OBJECTlVE To establish a real-time cell analysis system ( RTCA) for early drug car-diotoxicity evaluation. METHODS An in vitro drug cardiotoxicity evaluation method was established using RTCA Cardio system and primary cultured cardiomyocytes of neonatal rats. The beating rate, am-plitude and beating rhythm irregularity ( BRl ) of cardiomyocytes were observered after antiarrhythmic drugs, such as quinidine and lidocaine were added, to assess the effect of the above method on cardio-toxicity evaluation. RESULTS RTCA Cardo E-Plate 96 was inoculated with primary cultured cardiomyo-cytes that began to beat after 24 h and beat regularly after 48 h. The stable beating was maintained for a minimum of three days. The beating of cardiomyocytes decreased rapidly from 155±5 to 0 after incuba-tion with quinidine. The beating recovered gradually after 6 h. Quinidine at 3.1μmol·L-1 caused the beat-ing rate to return to 124±16. Quinidine allowed the beating rate to return to normal when the concentra-tion was less than 100.0μmol·L-1 . The beating rate, amplitude and BRl of cardiomyocytes changed in a concentration-dependent manner when incubating with lidocaine. The higher the concentration, the more significant the inhibition of lidocaine on cardiomyocytes. CONCLUSlON The cardiotoxicity of quinidine and lidocaine can be detected accurately using RTCA Cardio system, suggesting that this system can be used in early evaluation of drug cardiotoxicity.

Introduction: This study examined how waist circumference (WC) varied across sociodemographic characteristics of Malaysian adults using a nationally representative data. Methods: Data from the Malaysian Adult Nutrition Survey 2014 (n = 2696) was used. In the sample, 46.55% were males and 53.45% were females. The outcome variable was WC. Waist circumference was categorised into four ordinal outcomes: very low, low, high and very high. The explanatory variables were age, monthly individual income, education, gender, marital status, ethnicity, employment status and household location. Ordered probit models were utilised. Results: The majority of males had a low WC (54.66%), and only a small proportion had a very high WC (0.96%). Similarly, a high proportion of females had a low WC (55.59%), and only 1.94% had a very high WC. Younger males were more likely to have a high WC than their older counterparts. Males who had monthly income of RM2000-2999 or RM3000-3999 were more likely to have a high WC compared with those who had monthly income of ≤RM999. Chinese and Indian males were more likely to have a high WC than Bumiputera males. For females, those who were married, widowed/divorced and Bumiputera were likely to have a high WC. Conclusion: WC was associated with various sociodemographic profiles of males and females. In particular, there were positive associations between the likelihoods of having a high WC and younger age group, higher income, Chinese, Indian, and being married. Our findings provided policy makers with better information on formulating intervention measures.

Introduction: Consumption of confectioneries is a determinant of health risk. However, how health risk determines the intake of confectioneries remains unclear. The objective is to examine how waist circumference (WC) as a measurement of health risk influences the consumption of confectioneries among adults. The research question is that do high-risk people consume more confectioneries than low-risk people? Methods: A quantitative research design with a focus on establishing a correlation between the measurement of health risk and consumption of confectioneries was adopted. Secondary analysis of a nationally representative cross-sectional data was used. The population of interest was the Malaysian population, regardless of being obese or non-obese. Analyses stratified by body mass index (BMI) or WC were not conducted. An instrumental variable (IV) approach was used to estimate the regression of consumption of confectioneries. BMI was used as an IV for WC. In the first stage, we regressed WC on all exogenous variables, including BMI. Then, we replaced the original values of WC with the fitted values of WC. Results: BMI was an appropriate IV for WC. An additional cm of WC was associated with a 0.022 unit of reduction in the serving of confectioneries per week. The negative relationship between WC and consumption of confectioneries indicated that adults who had high health risk consumed lesser confectioneries than adults who had low health risk. Conclusion: Drawing from the IV regression results, the present study highlighted that people with high health risk, rather than people with low health risk, were less likely to consume confectioneries.

Introduction: The rising prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among people who inject drugs is a major public health issue. This study intends to explore education and demographic correlates of use of condoms among male drug users in Malaysia. Methods: Data were extracted from the Integrated Biological and Behavioral Surveillance Survey 2017. Pearson’s chi-square tests and a logistic regression were used to examine the associations between condom use and education, and demographic factors. Results: Only a small proportion of drug users used condoms (25.7%). Educational backgrounds, age, ethnicity and marital status were associated with condom use. The likelihood of using condoms was lower among less educated drug users (aOR: 0.308–0.339). There was an interaction effect of education and age on condom use (aOR: 0.116–0.308). Chinese (aOR: 3.117) and those of other ethnicities (aOR: 2.934) were more likely to use condoms when compared with Malays. Being married (aOR: 0.291) or divorced/widowed (aOR: 0.346) was associated with reduced odds of using condoms. Conclusion: Education and demographic factors play an important role in influencing the decisions of Malaysian drug users to use condoms. Therefore, HIV-preventive measures targeting drug users could benefit by paying special attention to these factors.

Introduction: The prevalence of e-cigarette smoking is increasing. Many people still have a poor understanding of the risks of e-cigarettes. The purpose of this study is to examine sociodemographic factors associated with knowledge about e-cigarettes with a focus on the perception that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes. Methods: Multivariable logistic regressions are utilised to estimate the effects of sociodemographic factors on the likelihood of having the perception that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes. These regressions are stratified by ethnic groups. A Malaysian nationwide survey that consists of a large sample size (n = 4176) is used for secondary analysis. Results: Age, gender and educational level are associated with the perception about e-cigarettes. Older individuals are less likely to think that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes compared with younger individuals. Males are more likely to have the perception that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes relative to females. Having primary or secondary educational level rather than tertiary educational level is associated with a reduced likelihood of having the perception that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes. Conclusions Sociodemographic factors play an important role in determining the perception about e-cigarettes. Nationwide policies directed toward improving knowledge about e-cigarettes among individuals who think that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes may be effective in lowering the risk of suffering from the currently unknown long-term negative effect of e-cigarettes.