INSIGHTS @ MAHSA

  Our Kabaddi team from MAHSA University recently made a remarkable impression at the inaugural Kadaram Kabaddi Championship (KKC) 2024 for the women’s category. The team demonstrated exceptional skill and teamwork, securing second place in the competition. Our Kabaddi team from MAHSA University recently made a remarkable impression at the inaugural Kadaram Kabaddi Championship (KKC) 2024 for the women’s category. The team demonstrated exceptional skill and teamwork, securing second place in the competition. Two standout students from the team also received special recognition for their individual performances: Shakthi Shre Visvalingam (Faculty of Health Science, Nursing & Education) was awarded the 'Bonus Queen' title, and Bramakumari Mani (Faculty of Pharmacy) earned the 'Best Defender' award. Mr. Anbarasu, the Kabaddi Team Coach, shared his thoughts on the team's success: "The girls' resilience and diligence, as well as their dedication, made them wi...

The increasing cases of multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) or even extensively resistant drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) worldwide shows a worrisome trend.1 Second-line drugs typically used for such cases were known to be less effective, had longer treatment periods and more significant side effects than the first-line drugs.2 Discovery of new antituberculosis drugs have also been dismal, as not many drugs are approved as antituberculosis agents in the past 50 years, thus, necessitating a new direction to tackle this problem.3 Instead of finding new drugs, using targeted drug delivery approach may be a viable approach to improve existing drug therapy. Targeted drug delivery focused on increasing the amount of drug uptake at the target sites while decreasing the drug concentration at the non-target sites.4 Consequently, the drug is able to display its maximum effectiveness and exhibit fewer side effects due to lesser drug loss to non-target sites.5,6 Targeted drug delivery is categori...

Partnership has always been the main driver of improvements in education. It is at the heart of everything we do at MAHSA University. On 24 February 2023, we signed a MoU with Public Medicare Group (PMG). Our intention is together we will join forces to advance pharmacy training, education, and health research. We very much look forward to seeing fruits of our collaboration, for a happy, safer and meaningful pharmacy education. Let’s continue to be among the most highly trusted professional.

On the 4th of February 2023, a group of third year Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) students visited Kampung Orang Asli Busut Baru (KOABB) located in Banting, Selangor to share knowledge with the folks of KOABB about medications, their proper use and proper disposal of expired medications. The objectives of this visit were to increase awareness about the safe and effective use of medicines and to reduce the incidence of medication-related problems among the folks of KOABB. This visit was partly funded by Top Glove Sdn Bhd., Hup Seng Industries Bhd., Caring Pharmacy Group Bhd. and collections from staff of the faculty. The students were accompanied by Ms Noraseli as the advisor for the programme. Other lecturers involved were Madam Wati, Mr Muhammad Danish, Mr Afiq and Mr Amirul. The programme began with opening speeches at the hall of Kampung Orang Asli Busut Baru by the KOABB head, Encik Batin Sari Senin followed by Encik Samsul Anak Senin (village JPKKOA chairman), Encik Mohd Nor bin Haji...

Ms Poh Went Sin delivered an hour-long talk on 12 February 2023 at the MAHSA Education Fair, organised by the Faculty of Pharmacy. The objective of the talk was to inspire and share with pharmacy students and graduates about the importance of a regulatory pharmacist’s role and to encourage them to take up the challenge of safeguarding public health. The talk highlighted the career pathway of a regulatory affairs pharmacist. Ms Poh explained the role of a pharmacist in assessing the safety, quality, and efficacy of drugs from the initial clinical trials to the post-marketing surveillance stage. The speaker, Ms Poh Went Sin is a Senior Principal Assistant Director at the Centre for Compliance and Quality Control and the Good Laboratory Practice Compliance Section of the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) under the Ministry of Health, Malaysia. She holds a Master of Science in Toxicology degree from the University of Birmingham, a Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) degree from the ...

