Bone turnover markers (BTMs) are useful in the assessment of bone health status. However, the infl uence of age, ethnicity and body anthropometry on the level of BTMs in men remains understudied. This study aimed to determine the infl uence of these factors on the level of BTM, namely osteoclacin (OC) and C-terminal telopeptides of type 1 collagen (CTX-1) among Malay and Chinese men (N = 407) aged 20 years and above in Klang Valley. The subjects were recruited using purposive sampling method. Their height, body weight and body mass index were measured. Their blood was collected in the morning for serum OC and CTX-1 analysis using enzyme-linked immunoasorbent assays. Results showed that OC and CTX-1 levels were signifi cantly higher in Malay compared to Chinese men (p < 0.05). Highest levels of OC and CTX-1 were observed in men aged 20-29 years, while the lowest levels were found among men aged 30-39 years (p < 0.005). No signifi cant diff erences in the levels of both markers were found between the older men and those aged 30-39 years (p > 0.005). There were signifi cant and negative correlations between OC and body mass index and weight, which were signifi cant for men aged 20-39 years only (p < 0.05). Body anthropometry was not correlated with CTX-1 level in men (p > 0.05). As a conclusion, levels of BTMs in Malaysian men could be infl uenced by age, ethnicity and body anthropometry. Thus, these factors should be taken into consideration in the evaluation of bone health status of men using BTMs

Background: The present study investigated the effects of Quercus infectoria (QI) gall extract on the proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin, and the morphology of a human fetal osteoblast cell line (hFOB 1.19). Methods: The cells were cultured in Dulbecco’s modified eagle medium F12 supplemented with a 10% fetal bovine serum, a 1% penicillin/streptomycin and were treated with QI at various concentrations (0.1 to 99.0 μg/mL) for 72 hours. The levels of ALP and osteocalcin were measured at day 1, 3, 7, 10, and 14 and were compared among the negative control, pamidronate and QI groups. Results: The median effective concentration (EC50) of hFOB 1.19 treated with QI was 10.30 μg/mL. This concentration was more effective compared to the control drug, pamidronate (EC50 at 16.09 μg/mL). The ALP and osteocalcin levels of hFOB 1.19 treated with QI from day 7 and onwards were significantly increased in a time and concentration-dependent manner. Interestingly, from day 7 until day 14, the ALP and osteocalcin levels were highest in the cells treated with QI compared to the other two groups. The morphology of cells treated with QI was uniformly elongated, higher in number and over-confluent. Conclusion: After treatment with QI, cell proliferation enhanced and ALP and osteocalcin levels increased.

Clinical Competence ; Competency-Based Education ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Data Collection ; Humans ; Malaysia ; Postal Service ; Students, Medical

The art of talking to patients and their relatives does not come naturally to most of us and the ability to put oneself in the patients’ predicament is difficult particularly for the young doctors. To identify the communication abilities of the young doctors, a cross sectional study was carried out on 32 house officers who graduated from UKM in 2004 during their house jobs at different hospitals in Malaysia. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect the data. Fifty nine percent respondents claimed that they had communicated very well with patients while 69% with support staff and 88% with peers. On the other hand 38% and 41% of the respondents claimed they communicated very well with their superiors and families of patients. Only 22% of the graduates’ skills of communication in breaking bad news were very well, while 50% and 81% were very well in counselling patients and taking consent for procedures. Curriculum planners need to emphasize the importance of developing good communication skills in all aspects for the future doctors.