Aims: Quantitative screening of phytochemical properties and antimicrobial activities were done on some plants of importance in human medicine as traditional herbs to treat fish diseases in Malaysia. Six extracts of Vitex trifolia, Aloe vera, Strobilanthes crispus, Clinacanthus nutans, Pereskia grandifolia and Peperomia pellucida were determined for phytochemical properties and their antibacterial activities against common freshwater pathogens i.e. Streptococcus agalactiae, Aeromonas hydrophila and Enterobacter cloacae. Methodology and results: Qualitative screening of phytochemical properties in herbs were determined using conversional method for flavonoids, tannins, saponin, alkaloids steroid and glycoside The results showed flavonoid was presence in all plant extracts. For the antimicrobial activity, the aqueous and methanolic extracts were tested by using disk diffusion method. Antimicrobial assay of methanolic crude extracts (25 to 100 mg/mL) showed effectiveness against the pathogenic bacteria. Comparatively, all aqueous extracts did not show any antimicrobial activity. Strong antibacterial activity was shown by the methanolic extracts of V. trifolia, A. vera and S. crispus while moderate antimicrobial activity was shown by C. nutans, P. grandifolia and P. pellucida. Conclusion, significance and impact study: The current results indicated that the studied plants might indeed be potential sources of natural antimicrobial agents to control fish diseases.
Plants, Medicinal

Objective: This study aimed to determine prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection among medical students and tuberculosis exposure at the health facilities. Methods: A cross-section of study year 1 (n=68) and year 5 (n=75) medical students in a local university were recruited for latent tuberculosis infection testing using QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus and a questionnaire analyzed for multivariate risk. Results: The majority of the study were vaccinated with BCG. None of year 1 medical students were positive for latent tuberculosis infection, however, six (8.0%) year 5 students were tested positive for latent tuberculosis infection. A higher incidence of year 5 medical students claimed to be exposed to tuberculosis at health facility (65.3% vs. 4.4%) and a higher percentage reported contact with tuberculosis case over the preceding year compared to year 1 students (30.7% vs. 8.8%). Conclusion: We observed a higher incidence of latent tuberculosis infection and higher exposure to tuberculosis in health facilities among year 5 medical students. Baseline screening and monitoring for progression to tuberculosis infection may benefit tuberculosis management programs.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) carries a significant burden in most world regions. However, its screening uptake remains low. This study aimed to explore awareness and perspectives on CRC screening program in a multiethnic population and their preference for CRC screening decision aid. In-depth interviews were conducted until data saturation was reached. All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, translated to English and analysed thematically using hybrid inductive and deductive approaches. 17 informants from three main ethnic groups (Malay, Chinese and Indian) with various levels of risk for developing CRC were recruited. Awareness on CRC screening program was found to be low. Majority of informants never heard of CRC screening program. Among 11 eligible informants, only five experienced CRC screening uptake. Thematic analysis of the transcripts yielded six major themes; knowledge on CRC, screening process, authority’s role, curability, willingness to screening and preference for decision aid, and theywere mapped onto the Health Belief Model. Specific multiethnic perspectives found included preference for traditional medicine coming from all ethnics, and reliance in God coming from Malay informants. Majority preferred short videos as CRC screening decision aid, in the form of animation and live-action screenplay. Exploration of perspective of CRC screening helps in producing impactful decision aids. Future efforts should focus on developing short videos that incorporate population’s perspectives and can be disseminated through electronic media.