BeautyBiotech

美肌時鐘

2011-07-17T01:30:00.001-07:00

The following time are for Hong Kong, East Malasysia and Worldwide only. West Malaysia and Singapore should forward 30 minutes.

"Cantonese"

養顏時序
中醫的養顏時鐘，是將一天劃分為十二個時辰（一個時辰為兩小時），當中對皮膚質素最關鍵的時刻是早上7點至11點及晚上11點至翌日早上7點，是身體吸收養份及排毒的高峰期，按時休息及進補，包你皮膚靚多十倍！

經絡是……
經絡是指貫穿全身氣、血及津液運行的通道，而每一條經脈分別對應體內12個臟腑，包括心、肝、脾、肺、腎、心包、小腸、胃等，再按臟腑命名為心經、肝經、胃經……，在不同時間經氣流動有盛衰，規律而循環不息地游走全身。

超時工作型 11:00pm-01:00am
研究發現香港有一半以上僱員需要工作至深夜，身心疲憊不特止，色斑、皮膚鬆弛亦由此而起，原來晚上11點過後正是膽經和肝經運作的高峰期，這時候開始休息，就可以讓皮膚細胞得到修補及進行代謝，所以我每晚十點前就搽好護膚霜，要捱夜的時候，就搽上含有葡萄籽、柚子、甘草、維他命A、C及E等高抗氧化成份的護膚品，靠外力幫助淡斑和修護細胞。

養生Check points
膽經 11:00pm-01:00am
肝經 01:00am-03:00am
• 因工作壓力大，睡眠不足，肝經運行不順，就容易出現俗稱的壓力瘡，甚至色斑，可每日進食一茶匙伏苓粉，有美白作用。
• 要捱夜至凌晨，不妨於晚上11點至1點這時段小睡一會，因為這時段睡眠，身體自我修復細胞的功效更勝其他時段，休息1分鐘相等於其他時段1小時。

03:00am-07:00am
我曾經歷癲狂歲月，蒲吧打機至兩三點，晚晚如是，見證皮膚鬆弛、毛孔日見粗大……，都怪我長期忽視每晚肺經和大腸經的排毒好時光，凌晨3點至5點，是肺部推動能量物質至全身的時候，皮膚得到充足的養份自然神采飛揚，當血氣力度不足，推動不了養份至全身，皮膚就會缺水粗糙，晚上搽含有金縷梅、蘆薈、鮮人掌成份面霜或精華，亦可以減少皮膚因缺少休息而引致的乾燥、暗啞等問題，長遠而言，都係早睡早起啦！

養生Check points
肺經 03:00am-05:00am
大腸經 05:00am-07:00am
•中醫角度，肺是掌管身體皮膚和毛髮的臟腑，而凌晨時段的深度睡眠可以推動肝、肺及大腸排毒，皮膚先有光澤和透白。
•早上7點前，大腸相當活躍易有便意，起床後不妨飲杯暖水，幫助滋潤腸部，令排便更暢順。

冇餐正經型
07:00am-11:00am
食無定時係我哋做記者的連帶「福利」，脾胃首當其衝，消化力減弱影響養份輸送，皮膚就會變得暗黃，久而久之粉刺暗粒生滿面。早上在脾胃經行走活躍的時間，不妨用含有銀杏、黃芩等成份的護膚品，幫助去痘及清除皮膚的熱氣，進食有營養的早餐亦相當重要。

養生Check points
胃經 07:00am-09:00am
脾經 09:00am-11:00am
• 最好在胃經時段進食簡單而有營養的早餐，如豆漿、五穀麥皮等含大量纖維的碳水化合物，令頭腦更清醒精神。
• 脾經時段，將吸收到的養份輸送到身體各部份，包括皮膚，若脾臟功能好，嘴唇會顯得很滋潤和豐滿，反之易乾燥甩皮。

11:00am-01:00pm
活躍經絡︰心經
宜︰
• 中醫有所謂的美人覺，在午餐前，即使不眼瞓也閉目養神15分鐘，排除大腦的雜念，將思想集中在呼吸上，可以快速回復精力。
• 這段時間陽氣旺盛，特別容易口乾、面紅泛油，可以用含有黃芩、金銀花、杭菊花等成份爽膚水噴面，有清熱控油功效，令頭腦更清醒。
忌︰
避免過度操勞或做太劇烈運動，因為這段時間心臟跳動和血氣運行都較旺盛，長年過度消耗，到年紀大時會容易疲累，甚至有心血管病或血壓高問題。

03:00am- 05:00am
活躍經絡︰肺經
宜︰
一定要進入深度睡眠狀態，幫助精神和體能復原，是身體恢復元氣的大好時機。
忌︰
繼續捱夜或玩樂，讓體力透支，會干擾養份和血液輸送至各器官，影響細胞修復能力，令元氣大傷。

01:00pm-03:00pm
活躍經絡︰小腸經
宜︰
正值營養輸送的高峰期，多飲水有助血液流動，加速營養輸送到身體各部份及推動排毒機能。
忌︰
進食生冷食物或飲品，除了會減弱消化能力，更令身體的恆溫系統受刺激，容易感冒。

03:00pm-05:00pm
活躍經絡︰膀胱經
宜︰
保持飲水，最好飲安神或消滯茶，因這時候大量血液進入胃部幫助消化，以致腦部的血流量較少，飲消滯茶可加速消化的過程，縮減精神萎靡時間。
忌︰
這段時間不要忍尿，否則會容易引致尿道炎，甚至生腎石，而且因為水液無法排泄，令下半身容易水腫。

07:00pm-11:00pm
活躍經絡︰膽經、肝經
宜︰
• 晚上7點至9點，生活節奏要開始放緩，用跟體溫相若（約36-37°C）的暖水洗澡或浸腳，加速血液循環，有助入眠。
• 10點半開始上床睡覺，11點已熟睡，讓體內氣血、機能全速進行新陳代謝，有助肝臟製造足夠的血液，促進體內超過500種酵素及抗體合成。
忌︰
睇電腦、聽強勁節拍的音樂或睇恐怖片；飲含咖啡因的飲料，都會影響情緒和睡眠質素。

Excerpt from Nanyang dated 6 July 2011

Top 9 highest hit page on my blog in year 2007

2008-01-16T18:57:00.000-08:00

It is the beginning of the year again. Let see which page has generated highest hit page last year:

1. DIY Enzyme

Surprisingly, The highest hit page on my blog last year related to DIY Enzyme, and it is in Mandarin rather than in English. Price of Enzyme that available in the market was high and people who want to take enzyme but cannot effort has to resort to DIY method. It look like a lot of people doing this rather than buy enzyme from the market at high price.

2. Bio-Essence and Ginvera

This was the highest search page in year 2006 and still generate a lot of search. People more confident on natural or herbs product that able to get immediate result

3. south-korea-cosmetic-brand-in-malaysia

It look like South Korea brand do not lack of fans

4. Home Page

This page page on every new post.

5.south-korea-cosmetic-brand-and-plastic.html

Plastic Surgery in Korea...anyone?

6.elianto-provide-business-opportunity.html

Malaysia's brand manufacturer by South Korea...Again!

7.himalaya-one-of-top-ten-companies-in pharmaceutical industry in India

Again, natural and herbs product?

8.ogawa-vs-osim.html

This page still on the top 10 list this month and last week. I think many people thought this is product review and comparison, but this is comparison of company and shares rather than product.

9 Esthetics-only-public-listed-skin-care.html

Not bad, dermalogica. Remember to buy it shares.

Technorati Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Health Biotechnology

The bald truth about hair loss

2007-08-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

FROM the shaved heads of hip-hop artistes to the wavy long-haired tresses of Bollywood stars, hair has always made a personal statement in our society. Hair, as our crowning glory, is one of the main ways that people use to establish their individuality and express their style, and has had sociological significance throughout history.

Because of its perceived importance, anything that happens to our hair that we can’t control – falling out or turning grey, for instance – can be the source of much anxiety and in severe cases, can lead to depression.

If you are one of the many men and women who feel you are losing hair, look around you and you will notice that hair loss is not uncommon. In Malaysia, one in two men over the age of 50 are losing or have lost their hair from a condition called male-pattern hair loss (MPHL), according to the Malaysian Society for Hair Sciences. A similar proportion of women also experience some degree of hair loss (from female-pattern hair loss) by the time they reach the age of 60 years and a smaller proportion will lose their hair due to other causes.

Like it or not, hair loss is more than a cosmetic problem. While it does not present any vital structural problems, it has deep psychological effects on one’s social life, perception of self and confidence. This classifies hair loss as a medical health issue which should, for effective results, be diagnosed and treated by a doctor.

So, what causes hair loss? And more importantly, what has science got to do with it? Quite a lot it turns out. Read on to learn more.

The basics

Hair is produced by hair follicle-indentations of the epidermis (outer skin layer) that contain the hair root, the muscle attached to it, and sebaceous glands. Hair is made up of dead cells filled with proteins, most of which are known as keratins. The cells are woven together like a rope to form the hair fibre.

The hair fibre, in turn, has three layers: the outer cuticle with its fish-scale like structure; the cortex, which contains the bulk of the fibre; and the centre, or medulla. Hair colour is determined by melanocytes, cells that produce pigment. When these cells stop producing pigment, hair turns gray.

Although it seems as if the hair on your head is always growing, hair actually has active and rest phases. The growth phase, known as anagen, lasts for two to six years. At any given time, about 90% of scalp hair is in the growth stage. The remainder is in the rest phase, known as telogen; this lasts from two to three months.

Once the rest phase is over, the hair strand falls out and a new one begins to grow. As a result, it’s considered normal to lose from 20 to 100 hairs a day. Only a change in your regular pattern of loss is considered abnormal – but many things, including genetic factors, diet, stress, and medications, can change that pattern.

Baldness: Manifest destiny

The most common cause of hair loss in both men and women is rooted in genetic factors. Called androgenic alopecia, it is known as male-pattern baldness (MPHL) in men and female-pattern hair loss in women. (Alopecia is the scientific term for baldness.) In fact, genetics accounts for 95% of all cases of hair loss in this country.

Baldness results from a combination of genetic factors and levels of testosterone (a hormone produced by the adrenal gland in both sexes and also by the testes in men).

If hormone levels are right, then the hair follicles will express their genetic destiny by growing for shorter periods and producing finer hairs. In men, who have higher levels of testosterone than women, this eventually results in a bald scalp at the crown of the head and a horseshoe-shaped fringe of hair remaining on the sides.

In women, the hair thins all over the scalp; the hairline does not recede. This type of hair loss doesn’t usually show up in women until menopause; until then, oestrogen tends to counteract the effects of testosterone.

Other causes of hair loss
In addition, hair loss can also be caused by:

Situations of stress – many women lose hair after giving birth while both genders can experience hair loss after surgery or after a particularly stressful situation. In medical terms, this cause of hair loss is called telogen effluvium and is temporary. While patients can lose up to 30% of their hair, it would usually also grow back once the body and its systems recover.

Condition of the scalp – fungal infections of the scalp or hair root can lead to hair loss. So can psoriasis of the scalp.

Autoimmune suppression – known as alopecia areata, hair loss here is due to a reaction of the immune system which suppresses the growth stage of the hair follicle. Alopecia areata causes hair to fall in patches and can sometimes affect the whole body including facial hair like eyebrows and even pubic hair.

Existing medical conditions – people who suffer from thyroid disease or iron deficiency can also experience hair loss as a result of the effect the diseases have on the body. Internal fungal infections such as syphilis can also cause hair loss.

What your doctor has to do with it

Medical science has made significant strides in recent years to get to the root of the problem and there are now a number of effective treatment options available to help those suffering from hair loss.

A common misconception in hair loss is that there is no cure. This myth is particularly misguided because the fact is that there are approved, medically proven ways to treat the condition, depending on what causes hair to fall out in the first place.

For instance, if you discover that your hair loss is due to a fungal infection of the scalp, then appropriate medication can be prescribed to kill the invading fungi and restore the health and function of the scalp.

If, in a similar vein, your hair loss is caused by thyroid disease or anaemia, then treating the disease will also treat the hair loss.

If you find that it is telogen effluvium that is causing your hair loss, then you can only be patient because the hair will grow back once the stress period is over.

Where hair loss is caused by MPHL, which is most likely the case (it being the commonest cause for loss of hair), drugs such as the oral treatment finasteride have been an effective treatment for the condition. This drug has been scientifically proven in studies to tackle the very root of MPHL and inhibit the disruptive action of DHT in the hair follicle.

The conclusion is obvious. The key to effectively treating hair loss lies in a proper and accurate diagnosis of the cause of the problem which should only be carried out by a trained medical professional like your family doctor or a dermatologist (physicians who specialise in treating diseases of the skin, nails and hair). A misdiagnosis can, at worse, exacerbate the problem, or, at the very least, take you on a frustrating goose chase.

A doctor will evaluate a patient’s hair problem by asking questions about diet, medications including vitamins and health food taken in the last six months, family history of hair loss, recent illness, and hair care habits. Hormonal effects may be evaluated in women by asking about menstrual cycles, pregnancies, and menopause.

After examining the scalp and hair, your doctor may check a few hairs under the microscope. Sometimes blood tests or a scalp biopsy may be required for an accurate diagnosis. It’s important to find the cause and whether or not the problem will respond to medical treatment.

Excerpt from The Star

By Dr STEVEN KW CHOW

The smallest pharmaceutical company on Bursa Malaysia

2007-06-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

We do not lack of pharmaceutical company on Bursa Malaysia. Like CCM, CCM Duopharma Biotech Bhd , Pharmaniaga, Hovid, Apex Healthcare Berhad, etc. However, the smallest base on market capitalisation is Taiwanese controlled YSP Southeast Asia Holding Bhd.

Despite being a main board listed company. Market capitalization of YSP Southeast Asia Holding Bhd even smaller than Mesdaq listed Kotra.

YSP is 42%-owned by Taiwan-listed Yung Shin Pharmaceutical Industries Co Ltd, which has 42 years of experience in the pharmaceutical sector. The Malaysian unit, on the other hand, has about 20 years of history.

YSP is a generic pharmaceutical company, which means its products have patent expiry dates. It produces a wide range of quality products, including tablets, capsules, suppositories, liquid preparation, powders, gels and creams.

The company launches an average of 10 new products every year. It has about 200 products that are registered with the Drug Control Authority.

Last week . it president and group managing director Dr Frank S. Lee announced it plan plans to set up new facilities by year-end to produce sterile products such as eye-drops and injections.

YSP currently operates world-class manufacturing and warehousing facilities. The two new blocks will be at the existing plant in Bangi.

"In the past 20 years we have expanded our factory twice. We’re going to build two more blocks of buildings by end of this year as part of our expansion,” he told The Star recently.

Lee said YSP could only apply for product licence for the sterile range after the facilities were ready, hence it would be two years before it could launch sterile products.

“We’ve already spent two to three years, from idea inception to designing the layout for the new facilities, as there were many changes,” he added. He noted that the technicalities of sterile products were higher than capsules or syrups.

“This will be the first time we’re producing sterile products. Prior to this, we imported them from Taiwan. Now, from Malaysia, we can export them to the rest of South-East Asia,” he added.

Their margins will depend on the technology that will be transferred from YSP’s parent company in Taiwan.

“If our technology is good enough, the profit margins are better than tablets,” Lee said.

“We have to exercise more stringent quality control and validation because sterile products are considered high risk. Injection is different from tablets as it is injected directly into your blood immediately,” he added.

He said YSP was set up to cater to the South-East Asian markets due to the huge population of more than 500 million.

Over 80% of sales are derived from the Malaysian market and the rest from the rest of South-East Asia.

It sees huge potential in regional markets like Vietnam and Indonesia as these economies are growing rapidly with a huge population of some 85 million and 200 million respectively.

Additionally, import barriers in some South-East Asia countries are propelling YSP to consider building manufacturing facilities outside of Malaysia.

“The population in Vietnam, for example, is big enough to put a generic factory there. The government also provides attractive tax incentives for investors,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lee said the company had a “stable” policy when it came to rewarding shareholders.

“It is not in dividend alone, it could also be bonus issue. We are a stable and consistent listing company. We are small but we are solid,” he added.

The company has in the past shown steady earnings growth and sound financial fundamentals.

The balance sheet remains healthy as it has a net cash of RM6.3mil as at end-March.

Currently, CCM Buopharma Biotech Bhd and Kotra also produce sterile product in Malaysia.

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Malaysia Health & wellness klse

Skin MD Natural on YouTube

2007-05-27T23:07:00.000-07:00

I have received an email from Mr Pete Grimaldi of Skin MD Natural which give me a link to YouTube, claim it show how Skin MD Natural protecting skin from rock-dissolving acid!

The Post get 14 comments. As I unable to review the fact on YouTube, view it at your own risk. I have provided link to YouTube at the bottom of this page.

Technorati Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Skincare

INS Bioscience leave MLM business

2007-05-13T16:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Nanyang reported that Mesdaq listed INS Bioscience going to leave it direct selling business to venture into ecommerce business to create a portal for herbs product.

Second Board listed Hai-O. Start from chain of retail outlet selling chinese medical product. Venture into direct selling and MLM business. Today, direct selling and MLM business contribute more than half of it revenue and product, become the company core business and money earner.

INS Bioscience however, start from direct selling and MLM business. Last year, the company claim that it OEM business contribute more profit than it direct selling business.

Yesterday, news of the company plan to cease it direct selling business and launch it online herbs portal on 1st July 2007 was reported on Nanyang.

A search on Google show that China Press also reported similar news. However, China Press make a contradict report. It reported that the company already launch the portal in August 2007 and has attracted 1,500 distributors todate. However, the company still showing a loss of RM950,000 on third quarter of 2006.

Nanyang reported that each distributor or franchisee have to pay RM30,000 and would get RM38,000 value of stock in return. However, the company turnover in third quarter 2006 drop from RM23.57 million to RM19.47 million in the corresponding period. Drop 17.4%. The figure doesn't tally? Shouldn't 1,500 new franchisee paying RM30,000 each should get RM45 million?