On 11 February 2023, MAHSA's Faculty of Pharmacy organised a talk entitled "Exploring Career Paths in Pharmacy: Seizing Opportunities and Maximizing Potentials” in conjunction with MAHSA’s Education Fair. The invited speaker was Dr. Emmanuel Okwuofz who is a lecturer at the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at Igbinedion University Okada, Nigeria. He is also a PhD student at Universiti Putra Malaysia and has published several research articles in both top-tier and peer-reviewed journals. The talk was aimed to inform pharmacy students and graduates about the different areas and opportunities in the pharmacy profession. Dr. Emmanuel highlighted the seven-star Pharmacist concept described by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and inspired the audience to take control of their professional development, make informed career decisions, and achieve their desired career goals. The participants of the talk gave positive feedback about their experience. Tan Wei Ho...

Our final year Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) students visited Novugen Oncology Manufacturing on 19 January 2023. Novugen is a global pharmaceutical company specialising in complex and highly technical generics for all therapeutic areas of oncology and general medicine while meeting strict global quality standards. This one-day industrial visit was to provide an opportunity for the students to learn the practical aspects of manufacturing processes. They acquired insights on the raw material procurement, production, quality control, technology transfer and other activities of Novugen Pharmaceutical Sdn Bhd.   Final year students of BPharm (Hons) Mr. Manohar, the Technology Transfer Head briefing the students on oncology product  manufacturing. Our students with Mr. Manohar after the completion of the visit to the production units. The students were eager and excited to be exposed to the real setup of the pharmaceutical industry and its operations. They also obtained useful informa...

This year, with the 2nd MACR International Scientific Conference, a GALA dinner was held on the evening of 7th Dec 2022 at The Ballroom, MAHSA University. The power of food and culture gathered the scientists and researchers for this GALA dinner. The performances at the Gala dinner included dance by the MAHSA CBXT Dance group and Indian Cultural Society and karaoke session. The cultural dances performed were Borneo dance, Chinese dance and Indian dance. Talented singers also sang their heart out to entertain the participants. Through these performances and mouth-watering and delicious local cuisine, we were sure we left an impression of the beauty of the Malaysia multiculturalism to our international participants. Everyone enjoyed the dinner and we are the proud cultural ambassadors! Borneo Dance by the CBXT Dance Group Group photo of the Gala Dinner Words by: Dr. Lim Pei Cee Faculty of Pharmacy

  Leaves of Ficus Schwarzii (Photo taken from Krishnan, P.; Lee, F.-K.; Yap, V. A.; Low, Y.-Y.; Kam, T.-S.; Yong, K.-T.; Ting, K.-N.; Lim, K.-H. J. Nat. Prod. 2020 , 83 (1), 152–158.) High blood pressure, also called hypertension is a medical condition characterized by the systolic blood pressure of   ≥140 mm Hg and the diastolic blood pressure of ≥ 90 mm Hg. 1 In 2000, about 26% of the adult population worldwide had hypertension and this number is projected to increase to about 29% by 2025. 2 It is associated with several medical conditions such as stroke, renal failure and cardiovascular diseases. 3 Although antihypertensive medications are widely available, a segment of patients still suffers from resistant hypertension, a condition in which blood pressure remains above goal (140/90 mm Hg). This, despite the patient is concurrently taking three or more antihypertensive drugs of different classes for treatment. 4 While scientific studies in resistant hypertension are nu...

Hypercholesterolemia is associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Regular intake of Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic has been suggested to have beneficial impact on cholesterol levels. Garlic is a plant of the family Alliaceae. It is universally used as a flavouring agent and in traditional medicine to enhance physical and mental health. Unique organosulphur compounds found in garlic provide its characteristic flavour and odour and most of its biological activity. O ne of the sulfur-based compound, allicin is attributed to garlic cholesterol-lowering effects even though the exact mechanism of its action remains unclear.   The effect of garlic on blood lipids has been studied in numerous trials and also summarized in meta-analyses, with conflicting results. We critically reviewed and summarised the evidence on the effect of garlic on serum cholesterol. We carried out a comprehensive search of the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, electronic publishing sites,...

