Nigella sativa, an established historical and religion-based remedy for a wide range of health problems, is a herbal medicine known to have antioxidant and neuroprotective effects. This present study investigated the effect of Nigella sativa oil (NSO) administration on the spatial memory performance (SMP) of male adult rats using eight-arm radial arm maze (RAM). Twelve Sprague Dawley rats (7–9 weeks old) were force-fed daily with 6.0 μL/100 g body weight of Nigella sativa oil (NSO group; n = 6) or 0.1 mL/100 g body weight of corn oil (control) (CO group; n = 6) for a period of 20 consecutive weeks. For each weekly evaluation of SMP, one day food-deprived rats were tested by allowing each of them 3 minutes to explore the RAM for food as their rewards. Similar to the control group, the SMP of the treated group was not hindered, as indicated by the establishment of the reference and working memory components of the spatial memory. The results demonstrated that lesser mean numbers of error were observed for the NSO-treated group in both parameters as compared to the CO-treated group. NSO could therefore enhance the learning and memory abilities of the rats; there was a significant decrease in the overall mean number of working memory error (WME) in the NSO-treated group.

This study presents the first large-scale initiative for local reference charts. The growth reference would enable the growth assessment of a Malaysian child compared to the average growth of children in the country. It is suggested that the use of WHO 2006 Child Growth Standards should be complemented with local reference charts for a more wholesome growth assessment.

Brachionus plicatilis is used to feed fish and crustacean larvae in the aquaculture industry. It is well established that the type of microalgae may influence rotifer production. This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of five different locally available microalgae species at Fisheries Research Institute (FRI), Kampung Pulau Sayak, Kedah, Malaysia on the instantaneous growth rate (μ) of rotifer. Nannochloris sp., Tetraselmis sp., Isochrysis sp., Chlorella sp., and Nannochloropsis sp. were used as feed at different algae densities (0.1, 0.3, 0.7 and 1.5 × 106 cells/ml) and culture volumes (20, 70 and 210 ml). At algae densities ranging from 0.3 to 1.5 × 106 cells/ml, an average μ value of more than 0.90 per day were recorded for all algae species. However, at density of 0.1 × 106 cells/ml, only Tetraselmis sp. resulted in the significantly highest μ value compared with others (p < 0.05). In terms of volume, smaller culture volume of Tetraselmis sp. (20 ml) showed significantly higher μ compared with higher volume (70 and 210 ml cultures).

Three-dimensional (3D) anthropometry has become an emerging field with the advancement of 3D body scanning technology over the recent years. Conventional method of anthropometry data measurement is time consuming and error-prone. The 3D whole-body surface scanner, which was initially developed for the clothing industry, contributes to healthcare application by providing accurate anthropometric measurements and data visualization in body size, shape and skin surface area. The body scanner utilized 3D photogrammetry technology to generate high quality digital anthropometric information about shapes and sizes of an individual. The aim of the study is to investigate body size and shape of Malaysian females. A cross-sectional study was conducted using random sampling technique. Recruitment of subjects were randomized and based on age and ethnicity. A preliminary study of 160 female subjects was carried out. In addition to the scanning procedures using the body scanner, selected manual anthropometric measurements for height, weight and skinfold thickness were obtained using manual methods and demographic data such as age and ethnic groups were recorded. All manual measurement followed the requirements and procedures stated in the respective ISO documents, involving body posture, landmark and the instrument used. Descriptive statistical analysis for body dimensions and calculations were carried out. The 3D scanners undoubtedly produced highly accurate, consistent and repeatable measurements. However, the scan data can be slightly different from traditional anthropometric data especially for circumference measurements such as chest, waist and hip. Therefore, scanned anthropometric data and manual measurement data are more useful together. We envisage that this study would be beneficial for healthcare providers for growth monitoring and early diagnosis of health problems related to obesity especially for the Malaysian population. Although the study focuses on the healthcare sector, datasets can also be utilized by the industry in the design and production of consumer products related on the human body.

Abdominal obesity is an important contributor for health risk factors such as hypertension