INS Bioscience wheat grass product get fierce competition from Yigaho. It Insupro forte's bitter gourd product facing competition from OTC low cost product like Main Board listed CCM's Bitter melon and non listed company's Diabegard.

MLM transform to ecommerce is a trend given a lot of MLM company has slowly move to ecommerce.

However, INS Bioscience strategy that required franchisee to pay RM30,000 up front seem contrary to normal reseller or associate that required minimum capital.

This requirement just like recruiting direct selling's stockist that required to pay an up front cost for stock. However, it is not easy for a direct selling company or MLM company to recruit 1,000 to 1,500 stockist nationwide each paying RM30,000. A target to recruit 5,000 to 6,000 by year end seem rather ambitious for the company. Let see whether the company able to do it this round?

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Malaysia Health & wellness MLM Direct Selling klse

Ogawa Vs OSIM

2007-05-08T20:22:00.000-07:00

Malaysian must be familiar with the two leading brand of massage chairs......Ogawa and OSIM.

Previously, only OSIM International Ltd listed on the Singapore Exchange.

Last month. Ogawa World Bhd, previously operated under Healthy World Lifestyle Sdn Bhd listed on Bursa Malaysia.

Ogawa is the market leader in Malaysia, with a 44.8% market share, according to a report by Affin Investment Bank. Its closest competitor, Singapore-listed OSIM International Ltd, holds a 32.2% share.

However, OSIM has grown to a market value of almost RM1bil, and it even partnered Temasek Holdings Pte to take over Brookstone Inc, a chain store in the US.

Ogawa, which only has a market value of RM137mil at the first week of it value.

If Ogawa able to grow it market size to OSIM's billion level without any right issue,bonus issue and private placement. It share price have to jump at least 9 times higher from now.

OSIM also acquired nutrition retailer Global Active Ltd, which operate GNC outlet. GNC reputable for it weight loss product.

Ron Sim, the man whose company is almost synonymous with massage chairs, has come a long way. More than two decades ago, he was struggling to keep his 100 sq ft electronics-goods shop at People's Park going.

"Back then, I was trying to survive," says Sim, chairman and chief executive of Osim International, which has since grown into a 560-outlet health and fitness product marketing company that has a presence in every continent except South America, the Arctic and Antarctica.

Ogawa World Bhd started out as a trading business for household and electrical products such as water purifiers in 1986. The company, which was started by Wong Lee Keong and Lim Poh Khian, entered the health and wellness market 10 years later.

"massage culture" in the US is still in its "infancy", where the penetration rate is only about 1% of the 100 million households. In Asia, like Japan, for example, the penetration rate is around 30%, says OSIM's Sim.

OSIM has a upper hand in US market with the acquisition of Brookstone. Ogawa, has a catch up game to play.

Another risk factor is increasing competition from its existing competitors as well as new smaller entrants from China. "The emergence of copycat products at competitive prices will likely pose a key threat to the growth potential of mainstream retailers like Ogawa," states Hwang-DBS. As a result, Ogawa is looking to diversify its product range by introducing up to 10 new products per year. The company is also looking to grow its Deki brand, which is targeted at lower-income customers.

Over-dependence on major suppliers is one of the Ogawa's risks. Its two major suppliers, Fujiryoki (Shanghai) Trading Co Ltd and Xiamen Comfort Science & Technology Co Ltd, contributed to 64.4% of its products as at September last year. However, Ogawa has a healthy cash pile of RM34.9 million and no borrowings.

Surprisingly, both Ogawa and OSIM also market Blood Pressure Monitor,Thermometers, and Weighting Scales. It is not sure both company sources the product from the same suppliers?

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology Malaysia Health & wellness klse massage

Traditional Medical practitional recognised by Australia government

2007-04-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

Malaysia government has recently approved the establishment of integrated hospitals, which integrates the practice of traditional and complementary medicine (T/CM) to the current national health system. The Health Ministry will set aside an initial sum of RM1.5mil for a pilot project of incorporating traditional and complementary medicine (TCM) in three government hospitals.

The Ministry Of Health has selected three hospitals to implement this integration, namely Hospital Kepala Batas, Pulau Pinang, Hospital Putrajaya, and Hospital Sultan Ismail, Johor. Some of the T/CM practices that would be introduced in phases with these hospitals include acupuncture, reflexology and masseur, just to name a few.

“The plan now is to have a division for TCM, so that patients can either opt for the Western or traditional medicine division.

“In time, we hope to have a better integration system, where both disciplines can be practised together,” said Health Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Lee Kah Choon

China and India are two countries that have established education and training system in the field of T/CM, in particular the Chinese medicine, acupuncture and ayurveda.

Lee said that based on the World Health Organisation’s findings, 75% of people in developing countries and about 50% of those in developed countries used TCM.

In fact, other than China and India. Western country like Australia also recognised TCM. On 12 April 2007. Nanyang published an article by a reader written from Melbourne. He claim that in a state where he stay, Victoria. Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner (Sinseh) was recognised by the state and they can carry Dr. title in front of their name. This is first time I heard such story.

On 5 March 2007, The Star feature article on Young people study the course " Traditional Chinese medicine is no longer dominated by greying sinsehs in old shoplots. Small groups of young practitioners are being trained in this age-old practice." write The Star.

Now, Tung Shin Hospital at Jalan Pudu in Kuala Lumpur was the only Non Profit Private Hospital that provided both traditional and western medicine in Malaysia.

Recently, Nanyang feature article on Tung Shin Hospital. 80% of patient in TCM division are stroke patient. Others included cancer patient.

Nanyang and Tung Shin Hospital would provided health talk (In Mandarin) and free medical consultation (limited to first 72 register) this Saturday 21 April 2007, 3.00pm to 7.00pm

First 300 participant also free blood pressure test.

OSIM also provide free gift to first 300 participant

Patient can fax their name, tel, new IC no,male/Female, address to 03-78726921 to Nanyang's Business Development Department. Inquiry03-2072 1655 Etx 265

Link: African that practiced Traditional Chinese Medicine in French

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical TCM Sinseh Malaysia traditional Health & wellness

Skincare product for hand?

2007-04-10T23:44:00.000-07:00

After sending SkinMDNatural's sample for me to test. Mr Pete Grimaldi send offer of another product. This time a skincare product for hand call Gloves in a Bottle.

AllergyBestBuy.com has recommended Gloves in a bottle as one of it Eczema Best Buy products on it website.

Actually I do not have problem with my hand. I give some of the sample to my sister. Her few years old son's elbow and knee have some skin problem as he always get injury and difficult to heal. After few days, feedback from my sister is good.

Unlike SkinMDNatural only sending the product(Sachets) only.The sample I received complete with a sample card with description(beside). It look nicer and presentable and more informative.

Singapore: Life Inspires

Unlike SkinMDNatural, Gloves in a Bottle actually available for sales in Singapore. The distributor in Singapore call Life Inspires...... the company that market Slim Delices slimming chocolate in Singapore but Gloves in a Bottle was not available in Malaysia yet. Anyone interested to become distributor?

Unlike other skincare product available at major retail outlet. Glove in a Bottle sold via clinic in Singapore. This marketing strategy is similar to Loreal's La Roche-Posay brand that only target professional like dermatologist

Blogger in Malaysia Paris Beaverbanks also received a sample from Mr Pete and has write a review on it after testing the product. I recommend you read her review as I am not going to repeat what she has said in her blog. Another Singapore base blogger vivawomen also claim received sample from Mr Pete but I unable to find her review on her blog.

Taiwan : Star Like

In Taiwan, the product market by Star Like . Star Like also market SkinMDNatural in Taiwan. It is not sure why Singapore's Life Inspire only market Gloves in Bottle in Singapore but not SkinMD Natural.

Star Like initially market UK's Eyeko cosmetic product in Taiwan. Then, it market Pinkie Swear, a brand co-found by TV producer Stephen Robinson, his wife and photographer Rhonda.

It added Dermactin-TS and Daggett & Ramsdell (DR) on it portfolio of brand and later, of course, SkinMDNatural and Glove in a Bottle.

Apparently, Taiwan marketing strategy and distribution chanel does not similar to what practise in Singapore, target professional and dermatologist like Loreal's La Roche-Posay .

Other than Star Like. Glove in a Bottle also market via Vivo.com in Taiwan

Despite SkinMDNatural and Gloves in a Bottle operated under two separated company. The person behind the two brand apparently under the same team. Both Mr Pete and Mr Dan Mueller contact me on both of the above brand. Their webpage and their marketing strategy is similar, Their marketing strategy like those recomended by Regis Mckenna. Both brand also market by the same distributor in Taiwan.

Technorati Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Skincare : Biotechnology :pharmaceutical

Direct Selling stockist that threatened by gangsters in Sarawak

2007-04-08T23:41:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, The Star reported that Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing had made a strong point when highlighting Sibu’s( Sarawak) security problems in Parliament.

Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui said "Gangsters are getting more deeply involved in running illegal logging operations due to the lucrative returns from trading in unlicensed logs in the black market" in Miri, Sarawak on Tuesday.

Inspector-General of Police ( IGP) Tan Sri Musa Hassan flew to Sibu to check on the claims last week.

Musa said he was displeased with the crime situation, and action taken by the Sarawak police although they had arrested several kingpins and gang leaders. “I have also warned my officers and men that severe action will be taken against them if they are found to be involved with the gangsters,” Said the IGP.

Actually, prior to that. Media has reported that a direct sales stockist Wong Teck Seng, 38,his wife Lily Tiong Siew Lee, 28, and three children – aged between two and seven forced to flee their home after getting death threats from gangsters in Miri, Sarawak.

“We cannot return to Sarawak because the gangsters are so powerful there."
“They destroyed my home,''

Wong said his nightmare began after a dispute with another stockist over commissions.

He reported the matter to the company management who terminated the stockist's licence in August.

“Two months later, a group of gangsters beat up one of my subordinates and extorted RM15,000 from me. "

He then went into hiding in Kota Kinabalu, while his wife returned to her parents' home with the children.

“On Nov 10, a group of men stormed into my house and smashed everything, including the windows, furniture and home appliances.

“My house is in a mess now with shattered glass everywhere,'' he said.

Fearing for his life and the lives of his family members, Wong flew his wife and children to Kota Kinabalu. Together they came Kuala Lumpur.

A friend, who picked them up at the KL International Airport described the family's situation as “devastating and dreadful”.

“It was horrible to see them wearing pyjamas and slippers, with several boxes around them at the arrival hall,'' said the friend, Simon Yew.

Last week, Wong Teck Sing and his business partner Wong Sing Tung, caused a stir at the central police station here in Miri when hold protest at Miri police station.

Both men were ordered by policemen at the station to stop their protest or else they could be arrested for illegal demonstration.

The duo then left.

The Direct Selling company call Sweblink Global Network Sdn Bhd.

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Malaysia Health & wellness Multilevel Marketing Direct Selling

Who else get Geneva awards?

2007-04-06T19:59:00.000-07:00

Member of Parliament, Dr Wee Ka Siong (BN - Ayer Hitam) question the rational of Universities forking out millions for dubious awards

He said Geneva-based international science exhibition, where Malaysian universities have won numerous awards, are not judged by a panel of experts but by the exhibition organisers themselves.

“Hence, it’s no surprise that each year, more than half of the participants receive awards,” he said during the motion of thanks on the Royal Address at the Dewan Rakyat.

“I met a professor from a renowned European university while on an overseas trip."

“He laughed and told me that such awards offer no academic merits,” said Dr Wee, adding that most of the products showcased in these exhibitions were from Malaysian universities

He singled out the Geneva exhibition as a favourite among Malaysian universities.

“It is embarrassing that our universities are spending millions to participate in these low-standard award competitions.”

Dr Wee alleged at one foreign exhibition, the organisers imposed 650 euros (RM3,200) for participants who had yet to commercialise their products, 180 euros (RM831) for each metre of exhibition space used and 370 euros (RM1,709) to rent a display counter.

He described such exhibitions as “profit making shows.”

The international 72-member jury judges each invention on its own merits, which means that there is not just one gold, one silver and one bronze medal per category of invention.

Other than local University, did you remember any local company that get such award?

The answer is Mesdaq listed INS Bioscience Bhd's wheatgrass.

The wheatgrass products of the company get The Geneva International Invention Award in 2000. It is not sure such award is the one claim by Dr Wee. However, the sales of the product has lifted the company into next level after getting such award. The product has get another award in Hong Kong and the company has listed on Mesdaq.

This award lead to a legal battle between it's ex-staff, now rival Yigaho.

Yigaho lead by ex-actress Miss Lim Chew Yin, who was a spoke person for INS and her brother who was a researcher of wheatgrss in INS.

INS has diversified into other product like bitter gourd extract for diabetic call Insupro forte and Bloodstream Super 2 to mitigate it effect on increase competition on wheatgrass market.

There is at least a few rival product for it diabetic product. INS, however claim that other bitter gourd's products do not contain certain extract in their products.

A weekly Mandarin health newspaper in Malaysia, Mingguan Kesihatan stated that bitter gourd may have some side effect on certain people on one of it issue. The paper claim that people might have to go to toilet after taking bitter gourd.

It is not sure how INS's Bloodstream product in the market. This is a product base on your blood type: A,B,AB and O etc. Less marketing activity have been seen on such product. The company marketing aggressively it bitter gourd product on various health magazine in Malaysia recently.

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Malaysia Health & wellness Multilevel Marketing Direct Selling Stock Market klse

我也谈江湖有异人

2007-04-03T00:08:00.000-07:00

南洋商报
张齐清 2007/04/12

我在澳洲要知道大马讯息，只有上“南洋网”上去看。3月15日在〈商余〉版看到小黑写的〈江湖，真有异人在〉这篇稿时，我忽然也想写我的一位朋友丁医生，他是中医师，在我住的维多利亚州，中医师是受承认的，同时可在名字前头加上Dr.称号。

约20年前，朋友告诉我丁医生医德很好，道行很高，是少见的高明医生，我听了也没放在心上。直到有一天，朋友聊起80年代初期，丁太太来墨尔本大学进修药理系，他来陪读。因为闲着无聊，他便到唐人街一家中医诊所看诊赚一些钱，没想到经常门前冷落的诊所，不到一个月，病人竟然要拿病号才能轮到看诊。3年后他太太毕业，他们又回到北京干他中医师的老本行去了。

治好瘫痪卫生厅长夫人

1986年他申请移民澳洲，推荐人是当时的卫生厅长。原来丁医生在陪读的日子里，曾经医治好瘫痪在床多时的卫生厅长夫人，厅长答应他，若将来申请移民时，愿意当他的推荐人。

据丁医生说，厅长夫人是脊椎骨问题，经常疼痛，又不肯接受开刀，有将近3个月时间只吃止痛药，每天大部分时间都躺在床上，经丁医生两个多月的治疗，终于复原，卫生厅长夫妇都对丁医生的高明医术大为赞扬。

在我家，孩子对传统中医有不同看法。记得老么在90年代末期，每到晚上右眼睑便自动下垂和颤抖，我们夫妇俩起码带他去看过3个专科医生；一个是眼科专家，一个是神经系统专家，另一个是牙科专家（家庭医生说，牙齿神经也可能造成上述影响），连续3个月的折腾，都找不到病因。

最后想起丁医生，我们便带着老么去看他。我们只是简单地告诉他晚上脸部和眼睑的情况。丁医生便开始把脉，跟着又把手按在后脑颈部，他不断地查问我家老么，有没有摔倒过？而且后脑勺先着地，或且被人重击过后脑等等，老么的答案是否定的。丁医生说，我老么后脑部分断了一根血管，通常如果不是外力重击造成，便是中风造成，但是廿出头的年轻人不应该有这种现象。

脑部少了一根主血管

我再去见家庭医生，告诉他丁医生的诊断，希望他介绍去看血管科专科医生做血管显影。这一次报告出来，老么确是少了一根主血管。但教授说，那是先天性少了一根血管，脑部供血全靠另外一根，因为驮荷太重，造成血管膨大，碰到旁边的脸部神经系统才有颤抖的现象出现，他建议我家老么考虑动手术来根治。

老么动了手术，安全OK，一切恢复正常。老么事后常告诉朋友，非常神奇，几个专科医生都检查不出来，中医把脉却能诊断出病情来。

其实丁医生是擅长多方面的医术，更是脊椎骨的高手。

他后来经营羊皮出口生意到中国，经常中澳两地飞，诊所看诊时间都在晚上，而且每周只有3个晚上，因此他的诊所经常客满，病患得排队轮候，有些病患老人他也免费施诊赠药。

记得90年代中期，大马一家上市公司的老板，从吉隆坡打电话给我，说他的机器供应商扭伤了腰躺在家快一个月，问我能不能叫丁医生上门看诊。坦白讲，丁医生就是因业务繁忙奔波，才把看诊时间缩短，哪里有时间上门看诊。我既然开了口，丁医生也曾经治好过这位老板，当时他来旅游时扭伤了脚踝，也算是相识，既然老远来电话相托，也便答应下来。

机器供应商是一位七十高龄的长者，身体硕壮，是因为帮忙搬动机器时扭伤了腰脊。有人曾经介绍一位会说英语，移民自斐济群岛的郎中给他治病，大概看他是老板，便狠狠敲了他一笔，背痛却依旧不消。

背椎骨出问题

我陪丁医生上门看诊时，老先生态度很差。他太太从床上扶他起来，丁医生说床垫太软，要他睡在客厅餐桌上。从老先生脸部表情上，确是疼痛异常。丁医生在老先生背椎处推压试探，说是尾脊三和四关节处出问题。老先生不相信，认为只用手在脊骨上乱压了几次便指出毛病，他叫老太太去拿出医院照的X光片，片上清楚注明是三和四之间的尾椎骨出问题，老先生这时才肯让丁医生针灸，之后再做指压推拿，大约前后花了一个多小时。

4天后，老太太又给我电话，说老先生很想再见丁医生，我又再次陪了丁医生上门看诊，应门的是老先生，显然他病情好多了。丁医生给他针灸和推拿完毕，他要丁医生无论如何都得留下来喝杯咖啡，他说老太太特地烘焙了蛋糕，要请丁医生吃。他还告诉丁医生：“我听您的指示，已经换了硬床垫。”态度前后判若两人。

老先生夫妇送我们出门，老先生说：“丁医生，你两次看诊总共多少钱？”丁医生说以后再算(其实冲着我的面子，后来也没收钱)。

约半年后，大马老板忽然来墨尔本并给我电话，说老先生患了肺癌末期，离开医院后呆在家中，不肯吃药，不肯再回去看医生。老先生说，别的医生他不要见，他只想见丁医生。结果大马老板载丁医生去看老先生，回来之后，丁医生给我电话说，从老先生的脉象来看，肾脏功能几乎完全丧失，他已经告诉大马的吴老板，老先生最多能再活10天。

第六天传来老先生的噩耗。

最后我再谈谈大马的吴老板。那次他伤了脚踝，我带他去看丁医生，这是小毛病，当然很快妙手回春。但是让吴老板惊叹佩服的是，丁医生看他的气色不很好，给他把了脉，然后告诉他，他的肝脏有毛病，吴老板说他知道，目前正在治疗中。

这就是吴老板信服丁医生的最大原因。

（寄自墨尔本）

Technorati Tag: 生物科技中医师 Malaysia sinseh Health Traditional Medicine 中医 TCM

Another MLM company list on Bursa Malaysia

2007-04-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

ZHULIAN Corp Bhd, a direct selling and multi-level marketing company, has on 17 March 2007 hired CIMB Investment Bank Bhd to help arrange its listing on Bursa Malaysia's main board.

