Introduction: Adequate knowledge of diabetes is essential for effective self-management and glycemic control. Emerging trends in digital platforms, video-based education offer a scalable and accessible approach to patient learning. However, evidence on the effectiveness of validated YouTube-based diabetes education in the Malaysian population remains limited. We aimed to evaluate the impact of a newly developed, tri-language YouTube diabetes education programme on clinical and knowledge outcomes. Methodology: In this multicentre study, patients with diabetes mellitus were randomly assigned to intervention (YouTube-based education) and control groups (standard care). The intervention consisted of newly developed and validated short educational videos on YouTube regarding diabetes, complications and lifestyle changes, delivered weekly via WhatsApp over 9 weeks. Videos were available in English, Malay and Chinese. The control group received standard care and counseling. Demographic data, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and knowledge scores were collected at baseline and 3 months post-intervention. Results: A total of 109 patients (62.4% female; mean age 53.2 years; mean diabetes duration 16.3 years) were enrolled in the study, with similar baseline characteristics between groups. The intervention group demonstrated significantly greater improvement in glycemic control compared to the control group (HbA1c: −1.22 ± 1.36% vs. −0.24 ± 1.05%; p <0.001). While knowledge scores improved in both groups, the increase was significantly greater in the intervention group (2.66 vs. 0.80; p = 0.001). Notably, improvement in knowledge score predicted HbA1c reduction (b = 0.091; 95% CI 0.01, 0.172; p = 0.028). Conclusion The tri-language YouTube-based diabetes education programme significantly improved both glycemic control and patients’ knowledge. This accessible, scalable video-based education represents an effective strategy to enhance diabetes selfmanagement, offering flexible, on-demand learning for diverse populations.
Social Media ; Diabetes Mellitus

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletions are a major cause of chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO) and Kearns-Sayre syndrome (KSS). We analyzed single mtDNA deletions in 11 CPEO and one KSS patients by means of Southern blot and long polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. The deletion sizes ranged from 3.4 kb to 6.9 kb whereas the heteroplasmy level varied from 18.8% to 85.5%. Two unique deletions sized 4320 bp and 4717 bp were found. This study represents the first genetic screen of mtDNA disorders in Malaysia, and it follows the data seen in other published reports on CPEO and KSS genetic aetiology.

A cohort of Malaysian patients with clinico-pathological diagnosis of three specifi c mitochondrial encephalomyopathy syndromes comprising of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS), myoclonus epilepsy with ragged-red fi bers (MERRF) and Leigh syndrome were studied to determine the frequency of their common mitochondrial DNA mutations. The ‘hot-spot’ point mutations for MELAS, MERRF and Leigh syndrome were screened. In the absence of common point mutations, screening of large-scale deletions as well as sequencing of tRNALeu and tRNALys genes were performed. Of 22 patients studied, nine m.3243A>G mutations, four m.8344A>G mutations, one m.8993T>G mutation and one deletion were identifi ed (65% detection rate). While the m.3243A>G mutation was closely associated with MELAS, the m.8344A>G was more heterogenous, being seen in one MERFF, two isolated mitochondrial myopathies and one Leigh syndrome patient. Screening for m.8993T>G in Leigh syndrome has a low yield as unsurprisingly Leigh syndrome has considerable genetic heterogeneity.