Introduction: This study determined nitrate concentration and identify the classifying sources of nitrate pollution in the alluvial deposit aquifer system in Bachok, Kelantan. Materials and Methods: A total of 300 groundwater samples were collected in two different areas; agricultural area (150 samples) and non-agricultural area (150 samples). The samples were analyzed for nitrate and other parameters such as pH, EC, NH4+, TDS, turbidity and salinity. The multivariate analyses were used to identify factors that govern the groundwater quality and potential nitrate sources in the study area. Results: Samples in the agricultural area were slightly acidic (5.89 ± 0.67), contained high nitrate (15.10 ± 15.90 mg/L NO3-N), NH4+ (0.82 ± 1.24 mg/L) and turbidity (3.25 ± 2.78 NTU). The principal component analysis (PCA) have identified the groundwater quality in the study area was influenced by the natural processes and anthropogenic activities. Based on the hierarchal cluster analysis (HCA), Cluster II in the agricultural area was identified to be most heavily nitrate contamination, while Cluster III in the non-agricultural area was identified to be strongly affected by seawater intrusion. Conclusion: The findings of this study are useful for developing protection alternatives of private well waters to prevent further deterioration of groundwater quality by nitrate such as control of nitrogen fertilizer use, manure applications and other agricultural practices in the agricultural area. In order to reduce the health risk of nitrate, private well water users in this area should be advised to treat their water or find alternative sources for drink

Introduction: An economic analysis was performed to estimate the annual cost of diabetes mellitus to Malaysia. Methods: We combined published data and clinical pathways to estimate cost of follow-up and complications, then calculated the overall national cost. Costs consisted of diabetes follow-up and complications costs. Results: Patient follow-up was estimated at RM459 per year. Complications cost were RM42,362 per patient per year for nephropathy, RM4,817 for myocardial infarction, RM5,345 for stroke, RM3,880 for heart failure, RM5,519 for foot amputation, RM479 for retinopathy and RM4,812 for cataract extraction. Conclusion: Overall, we estimated the total cost of diabetes as RM2.04 billion per year for year 2011 (both public and private sector). Of this, RM1.40 billion per year was incurred by the government. Despite some limitations, we believe our study provides insight to the actual cost of diabetes to the country. The high cost to the nation highlights the importance of primary and secondary prevention.
Diabetes Mellitus ; Health Care Costs ; Health Expenditures

Introduction: Cryptosporidium spp. is identified as an important cause of diarrhoeal morbidity and mortality worldwide particularly in children below five years of age and immunocompromised individuals. Infections are present among cattle and humans. Until now, there is no report on its prevalence in humans in Kuantan. The aim of this study is to record the prevalence and associated risk factors of Cryptosporidium spp. infection among children admitted to Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan (HTAA), Kuantan. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted among children admitted to the Paediatrics ward in HTAA between December 2017 and May 2018. Faecal samples were examined using wet smear and Modified Ziehl-Neelsen (MZN) staining techniques. Data on demography and hygiene practices was collected using a pretested questionnaire, and analysed using SPSS version 22. Results: One hundred thirty five children (95.6% were of Malay ethnicity) were included in the study. The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. infection was 25.2%. The prevalence was slightly higher in females (28.1%) than males (23.1%). The prevalence was higher than expected. This study showed that some risk factors namely children’s age and trash disposal methods were significantly associated with Cryptosporidium spp. infection (p˂0.05). Conclusion: Higher prevalence could possibly be due to an outbreak of this infection or until now undetected