The group is involved mainly in the manufacturing and direct selling of costume jewellery, nutritional products, food and beverages, water purification systems, mattress pads and pillows, and other consumer products.

Its products are also exported to Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore.

Zhulian group managing director Teoh Meng Keat said Zhulian has over 649 product lines marketed under 28 brands, with the jewellery segment contributing about 30 per cent of revenue.

Over the past few years, he said, the group has diversified into nutritional products, food and beverage products and a wide range of other consumer products.

The company will joint other MLM compnay that listed on Bursa Malaysia like Amway, Cosway, CNI, DXN, Liqua Health, Hai-O and INS.

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Malaysia Health & wellness Multilevel Marketing Direct Selling Stock Market

江湖真有异人在

2007-04-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

南洋商报
2007/03/15
小黑

江湖何其大，而且中华文化博大精深，能人异士隐居其中原是极可能的事。

守卫员哈欣夜晚骑摩多回家，路上被一辆将相碰倒。他老人家是敢死队出生，地面上翻滚两下站立起来，扯紧对方的衣襟要打人。对方说：“我们报警吧。”哈欣这才想起，自己既没有驾照，摩多也无路税，马上放了对方一马，逃之夭夭。这时候，他肩膀开始激烈作痛。进入医院检查，原来不止肩胛骨断了，而且肋骨也折了两根。

怎么办？哈欣抬头望主治医生查卡里亚。医生半开玩笑，“我可以为你包扎。不过你还是去金宝找“sinseh”(先生)吧。”哈欣寻到跌打医师简陋的木屋，只见屋前已经有好几人在等候。道明来意，接受医师治疗，果然两个月后就康复回来上班。谈起“sinseh”，哈欣竖起大拇指，赞不绝口。“只有一项不好，”他说。“没有证明书，不能向公司索讨赔偿。”

哈欣不知道，在我们华裔圈子内，常有这类江湖异人隐姓埋名，匿藏在红尘之中。有一天朵拉和我黄昏运动，她不小心扭了脚，次日肿胀如红面龟。我得到高人指点，摸到红土坎杨亚武师傅家。师傅五短身材，声若洪钟。我们相见甚欢。谈话间他以迅雷不及掩耳的手法，在肿胀处按了一下，次日即恢复如常。那已经是10年前的事情了。从此以后，学生若有扭闪了手脚，只要提起小黑的学生，师傅必然免费治疗。10年来，师傅盛名远播，门庭若市，每星期都有新加坡、吉隆坡、吧生、槟城、亚罗士打的病黎专车前来候教。

新年期间拜访二叔，他回忆童年往事，犹记得有一回左边牙齿疼痛，3日不能消退。正苦恼中，恰好碰上一位束高髻、缠小脚的老太太经过。老人家将他拉到身边，在右颚底下摸出一颗疔，以银针一扎，牙疼马上消失。此后二叔有牙疾，依样画葫芦，任是扎了十几下，都不成功。

理性的二叔碰上北方高人

二叔虽然在童年遗失了缠小脚的老太太，近年来却认识了亚罗士打另一位高人。二叔晚年患眼疾，恰好碰上北方高人。第一次拜访，对方取出2寸银针一枚，由眉毛上方向下扎，然后不休止地抖动不下300次，如此往返数回，视觉果然有很大改善。二叔是理性的人，居然如此信服，真叫人另眼相看。

孩童时期，祖母重复提起乡下一座寺庙的住持，手按地面一腾跃，就可以挂上屋梁。更有邻居患白喉，在生死之间。经人介绍，寻获双溪巴呷医师。医师就在草屋前面采摘一些叶片藤蔓，研磨成汁，灌入病患口中。果然救了一命。

江湖何其大，而且中华文化博大精深，能人异士隐居其中原是极可能的事。有一件不能理解的现象是，为何先生们都各有个性？有一些不爱说话，有些最不喜欢读书人，有一些专说反面话，有些则不愿意回答问题。虽然如此，一般上只要摸对了他们的脾气，就会对病黎伸出援手，没有辜负悬壶济世的神圣职责。只是随着时代进步，医疗设备越来越先进，类似的绝技渐渐已无传人。这是何其可惜的事呀。

Technorati Tag: 生物科技中医师 Malaysia sinseh Health Traditional Medicine 中医 TCM

Chocolate, beauty and slimmimg

2007-03-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

Slimming industry was having a lot of bad press recently.

First, A 33-year-old housewife in Kedah, Malaysia, Normala Shahidan died at the Alor Star Hospital’s from kidney complications because she had taken the Kintop slimming capsule, which was banned by the Health Ministry in August last year.

The Health Ministry banned the Kintop slimming capsule after it was found to contain Sibutramine, which is classified as a poison.

Norizan Ahmad, 44, who sold the slimming pills and slimming tea to Normala claimed he was unaware of the adverse effects to health or that the product was banned.

Sibutramine, an agent for the treatment of obesity, is a controlled substance, which only doctors can prescribe.

Later, on March 10, 2007, Ipoh Hospital’s consultant nephrologist Dr Teo Sue Mei warned that if you are drinking slimming tea, check whether it contains aristocholic acid on the label as it has been blamed for kidney failure.

My blog has feature that dark chocolate which contains high quantities of antioxidants called flavanoids can prevent heart disease. It is thus a perfect supplement for skincare and health. Clinical trial has been conducted on dark chocolate on heart patient.

I was actively looking for good dark chocolate in the market for beauty and health treatment.
Recently, columnist Boey Ping Ping write an article regarding chocolate on skincare.

A year ago, my email inbox received an unsolicited email spam from a MLM company base in north America. The company slogan...eat chocolate while slimming. Initially, I thought there is a new invented chocolate for slimming purpose. After a more indept research, I found out that actually a person who join the MLM company have to fork out a large amount the buy the chocolate and then they have to joint company's slimming programme at a substantial cost. There is mo relation between the chocolate the the slimming. As I am not familiar with the ingrediant of the the product. I never joint the company nor I feature the company on my blog. It is not sure whether the product comprises sibutramine or aristocholic acid mentioned above. I unable to search the company on the internet now.

Recently, while doing a search on the internet. I accidentally found a company call Life Inspire base in Singapore. The company market a product call Slim Delices, a slimming chocolate from France. The product available at Guardian store in Singapore. I unable to find the product in Guardian store in Malaysia. However, you can find a variety of slimming product including chocolate in Guardian Malaysia. It look like they is still money to be earn on slimming from ladies in Malaysia. The market is competitive.
Slim Delices claim their ingredient call DM-16 comprises only nature extract:
Guarana,Chicory Inulin, Artichoke and Green Tea.

The company also offer clinical trial results on their website. Apparently, this is a not bad product.

However, earlier this year. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in London reprimand a company marketing slimming chocolate from Hong Kong call Global DM Licensing. It is not sure whether Global DM Licensing in Hong Kong has any relation with Slim Delices in France or not. Thus, try the product at your own risk.

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Malaysia Health & wellness weight losss slimming chocolate

19th World Diabetes Congress

2007-03-06T20:13:00.001-08:00

The 19th World Diabetes Congress held recently in Cape Town, South Africa, saw international experts discuss the latest issues and advances in diabetes.

IN its third edition of the Diabetes Atlas, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has stated that diabetes is one of the most common non-communicable diseases globally, and developing countries face the greatest burden of the disease.

“Diabetes is certain to be one of the most challenging health problems in the 21st century,” it said.

Among the complications of diabetes are coronary artery and peripheral vascular disease, stroke, diabetic neuropathy, amputations, renal failure and blindness.

This can result in increasing disability, reduced life expectancy and enormous health costs for virtually every society, it said.

The atlas estimates that Malaysia has a national prevalence rate of 12.3% – an estimated 2.8 million diabetics.

Strides made in the medical world on diabetes may still prove to be difficult for countries such as Malaysia and other South-East Asian nations to benefit from because of high costs.

“It is really going to be difficult. There are big issues. We are trying to find ways to make drugs cheaper and more available,” said Prof Philip Home, a Professor of Diabetes Medicine at Newcastle University in the UK and former vice-president of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) when met recently at the 19th World Diabetes Congress in Capetown, South Africa.

“Medication needs to be cheaper for the poor.”

Newer innovations

He said that there were a series of new things on the horizon that would enable diabetics to have much better control of their blood glucose levels without too many side effects.

Prof Home added that innovations, such as the insulin pump, was still expensive, where on average it costs about 1,200 pound sterling (RM8,160) a year. Consequently, only few people have access to it.

He also said that while insulin pumps have become more sophisticated over the years, it does not necessarily work a lot better for diabetics. It is, however, safer and more pleasant to use,” he said.

Insulin, which is delivered through injections, is traditionally used to treat type 1 diabetes, and in some cases, type 2. However, type 2 diabetics more often than not are put on a tablet regiment.

Another new technology that he said was where the insulin pump could be combined with a sensor that could monitor blood glucose levels.

On the new insulin inhaler, he said there were safety concerns such as effects on the lungs. “And again, it is expensive.”

Insulin is sprayed into the mouth by the inhaler and coats the membranes of the mouth, throat and tongue. Insulin is then passed quickly through the membranes into the bloodstream.

In general, insulin therapy over the last five years, he said, have improved, with better control of blood glucose levels, less hypoglycaemia (low sugar) and subsequently less complications to the diabetic patient.

He emphasised that neither the insulin pump nor inhaler were a solution to all the problems faced by diabetics.

This is because devices such as the insulin inhaler only helps when injecting proves difficult in those who have “poor” injection sites.

“In any case, there have been huge improvements in ‘pen injectors’ where it is easy to use and barely hurts,” he said.

He added that there were diabetics who still preferred the conventional method of injecting themselves with insulin.

In the case of type 2 diabetes, Prof Home said that there are newer medications that could be prescribed where patients would be able to achieve blood glucose levels which are closer to targeted levels.

Prof Home, who is also the chairman of the IDF Clinical and Guidelines Task Force, also said global guidelines are needed in certain aspects of diabetes management, such as the recently published edition for the management of type 2 diabetes, which contains information such as which medication is suitable to be prescribed first.

“The guidelines are simple. The website is open to all and any intelligent person who is a diabetic is able, for the most part, to be in charge of his own care.”

He also stressed that long-term diabetics are able to do very well and can avoid suffering from complications if their illness is under control.

“Just bring the levels close to normal. Stop gaining weight. And this guarantees a more or less normal life,” he said.

Stem cell challenge

Asistant Prof Dr Wendy Macfarlane from the University of Brighton, United Kingdom, said that the challenges in stem cell research to find a cure for diabetes include cultivating pure cell populations, having fully functional insulin-producing beta cells, controlling the growth of cells and maintaining safety.

The molecular biologist, who is involved in stem research, said that laboratories are currently trying to isolate insulin producing cells and producing pure cell populations while studies are still being done on two-dimensional cells.

“Currently, there is not enough production of beta cells,” she said.

“And in terms of safety, to what standards do we use? It has to be free from many things, such as microcontaminants.”

She said that potential new sources to obtain stem cells for this are from the bone marrow and cord blood.

This is as opposed to taking stem cells from embryonic stem cells.

Clinical trials, she said, is possible in the next five years.

It had been reported before that stem cell research allowed scientists to explore how to control and direct stem cells so they could grow into other cells. This includes insulin-producing beta cells, which is found in the pancreas.

This could mean a cure for type 1 diabetes because the new beta cells would serve as a replenishable source of cells for islet cell transplantation, besides being a tool to control type 2 diabetes.

“We need to get the magic cells,” she said, adding that there are controls such as islet transplants, encapsulating the cells and growing the cells.

“Until we know how it grows and how we can prevent degradation, we will not know the best method of delivery.”

Excerpt from The Star

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Diabetes Diabetic Malaysia food supplement Health & wellness GT&F Milk Powder Chronic Metabolic insulin pump

Livita launch femina with Jusco

2007-02-22T22:58:00.000-08:00

I have on June 2006 reported that energy drink Livita have skincare effect. Today, when I went to Jaya Jusco. It is surprising for me to discover that Taisho Pharmauceutical in Malaysia has launch a new product special for ladies Femina. It cost RM2.50 per bottle, consider expensive compare to RM1.80-RM1.90 per bottle for it honey product and RM1.50 per bottle for it normal product.

The new femina comprises Aloe Vera juice. Aloe Vera has skincare effect. Skin MD Natural that give free sample for me to test recently also used Aloe Vera as their main ingredient.

Despite it price consider cheap compare to another Aloe Vera drink Lifestream Aloe Vera Juice by Caremark in Malaysia. It is expensive comparatively with it own existing product. Thus, I never bought and try the product to protest or boycott in silent.

According to it website. It is only available in Jaya Jusco only. It might cost higher when it sell elsewhere. It honey product sole at RM2.20 per bottle while Jusco only sell at RM1.80 to RM1.90.

Other than Aloe Vera, other ingredient include dietary fibre, soybean extracts, Biotin and Vitamins C, B2, B3 and B6. It claim the drink help promote

overall well-being
skin cell regeneration
energy recovery and retention

However, it do not contain honey and vitamin E. It is not sure it effectiveness compare to it existing product.

Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Health & wellness Health & wellness Skincare

My blog rank as one of CMKC's best blogs

2007-02-22T22:33:00.000-08:00

Today, when I search the net. It is surprising to found that my blog was on one of the company CMKC's Best blogs page.

On it corporate website. CMKC DESIGN LTD claim it Head Office in Dublin, Ireland. Established in 2000 with offices in the North America and China.

Their core business is helping small to medium sized businesses get off the ground and running, whether it be with a new product design, new markets or new money. We develop solutions and programs along with finance and funding assistance for the following types of businesses:

Hi-Tech : Mobile Comms : Wellness : Media & Publishing : Consumer Brands

CMKC DESIGN also specialises in fundraising activities for small and medium sized ventures who need capital to get going on a project or development funds for growth and expansion purposes: They claim they have many exciting ventures for savvy investors to have a serious look at. CMKC DESIGN prepares for each of their clients looking to raise capital a professional polished business plan, a concise investment overview document and clear ROI and exit strategies in some very exciting areas of technology and innovative product design. We provide the following services for all our project investors

Client Introductions : Investment Overview Submission : Private Projects Showcase : Lead & Grant Funding Match ups : Due Diligence Services : ROI

They welcome the opportunity to present to you some very exciting investment opportunities in some fantastic brands who they believe have the right ingredients to participate on a global market.

Their portfolio include: Business Development , Marketing Development and Online Development.

Other CMKC's best blog included:

Genuine VC
Gizmodo,The Gadget blog
IT Manager's Journal
A Venture Forth>>Star up Idea
Beyond VC
Software only
Techcrunch
Technorati blog finder
The J curve
The Mobile Technology Weblog-Merketing Pet mobility
The Post Money Value

It is an honour to rate as one of the best blog from a company base in Ireland

Technorati Tag: wellness : brand :Malaysia: marketing : Business Development:funding

Fann Wong 范文芳 interview Vitasence founder

2007-01-29T18:35:00.000-08:00

Closet Affair (IN 女皇2) hosted by Fann Wong 范文芳, will interview Coreenna, founder of made in Singapore skincare herbs product: Vitasence. the show will air on Media Corp's Channel U, Tues, 30 Jan 2007 at 8pm and 12 midnight respectively.

Coreenna also appear on So Simple 简单就是美 hosted by Y.E.S 93.3FM DJ Lin Pei Fen 林佩芬 on 9:30pm and 11:30 pm.

Want to know how Coreenna started herb base skincare product: Vitasence? Read here, and here.

Closet Affair (IN 女皇2) also show on one of Astro channel in Malaysia.

Technorati Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Skincare : Singapore

New celebrity spokes person for Marie France Bodyline

2007-01-25T23:16:00.000-08:00

WHEN Andrea Fonseka was crowned Miss Malaysia Universe in 2004. Blogger Kennysia said in 2005: " Remember when Andrea Fonseka won the title of Miss Malaysia - "Malaysia's Most Beautiful Woman" last year? My sentiments exactly. If Andrea Fonseka is Malaysia's Most Beautiful Woman, I reckon I can be CLEO's Most Eligible Bachelor."

On the official website of Miss Universe 2005. Andrea Fonseka was commented: We hate to say this but Andrea looked somewhat heavy & unqualified for the swimsuit round of the competition.

Some gossip in the internet forum mentioned that she was crowned because she has an influential father with Datuk title.

In August 2006,Marie France Bodyline approached her. Most people remember Marie France Bodyline because of it spoke person Christy Chung

According to Chin Siew Kiem, the marketing manager of Marie France Bodyline, they talked to Andrea because they knew she had a weight problem and felt she would make an ideal celebrity spokesman for the company.After all, manyMalaysians were familiar with her and could relate to her problem.