  Obesity can lead to hypertension and increase in sympathetic nerve activity (SNA). SNA is one of the contributing factor to obesity induced hypertension. High fat diet-(Figure 1) induced visceral obesity, renal inflammation and injury that can lead to augmented renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA). Blunting of the arterial and cardiopulmonary baroreflexes because of inflammatory response seems to be the mechanism for the increase in RSNA.   We Investigated the impact of high fat style diet (HFSD) and loss of ovarian function on the low- and high-pressure baroreflex regulation of RSNA. We fed the ovary-intact and ovariectomised (OVX) Sprague Dawley rats for a period of 10 weeks. Mean blood pressure (MBP) as well as fasting blood glucose (FBG) were measured every 2 weeks. Similarly, 24h metabolic data collection that were also assessed for renal functional parameters every 2 weeks. Ovary-intact and OVX rats fed the ND or HFSD were anaesthetised for measurement of RSNA a...

A good collaboration pushes the boundaries of both partners. – Neil Blumenthal The area of internationalisation of the curriculum is a major thrust within higher education in pharmacy courses globally. In line with MAHSA’s Internship, Placement and Employability (IPE) initiative, Faculty of Pharmacy and Institut Ilmu Kesehatan (IIK) Bhakti Wiyata, Indonesia agreed for a close International Academic Collaboration. Through this initiative, six IIK students joined the online classes for seven courses of the BPharm (Hons) programme. The courses included Dosage Form Design III (Liquids and Semi Solids), Dosage Form Design V (Novel Drug Delivery System), Clinical Pharmacy I and Pharmacy Practice IV. To extend this collaboration to Research, several IIK students attended and presented their research findings at MAHSA International Pharmacy Conference 2021 (Mi-PHARM 2021). One of the key elements to the Mi-PHARM 2021 success is having the knowledgeable speaker from IIK. She was APT. LIA AUGUST...

  When inconvenience was the main issue, she decided to find a solution, yes, this is the story of our Alumna Amiratul Syifa who is now a Member of the Board of Directors for Beyond Pharmacy (SA0575490-D) located in Banting Baru, Selangor. Amiratul successfully obtained her Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) from MAHSA University in November 2019 and she now runs a Community Pharmacy. As an active student, she was involved in various students’ activities throughout her study here in MAHSA University. She took her first step in the world of pharmacy by undergoing her Provisionally Registered Pharmacist (PRP) training in Farmasi Banting and Jabatan Farmasi, Klinik Kesihatan Telok Dato’ for one-year (August 2020 to September 2021).  After completing her PRP training, she decided to continue her career as a community pharmacist and decided to open a Pharmacy near by her grandmother's home as he realised how inconvenient it was for those who lived further away from the rural town t...

  Dr Sohail Ahmad is currently serving as the Deputy Dean (Undergraduate) and Head of Department (Pharmacy Practice) in the Faculty of Pharmacy of MAHSA University. He completed his Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D) from The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan in 2011 and Master of Science (MSc) (Clinical Pharmacy) from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia in 2013. During his MSc, he conducted research by enrolling patients from the Hospital Selayang and Sungai Buloh, Malaysia. Following completion of his MSc, he joined MAHSA University in 2016 as a lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice. Dr Sohail has been actively involved in National-Medical-Research-Registry-(NMRR)-approved research projects in Malaysian healthcare settings. His main research aims are to improve patients’ self-management of chronic diseases using innovative methods and to explore parameters of population health at global, regional, and national levels. Recently, his research team d...

25th September is World Pharmacist Day and it is celebrated annually since the year 2000 when it was first launched by the  International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). The goal of celebrating this day is to draw attention to pharmacists and the good health advantages they provide. The International Pharmaceutical Federation  was in fact founded on this very same date back in 1912, and the major goal of this day is to promote the role and actions of pharmacists in promoting health.  Pharmacists are responsible for ensuring that people get the most out of their medications. They use their experience, knowledge, and skill to make the medical world a better place for everyone. In addition to that, they provide individuals with access to medications, instruct them on how to use them appropriately, and not to mention too, those who are behind the scenes of research and development of newer pharmaceutical discoveries that are changing the way treatments are managed throu...