BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Low early pregnancy serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25[OH]D) levels can increase gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk, although inconsistent findings related to that association have been reported. This study examined the association of serum vitamin D with GDM and the possible influencers on this association. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This study included 259 pregnant women within the Seremban Cohort Study (SECOST). Blood samples at < 14 weeks of gestation were drawn to determine serum 25(OH)D levels. GDM diagnosis was made at 24 to 32 weeks of gestation using a standard procedure. Association between serum vitamin D and GDM was tested using binary logistic regression. RESULTS: Nearly all women (90%) had mild (68.3%) or severe (32.2%) vitamin D deficiency (VDD). Non-GDM women with mild VDD had a significantly higher mean vitamin D intake than GDM women with mild VDD (t = 2.04, p < 0.05). Women with higher early pregnancy serum vitamin D levels had a greater risk of GDM. However, this significant association was only identified among those with a family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and in women with a body mass index indicating overweight or obese status. CONCLUSIONS The high prevalence of VDD in this sample of pregnant women underscores the need for effective preventive public health strategies. Further investigation of this unexpected association between serum vitamin D level and GDM risk in predominantly VDD pregnant women and the potential effects of adiposity and family history of T2DM on that association is warranted.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Recently, the recommended nutrient intakes (RNI) for vitamin D for Malaysian aged 1–70 yrs has been revised from 5 µg/day to 15 µg/day. This study is aimed to assess the adequacy of vitamin D intake based on revised RNI and to recommend several dietary strategies to increase total vitamin D intake. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Vitamin D intake from both food and supplement of 217 pregnant women was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Hypothetical effect of expanded supplementation and food fortifications strategies were modelled using the consumption data. RESULTS: The results revealed that more than half (67.7%) of pregnant women had inadequate vitamin D intake (RNI < 15 µg/day). The modelling results demonstrated the potential of universal provision of 10 µg/day of multivitamins supplements in increasing vitamin D intake.Moreover, mandatory fortification of both milk and malted drink at single level of 5 µg/serving would lead to increase in vitamin D intake of Malaysians, particularly pregnant women. CONCLUSIONS The outcome of this study can be used as a reference for public health professionals to re-evaluate the existing Malaysian food fortification policies and supplementation recommendation for vitamin D for pregnant women.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Recently, the recommended nutrient intakes (RNI) for vitamin D for Malaysian aged 1–70 yrs has been revised from 5 µg/day to 15 µg/day. This study is aimed to assess the adequacy of vitamin D intake based on revised RNI and to recommend several dietary strategies to increase total vitamin D intake. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Vitamin D intake from both food and supplement of 217 pregnant women was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Hypothetical effect of expanded supplementation and food fortifications strategies were modelled using the consumption data. RESULTS: The results revealed that more than half (67.7%) of pregnant women had inadequate vitamin D intake (RNI < 15 µg/day). The modelling results demonstrated the potential of universal provision of 10 µg/day of multivitamins supplements in increasing vitamin D intake.Moreover, mandatory fortification of both milk and malted drink at single level of 5 µg/serving would lead to increase in vitamin D intake of Malaysians, particularly pregnant women. CONCLUSIONS The outcome of this study can be used as a reference for public health professionals to re-evaluate the existing Malaysian food fortification policies and supplementation recommendation for vitamin D for pregnant women.

Introduction: Anacardium occidentale or cashew are popular traditional food and have raised research interest for complementary cancer treatment. Cancer has become leading cause of death and treatment involved severe side effects. In present study, we aim to study the anti-proliferative effects of cashew shoots in breast cancer (MDAMB-231), colorectal cancer (HT-29) and liver cancer (HepG2) cell lines. Methods: Cell lines were treated with 70% ethanolic cashew extract for cytotoxicity test with MTT assay. AO/PI dual fluorescent assay and RNase/PI staining were used to determine apoptosis induction effects. Phytochemicals screening was carried out by using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LCMS). Results: The cytotoxicity assay of cashew shoot extract demonstrated IC50 of 81.1 ± 0.11 μg/ml for MDA-MB-231, 307.5 ± 2.31 μg/ml for HT-29 and 272.6 ± 1.91 μg/ml for HepG2 cell lines. The apoptotic bodies include chromatin condensation, cell blebbing and nuclear fragmentation and apoptosis induction were shown by AO/PI staining. There was significant increase of cell count in sub-G0 phase in MDA-MB-231 cell lines treated with cashew shoot extract. It was demonstrated that cashew shoot extract contained 38 compounds from GCMS such as sitosterol, tannin, pyrogallol, phenol and 20 compounds from LCMS such as citric acid, gallic acid, myricetin and hinokiflavone that may give rise to its anti-cancer effect. Conclusion: Cashew shoot extract demonstrated potential anti-cancer properties thus further study is required to investigate its mechanism as anti-cancer agent.

Introduction: This study was carried out to quantify the selected bioactive compounds (i.e., chlorogenic acids, caffeine, and N-methylpyridinium) in instant coffee and to analyze its correlation with the gastric release effect of the HGT-1 cell line. Methods: Selected bioactive compounds in regular (REG), low sugar (LS), low fat (LF), white coffee (WC), white coffee low acid (WCA), decaffeinated (DC), and instant black coffee (BC) were quantified using HPLCDAD (high-performance liquid chromatography diode array detection) system and flow cytometry analysis for its gastric release effect when treated with HGT-1 cell. Results: The HPLC data showed the content of caffeine (60,212 ± 212 µg/ml) and chlorogenic acid (35,779 ± 3027 µg/ml) were significantly high in BC while the lowest caffeine value was found in DC coffee. Chlorogenic acid in other instant coffee samples showed insignificant content distinctions. As for N-methylpyridinium (NMP), the highest content was found in BC (565 µg/ml) and the lowest value was detected in WC (52 µg/ml) coffee. Gastric release activity by HGT-1 cells was significantly higher in DC and REG coffee treatment. Pearson correlation showed no significant correlation between the quantitative data and gastric release activity by HGT-1 cells. Conclusion: The selected bioactive compounds contained in instant coffees were unable to stimulate gastric release.

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is associated with adverse health outcomes in pregnancy and newborns. This study aims to determine the Vitamin D status among pregnant Malaysian women and its associations with specific maternal & pregnancy characteristics. Methods: This study utilised cross-sectional data from a prospective cohort study of pregnant women in Seremban district in which 259 pregnant women had available vitamin D data. Blood samples were taken <14th week of gestation. Serum 25-hydroxy Vitamin D [25(OH)D] levels were analysed using chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA) technology on the ARCHITECT iSystem and categorised using the Institute of Medicine (IOM) 2011 cutoffs. A set of pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographics, obstetrics, and anthropometry. Results: Mean serum 25(OH)D was 32.83±11.37nmol/L. The prevalence of severe and mild VDD was 23.2% (n=60) and 68.3% (n=177), respectively. About 8.5% (n=22) of pregnant women were vitamin D insufficient and none had sufficient serum 25(OH)D (>75nmol/L). Early pregnancy body mass index (AOR=2.95, 95% CI=1.03-8.47), working status (AOR=3.17, 95% CI=1.06–9.50) and gravidity (AOR=0.68, 95% CI=0.48–0.98) were significantly associated with VDD. Conclusion: The present study showed a high prevalence of VDD among pregnant women in Malaysia, especially among those who were overweight or obese, working in indoor environment and primigravida.