Andrea agreed and for three months, she visited a Marie France outlet and underwent a personalised slimming programme. During that time, she lost7.5kg and all her problem areas –namely her thighs,waist and arms – saw improvements.

Now, she is flooded with offers to do modelling, whether it is on the catwalk or for advertisements in Singapore. She recently guest starred in aSingaporean sitcom, Parental Guidance, and played one of the lead characters on the series House Mates.

She was also voted one ofSingapore’s 50 Most Glamorous People 2006 by Female magazine and captured the subsidiary Most Photogenic Female and Best Female Catwalk Model titles.

Some might say Andrea is finally living up to the glamorous standards set by her mother, Miss Malaysia 1970 Josephine Lena. The young lady herself doesn’t quite seeit that way.“

More photo on Andrea Fonseka

Link to this page: wikio.com

Technorati Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Skincare : Slimming

Taiwan orders Malaysia's coffee with Tongkat Ali taken off shelves

2007-01-24T16:55:00.000-08:00

2007/1/23 The China Post staff

Taipei City's Department of Health (DOH) yesterday ordered six brands of coffee to be taken off store shelves after finding that the products contained illegal herbal extracts.

The Department of Health found that the coffee contained extracts of what is commonly known as Tongkat Ali, a plant found in Malaysia.

The department's Chiang Yu-mei said that it is not been confirmed whether the plant causes any side effects, adding that it has not yet been evaluated for safe use.

Meanwhile, distributors of the coffee have been ordered to destroy the defective beverages or return them to their manufacturers.

The distributors of the six brands of coffee have been fined NT$30,000 to NT$150,000.
Scientifically known as Eurycoma Longifolia, Tongkat Ali is believed by Malaysian locals to be an aphrodisiac.

After receiving a tip last year, officials from the Department of Health found the illegal products after looking through thirty-one markets, supermarkets, and drug stores.

The department also busted a company selling other products containing Tongkat Ali on the Internet.

Chiang said that the source, structure, and manufacturing process of Tongkat Ali is unlike any regular food and urged the public to read the labels whenever purchasing food items.
For further information on food additives, the public is encouraged to go the Department of Health's website http://www.doh.gov.tw

Comment by Dr Rajen M: After all these years, we still have not developed markers to standardise tongkat ali. There has not been a single published clinical trial for this much talked about herb. To the best of my knowledge, only process patents (which are easier to do but are easily beaten and hence have little commercial value) have been taken out thus far. The same goes for other well-known herbs like kacip fatimah. Read full article of Fixing biotech research in Malaysia

Update: Director General of Forest Research Intitute Malaysia: Tongkat Ali never found any toxin substance after 20 years research and has been used for many generation by Sin Chew Daily.

Executive Director of CNI Holdings Bhd: Hope Taiwan's directive would not affect sales volumn in Malaysia

Public listed company that sales Tongkat Ali:
CNI Holding Berhad: Coffee(MLM)
Hai-o
Cosway

Private Company:

Power Root Ali Cafe

Technorati Tag: Malaysia: Biotechnology klse Health Healthcare Tongkat Ali Bursa Malaysia

L’Oreal e-Strat Challenge 2007

2007-01-23T16:43:00.000-08:00

Running for over seven years,L’Oreal e-Strat Challenge is an ultimate business game integrating the talents of business students from all over the world to be part of an international business challenge.

In Malaysia 148 teams from over 16 universities and colleges have registered.Out of the 148 teams, 18 were selected to proceed to the subsequent rounds of the competition, where 15 teams will represent the undergraduate category, while three teams will represent the MBA category

Since the launch of the competition in Malaysia in 2001, L’Oreal Malaysia has recruited nine employees for internship and management trainee positions here. The challenge is the first business game in the world to be accredited by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) with the CEL accreditation, for its added value dimensionand its high educational content. The CEL accreditation certifies that the L’Oreal e-Strat Challenge is an outstanding management education programme and acknowledgesits excellent quality and valuablelearning experience.For this year’s challenge, MBA and undergraduate students are to take up the role of a L’Oreal general manager facing real business demands with the ultimate objective of “selling” their virtual company to L’Oreal top executives in Paris during the International Finals.

Students will be translating strategy into a realistic business simulation concerning all aspects of the company:pricing, production volume and capacity,research and development,marketing,advertising and brand positioning. Students will make more than150 challenging decisions and develop a realistic business plan in the course of the challenge. Next month, the top 300 teams will be selected to proceed to the semi-final stage.

The two winning teams (one MBA andone undergraduate) from each of the eight geographical zones will be announced inMarch and will attend the three-dayInternational Award ceremony in Paris.The two worldwide winners will walkaway with a trip to the destination of their choice worth 10,000 euros.

At a recent prize giving ceremony for the past e-Strat players for the 2006 edition,Couve presented vacation vouchers worth RM6,900 to the top three winning teams.The first prize winner was Team Presto(UTM), which won a RM3,000 travel voucher. The second place winner wasTeam TrioRookie (Taylor’s Business School) and third place was TeamSomeBixBoomers (MMU) who wonvouchers worth RM2,400 and RM 1,500 respectively. The participating teams of thisyear’s challenge were also present at the event.

Excerpt from The Sun

Link: L'ORÉAL BRANDSTORM 2006

Link to this page: Malaysia Today and Beyond

Related Link: The Star

Technorati Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Health & wellness Biotechnology

Free sample for my readers to claim

2007-01-18T23:25:00.000-08:00

After I have blog on Skin MD Natural the day before yesterday. I received an email from Dan Mueller, President of 21st Century Formulations which distribute Skin MD Natural's skincare product to ask whether he can offer myself and my sister some bottle of Skin MD Natural 's skincare product.

I am not sure what he mean"offer". Do I need to pay for it? Or it is FOC? While I am still waiting clarification from Mr Dan Mueller. I decide to offer my free sample packets to my reader for free. If I and my sister would get a bottle for free and the fact that I still have not start testing the product yet.

Like blogger Paris beaverbanks , I offer 2 sample packs each for every reader or more depending on the respond. You just need to email your name (need not be real) and your correspondence address to:BeautyBiotech@blogspot.com and I will mail it to you on a first come first serve basis while the stock last. I will bear the postage as well.

Technorati Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Skincare

Skincare product sample for free?

2007-01-16T19:06:00.000-08:00

Beauty and cosmetic blogger like to receive free sample product to test. As a male blogger in this industry. It is difficult for me to test the product as I am not a regular user of skincare nor cosmetic product.

However, I received an email last month from Pete Grimaldi to see if I would be interested in reviewing their product Skin MD Natural (www.SkinMDNatural.com). This is the first request I received since I blog on the industry.

I send an email to another beauty and cosmetic blogger MJ to informed her about the request and suggest her to email to Pete Grimaldi of Skin MD Natural to request a sample from him to test. I feel Mr Pete would be glad to do that.

MJ send me a review she found on the net here. Very kind of you, thank you , MJ. However, MJ stated : Why not you sample it 1st? I think Pete Grimaldi would like you to write a review on Skin MD Natural in your blog and possibly sell it to your customers.

The company claim that: In order for any moisture to actually improve a dry skin condition it needs to get below the second major layer of skin. In reality the only moisture that is going to reach this level is your skin's own natural moisture.

When you apply any traditional artificial moisture to the skin's surface you are often sending the wrong signal - that your skin is being adequately moisturized, when in fact it is actually dehydrated of natural moisture. This often results in reducing your skin's production of the natural moisture needed to actually resolve a dry skin condition.

Unlike artificial moisturizers, Skin MD Natural bonds with the outer most layer of skin cells to turn it into what works like an invisible shield. The company claim

I have received the sample already. I gave a packet to my sister to try it. My sister is a veteran in this industry. She once operate a beauty salon herself. However, she concentrate on whole selling business now and have vast contact with beauty salon in my home state. I ask her the other day when I meet her about the product. She said she only remember to try it once, thus, unable to give any comment yet. However, base on just one trial. She feel that the lotion absorb very fast to her skin and become very dry and clean. Unlike some other product you might feel oily and sticky.

Before I start trying the product. I research the product by go throught their website first. I found their website offer free sample to everybody. However, you have to pay for the postage. You can Send A Self Addressed Stamped Envelope To

21st Century Formulations
Free Sample Offer
9663 Santa Monica Blvd.,
Suite 860Beverly Hills,
CA 90210

or alternatively, if you are not reside in US and do not have a US's stamp. You can get 2 of these samples for only a $2.00 postage and handling fee by going to their secure Ordering Page.

The website stated "If you are not completely happy with the samples, we will even refund your $2.00 when you return the packets"

You can wait for my review within the next two weeks, hopefully. Or you can read the review by Alison McCormick,Editor of Empowerment 4 Women Online Magazine first.

Skin MD Natural in Taiwan-Star Like-品邁國際行銷有限公司 Forward Marketing International Company Ltd

Skin MD Natural in Korea

YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMYqFO4qD2E

Technorati Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Skincare

Top 8 highest hit page on my blog in 2006

2007-01-05T00:27:00.000-08:00

Top 8 highest hit page on my blog in 2006

1 Home Page

2 Local brand Bio-essence and Ginvera

Congratulation, Bio-essence and Ginvera. This two brand was the highest search page on my blog on yearly,monthly weekly and even daily basis. This is not bad achievement for a local brand. A lot of my relative also using such product and they said is really effective.

I have received an email from a Roni Frumkes from France on such post. Excerpt:

You mention there the AC Nielson report where the cosmetics company Bio-Essence was ranked in your report as No 4 skincare product in Malaysia and Singapore, after Olay, Loreal and Neutrogene. And if only in face care category, Bio-Essence rank No 1.

I appreciate if you could let me know which report it is and will be very very grateful if you have its copy or even executive summary that you wouldn't mind sharing.

As I have time constrains. I just forward the email to Ginvera. I do not have the AC Nielsen report with me. However, the news was publish on mainstream newspaper like China Press and business magazine like Shanghai by The Star.

I never received feedback from both Roni and Ginvera since then. Hope he get what he want. If not, may be he can contact AC Nielsen directly.

3 Elianto provide business opportunity to UMNO puteri member

Congratulation! Elianto. When I post the page on my blog. I think Elianto just have 2 to 5 outlet in Malaysia. I have received an email from a reader call bibiana Chu. Excerpt:

I've heard bout the brand thru a friend and recently come across in the mag. My friend had bought it from KL Genting and since using it, have recommended to friends. The main problem is we cant buy the products from Kuching here. We are interested to know how we can buy or sell the products here if possible.

As usual. I just forwarded the email to Elianto. I have received a lot of click from Cari.com.my's chinese forum page since then. However, I unable to find the thread on Cari.com.my do do not know what they write about. Anybody can tell me.

Today, Elianto have outlet in many shopping centre in Malaysia including Kuching, if not mistaken. Elianto should be the fastest growing cosmetic company in Malaysia in 2006.

4. October 2005 Archive

5 December 2005 Archive

6 South Korea cosmetic brand in Malaysia

7 November 2005 Archive

8 South Korea cosmetic brand and plastic surgery

I have removed the monthly archive page from my blog in middle of the year. As the page to too large to load. It is difficult to ascertain which page my reader search for as well.

MalaysinBabes.net

Other than cari.com.my's Chinese forum. I have received a lot of click from Malaysian Babes.net. Again, I unable to find the thread from the forum that link to my blog. Link to which page?. My guess is Bio-essence. Anybody can tell me?

Technorati Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Health Biotechnology

Top 10 event in Beauty Biotech industry in Year 2006 (updated)

2007-01-05T00:03:00.000-08:00

qnDamaged in last week's earthquake off southern Taiwan on internet access plus my own tight schedule cause the delay of such post.

However, my friend said it better late than never.

Top 10 event in Beauty Biotech industry in Year 2006

1 L’Oreal acquired The Body Shop

2 "The Body Shop" franchise in Malaysia sold by Bolton for RM80m at a Management Buyout (MBO)

3 INS legal battle with Lim Chew Yin and Yigaho

4 P&G Halts SK-II Cosmetics Sales in China

5 Pig farmer in Malaysia used banned beta agonist (BA)
Pig farmer in Malaysia used banned beta agonist because the price of a legal growth-inducing substance, Ractopamine by Eli Lily's animal health unit: Elanco, costs three times higher than Beta Agonist.

6 Mystery death of Malaysia's cosmetic surgery centres operators in China

7 F&N buying Nestle milk operation

8 Scrapped listing Hospitech Resources Bhd and GP Ocean Food on Mesdaq

Hospitech Resources Bhd and GP Ocean Food Bhd. Hospitech — manufacturer of disposable hospital equipment — made history by aborting its IPO exercise the day before it was scheduled to trade on Mesdaq on April 20. The company had raised more than RM12 million from its listing to build a new factory and repay borrowings. The IPO was oversubscribed by 18.4 times. The company voluntarily withdrew its listing after the SC started probing into its financial history upon receiving information from a whistleblower. The listing proceeds were refunded to investors. The regulator unearthed falsified documents such as sales invoices and as a result, Hospitech's managing director Jimmy Goh Kai Tong was slapped with a RM500,000 fine. Barely two months later, GP Ocean, a seafood processor, withdrew its listing plans following a probe by the SC into a possible breach in securities laws, also on a whistleblower's tip.

GP Ocean's chairman and former SC chairman Datuk Ali Abdul Kadir said at the time that the company was postponing its listing in order to strengthen the company. He has since resigned from his position. The GP Ocean case also hit the limelight because it had big name investors like the Razak Foundation and Rio Capital Sdn Bhd, which was owned by Ali, Datuk Azman Yahya and Datuk Amin Rafie Othman.

9 Song Hae-Gyo (宋慧乔) dropped as Etude spokeperson

10 Elianto fastest growing cosmetic company in Malaysia in 2006 at least in term of number of outlet

11 France honours Dr Lam who discover Nipah virus

Blog that link to this page: Nerdy Science Blog

Technorati Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Health Biotechnology

Bio Malaysia 2006 and Bio Nexus company

2006-12-13T23:10:00.000-08:00

Last week, Bio Malaysia 2006, Conference and Exhibition of Biotechnology industry of Malaysia held at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre between 6-8 DECEMBER 2006.

At the function, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced the first batch of bio nexus status companies:

They are
1.Malaysian Bio Diagnostic Research Sdn Bhd,
2.KL Biotech Manufacturing Sdn Bhd,
3.Vivantis Technologies Sdn Bhd
4.Nova Laboratories Sdn Bhd,
5.The Asiatic Centre for Genome Technology Sdn Bhd and
6.Innobiologics Sdn Bhd.

Three company above, Malaysia Bio Diagnostic Reseach Sdn Bhd, Nova Laboratories Sdn Bhd and The Asiatic Centre for Genemo Technology Sdn Bhd never participate in the Exhibition.

KL Biotech Manufacturing Sdn Bhd(KLBM)

KLBM was established by its CEO Dr Abdul Reezal Abdul Latiff. This company was incorporated to concentrate and focus on research, development manufacturing and commercialization of its formulation and intellectual property. The sales and marketing of KLBM's product is done by its sister company KL Biotech. KLBM's current activity is in the formulation and development of products derived from local herbal and biodiversity. The principal activities of KLBM are as follows:

Reseach and Development of new herbal and local base products
Manufacturing of health based products
New formulation development
Manufacturing of pharmaceutical products
Licensing out formulation and intellectual property to third party clients

Vivantis Technologies Sdn Bhd

CEO of Vivantis Technologis Sdn Bhd Mr Law Eng Lim talk on " How Not to lose millions in Biotech Venture" at the conference while it Senior Manager, Laboratory Dr. Chee Hui Yee make a company presentation at the conference.

Innobiologics Sdn Bhd

CEO of Inno Biologics Sdn Bhd Dr Mohd Nazlee talk on "Bio Manufacturing In Asia" in the conference. Dr Mohd Nazlee Kamal became CEO of Inno Biologics Sdn Bhd in December 2002. Prior to Nazlee's employment with Inno Biologics, he was the Asean Business Area Manager (Separation) for Amersham Biosciences. he was leading the sales and marketing effort for Separations product range in ASEAN. He was also responsible for technical issues surrounding the protein separation and purification for laboratory and manufacturing scale. Among his contribution was the product trial at Kirin Pharmaceutical, Japan for second generation Erythropoietin production. before that he was the Business Development Manager at Sartorius in 2001 after B.Braun Biotech was bought-over by Sartorius. He was Sales Manager at B.Braun Malaysia from 1997 to 2000. He was instrumental in the business development of B. Braun bioreactors sales and marketing effort in Malaysia. He was a Lecturer at the University of Technology Malaysia from 1986 to 1996.

Nazlee hold a PhD. in Chemical Engineering (Bioprocess) from University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

Nazlee was responsible for the development of the Bioprocess Engineering programme at University Technology Malaysia when he was a member of Bioprocess Engineering Department. He has written numerous papers for journals and presentation at Conferences. He was the inventor of the "External Spinfilter" now marketed by Sartorius BBI Systems.

Public Listed Company

Public listed company that participate at the above function included main board, second board and mesdaq listed company:

Equator Life Science Bhd

Subsidiary of Mesdaq listed Equator Life Science Bhd, Biosmart Sdn Bhd unveil biotechnology waste management system for palm oil plantation companies. An invention joint venture with Taiwan National Chung Hsing University. This is the second Biotechnology product from Taiwan National Chung Hsing University enter Malaysia market. The first is GT&F Milk Powder for diabetic.

Hovid Bhd

Hovid Bhd showcase their Tocovid SupraBio product, Vitamin E from palm oil.It managing Director Mr David Ho Sue San talk on 'Leveraging on Malaysia Natural Products" at the conference and chair the "Progress and Development of Asia's Pharmauceutical Industry" in a conference session.

INS Bioscience Bhd

Mesdaq listed INS Bioscience Bhd showcase their Insupro Forte product for diabetic.

StemLife Berhad

StemLife is tthe first and leading stem cell bank and therapeutics company in Malaysia. Established since 2001, it focuses on stem cell collection and storage providing quality, cost efficient haematologic care. StemLife provides cord blood banking and is the only adult stem cell bank in the region offering storage services to both healthy individuals and patients undergoing therapy. StemLif, in collaboration with doctors offers therapeutic care for heart conditions, cancers, diabetic foot ulcers and leukemia.

