The main objective of the study was to determine the factors associated with blood cholesterol level among staff in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). The study was a cross-sectional. One-hundred staff between 23 and 59 years of age were recruited in this study using convenient sampling at USM Health Campus. A questionnaire which includes socio-demographic characteristics, medical history, and red meat intake was used in the study. Anthropometric and biochemical assessment were measured. Blood cholesterol level was divided into two categories which were known as healthy range (<5.2mmol/L) and slight risk/high risk range (≥5.2mmol/L). The gender distribution of respondents for this study comprised of 40 male and 60 female. The age group (18 to 39) years and (40 to 59) years had a total of 40.3% and 63.2% of slightly risk or high risk blood cholesterol respectively; with the significant association between age group and blood cholesterol level (χ²=4.916,p=0.027). Besides, normal BMI group had 66.7% of respondents achieved healthy blood cholesterol level whereas underweight, overweight and obese group had 39.7% achieved healthy blood cholesterol with the significant association between BMI and blood cholesterol level (χ²=7.112,p=0.008). Moreover, daily or weekly intake of red meat showed that 65.0% of total respondents had a healthier blood cholesterol level compared to 51.0% of monthly, rarely, or none red meat intake group which achieved healthy blood cholesterol level. The result also showed a significant association between red meat intake and blood cholesterol (χ²=5.229, p=0.022), which indicating less red meat consumption is linked to high level of blood cholesterol level. Therefore, further investigation and future studies are needed to gain a clearer understanding of the association between these variables and blood cholesterol level.

A simple, reliable a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxy-phenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, (MTS) assay was conducted to evaluate the potential cytotoxic effects of levodopa, a “gold standard therapy” for Parkinsonism, and its complex with Hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) on an astrocyte cell line. The cells were incubated in a range of concentrations from 4.69 to 300 μg/mL levodopa, HP-β-CD or the complex for up to 72 hours. At every 24-hour interval, the optical density (OD), which reflects the number of viable cells, was recorded. In general, linear dose-dependent cytotoxicity profiles were observed for the cells subjected to levodopa or the complex, whereas a slightly triphasic response was observed for the cells exposed to HP-β-CD. A significant difference (P < 0.05) in cytotoxicity was detected between the HP-β-CD-treated group and the levodopa-treated group. In particular, we observed that the cells treated with the complex, even at the highest concentrations (> 200 μg/mL), exhibited improved tolerability in a time-dependent manner, which may indicate the potential ability of HP-β-CD to mask the toxic effects of levodopa via complexation.

The main objective of the study was to determine the factors associated with blood cholesterol level among staff in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). The study was a cross-sectional. One-hundred staff between 23 and 59 years of age were recruited in this study using convenient sampling at USM Health Campus. A questionnaire which includes sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, and red meat intake was used in the study. Anthropometric and biochemical assessment were measured. Blood cholesterol level was divided into two categories which were known as healthy range (<5.2mmol/L) and slight risk/high risk range (≥5.2mmol/L). The gender distribution of respondents for this study comprised of 40 male and 60 female. The age group (18 to 39) years and (40 to 59) years had a total of 40.3% and 63.2% of slightly risk or high risk blood cholesterol respectively; with the significant association between age group and blood cholesterol level (χ²=4.916,p=0.027). Besides, normal BMI group had 66.7% of respondents achieved healthy blood cholesterol level whereas underweight, overweight and obese group had 39.7% achieved healthy blood cholesterol with the significant association between BMI and blood cholesterol level (χ²=7.112,p=0.008). Moreover, daily or weekly intake of red meat showed that 65.0% of total respondents had a healthier blood cholesterol level compared to 51.0% of monthly, rarely, or none red meat intake group which achieved healthy blood cholesterol level. The result also showed a significant association between red meat intake and blood cholesterol (χ²=5.229, p=0.022), which indicating less red meat consumption is linked to high level of blood cholesterol level. Therefore, further investigation and future studies are needed to gain a clearer understanding of the association between these variables and blood cholesterol level.
nutritional status ; blood cholesterol level ; red meat intake