the affected genes upon SARS-CoV-2 invasion, which could be a potential target for new therapeutic strategies study in the future.

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Introduction: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to deteriorate economic and health system globally. Globally including Malaysia, the government strives relentlessly through public health measures to contain the transmission of COVID-19 and prevent a continuous exponential rise of cases. As a pandemic consequence, many families were affected which in need of humanitarian aid in getting access to appropriate nutritious foods. Children became more vulnerable and were at a greater risk of malnutrition because of the disruptions in food system and change in lifestyle habits. Objective: The aim of this article is to review the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on children’s nutrition and identify targeted measures primarily for vulnerable children to combat the nutrition crisis. Method: PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect were searched from December 2019 to February 2021. The search terms include “impact” AND “COVID-19” AND “children” AND “nutrition”. A narrative review was written based on the articles found. Results: A total of 15 articles were found to be of relevant. Reviewed articles revealed that children’s nutrition was disproportionately affected by the pandemic due to food insecurity, affected financial resources, changes in dietary patterns and lack of access to healthcare facilities, increasing their vulnerability to childhood malnutrition. On-going initiatives include food basket and food bank programs, social protection programs and the deployment of community health workers to remote areas. Mass media played an important role as a continuous effort to help spread awareness on the importance of maintaining nutritious food intake during the pandemic. Conclusion: It is crucial to recognize the effects of the pandemic on children’s nutrition and the effectiveness of the current initiatives that has been done. This will aid public health authorities in restructuring future nutritional policies in anticipation of future pandemics.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a medical condition characterized by insufficient iron levels in the body, resulting in a reduced ability to produce hemoglobin (Hb), a critical component of red blood cells. IDA is often associated with chronic fatigue, impaired cognitive function, and diminished well-being. Transferrin (Tf) is one of the major proteins in iron homeostasis, responsible for transporting iron through the blood to various tissues, while its carrier protein, transferrin receptor (TfR), mediates the cellular uptake of transferrin-bound iron into the cell. This study aims to evaluate the expression of TfR mRNA and protein in the small intestine following intervention with date palm and goat milk in IDA-induced rats. Twenty-four male Wistar rats were induced with IDA for 2 weeks using a low-iron diet. Following IDA detection, rats were supplemented with date palm and goat milk, singly and in combination. After four weeks, the rats were sacrificed, and the expression of TfR mRNA and protein in the small intestine was assessed using qPCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS 24.0, with a significance level set at p<0.05. Results demonstrated that date palm and goat milk significantly improved Hb, serum iron, Tf saturation levels, and modulated the expression of TfR mRNA in the IDA-induced rats. Expression of TfR on the crypt region and brush border membrane of the small intestine was normalized following intervention. The findingsindicate that supplementation of date palm and goat milk improved Hb and Tf saturation levels and significantly modulated duodenal TfR expression in IDA-induced rats.

Background: Organ bioprinting is only two decades old but has made tremendous progress in advancements of synthetic implants, reconstructive surgeries, prosthetic developments, and medical education. These are made possible due to the increasing affordability of bioprinters and their capability for tailor-made applications. However, the ethical considerations of bioprinting research and applications are still in its infancy. This article summarises the current literature on 3D bioprinting applications in medicine and its ethical concerns. Methods: EBSCOhost service search using related terms was applied on four databases (PubMed, EBSCOhost eBooks, Medline, and Academic Search Complete). Inclusion criteria consisted of any publication or academic article in electronic media discussing the use of 3D bioprinting in medicine and its ethical concerns. Results: A total of 41 articles were identified from the aforementioned databases discussing the applications of 3D bioprinting in medicine, screening of which left only 35 articles that met the inclusion criteria. 24 articles discussed the applications of 3D bioprinting, nine articles discussed the ethical concerns related, and two articles discussed both bioprinting and its ethical implications. Conclusions: 3D bioprinting offer limitless opportunities in the field of medical education but face limitations in real clinical application. Specific guidelines on ethical use of 3D bioprinting are urgently for its appropriate regulation.