TMC Life Sciences Berhad

TMC Lif Sciences Berhad is the only centre in Malaysia to provide a comprehensive range of fertility services including Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis. It is a market leader in Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART). Backed by an R&D International Advisory anel, its pregnancy success rates, are comparable to top In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) centres in UK & USA. Tghe company conducts numerous R&D projects including innovating a patent product which contributes to its high success rates.

Tag: Malaysia: Biotechnology klse

酵素DIY——自制酵素

2006-12-13T23:08:00.000-08:00

《大家健康》酵素速成全集
酵素制作黄钰詠摄影黄俐萍编辑郑瑞丽

党参北芪苹果酵素

功能：补益强身，抗老防癌（适合糖尿病人）

材料：党参50g、北芪20g、红枣50g、枸杞子50g、青苹果3粒（500g）、Oligo 900纯寡糖粉90g /15小包（或Oligo 900纯寡糖浆15汤匙）、椴树花蜜250g或1/4罐

容器：800至1000ml

食材处理：将红枣切开，党参及北芪剪小段。青苹果洗净凉干，切块搅汁。

做法：
1.把药材逐一放入瓶中。
2.将青苹果汁连渣倒入瓶中。
3.加入椴树花蜜与纯寡糖粉（或纯寡糖浆）至8分满，等待发酵30天。

注意事项：
1.党参、北芪属于根茎类药材，需要1个月时间才能完全发酵，发挥功效。
2.药材必须选用无硫磺制或无防腐剂的，远离化学物质。

功能：制作概念由台湾中西医生孙安迪所提倡的滋补强身的药膳处方而来。红枣益气养血安神，又能缓和药性。研究发现红枣能使血中含氧量增强、滋养全身细胞，是一种缓和性强壮剂。而枸杞具有明目益精、润肺、抗衰老、保护肝脏。对视力减退、腰膝酸软、肝肾阴虚等症状有帮助。

党参具有补中益气、生津养血。基本性能和人参相近，效力较微，但不燥不腻。北芪具有补中益气、排毒生肌、利水消肿、增强抵抗力。常用于中气不足、脱肛、子宫下垂，体弱表虚、反复感冒诸症。

青苹果所含的果胶与纤维，有整肠的作用，将苹果打成汁，可加速药膳的发酵。在发酵过程中，菌群的新陈代谢，可把药材的营养成分不断的分解，较小的营养分子让人体更易被吸收消化。

配合上纯寡糖，可使大肠的良菌得到增殖，使大肠正常蠕动，维护肝脏排毒功能，防止毒素累积于血液，减轻肝脏及肾脏的负担。除此之外，大肠良菌又能协助营养消化及吸收，使酵素的功效倍增。结合以上种种，补益强身酵素对想提升免疫系统功能，促进血液循环，清血整肠，加速新陈代谢，保持机体健壮的人士，是个绝佳的选择。

黄梨奇异果酵素

功能：清肠美白材料：黄梨1/2粒、奇异果5粒、柠檬2粒、蔗糖适量（用量多少随酿造者喜好而定）

食材处理：所有材料处理干净；黄梨、奇异果和柠檬去皮切片。

做法:
1.在玻璃瓶底层先铺上一层黄梨和奇异果，再放切片柠檬，然后才撒上一层蔗糖。
2.重复步骤1至玻璃瓶已有8分满，在最上一层撒蔗糖，将瓶口以保鲜纸密封，待两个星期后，就可饮用。

功能：

水果酵素有清肠胃、排毒及调整消化系统运作，而富含维生素C的奇异果更有美白作用。

酵素必成10个秘诀用心

1.好心情、爱心和耐心，做出的酵素能量也高。食材
2.选购外型完美的新鲜蔬果，避免选外皮受损的水果。
3.为避免水果沾农药，可在洗净风干后去皮，选用有机蔬果更合适。过程
4.确保所有容器洗净后，务必晒干或风干。
5.酿制时刀具、沾板，双手保持干净，不能碰到水、油，免得发霉。
6.材料只放8分满，确保发酵过程酵素不会溢出。
7.在堆叠各酵素材料，最后一层材料须放置柠檬和糖，以达到杀菌的效果。
8.瓶口以保鲜纸密封后（或先盖上塑胶纸）才上盖。如用旋转式的瓶子，则不需使用保鲜纸。糖量
9.若发现糖分不足，可在两星期内酵素尚在发酵活跃时加入糖。
10.要放置越久的酵素，应放更多糖份，以免酵素变质发臭。

Technorati Tag: 生物科技酵素 Malaysia food supplement Healthcare 糖尿病

DIY Enzyme

2006-12-07T16:15:00.000-08:00

Like to take Enzyme to improve your health but cannot afford it cost on a long term basis.

Don't worry, 155 and 158 issue of Long Life magazine published recipe of DIY Enzyme for you to make your own enzyme. Now you can produced your own enzyme at home at a significant much lower cost.

Read here

Tag: Malaysia: Enzyme Biotechnology

神奇酵素启动健康的能源

2006-11-20T21:06:00.000-08:00

《大家健康》

文黄碧思整理/编辑郑瑞丽

“酵素”有人自己动手做，也有人从市面上形形色色的酵素补充品中受益。这个人体内本来就有的东西，什么时候也要从体外输进来？神奇的酵素，你了解多少？没有酵素，就没有生命；没有酵素，就没有办法分解食物，无法有效利用和吸收食物的营养。除病抗老，直通健康的人生，先要掌握生命之源。封面故事告诉你酵素和身体的重大关系……

当中西药行架子上，摆放着琳琅满目的保健成品，身边围绕着的都是与健康有关的商品时，我们如何在一片打着“保健”、“养生”牌子的食品、食物中找到真正能改善体质，促进健康的营养来源？

要健康先要找到掌握生命之源，“酵素”（Enzyme）便是主打身体健康的天然元素。在日本，酵素被喻为生命之源，美国自然医学博士圣提诺认为：人体像一颗电灯泡，酵素就是电流，灯泡没有电就不会发亮。“自然疗法之父”王永汉博士也说，一切生命体的运作，完全依靠着酵素。如果没有酵素，举凡细胞的代谢、新生、分解、消化……等，都等于毫无作用。

酵素到底是什么？

既然酵素对人体如此重要，是细胞的动力，酵素到底是什么？酵素是在所有活的动、植物体内均可发现的物质，由蛋白质构成，它是维持身体正常功能、消化食物、修复组织等身体各种化学反应的元素。若缺乏酵素，体内大部分的化学反应便不能进行，甚至引起各种疾病或死亡。

王永汉博士举例说，最容易理解的消化功能，也都是靠体内消化液中的酵素，令淀粉质、蛋白质和脂肪等一一分解，然后转化为能量。酵素不同于药物，除了能改善体质外，酵素的首要功能是增加体力，即代表着酵素是利用全身的作用给予细胞复活，对抗疾病，与利用药物抑制病情症状完全不同。

酵素从哪里来？

台湾知名养生专家林光常博士说明，其实我们的身体本身就有酵素，例如肝脏、胰脏、脾脏，本身就会分泌酵素。我们出生以后，身体里面都储存了一些酵素。

即然身体已有酵素，那为何我们还要补充呢？原因是现代人的饮食一般都缺乏酵素，当我们摄取的食物中缺乏酵素，身体就会分泌库存的酵素，久而久之，体内的酵素会慢慢枯竭。

一旦体内酵素不足，则可能会容易疲倦受困、体力不继、肌肉及背部酸痛、食量大仍骨瘦如柴、肥胖、易胀气、消化不良、胃口不佳、内分泌失调等病症。人的酵素贮存量和能量成正比，需维持体内酵素平衡，才能拥有健康的人生，所以首先应有正常的饮食习惯及健康的生活空间。补充酵素有两大途径：一是生食，另一是摄取酵素补充物。生食蔬果含丰富的酵素，自己动手做蔬果酵素不但成本低，方法也很简单，如果真的没办法多生食，就必须食用天然综合酵素补充物，增加酵素摄入量，进而维持身体健康。

Technorati Tag: 生物科技酵素 Malaysia food supplement Healthcare 糖尿病

Price undercutting a problem that plagued CNI and other MLM Co

2006-11-07T19:51:00.000-08:00

Few weeks ago, The Edge reported that Multi-level marketing (MLM) company CNI Holdings Bhd has missed its profit forecast for the second year running since its listing in 2005.

The main reason given was : price undercutting, a problem that plagued CNI for most of 2005 and continues to eat into the company's profits. (Price undercutting happens when CNI distributors sell the company's products below the recommended retail price in order to increase their sales and profile.)

Mobile stockist

Price undercutting not the only problem of CNI. In fact, majority of MLM company operate in Malaysia face such a problem, especially company that have mobile stiockist.

MLM's distributor only able to earn commission when your downline purchase an item. When another person from a different group buy a goods from you. You get nothing if he/she is not your downline.

However, if you are a stockist. You can sell to a member from different group yet you still get to earn a stockist commission. But you need to meet certain requirement before you entitle to become stockist.

The short cut is, you become mobile stockist.

You can become a mobile stockist if you stock up certain volume of stock at bulk purchase method. The advantages is, if you buy stock in certain volume, your personal sales also move up and you might move up a latter in the MLM hierarchy......Like to Gold Manager or Diamond Manager. Thus, your commission rate also go up other than stockist commission.

However, a person who buy your way up in the MLM business to Gold or Diamond Manager get promoted to such level because of his capital or financing capability, not his marketing capability. Thus, such high level Manager still know little on how to market the company product, causing his stock become slow moving.

In order to increase cash flow, such mobile stockist has to sales off the goods...fast. If he has cash flow problem. One way to sales the goods fast is providing huge discount to customer or what we call price cutting in CNI case. The situation is aggravated if the product have an expiry date. If the company has a large pool of mobile stockist. This can become a price war among a large pool of mobile stockist as everyone compete to cut their price to attract same pool of customer causing other distributor has difficulties market their product as customer can always get the product at a lower price else way. Distributor will start leaving the company as they unable to make profit if they unable to get the product at bulk purchase price.

To get ride of such price cutting problem. Industries veteran said they wouldn't joint a company that have mobile stockist system. However, mobile stockist system is the way a MLM company get back their working capital fast. Few company can resist such temptation to get such large amount of cash. Thus, they will act on short term rather than long term. Looking at the problem of the most successful company in the industries. Company has to find a long term solution on such problem.

Robert Kiyosaki, author of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" stated in one of his book that Henry Ford said if he become bankrupt. He can become millionaire again within 5 years. This is because he learn how to become entrepreneur and become rich. If you become rich by strike a lottery. Chances are, you would lost all your wealth within 5 years. Worst, you do not have the skill to rebuild your wealth.

If you buy your way up in MLM hierarchy, like what a lot of our undergraduate doing. You still do not have the marketing skill, despite you might be a...... Diamond Manager of the company. Robert Kiyosaki state in " The Business School" (This book is about MLM industries by Robert)that one of the advantages of joining a MLM company is the opportunity to learn the marketing and leadership skill. Give yourself a time frame say.....two years. If you have the two skill. Financial reward will come easily and your foundation become stronger than those who buy their way up.
Tag: Malaysia: MLM Biotechnology klse Direct Selling
marketing

Know your diabetes medications

2006-11-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

WHEN you have diabetes, your medications are your best friends, as they will help you keep your condition under control.

“Diabetes control is important, not only to relieve symptoms of high blood glucose but also to reduce the complications of diabetes,” says Dr Hew Fen Lee, consultant endocrinologist.
There are many complications that can occur with uncontrolled diabetes, and none of them are pleasant. You certainly don’t want to end up losing your vision, having your leg amputated, suffering kidney failure, or worst of all, dying from a heart attack.

"Lifestyle modifications with a balanced diet, regular exercise and no smoking are essential to optimise diabetic control,” Dr Hew advises.

However, he adds that in many cases, lifestyle modifications are not adequate. Thus, medications, including insulin, may be needed. These help to keep blood glucose at a level that minimises complications,” he explains.

Is it insulin?

Diabetes treatment is generally divided into insulin injections, oral medications, and/or diet modifications.

Insulin is a hormone produced by your pancreas, and it helps the body use or store the glucose from food. In people with diabetes, the pancreas either no longer makes insulin or the body doesn’t respond well to the insulin.

People with type 1 diabetes must take insulin, while only some people with type 2 diabetes require it. Injecting yourself with insulin every day is something that you will get used to. There are devices like cartridges, pens and pumps, which make it easier to inject the insulin. In the future, we may even have insulin that can be inhaled!

There are many different types of insulin, such as rapid-acting, fast-acting, intermediate-acting, long-acting and pre-mixed. Your doctor will prescribe the right one for you based on your lifestyle, preferences and control of blood glucose.

If you are a type 1, you should never stop taking your insulin because it can be dangerous and life-threatening.

Insulin has very few side-effects, besides low blood glucose or hypoglycaemia. To avoid “hypo” situations, get to know your body and how activity, exercise, stress or different foods affect your blood glucose levels.

“Take regular meals and (adjust) the insulin to certain situations, for example when fasting during Ramadan, or during illnesses,” Dr Hew suggests.

“It important to monitor your blood glucose regularly to optimise blood glucose control and minimise hypoglycaemia,” he adds.

Oral medications?

Some people with Type 2 diabetes need to take pills. There are five different kinds of oral medications: sulfonylureas, meglitinides, thiazolidinediones and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors.
Overwhelmed by all these long names? Don’t be – your doctor will help you decide which type of medication is best for you.

Each type of medication works in different ways, by stimulating your pancreas to release more insulin, decreasing the amount of glucose produced by your liver, making your tissues more sensitive to insulin or blocking the breakdown of starches in the intestines. Although you may have some side effects like loose stool, water retention, or hunger and hypoglycaemia (depending on the type of medication), “many of these side effects are mild and can be relieved by taking the medications as per instructions,” Dr Hew assures. “It is important to keep to the follow-up appointments, so that the doctor can monitor your side effects.”

Time your meals regularly to your medications, so that you won’t have “hypo” episodes. At some point later, your doctor may add on another medication to what you have been taking. Don’t despair – this is not a sign that you or your doctor has failed.

“That means the existing medication is not working adequately. Thus, another type of medication may have to be added in order to further improve diabetes control,” Dr Hew reasons.

The good news is, your doctor may be able to reduce your medication if your diabetes control improves over time.

“Regular exercise and dietary modifications can help to optimise blood glucose control,” says Dr Hew. However, if you do not exercise and gain weight instead, your doctor will just have to keep increasing your medications.

No matter how effective diabetes medications and insulin are, it is still up to you to control your diabetes successfully. So be a healthier person – your doctor will applaud you for it the next time he sees you!

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Diabetes Diabetic Malaysia food supplement Health & wellness Chronic

Excerpt from The Star

This article is courtesy of Nestle Nutrition. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader’s own medical care. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.

A step away from diabetes

2006-11-07T19:10:00.000-08:00

IF you are over 40, and even if you feel healthy, a test for diabetes is always a good idea. While a blood glucose test may reveal that you do not have diabetes, it could help identify if you have Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT), which is also referred to as prediabetes.

You have IGT when your test shows blood glucose levels of between 5.6 mmol/l and 6.9 mmol/l.

What is IGT?

IGT is an early sign that you may be at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It is the stage between having normal blood glucose levels and type 2 diabetes. And, a good percentage of people over 40 have IGT. (Note: People with IGT experience a greater rise in blood glucose level after eating carbohydrates while their fasting level is normal or moderately raised.)

What causes IGT?

IGT is caused by a combination of a weakened secretion of insulin and reduced sensitivity of the body’s cells to insulin or insulin resistance. Insulin resistance occurs when your pancreas secretes normal amounts of insulin to regulate sugar but the body cells resist or do not respond.
Insulin resistance is a growing concern because more and more people are becoming obese and physically inactive – both these factors aggravate insulin resistance.

The risk of heart disease rises exponentially for people with insulin resistance, high blood sugar, high amounts of blood fats and low levels of good cholesterol. Add high blood pressure in that equation, and you have Syndrome X.

Who is at risk of getting IGT?

Older people, Asians, people who are overweight and carrying a lot of fat in the abdominal region, those who are physically inactive, had low birth weight and genetic factors.
People with IGT have a 40% to 50 % chance of developing type 2 diabetes within 10 years. Once you have IGT, the body’s ability to deal with carbohydrates declines, resulting in type 2 diabetes. IGT also increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

How is IGT confirmed?

One of the tests used is oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). The test measures blood glucose levels two hours after consuming a 75-gram glucose solution. You have IGT if your blood glucose level is more than 7.8 mmol/l but less than 11.1 mmol/l. You have diabetes if your blood glucose level is more than 11.1 mmol/l.

Read carefully: The test will show how good a job the insulin is doing to help your body cells and muscles take up glucose from the bloodstream after a meal.

If there isn’t enough insulin or it’s not working properly, the glucose will stay in the bloodstream – resulting in a high blood glucose reading.

How to treat IGT?

Increase your level of physical activity, achieve a healthy weight and follow a healthy, balanced diet. All these help reduce your progression to type 2 diabetes. Medication is not normally prescribed for IGT.

Research has revealed that diets very low in fat may aggravate the effect of insulin resistance on blood lipids.

Do not avoid naturally fatty foods, but limit saturated fats. Avoid hydrogenated oils and fried foods. For hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose) symptoms eat smaller more frequent meals. Snacks should be non-starchy vegetables, nuts, seeds or protein foods.

Excerpt from The Star

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Diabetes Diabetic Malaysia food supplement Health & wellness Chronic

This information is courtesy of Roche Diagnostics.The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader’s own medical care.

The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.

Road Builder and Hybrid rice cultivation in Malaysia

2006-11-06T18:51:00.000-08:00

In Malaysia, a pilot hybrid rice experimental plot is already underway, with initial planting already showing excellent results. Located in Kuala Rompin, Pahang, the project – which is operated by RB Biotech Sdn Bhd – began in May 2006, with an initial development area of 27.2ha.

