Introduction: The leptin receptor gene (LEPR) variation plays an important role in diseases related with obesity which include Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension in some populations. The role of this variation is still controversial and not yet studied in the eastern parts of Indonesia. Hence, this study aimed to explore the correlation of leptin receptor variations (Lys109Arg and Gln223Arg) with blood pressure and blood glucose in T2DM in Ternate population. Methods: This study examined 136 subjects with the age range of 32-76 years old. Five mL of fasting blood were taken to determine blood glucose levels using the GOD-PAP method, and leukocytes were used for genotyping by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) technique methods. Frequencies of genotypes and alleles were analyzed with chi square tests. Correlations of genotypes with the anthropometric measurements were calculated by logistic regression with significance value if p<0.05. Results: Variation of Lys109Arg LEPR gene did not influence the Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure, nor blood glucose level. Variation of Gln223Arg LEPR gene also did not influence BMI and blood glucose level, but correlated with blood pressure. Regression analysis after adjusted for age, gender, BMI and blood glucose level showed that this variation remains significantly different. Conclusion: Variation of Gln223Arg LEPR gene correlated with blood pressure but variation of Lys109Arg LEPR gene was not correlated with blood glucose level nor blood pressure. Future study is needed to correlate other genes and examine their effect on metabolic syndrome diseases.

Introduction: Malaysia has been considered an industrialized country and there is a demand for manpower in low-skilled jobs which usually filled by migrant workers. Therefore, this study focused to identify the level of alcohol consumption and its associated factors among Nepali migrant workers in Shah Alam, Selangor. Methods: A cross-sectional study using a convenient sampling method was conducted among 233 Nepali migrant workers in Shah Alam, Selangor using a selfadministered questionnaire. A validated questionnaire (The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test) by WHO was used in the study. Results: The results showed that 60.09% of Nepali workers consumed alcohol with most of them are in low (31.43%) and medium (29.28%) risk level for alcohol consumption. The empirical findings revealed a significant association between income, education level, and peer pressure with alcohol consumption (p value <0.001 respectively). However, the study found no association between age, marital status, years of working, and body mass index with alcohol consumption (p value= 0.44, 0.19, 0.42, 0.40 respectively). Conclusion In conclusion, most Nepali migrant workers consumed alcohol but in low and medium risk severity. The results highlighted socio-demographic factors such as income and education as well as peer pressure among the important factors affecting alcohol consumption. Thus, it is important to address this issue by creating awareness by conducting health talk and campaign. This can give a clear idea to migrant workers on the health effect of alcohol consumption. More education and promotion are needed to address the health effect of excessive alcohol consumption and work productivity among migrant workers in their own language.

Dengue remains a public health threat that consumes a significant number of resources for its prevention and control. This systematic review aimed to solidify recent costing evidence in dengue management among South East Asian (SEA) countries. All studies conducted between 2010 and 2020 were retrieved using four international databases i.e. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Emerald Insight. The review was reported according to PRISMA guidelines. Quality assessments were done independently by two reviewers using a checklist adapted for the cost of illness studies. We identified 13 original articles representing several SEA countries. Among the common reported costing measure include total cost/ health expenditure; direct medical cost; direct non-medical cost; and indirect cost. The estimated total cost for dengue management varied between countries largely due to the difference in the total incidence of dengue cases. The estimated cost spent on dengue per capita GDP ranges from less than 0.001% to 0.1%, depending on the recorded number of dengue cases of the year. The majority of the articles focused on the economic burden from the perspective of treatment such as hospitalization and ambulatory care. In a nutshell, the economic burden of managing dengue infection is costly and the evidence suggests a steady increase in health expenditure with the growing number of dengue cases