This study was made possible with research funding from University of Malaya (reference F0381/2005C) and University Kebangsaan Malaysia (reference FF-225-2005) Ethics committeeMedical ethics committee -University of Malaya Medical Centre (reference 454.3) and medical ethics committeeUniversiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (reference FF-225-2005)

Diets that were rich in saturated fatty acids prepared with either PO or CO, and an OO diet that was high in oleic acid, did not alter postprandial or fasting plasma concentrations of tHcy and selected inflammatory markers. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00941837.

IntroductionThis paper compares the panel interview (PI) performance with the multiple mini interview (MMI) performance and indication of behavioural concerns of a sample of medical school applicants. The acceptability of the MMI was also assessed.Materials and methodsAll applicants shortlisted for a PI were invited to an MMI. Applicants attended a 30-min PI with two faculty interviewers followed by an MMI consisting of ten 8-min stations. Applicants were assessed on their performance at each MMI station by one faculty. The interviewer also indicated if they perceived the applicant to be a concern. Finally, applicants completed an acceptability questionnaire.ResultsFrom the analysis of 133 (75.1%) completed MMI scoresheets, the MMI scores correlated statistically significantly with the PI scores (r=0.438, p=0.001). Both were not statistically associated with sex, age, race, or pre-university academic ability to any significance. Applicants assessed as a concern at two or more stations performed statistically significantly less well at the MMI when compared with those who were assessed as a concern at one station or none at all. However, there was no association with PI performance. Acceptability scores were generally high, and comparison of mean scores for each of the acceptability questionnaire items did not show statistically significant differences between sex and race categories.ConclusionsAlthough PI and MMI performances are correlated, the MMI may have the added advantage of more objectively generating multiple impressions of the applicant's interpersonal skill, thoughtfulness, and general demeanour. Results of the present study indicated that the MMI is acceptable in a multicultural context.

Chemically-interesterified (CIE) fats are trans-fat free and are increasingly being used as an alternative to hydrogenated oils for food manufacturing industries to optimize their products’ characteristics and nutrient compositions. The metabolic effects of CIE fats on insulin activity, lipids, and adiposity in humans are not well established. We investigated the effects of CIE fats rich in palmitic (C16:0, IEPalm) and stearic (C18:0, IEStear) acids on insulin resistance, serum lipids, apolipoprotein concentrations, and adiposity, using C16:0-rich natural palm olein (NatPO) as the control. We designed a parallel, double-blind clinical trial. Three test fats were used to prepare daily snacks for consumption with a standard background diet over a period of 8 weeks by three groups of a total of 85 healthy, overweight adult volunteers. We measured the outcome variables at weeks 0, 6, and at the endpoint of 8. After 8 weeks, there was no significant difference in surrogate biomarkers of insulin resistance in any of the IE fat diets (IEPalm and IEStear) compared to the NatPO diet. The change in serum triacylglycerol concentrations was significantly lower with the IEStear diet, and the changes in serum leptin and body fat percentages were significantly lower in the NatPO-diet compared to the IEPalm diet. We conclude that diets containing C16:0 and C18:0-rich CIE fats do not affect markers of insulin resistance compared to a natural C16:0-rich fat (NatPO) diet. Higher amounts of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and longer chain SFAs situated at the sn-1,3 position of the triacylglycerol (TAG) backbones resulted in less weight gain and lower changes in body fat percentage and leptin concentration to those observed in NatPO and IEStear.

This study aimed to compare the process of care and the choice of antihypertensive medications used in both public and private primary care clinics in Malaysia. A cross-sectional survey was completed in 2008 on randomly selected 100 public health clinics and 114 private primary care clinics in Malaysia. A total of 4076 patient records, 3753 (92.1%) from public clinics and 323 (7.9%) from private clinics were analyzed. Less than 80% of the records documented the recommended clinical and laboratory assessments. The rates of documentation for smoking status, family history of premature death, retinal assessment, and urine albumin tests were lower in public clinics. Overall, 21% of the prescription practices were less than optimal. The process of care and the use of antihypertensive medications were not satisfactory in both settings.