Road Builder Group, as part of its CSR project, began undertaking this initiative during Tan Sri Chua Hock Chin’s tenure as the company's executive vice-chairman. Now, upon retiring from a busy corporate life that has taken up his focus for the past 21 years, Chua is determined to enhance the research and development on hybrid rice in a bigger way.

At this point, it is still considered early days, but already the undertaking promises much bigger things, because by 2007, the total development area is expected to be close to 1,000ha.

Rice is second only to wheat in terms of cultivation, and represents the staple food for more than half the world’s population, primarily in Asia.

Yet, while levels of per capita intake of rice around the world continue to climb each year, the land area utilised for cultivation continues to become smaller, everywhere.
Malaysia, for example, is only about 65% self-sufficient in rice production, and with a shrinking area of production and a growing population, the means to achieving complete self-sufficiency looks remote.

Part of it is due to the lack of glamour and low income generally associated with rice production. There is a lot of work involved, usually for very little returns in monetary terms. In larger-scale ventures, this is less of a problem, but even then, oil palm, for instance, is seen as a more lucrative business.

Despite the subsidisation of items such as seeds, fertilisers and machinery, rice cultivation is more often than not seen as not being rewarding enough for many, who are moving away from this way of life.

Besides natural conditions that determine and affect the overall productivity cycle, things such as fluctuating yields and a shortage of affordable labour are not helping to alleviate the situation. This is reflected in the area of overall cultivation, which is decreasing, the land either abandoned or left idle.

One way to arrest the decline in rice production is by means of introducing hybrid rice cultivation, which would address inconsistent yield rates and marginal income returns that affect ordinary (inbred) rice production.

Developed in China, the beginnings came when a male sterility gene was identified in a variety of wild rice. A successful transfer of the gene by Chinese scientists allowed the creation of the first generation hybrids in 1974.

With the first examples being made available to farmers in 1976, hybrid rice is now responsible for more than 65% of China’s total rice production, with more than half of the country’s total rice land currently planted with hybrid rice.

Possibly the most important element of hybrid rice is the higher output and yield rate in returns – the average yields are at least 50% higher than the best inbred varieties. On average, the yield is about six tonnes per hectare, but with favourable environment and proper field management, this can be easily double that figure.

Furthermore, it is possible to have five seasons of planting in two years, which is not achievable with traditional means.

“The Ministry of Agriculture aims for the country to be 95% self-sufficient, from currently 65%, which means more acreage to be planted and developed in the near future. With hybrid rice technology, this is very much attainable,” Chua told Sunday Star in an exclusive interview.

“It is essential to develop new and young rice farmers. They need to be trained with new technology and techniques. This encompasses the utilisation of optimum quantity of the right fertiliser, pesticides and modular farm equipment, machinery that is proven suitable and affordable for smallholders.

“The Pahang government has been very supportive and generous in providing about 15ha of land for the development of the R&D centre for hybrid rice in Kampung Paya Tebu Hitam in Kuala Rompin.

“This centre will have its own laboratory, green houses and test plots. It will enable all R&D and training activities to be done on site, which is located adjacent to the commercial plantation area. It will take about 10 years to mature,” Chua said.

“Currently, there are three hybrid rice scientists and three hybrid rice technicians stationed in Kuala Rompin. They are actively developing new varieties that will be suitable for commercialisation, based on our local climate, soil and environment conditions.

“By early 2007, five scientists will be based in Kuala Rompin to further enhance R&D activities. The estimated cost of the R&D facilities is going to be approximately RM25mil,” he added.
Chua’s partner in the community project, Chen Long-Chen, agrees that it is essential to train farmers to look at rice farming in a new way. The Taiwanese-born, Singapore-based chairman of Best Wishes Agritech Holdings Limited has been in the hybrid rice research and development business since 1991 and, as such, knows precisely what he is talking about.

“Education is the key. Explaining the benefits and how to best work with hybrid rice is very important if the entire programme is to be successful,” he said.

Chen, who has achieved notable success in hybrid rice production in the Philippines before this, believes that it should be no different here, though production in different countries has different criteria to fulfil.

“Obviously, the type of rice produced has to be suited to planting in local conditions, as well as cater to demand in taste. You cannot simply choose a variety that may be exceptional, but not suitable here.

“Likewise, the final product will have to be what local consumers want; in the case of top-quality locally, it is Thai jasmine fragrant rice.”

The creation of hybrid rice is by means of crossing two parents that are genetically different and distant from each other. With careful screening and matching, the resultant offspring will exhibit superiority over an inbred, derived from the best aspects present in both its parents.

This, of course, means that selective adaptation to the ecological environment it is going to be located in is a prerequisite. The wrong choice of hybrid simply offers no advantage in terms of yield.

Correctly matched to the environment, a hybrid will exhibit many advantages over its inbred cousins during the growth stage. Its roots are two to three times more that that of normal varieties, thus allowing it to absorb higher levels of water and fertiliser, and hybrids have a higher production of leaves, as well as larger leaves, lending it the ability to produce superior rice. Conversely, there is a need for higher amount of fertiliser and water than with inbreds.
There is also a different scope in how seedlings are managed. For one, the level of attention needed in growing seedlings is greater, and there is a requirement for sparse seeding to promote vigorous growth.

Though more expensive to produce, less seeds are needed per hectare, about 20kg compared to 100-200kg needed for inbreds. The use of new seeds every season is a prerequisite; otherwise, it will result in non-uniform growth.

The different terminologies for hybrids are classified as such: The A Line is the female plant, which is also known as the cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS). This is the seed parent, and is produced by crossing with a B Line.

The B Line is genetically the same as the A Line, except for fertility (it is not male sterile). It holds the key to “patenting” the hybrid, and is also known as maintainer because it preserves the sterility of A. The R Line is the male parent; the R is short for restorer, because it restores fertility in the hybrid seed.

The F1 is what is termed the hybrid seed, and is a product of crossing A with R. It is essentially the first filial generation, and is supposed to perform better than either parent.

Technically, it is not classified as a genetically modified organism (GMO). Finally, there is F2, which is harvested from F1 plants, and is sold as commercial rice.

Currently, the total land area at the Rompin project is made up of an A x B research plot that is 0.7ha, a 3.5ha A x R seed production area and a 23ha F1 rice production area, the entire development being supervised by three Chinese scientists who have extensive experience from working on the subject in the Philippines.

By December, the total development area will be expanded to 293ha, of which 280ha is slated for F1 rice planting. Sixty-five types of rice seeds are being cultivated at the moment, and these will be used for determining what will be in the end the parent seeds for eventual production purposes, according to Chen. “The cultivation in Rompin will effectively be for printing the parent seeds; production seeds can be done across the country.

Likewise, the research centre here will cover the whole country’s needs in terms of research, development and education,” he said.

A visit to the site recently showed that the promise is shaping up well. The air was filled with the scent of fragrant pilot F1 plants, and the Chinese scientists were busy at work implementing further planting for the next phase. The coming months will see more machinery coming in, according to Chua.

“The plan is to do direct seeding and we will be bringing in multi-purpose machines to cope with the expansion.” It is obvious that the subject is close to Chua’s heart – his vision and goal for the project is admirable.

“Our target for Malaysian rice farmers is to plant 250,000ha of hybrid rice across the country,” he stated.

There is still some time before the lofty ideal of full self-sustainability in rice production is achieved, but the wheels of that promise have been well and truly set in motion.

Excerpt from The Star Pictures by ANTHONY LIM and courtesy of RB Biotech

Tag: Malaysia: Health & wellness Biotechnology klse hybrid rice

Diabetes – back to basics

2006-11-06T18:27:00.000-08:00

DIABETES is a serious ailment. Yet, it remains a mystery to many people. The general attitude is, “Heard of it. Read about it.” “I haven’t checked if I have it.” “I don’t have it, so I don’t need to care, right?”

In Malaysia, 10 out of every 100 people over the age of 35 have diabetes.

In Asia, diabetes and not bird flu is the bigger threat to lives.

Globally, diabetes is rated as the fourth largest killer disease. The statistics should be enough to make us want to care and jump to action.

If you have any of the following symptoms, take a diabetes test:

Frequent urination

Excessive thirst

Unexplained weight loss

Unusual hunger

Extreme fatigue

Irritability

Frequent infections

Blurred vision

Slow-to-heal cuts and bruises

Vaginitis or recurring yeast infections in women

Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet

Recurring skin, gum or bladder infections

If you answer yes to any of the following, you are at risk!

You have a family history of diabetes

You are 20% over a healthy weight or obese

You lead a sedentary lifestyle

You had abnormal glucose levels during pregnancy or had a baby who was nine pounds or more at birth

You are 45 or older

You have low HDL cholesterol or high overall cholesterol and/or triglyceride levels.

You have very high blood pressure.

What is diabetes?

There is type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas either no longer produces insulin or not enough insulin. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas makes insulin but the body is not able to use it properly.

Why do we need insulin?

Insulin helps our cells take in fuel in the form of blood sugar or glucose. Glucose is produced when we digest food. If glucose doesn’t get into the cells, it weakens.

The glucose then builds up in the blood stream, damaging our blood vessels and organs.

Why don’t we know we have symptoms?

First, it is not obvious because we feel fine, and second, it hides behind other ailments like cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, nerve damage and eye disease.

By the time we know we have it, it is firmly established and would be difficult to treat. Of the 16 million people with diabetes, only a third realise they have it.

Is there a cure?

No. But, with the right treatment and regular monitoring, we can get our blood sugar back to acceptable levels, and we can lead a normal and healthy lifestyle.

Who is at risk?

Type 1 diabetes often occurs in people less than 30, who are not overweight. Type 2 diabetes typically develops in people over 30, who have one or more risk factors.

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Diabetes Diabetic Malaysia food supplement Health & wellness Chronic

Excerpt from The Star

Note: This information is courtesy of Roche Diagnostics.The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.

Poor leg circulation

2006-10-24T21:49:00.000-07:00

BY Dr ALEX TANG

DIABETES mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease affecting up to 10% of adult population.
There are two types of DM: type 1 and type 2. Type 2 DM comprises more than 95% of DM cases in Asia, including Malaysia.

If DM is not well controlled, it can lead to many complications. The high blood glucose levels over a period of time, coupled with the features of metabolic syndrome, cause damage to the blood vessels, which in turn, result in damage to many organs. They include coronary artery disease (heart disease), stroke, poor leg circulation (peripheral vascular disease, PVD), nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy), blindness, kidney failure (nephropathy), and foot ulcers.

All sorts of leg problems

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a common disorder, affecting about 3-4% of diabetics.
Foot ulcers are the result of a combination of nerve damage (causing sensory loss in the feet), blocked arteries (causing poor leg circulation, PVD) and infection.

When there is poor leg circulation, a person’s ability to heal wounds and overcome infection is severely compromised, resulting in tissue loss and gangrenous (dead) toes that may require amputation.

Poor awareness of foot care among diabetics may lead to the last resort: amputation

Poor leg circulation (peripheral vascular disease, PVD) accounts for about 15% of DFU. It is the result of blocked leg arteries at the thigh or below the knee. In the early stage, it causes leg cramps, medically known as “claudication” on walking, and disappears after rest. The walking distance shortens progressively. Many patients blame it on arthritis or “wind”.

As the disease progresses, it causes pain in the arch or forefoot while at rest or during the night. The foot may become bluish or “cyanotic” when it is lowered, and pallid (pale) when it is elevated. The foot pulses are usually absent.

At this stage, it is considered very critical, and the risk of amputating the foot or leg is extremely high. Medically, it is called critical limb ischaemia (CLI). Urgent medical attention is needed to unblock the clogged arteries.

In some patients, the poor circulation (limb ischaemia) may present acutely. Acute limb ischaemia needs to be treated urgently to save the limbs. An irreversible gangrene (dead limb) occurs if the foot is already cold, bluish, paralysed and numbed.

PVD shares the same disease process as coronary artery disease and stroke. The common predisposing causes are diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, sedentary lifestyle and obesity.

In Malaysia, PVD is commonly neglected. This is because of poor awareness among the public and even some doctors.

Poor outcome

Within three months of presentation of CLI, 9% of the patients run a risk of death, 1% the risk of heart attack , 1% the risk of stroke, 18% a risk of persistent CLI and 12% a risk of amputation. The one-year mortality rate is 21% and the two-year mortality rate is 31.6%. The risk of dying is far higher compared with breast, colon or rectum cancer.

The prevalence of amputation is estimated at about 500-1000 per million population. In Malaysia, there are thousands of amputation cases a year. The risk of amputation increases eight times in diabetic foot ulcers. About 85% of the amputees are diabetics.

The amputations usually start at the toes. If the circulation remains poor, it is usually followed by ascending amputations at the mid-foot, below the knee and finally, above the knee.

The earlier you discover poor leg circulation problems, the more options you have for treatment. Courtesy of The Institute for Plastination

50% of below-the-knee amputations (BKA) will have to be converted to above-the-knee amputations (AKA), if the blocked circulation is not revascularised. The physical trauma and limitation in AKA is extreme. Only less than 20% of the AKA amputees remain independent one year later. Hence, all possibilities should be explored to save limbs.

Detection and prevention

There are many ways to identify PVD. Early detection makes treatment easy and prevents the need for amputation. Detection of PVD can be done through clinical inspection and examination.
One should emphasise the footwear and hygiene of the patient. Look for foot ulcers, cuts, wounds and skin discolouration (gangrene patch), and avoid corns and sharp nails. Feel for foot pulses regularly. Routine blood tests, follow-up with doctors and being aware of symptoms, such as leg cramps on walking or at rest, are critical. If signs of discolouration or absent pulses are detected, medical attention is required. You should see a doctor and have the following radiological tests performed.

One is a simple and basic study of the leg arteries, called Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI). ABI is a measure of the blood pressure difference between the arms and the calves. It is a painless procedure, like taking routine blood pressure. However, ABI is not always accurate, especially if the arteries are hardened, typically in chronic diabetes.

If ABI falls below 0.9, further evaluation of the arteries should be done with colour Doppler ultrasound, CT scan, MRI or catheter angiogram. All of these, except the catheter angiogram, are non-invasive and are painless outpatient investigations.

Catheter angiogram requires a puncture to be made over the groin artery, followed by inserting a tiny tube up the main artery (aorta) for a detailed study of the lower limb arteries. It is usually reserved for cases with intention to treat.

Treatment options

Treatment of PVD will depend on the severity of the blocked arteries.

In general, the mainstay of treatment is intensive medical treatment in controlling underlying pre-disposing factors.

These include optimal control of high blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, weight reduction, quitting smoking and starting on anti-platelet (blood thinning) agents, such as aspirin. Physical exercise, especially brisk walking, at least 30 minutes twice a week is necessary. Brisk walking is essential in encouraging more circulation to bypass the blocked arteries.

In more severe or critical cases, some form of procedure must be done to improve the blood circulation down the feet. The conventional approach involves a bypass surgery, connecting a new tube (graft) between the arteries in the pelvis or groin, down to the knee or ankle. In the long term, the bypass remains open in 65% to 70% of cases.

In chronic diabetes, the occlusion usually occurs below the knee. These arteries are very small (less than 3mm diameter) and are usually extensively diseased. Bypass surgery is frequently not feasible because of poor downstream flow or blockage.

A relatively new subspecialty in medicine, called interventional radiology or endovascular therapy, has developed in the last 15 years. New miniature devices have been invented and can be used to treat these cases when the surgery is not feasible.

A procedure called angioplasty, using balloons and wires, can be done to unblock the diseased arteries. This procedure is usually performed by interventional radiologists. The success rate is better for small arteries below the knee. However, it may not be workable if the disease is too severe, late or too heavily calcified.

The limb salvage rate using angioplasty is quite favourable, especially in cases when surgery is not an option. The limb salvage rate is in the range of 70% in one year.

In patients who present with toe or foot gangrene, revascularisation with an angioplasty or bypass surgery can be performed first, before any form of amputation or debridement. This can ensure enough blood circulation reaches the foot and toes, and improve wound healing after the removal of the dead tissue.

In the critically ischaemic limbs, amputation is frequently inevitable.
Poor leg circulation is a dangerous disease. Proper screening, quitting smoking, walking exercise, anti-platelet medications and early intervention before gangrene sets in can save limbs and lives.

There are many options for treatment. The earlier it is discovered, the better your choices are. Angioplasty or endovascular therapy should be considered prior to surgery in appropriate candidates. If you are at risk or have symptoms of poor leg circulation, you need to consult a doctor to have the arteries checked.

Remember: if your leg hurts when you walk, it isn’t always arthritis! Seek medical attention and keep the “feet for life”. If you need more information, visit the following websites:

Society of Interventional Radiology, USAwww.sirweb.org/patPub/pvdPad.shtml

Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europewww.cirse.org/index.php?pid=93

The University of Texas Health Science Centrewww.uth.tmc.edu/anes/wound/critical_ischemia.htm

Family Doctorhttp://familydoctor.org/008.xml

Mayo Clinicwww.mayoclinic.com/health/peripheral-arterial-disease/DS00537

College of Radiology, Academy of Medicine Malaysiahttp://www.radiologymalaysia.org/

Endovascular & Interventional NeuroRadiologyhttp://www.einr.org/

Excerpt from The Star

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Diabetes Diabetic Malaysia food supplement Health & wellness Chronic

Dr Milton Lum is Chairperson of the Commonwealth Medical Trust. This article provides general information only and is not intended to replace, dictate or define evaluation by a qualified doctor. The views expressed do not represent that of any organisation that the writer is associated with.

This article is contributed by The Star Health & Ageing Panel, which comprises a group of panellists who are not just opinion leaders in their respective fields of medical expertise, but have wide experience in medical health education for the public.

The Star Health & Ageing Advisory Panel provides this information for educational and communication purposes only and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader’s own medical care.

The Star Health & Ageing Advisory Panel disclaims any and all liability for injury or other damages that could result from use of the information obtained from this article.

Testing for glucose

2006-10-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

By DR MILTON LUM

DIABETES is a common condition. It is estimated that about 10% of the population are currently diabetics.

