Blood Cholinesterase Level and Learning Ability of Primary School Children in an Agricultural Village, Tanjung Karang, Malaysia
Journal Title: Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research - Year 2015, Vol 8, Issue 1
Abstract
Objective: The widespread use of organophosphate (OP) insecticides in paddy fields has led to human exposure. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between blood cholinesterase concentrations with the children’s learning ability in the agricultural village of Tanjung Karang, Selangor. Methods: Seventy-seven primary school children who live less than approximately 1km from paddy fields were selected as the exposed group, while another 62 primary schoolchildren who live more than 1 km away from the agriculture site served as the unexposed group. The questionnaires were completed by the parents. The children’s capillary blood was collected using the finger prick technique to determine the blood cholinesterase concentrations using a cholinesterase test kit (Lovibond, AF267, Tintometer Ltd., UK). The McCarthy Scales of Children’s Abilities (MSCA) were used to determine the learning ability of these children. Results: There were significant differences (p<0.05) in blood cholinesterase and all scales in the MSCA between the exposed and the unexposed group. There were significant associations between the blood cholinesterase concentrations and learning ability by all scales in the MSCA (p<0.05). The variable that significantly influenced the blood cholinesterase was gender (p=0.008). Blood cholinesterase was the most significant influencing factor on the learning ability, especially on the motor scale (p=0.002). Conclusion: Blood cholinesterase concentrations were significantly higher and had a significant relationship with the learning ability of the exposed group, especially the motor performance.
Authors and Affiliations
Nurul Husna Miswon, Zailina Hashim, Vivien How, Raihanah Chokeli
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP347928
- DOI 10.9734/BJMMR/2015/16804
- Views 42
- Downloads 0
Proper Medical Prescriptions and Cord Blood Harvesting Improvement at a Children’s Hospital of North Eastern Italy
A systematic harvesting of hematopoietic progenitor cells for transplant purpose in oncology begun in Friuli Venetia Giulia (FVG), a region of north east Italy, at the end of 2000. The actual economic crisis in Italy and...
Applying the Health Belief Model Constructs to Determine Predictors of Dietary Behavior among High-School Students
Introduction: Healthy nutrition during adolescence and adulthood, compared with childhood, is considered important since the basal metabolic rate decreases with age and there is often a reduction of physical activities....
Evaluation of Osteopontin in Combination with Bone Turnover Markers for the Assessment of Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women
Aims: Osteoporosis, a disease characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue, has an important impact on the lives of postmenopausal women, owing to the increased risk of fractures. Al...
Fetuin A: A Newer Marker for Pre Diabetes
Objective: To evaluate the role of Fetuin A levels in predicting glycemic outcome in individuals with impaired fasting glucose. Research Design and Methods: A total of 742 young individuals were recruited for the study...
The Relation between the Clinical Presentation of Acute Carbon Monoxide Toxicity and Carboxy-hemoglobin Level
Background and Objective: The symptoms of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning are nonspecific; symptoms can mimic those of other common diseases such as nonspecific viral illness, flu- like syndrome and hypertensive attack. E...