Hanis Mastura Yahya

The effect of Polygonum minus extract on cognitive and psychosocial parameters according to mood status among middle-aged women: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Background Polygonum minus (PM) or locally known in Malaysia, as “kesum” is rich in micronutrients and natural antioxidants. However, its beneficial effect on outcome associates with oxidative stress including cognitive function is yet to be discovered. We assessed the efficacy of PM extract (LineMinus™) on cognitive function and psychosocial status among middle-aged women in Klang Valley of Malaysia. Methods A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial among 35 healthy middle-aged women was performed, and subjects were randomized to receive either 250 mg PM or placebo of 100 mg maltodextrin each were taken twice daily for 6 weeks. Subjects were assessed for neuropsychological test, psychosocial status, and anthropometric at baseline, week 3, and week 6. Biomarkers were also determined at baseline and week 6. Results The supplementation of PM showed significant intervention effect on Digit Span test (P<0.05) social functioning domain of 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (P<0.05) among subjects with mood disturbance. While, among subjects with good mood, PM supplementation improved Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) for IQ verbal (P=0.016) and Full Scale IQ of WASI (P=0.004). There were no adverse effects reported for the supplementation as indicated using biomarkers, including liver function and clinical symptoms. Conclusion Supplementation of PM is safe to be consumed for 6 weeks, with potential benefits to attention, short-term memory, improved quality of life, and mood, as well as IQ.

Total Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Capacity of Selected Canned Fruits

Fruits are high in polyphenols which are compounds associated with the protection against diseases such as diabetes and cancer. However, food processing including canning can leads to the loss of polyphenol in the fruits. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity of canned fruits commercially available in the local supermarkets in Malaysia. The TPC was determined by using Folin-Ciocalteu method while the antioxidant capacity was evaluated by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH assay) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP assay). Five types of different canned fruits with the total of 21 samples including longan, lychee, rambutan, pineapple and orange were selected for the analysis. The samples were analyzed in two forms which were, the homogenized (fruits and syrup) and syrup samples. Canned pineapples have the highest TPC for both homogenized (95.16±30.16 mg GAE/100 g) and syrup sample (108.62±33.88 mg GAE/100 g). For antioxidant capacity, canned pineapple also had the highest value for the homogenized sample (41.79±4.20 umol TE/100 g) while lychee was the highest (46.84±12.81 umol TE/100 g) for syrup sample assessed by DPPH assay. For FRAP assay, lychee was highest in antioxidant capacity for both homogenized sample (40.61±10.55 umol TE/100 g) and syrup sample (33.58±7.56 umol TE/100 g). A positive and significant (P < 0.001) correlation was found between TPC and antioxidant capacity (DPPH and FRAP). In conclusion, canned pineapple and lychee were the highest sources of polyphenol as compared to other types of canned fruits. Further investigation is warranted to determine the specific polyphenol present in the canned fruits.

Development of TUA-WELLNESS screening tool for screening risk of mild cognitive impairment among community-dwelling older adults.

Background and aim Focus on screening for cognitive impairment has to be given particular importance because of the rising older adult population. Thus, this study aimed to develop and assess a brief screening tool consisting of ten items that can be self-administered by community dwelling older adults (TUA-WELLNESS). Methodology A total of 1,993 noninstitutionalized respondents aged 60 years and above were selected for this study. The dependent variable was mild cognitive impairment (MCI) assessed using neuropsychological test batteries. The items for the screening tool comprised a wide range of factors that were chosen mainly from the analysis of ordinal logistic regression (OLR) and based on past literature. A suitable cut-off point was developed using receiver operating characteristic analysis. Results A total of ten items were included in the screening tool. From the ten items, eight were found to be significant by ordinal logistic regression and the remaining two items were part of the tool because they showed strong association with cognitive impairment in previous studies. The area under curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity for cut-off 11 were 0.84%, 83.3%, and 73.4%, respectively. Conclusion TUA-WELLNESS screening tool has been used to screen for major risk factors of MCI among Malaysian older adults. This tool is only suitable for basic MCI risk screening purpose and should not be used for diagnostic purpose.