If left untreated or inadequately treated, diabetes is associated with complications that affect the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, feet, skin, genitals, eyes and brain. The health impact of these complications is considerable, eg 47% of new cases of end-stage renal failure are due to diabetes. The key to the prevention of the complications of diabetes is good control; one can then expect to live a normal life span free of complications.

Urine glucose

The urine is often tested for glucose. When the blood glucose is above a certain level, it spills into the urine. This can be easily tested by dipping a testing strip into the urine. The change in colour of the strip indicates there is glucose; the intensity of the change indicates the amount of glucose present. As most individuals do not normally have glucose in the urine, its presence would indicate the possibility of diabetes.

However, there may be spillage of glucose into the urine in some individuals whose blood glucose level is within the normal range – particularly during pregnancy. These people are said to have a lowered renal threshold. This places a limitation on urine glucose testing. So, when there is glucose in the urine, the doctor would advise testing for blood glucose to confirm or exclude diabetes.

Blood glucose

There are a few tests for blood glucose. After taking the blood from an individual, it is put into a bottle that contains substances which prevent the blood from clotting.

(a) Random blood glucose

This blood test is carried out at any time of the day when there is suspicion of diabetes. A reading of greater than 11 mmol/L indicates that the individual has diabetes.

(b) Fasting blood glucose

A random blood glucose level that is less than 11 mmol/L does not necessarily mean that the individual is not diabetic as the test is not 100% accurate. A measurement of the blood glucose after fasting overnight is much more accurate. If the blood glucose is greater than 6 mmol/L, it indicates that the individual has diabetes.

(c) Glucose tolerance test

This test is carried out when there is doubt as to whether an individual has diabetes. After he has fasted overnight, a drink containing 75g dose of glucose is given and a sample of blood is taken two hours later to test for blood glucose. A non-diabetic will be able to deal with this amount of glucose easily. If the blood glucose is greater than 11 mmol/L, then it indicates the individual has diabetes.

Additional tests

When a diagnosis of diabetes is made, the doctor will prescribe diet, exercise and, if necessary, medication to control it.

(a) HbA1c

Blood measurements of HbA1c are carried out periodically to assess the quality of blood glucose control. Blood glucose is attached to part of the red blood cells. A measurement of HbA1c provides information about the average blood glucose control in the preceding two to three months. The target should be a HbA1c of 7% or less. If the level is more than 7%, the doctor will advise additional measures to improve the diabetic control, eg more exercise and dieting, and additional dose of medication.

(b) Glucometer

Many diabetics use a home device called a glucometer to help them check on their control of the blood glucose. Their fingers are pricked and the blood obtained is applied to a strip that contains a chemical. The strip is then put into the glucometer to measure the blood glucose level in a short time. The doctor will advise on the frequency of testing and what to do when the results are available.

Blood lipids

Blood lipids cholesterol is a fat (lipid) that is produced by the liver from the fat in the food that we eat.

All of us have a certain amount of cholesterol in our blood for the body to carry out its various functions. The cholesterol is transported in the blood as part of compounds called lipoproteins. The high-density lipoproteins (HDL) prevent the formation of fat deposits in the arteries (atheroma) which is the main cause of cardiovascular disease like heart attacks and strokes. The low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are mainly involved in the formation of atheroma. The former is commonly called the “good” cholesterol and the latter the “bad” cholesterol.

Studies have reported that a 1% reduction of LDL will result in a 1% reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease.

The blood lipids reflect the amount of dietary fat in most people. This is not always the case as the same amount of fat intake can result in different levels of blood lipids in different individuals. However, in general, the lower the amount of fat consumed, the lower will be the blood lipids. Some individuals have high blood lipid levels because of certain conditions affecting them, eg obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, underactive thyroid gland.

Some families have high blood lipids because of an inherited genetic problem that affects the production of cholesterol. The measurement of blood lipids is also affected by acute stress or illness, e.g. fever, surgery, acute heart attack, and medicines, e.g. steroids, beta blockers, thiazides.

The blood lipids are measured, after an overnight fast, in a laboratory or by desktop machines which are found in many clinics. The results from desktop machines provide satisfactory results. It is common for more than one measurement to be taken because of biological and laboratory variability. The former is due to the fact that blood lipids are subject to variation for several reasons. The second sample is usually taken a few weeks after the first. The following values are considered desirable by doctors:
(a) Total cholesterol (TC) of 5.0 mmol/L or less;
(b) High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol of 1.2 mmol/L or more;
(c) Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol of at least 3.0 mmol/L or less (the lower, the better);
(d) Triglycerides of 2.3 mmol/L or less; and
(e) TC/HDL, i.e. total cholesterol divided by HDL cholesterol ratio of 4.5 or less.
In general, the higher the cholesterol is, the greater the danger it poses to an individual’s cardiovascular health. In deciding on the risk, the blood lipids are among the factors considered. Other factors include age, sex, blood pressure, smoking, etc. Your doctor will advise you on the risk and what to do, if necessary, to achieve optimal cardiovascular health.

Excerpt from The Star
Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Diabetes Diabetic Malaysia food supplement Health & wellness GT&F Milk Powder Chronic
Dr Milton Lum is Chairperson of the Commonwealth Medical Trust. This article provides general information only and is not intended to replace, dictate or define evaluation by a qualified doctor. The views expressed do not represent that of any organisation that the writer is associated with.

神奇酵素启动健康的能源

2006-10-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

Taiwan's GLC in beauty and cosmetic industry, from salt to biotechnology

2006-10-08T20:38:00.000-07:00

Taiwan veteran and most successful beauty and cosmetic brand is driven by private sector company call Sofnon. Sofnon own several international brand like New York Always Black , German Nobori, low cost product for teenages PLUS+ , and Italy in Ocean. Chairman,Champion Huang started the company in 1977.

In 2001, Taiyen or Taiwan Salt Industrial Corporation(A GLC) diversified to biotechnology and beauty and cosmetic industry. In 2003, the company has become a giant in beauty and cosmetic industry in Taiwan. Beauty and cosmetic industry become a strategic industry that promoted by Taiwan government. With low entry barrier lead to a number of new entrant in the industry.

To date, Sofnon and Taiyen remain the leader in the industry.

Bio Core Inc, one of the top three biotechnology company in US, invested 1.7 billion in Research and introduced Nano & Biotechnology series of Collagen products for medical treatment. Bio Core claim that there are the first company to obtain FDA approvals for sale of collagen based wound care products in it website.

Taiyen, uses Collagen products from Bio Core Inc and turn it into Pharmaceutical type products namely Medifil and Skin Temp II which are commonly use in the hospital for diabetic patient with chronic lesion and also burned patient for skin repair treatment respectively also known as skin grafting surgery.

The product is suitable for use on all kinds of cuts and wounds on the skin, such as burnt skin, scalded skin, difficult to heal wounds of diabetics patients. The result are exceedingly proven.

Taiyen together with Bio Core spent 1.5 billion to develop this technology.

International cosmetic brand Coco Chanel try to bid for the distribution right from Taiyen but Taiyen eventually grant the right to a direct selling company in Taiwan call Topoa.

The company have a series of product. However, their flagship product call Bio Collagen A+B Skin Repair Essence. A few of my friends used to spend RM5,000 for 5 treatment in beauty salon, this mean each treatment equivalent to RM1,000 but they never see their improvement on their skin after 5 treatment.

Most of my friends who spend just RM424 on the product claim that the result is much more visible after a few day. Their husband also claim that this low cost product is far more effective than the expensive treatment from beauty salon.

This is because the product developed using a technology use by pharmaceutical product to heal burn patient.

Technorati Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Health & wellness Biotechnology

Melaka state government biotech initiatives

2006-09-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

Professor Dr Farida Shah, formerly professor of molecular biology at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). was for three years the CEO of the Melaka Biotech Corporation, an initiative set up by the state government to build its own biotech industry.

She set up the Melaka Institute of Biotechnology (MIB), which is the first state-owned biotech Institute. The MIB is based on the Karolinska Institute of Sweden where science and business are under one set-up. Our focus is agro-biotechnology, herbal and medicinal plants and pharmacogenomics.

Melaka Biotech Holdings Sdn Bhd (MBH) aims to make the state a growth catalyst for biotechnology.

Lastly, the Melaka Biotechnology Corporation was incorporated and formalised in 2005 with the two entities under its umbrella.

"I set up a committee to develop a biotechnology course for diploma holders at Kolej Teknologi Islam Antarabangsa in Melaka, which will hopefully be the feeder for biotech students in other universities." She said in an interview with The Edge shortly before she resigned.

Melaka are in the process of setting up five companies, two spin-offs from MIB and In Vitro Tech Sdn Bhd, involving plant tissue culture production, and TBE Sdn Bhd (essential oils and herbal extracts) with cooperation from Mara. We signed an agreement with DNAPRo for the production of vaccines, using technology from Cuba, and Healol Malaysia for the production of nutraceuticals. When everything is in place, these companies will be parked in Masjid Tanah Industrial Park.

Bureaucracy,red tape and no communication between state and federal government

In an interview with The Edge. she said "I was not popular with some state government officials because biotech cannot wait for slow government bureaucracy and red tape but fortunately, the chief minister intervened and pushed biotech. " She add "We have had no communication from Malaysian Biotechnology Corp and Malaysian Technology Development Corporation regarding how state initiatives can be beneficiaries of programmes and activities at the federal level."

"the state lacks funds for full biotech development and gets no support from the federal government. We have been working on a very, very small budget."

Graduates not "job ready"

"Most of the graduates we interviewed lacked hands-on experience in spite of the fact that they were supposed to have done a project in their final year. Most were not "job ready". "

Difficulties to competete with Singapore

"Of course, it's difficult to get graduates with MSc or PhD because the salaries are not in line with their qualifications, so most of them prefer to work in Singapore where salaries are higher and scientific working conditions are better. " She add.

Prior to that, in September, 2005. She told The Edge that "Every year, I see some of my students, who are good research candidates, go down to Singapore,” “My ex-colleagues at UKM face this problem as well. We are subsidising Singapore’s human resources.” Even after she has moved on to manage MBH, the spectre of Singapore continues to haunt her. “I wanted to employ these two researchers who came back from the United States,” she says, “but in the end they accepted a better offer from Singapore.” She says the lack of a proper career path for research scientists is hurting the nation. “The government should do a comprehensive survey of where are our students today.

How many of them go into sales and how many go to Singapore or other countries like the US and the UK.” She suggests Malaysia (in September 2005) take a look at what France is doing. “They employ good local researchers and attache them to various research institutes in the country.” The French Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) is reportedly the world’s largest research body, employing 26,000 staff and 11,600 researchers in 1,300 laboratories.

What groundwork and policies need to be in place

Dr Farida view that We also need to address how the country will benefit in the long run from sustainable development, capacity building, production of knowledge workers, increasing the ratio of scientists per million population, building our own innovations and intellectual property, and so on, which is what real biotechnology development is all about.

TAG:Malaysia:Biotechnology: pharmaceutical:

Malaysia should study Taiwan vaccine venture to avoid failure

2006-09-27T21:05:00.000-07:00

Malaysia biotechnology venture has been emphasis on vaccine recently.

First, Universiti Sains Malaysia is now working with Cuba’s Finlay Institute to develop vaccines for tuberculosis (TB) and meningitis. The partners would work on producing a TB vaccine first.

Then, the setting up of National Institute of Natural Products, Vaccines and Biologicals (9BIO) at Enstek Technology Park. Bandar Enstek is located in the Sepang-Nilai southern corridor of the Klang Valley near KLIA and Putrajaya, a project by TH Properties Sdn Bhd.

A partnership between an Islamic country and multinational companies in the production of vaccines. The OIC (Organisation of the Islamic Conference) countries, in particular, have been very receptive to ideato fulfilll the need for halal vaccines around the world.

9BIO, one of the Ninth Malaysia Plan projects approved under the private financing initiatives on a 25.1ha piece of land, consists of a bio-containment research and development facility as well as a bio-manufacturing facility. The cost of the project was estimated at RM350mil. The institute was expected to produce its first vaccines by 2010.

Ekovest Bhd and Faber Group Bhd joint venture to undertake the privatisation of the construction and maintenance of the national institute with the Health Ministry. Ã“It provides Ekovest with an opportunity to make its foray into the medical and healthcare industry as we understand that the market for vaccines and herbal medicine is huge,Ã” Ekovest executive vice-chairman Datuk Lim Kang Hoo said.

This should be the 3rd construction company in Malaysia involve in healthcare and biotechnology industry. First, UEM Group via Faber and Pharmniaga. Second, TH Group Bhd (Note: different from TH Properties above which is under Tabung Haji), a timber extraction company which has diversified to contracting services and construction, acquired NCI Cancer Hospital (NCICH), formerly known as Nilai Cancer Hospital in Nilai, Seremban, via its holding company Asiaprise Biotech Sdn Bhd at the end of year 2003.

NCI Cancer Hospital founded in 1999 by Dr Kim Tan, a leading UK-based biotech entrepreneur, who has been label Dr Biotech and had founded and listed three biotechnology companies on foreign stock exchanges.

Now, Ekovest Bhd, a main board listed construction company, which control another second board listed construction company PEMBINAAN LIMBONGAN SETIA BHD (PLS) and involved in Danga Bay project, a project expected to benefited from South Johor Economic Region (SJER) announced it venture in the industry.

Taiwan has a bad experience in biotechnology industry especially in vaccine venture. Thus, government, private sector and University have to study the experience of Taiwan's government fail venture to avoid making the same mistake. One of the successful biotechnology venture in Taiwan was driven by private sector and not in vaccine.

TAG:Malaysia:Biotechnology: pharmaceutical:klse

Malaysia Agricultural links with Holland

2006-09-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

Holland is opening a regional office for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality here this month (September), to reciprocate Malaysia’s posting of an agricultural attaché to Amsterdam in January. The regional office, which will also cover the Philippines and Singapore.

The Netherlands accounts for nearly a quarter of European vegetable exports and is a major producer and international trader of flowers, meat and meat products, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, chocolate, starch derivatives and seed.

Despite a steady decline in the number of farms over the past 50 years, Dutch production has not been affected due to advancements in yield technology.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that despite its small size and population of only 16 million, the Netherlands was only second to the United States in food production.

The Malaysian Agriculture Research and Development Authority (Mardi) has signed an MoU with Holland’s Wageningen University and Research Centre, which is one of Europe’s foremost agri-food research centres.

“As of 2005, The Netherlands is the 10th largest importer of Malaysian products and a leading importer of palm oil, palm-oil based products and timber/wood furniture.

“The regional offices (in Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur) will help to enhance bilateral relations in agriculture and sustainable development,” Dutch Ambassador to Malaysia Lody Embrechts said.

In 2004, The Netherlands had about 12,600 arable farms that employed nearly 26,500 people, and 1,469 organic farms. The predominant arable crops are cereals (especially wheat), fodder crops, sugar beet, table potatoes and legumes.

The total area under arable crops is 820,000ha. Noord-Brabant, Gelderland and Overijssel have the most arable farms. In recent years, rapeseed is being grown in the northern provinces and its oil is processed to fuel cars and ships.

The Netherlands is also often associated with flower bulbs, cheese and eggs.

Unilever, a Netherlands MNC food company has become a household name in Malaysia Malaysia

TAG:Malaysia:Biotechnology: pharmaceutical

BioNexus criteria

2006-09-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

Malaysia has try to transform from manufacturing base economy to knowledge base economy to compete with new manufacturing countries like China and Vietnam. It has announced MSC status to promoted ICT industry in Malaysia. On biotechnology industry, Malaysia has announced BioValley under Tun Dr Mahithir and BioNexus status under Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi.

BioNexus status is to catalyse biotechnology industry development in Malaysia by facilitating investments and encouraging more companies to invest in biotech and commercialise research and development. Its comes complete with generous financial incentives, such as hefty tax breaks and a nine-point bill of guarantees.

The excitement had been building in the biotech community, especially over the incentives, and many have expressed interest to apply.

"The full criteria and approval process will be up on our website soon," assures Iskandar Mahmood, CEO of Malaysian Biotechnology Corp Sdn Bhd (MBC), the agency in charge of facilitating the biotech industry. In the meantime, he shares the basic eligibility criteria with The Edge:

Provide products/services based on life sciences or significant uses of biotech processes

Possess research capabilities in promoted areas

Employ a high percentage of knowledge workers

Comply with enviromental regulations and guildlines

Must be separate legal entity for qualifying activities ( to prevent it from being used as a tax evasion vehicle)

Possess a commercially viable business plan

The most important consideration is the commercial viability of the company. "The business plan is the most important thing we look at," says Iskandar. "MBC will go through the plan together with the applicant which is where we can also play a developmental role." Since his sudden appointment to head MBC in April 2005, the former CEO of Malaysian .

Read full report on The Edge

:Malaysia:Biotechnology pharmaceutical

Eng Kah Vs Hi-City Bioscience

2006-09-07T20:53:00.000-07:00

Consumers of personal care products may not know the name Eng Kah Corp. But many will have come across the products that it manufactures for major players in the cosmetics and toiletries industry like Johnson & Johnson, Unilever and Avon.

It is an established contract manufacturer of perfumes, cosmetics, toiletries, skincare and household products, and the only one listed on the Main Board.

Last year, the company began manufacturing Reckitt Benckiser's Dettol range of hygiene products. It recently secured contracts from Australian retail chain Coles Myers as well as Alliance Cosmetics, a local agent for brands like Revlon, Avene, Elancyl, Silkygirl and Wet 'N' Wild.

Eng Kah is currently developing higher-margin skincare, hair dye and colour cosmetic products that can engender product loyalty. It also offers its services in the design and packaging of the products.

To clear its backlog of orders, which stands between 10% and 20%, the company recently built a new plant next to its existing one in Bayan Lepas, Penang. When that plant, its fourth, comes on stream by year-end, its manufacturing capacity will increase by 56%. (The company also has plants in Nilai, Negri Sembilan and Shah Alam, Selangor.)

Analysts at Standard & Poor's (S&P) and K&N Kenanga Securities are calling a "buy" on the stock with 12-month target prices of RM3.99 and RM4.10 respectively. The price targets suggest a potential upside of between 17% and 21% from Eng Kah's RM3.40 close last Friday. S&P, which trimmed earnings projections and its target price to RM3.99 in early August, retained its "buy" recommendation as well.

"Eng Kah's profitability remains strong... Its ability to add new customers is positive as it reduces dependence on key customers," it says.

"What sets Eng Kah apart is its ability to offer the entire range of cosmetics and skincare products at competitive prices. Eng Kah now manufactures about 1,000 products for a wide array of long-term customers that include multinational corporations [MNCs], direct-selling companies, trading companies, department stores and beauty salons. Ongoing research and development constantly generates an average 200 to 300 new formulations and improvements per year, giving Eng Kah a steady stream of products to pitch to its clients," says K&N Kenanga in a note dated Aug 28.

"Eng Kah's strong growth prospects have so far only been constrained by capacity. This will be solved by the recent expansion, with its new Bayan Lepas and Nilai plants easing the backlog of orders and allowing for new contracts," says K&N Kenanga.

The brokerage sees Eng Kah benefiting from the Asean Free Trade Area agreement as MNCs look to reap tax savings and other benefits of producing in Asean. The Asean Cosmetic Directive that comes into effect in January 2008 will allow cosmetic products registered or marketed in any Asean country to be sold in all other member states without undergoing stringent product qualifications in each country.

Clinching these MNC clients would mean more than a bottom-line boost for Eng Kah. International labelling policy requires MNCs to list the manufacturer's name in addition to the country of origin.

"It will raise the firm's profile and work as a form of indirect testament to Eng Kah's product quality as an original equipment manufacturer," says K&N Kenanga.

Eng Kah's products are already being exported to countries beyond Asean, such as Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Australia and Saudi Arabia. At present, 75% of its revenue still comes from Malaysia. The local cosmetics and toiletries market, which is worth RM2.2 billion, is growing at about 13% annually, providing ample room for growth.

Another plus for Eng Kah is Malaysia's well-developed palm oil industry, which allows the company to procure 70% of its raw materials like high-quality soap noodles, fatty acids, esters and glycerine from a range of suppliers.

The company's earnings have grown 23.8% from 2002 to 2005, with revenue growing at a four-year compound annual growth rate of 14% over that period. K&N Kenanga expects Eng Kah's earnings to grow 18% to RM17.2 million this year, on the back of a 16% top-line growth to RM91.7 million.

"Eng Kah is in a strong net cash position of RM24.6 million and looks set to continue in that vein. We have estimated an operating cash flow in FY2006 to FY2008 to come in between RM17 million and RM24 million... We have forecast a FY2006 gross dividend per share of 23 sen, based on management guidance," it says.

While Eng Kah's net profit of RM6.95 million for the first half ended June 30, 2006, is only 40% of K&N Kenanga's forecast, the brokerage has maintained its profit estimate as it expects a stronger second half.

Meanwhile, another Penang base manufacurer Hi-City Bioscience Group Bhd managing director Heah Chew Teng @ Heah Kim Teik has reduced his stake in the company after disposing of three million shares representing 3.75% equity recently.

After the disposal, Heah holds another 16.2 million shares or 20.25% direct stake in Hi-City Bioscience.

Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Health & wellness Biotechnology klse

Budget 2007 on Biotechnology, Halal Food and Agriculture

2006-09-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

Biotechnology
The RM210 million allocated for biotechnology under Budget 2007 will be used for the development of major programmes, including technology acquisition through the Biotech Acquisition Programme with a matching grant of RM60 million (although it is not clear where the matching grant will come from), and commercialisation of R&D findings to be undertaken by companies and international corporations under the RM30 million Biotechnology Commercialisation Fund (BCF).

A sum of RM59 million for Research and Development for genomics and molecular biology, production of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products and to promote agro-biotech activities.
The Biotech Acquisition Programme and Biotech Commercialisation Fund will come under the ambit of Malaysia Biotech Corporation. "All these incentives clearly show the government's commitment and foresight to spur the private sector on," said Malaysia Biotech's CEO Iskandar Mahmood.

The Government has established Inno Bio Ventures to invest and provide trainning in biotechnology while the Bio Innovation Centre in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, will be set up to provide site facilities and equipment for new biotechnology companies to undeertake commercialisation and bio-manufacturing.

Bionexus companies would be given income tax exemptions for 10 years, beginning from the first year of profitability. The exemptions was beginning from first year of production. After this period, bionexus companies would be taxed at a concessionary rate of 20% for another 10 years.

Carotech Bhd managing director David Ho Sue San welcomed as “positive and encouraging” the incentives for Bionexus-status companies that merge with or acquire biotechnology companies within the next five years. These companies will be given stamp duty and real property gains tax exemptions.

Malaysian American Electronics Industry chairman Datuk S.H. Wong said the RM210mil allocation for developing the biotechnology sector was consistent with the Penang state government's effort to build a biotech hub.

Halal food industry

The Halal Industry Development Corp will be established under Prime Minister's Department with launching grant of RM25 million for the development of the industry.

The Malaysia International Halal Showcase and the World Halal Forum 2006 will be made annual events.

RM50 million to start up halal food parks in Pasir Mas, Kelantan; Gembang, Pahang; Chendering, Terengganu; and Padang Besar, Perlis.

RM20 million allocation to SME Bank to finance entrepreneurs to develop halal products

Agriculture

Dr Kamal Jit Singh, CEO of British Telecom's Asian Research Centre in Cyberjaya noted that the vast gap in allocation between the MSC Grant Scheme (MGS) of RM20 million for ICT research versus the RM193 million for agriculture research was because the focus is now on agriculture and no longer on ICT.

The Government has allocated RM3.6bil for the sector to increase productivity and efficiency in agricultural production and to expand market capabilities.

The Fund for Food will be increased by RM300mil to RM1.9 billion to finance food production and a non-food agriculture credit scheme, with an initial allocation of RM20mil, will be established to encourage farmers to venture into non-food agriculture.

To develop aquaculture, the Government has set aside RM92mil for Ornamental Fish Cluster projects in Penang, Kedah and Perlis and the Freshwater Fishery Research Centre in Negri Sembilan.

A further RM110mil has been allocated to implement livestock projects under various agricultural agencies and RM40mil to implement the Beef Valley project in Gemas, Negri Sembilan.

Khazanah to establish an agriculture fund of RM200mil will be established to provide venture capital to finance new technology-intensive projects.

Another agriculture fund of RM200mil will be set up by Bank Negara for integrated agriculture and livestock projects.

:Malaysia: Halal Food Agriculture Biotechnology pharmaceutical

Holistic approach to multiple sclerosis

2006-08-25T19:42:00.000-07:00

A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY approach aimed at limiting and overcoming disability is the key to ensuring that patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a chance of leading full and rewarding lives despite the irreversible damage caused by the rare and chronic disease.

MS patients experience a wide range of neurological deficits, from depression, sexual dysfunction, and fatigue, loss of sensation in the arms, leg or face to complete or partial loss of vision, muscular spasms and bladder and bowel difficulties.

“While currently there is still no known cure, the life expectancy of patients with MS is now nearly the same as that of unaffected people and a multidisciplinary approach can limit disability with physical therapy and the management of cognitive deficits such as depression, erectile dysfunction, spasticity, muscular pains and bladder spasms,” said consultant neurologist Prof Tan Chong Tin at a panel discussion in a talk entitled Straight Talk: Debunking MS Misconception and Myths.

“Dealing with the physical, practical and emotional demands of MS is not easy for those affected by the disease or for their families and caregivers. However, with treatment, many people with MS can and do find ways to cope with their disease,” he added.

The talk aimed at raising awareness of the various issues affecting people with MS was organised by the Multiple Sclerosis Society and Serono.

MS is a chronic neurological disease that involves the central nervous system, specifically the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves and it affects neurons, the cells of the brain and spinal cord that carry information, create thought and perception and allow the brain to control the body. Surrounding and protecting these neurons is a fatty layer known as the myelin sheath, which helps neurons carry electrical signals. MS causes gradual destruction of myelin (demyelination) throughout the brain and spinal cord, causing various symptoms depending upon which signals are interrupted.

Multiple sclerosis refers to the multiple scars (or sclerosis) on the myelin sheaths. It is thought that MS results from attacks from an individual’s immune system on the nervous system and is therefore categorised as an autoimmune disease.

According to Dr Victor Chong Heng Thay, adviser to the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Malaysia, MS could take several different forms, with new symptoms occurring in discrete attacks or slowly accruing over time.

“Between attacks, symptoms may resolve completely, but permanent neurological problems often persist. Although much is known about how MS causes damage, its exact cause remains unknown. MS currently does not have a cure, though several treatments are available which may slow the appearance of new symptoms,” he added.

MS primarily affects adults, with an age of onset typically between 20 and 40 years, and is more common in women than in men.

Dr Chong said members of the Chinese community in Malaysia are five times more likely to get MS than Malays and it is common in Chinese women in their 30s compared to the other communities.

MS affects two to three per 100,000 of the population and it is estimated that about 500 Malaysians suffer from the disease.

Individuals with MS may experience a wide variety of symptoms. The initial attacks are often transient, mild (or asymptomatic), and self-limited. They often do not prompt a health care visit and sometimes is only identified in retrospect once the diagnosis has been made based on further attacks.

The most common initial symptoms reported are: changes in sensation in the arms, legs or face (33%), complete or partial vision loss (16%), weakness (13%), double vision (7%), unsteadiness when walking (5%) and balance problems (3%).

Dr Chong said 15% of individuals have multiple symptoms when they first seek medical attention.

Other symptoms and physical findings common in MS are double vision, speech difficulties, tremors, and clumsiness of the hands, abnormal muscle spasms, bladder and bowel difficulties and sexual dysfunctions.

Cognitive impairments are also common. These include difficulty performing multiple tasks at once, difficulty following detailed instructions, loss of short-term memory, emotional instability and fatigue.

According to Assoc Prof Dr Stephen T. Jambunathan, emotional symptoms are common and are the normal response to having a debilitating disease or a result of damage to the nerves that generate and control emotions.

Speaking on Psychological Issues in MS, Prof Jambunathan said the most common condition, clinical depression, was a product of both causes. Feelings such as anger, anxiety, frustration, and hopelessness were also common and MS patients are 7.5 times more likely to have suicidal tendencies.

Depression is a persistent disturbance of mood with complex roots in an individual’s physiology and psychology and it has marked symptoms. People with MS and other chronic illnesses experience depression more than the general population as a result of the burden of changes in daily life and loss of function.

“Recognising depression is not always easy because some of the physical and mental symptoms are common to MS as well. The relationship bewteen fatigue, cognitive problems and depression can be confusing. Whether one becomes depressed in reaction to MS, or depression is a part of the biology of MS, there are effective interventions.

“While there are some who feel that depression is a character flaw, it is not. There is treatment for depression and it is curable,” said Prof Jambunathan.

Speaking on MS and Intimacy, Datuk Dr Raihanah Abdul Khalid, a consultant neurologist, said that 40-80% of women and 50-90% of men with MS had sexual complaints or concerns.

She said that prevalence of sexual dysfunction in people with MS was higher compared to other chronic diseases and almost five times more than in the general population.

The primary cause of sexual dysfunction is the demyelinating lesions in the brain which directly impair sexual feelings while secondary causes are as a result of MS symptoms or through the use of drugs for treatment.

Psychological, social and cultural issues that interfer with sexual feelings include thoughts such as: “Disabled people aren’t sexually attractive”, “I can’t be both a caregiver and a lover”, to “Sex is the last thing on my mind now especially with MS.”

Datuk Dr Raihanah said measures such as education and support, medical symptom management, communication skills training between partners and patients and the medical team and counselling focussing on intimacy and sexuality are useful in helping MS patients cope with sexual dysfunction.

“The use of medication to relieve patients of painful paraesthesiaes, sexual aids, exercises, body mapping and counselling has been proven to enhance intimacy in people with MS,” she added.
The panellists were unanimous that management of reversing the deficits caused by MS damage is very important and a multidisciplinary approach to treatment through the involvement of therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists is the key to limiting and overcoming disabilities caused by the disease.

Excerpt from The Star

Anti-Cholestrol Drug Lessens Multiple Sclerosis In Mice
The New Sunday Times, 17 November 2002

Experiments in mice suggest that statins, drug normally used to lower cholesterol, may also prevent or lessen paralysis in people with some forms of multiple sclerosis, said researchers. However, they warned that people with multiple sclerosis should not start taking statins in hopes of fighting the disease saying the drugs must still be tested on humans for that use. It may not work and could even make the disease worse.The research team hopes to begin tests next year in people with very early signs of the disease; the patients will be given Lipitor, the statin used in the mice.

ProHighway.com

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Malaysia food supplement GT&F Health multiple sclerosis

酵素DIY——自制酵素

2006-08-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

The person behind the success of Sunsilk Malaysia

2006-08-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

UNILEVER Holdings (M) Sdn Bhd managing director Sze Tian Poh who has been with Unilever for 17 years and was the person who instrumental in the launch of one of the country's top-selling shampoo Sunsilk.

Sze takes a lot of pride in Sunsilk shampoo, which currently garners more than 20% market share and contributes some RM70mil to the company's revenue.

He attributes the success of the shampoo mainly to the attractive bright-coloured packaging, the introduction of shampoo for tudung wearers as well as the impact of the shampoo itself.

Sze has been spending time watching people shop at hypermarkets and stores. He is probably one of the few patrons who are truly concerned about how people react to various items on display.

“I spend four to eight hours a month observing shoppers at different types of outlets, then return to the office to formulate a theory on shopper behaviour which I will check out later,” he says in an interview

Sze is also studying how the effect of traffic lights on road users can be applied to shops and hypermarkets to attract shoppers' attention.

Road users normally become more alert when they approach a junction with traffic lights, he says, adding that ads can also be positioned in the same manner to help persuade shoppers to stop and look.

“We are the first to have a picture of a girl on a shampoo pack. That brings a little bit of traffic light effect,” he says.

Unilever spends a lot on mass advertising to convey the right message, and without it, its point-of-sale (POS) ads will not work effectively, he says

POS, on the other hand, helps to ensure that shoppers are not lured to other brands when they enter the shop. Sze says that this is crucial so “we spend on POS more than anyone can imagine.”

Another strong POS attraction for Sunsilk is the various colours the manufacturer uses for the packs.

“The packs are available in six colours. They look very attractive when arranged on the shelves.”

Sze's unconventional ideas are centred on, among other things, the human senses of sight (colour), sound (music), smell and touch.

His latest findings show how significant the effect of smell can be on shoppers' buying decision.

“The only sense that has not been used widely is the sense of smell,” he says.

He says the sight of colour or the sound of music must pass the left part of the brain, then be transferred to and processed in the right brain before one is emotionally affected by that sense. The sense of smell is sent directly to the right brain for processing.

“The sense of smell helps alert shoppers subconsciously to pay attention to the brand,” he says, adding that he is still studying on how to find the right match between smell and the environment,”

Sze believes that by observing the behaviours of shoppers, the company can better understand their needs and fulfil them so that they will pay more attention to the company's brands.

Among other things, he studies how a person who steps into a hypermarket reacts to thousands of items around him.

Sze says his endeavour takes him to various shopping outlets owned by Unilever's retailing customers.

Sze anticipates dramatic changes in the shopping trend in Malaysia in the near future.

“Brand owners like us must learn how to treat shoppers as our audience. The shelves are the theatres and the brand must put on a good show and make them come back to applaud it. This requires a lot of effort from advertisers,” he says.

Unilever strives to understand how shoppers react when they confront the brand, particularly at the shelves, Sze says.

“We already have the test to measure viewers' interaction with the TV ads. We have yet to have one to show how well shoppers interact with the products at the shelves,” he adds.

It looks like Sze will have to spend more time observing shoppers.

Excerpt from Bizweek

Tag: Beauty :Malaysia: Health & wellness:

Risk factors for diabetic feet

2006-08-01T20:38:00.000-07:00

Age Well BY Datuk Dr CHARLES DAVID

PATIENTS with diabetes mellitus often have trouble with their feet. High blood sugar levels over a period of time causes damage to the nerves – peripheral neuropathy – leading to a loss of feeling in the extremities. Damage also occurs to the blood vessels of the feet.

In the first instance, the loss of feeling in your extremities makes you prone to injury. Initially, there is blistering, and then ulcers may develop. If these get infected, they progress to gangrene and you may end up in hospital and may need an amputation because of the ischaemic ulceration and infection.

Diabetic ulcers leading to amputation are the most common cause of non-traumatic lower limb amputations. Foot complications are the most common causes for hospitalisations with diabetes. In a Malaysian study (David and Balasubramaniam, 1981), ulceration with gangrene in diabetes was the main indication for amputations of the lower limb (75 out of 148 patients).

Early detection and treatment of these ulcers can prevent up to 85% of these amputations. Careful inspection of the feet of diabetics is an integral part of this preventive measure. Unfortunately, doctors and even the patients themselves rarely do so.

The risk factors must be recognised. These include:

History of foot ulcer/amputation

Poor sensation due to peripheral neuropathy

Foot deformity and callus formation due to abnormal pressure ulcers

Poor blood supply – ischaemia

Stiff joints

Obesity

Impaired vision (retinopathy)

Poor glucose control, poor healing and poor immune response to infection

Inadequate footwear

The most important risk factors are poor sensation from peripheral neuropathy, structural foot deformities, infections and poor blood supply.

Ischaemia

Arterial ischaemic disease is four times more common in diabetes. Hypertension, smoking and hyperlipidaemia together contribute to increased arterial occlusive disease. There is pain at rest or on walking, absence of hair on the leg/foot, abnormal nails and absent pulses.

Neuropathy

Neuropathy is a group of nerve disorders caused by diabetes. There is damage to the nerves over a period of time. They lead to numbness, pain and weakness in the hands, feet and legs.

Every organ system can be affected, including the digestive tract, heart and sex organs.

Neuropathy is more common amongst those with poor blood sugar control, those with high blood pressure and those having diabetes for more than 20 years.

The most common type is peripheral neuropathy affecting the legs and feet. Symptoms can include numbness to pain, burning sensation, sharp pain and loss of balance and coordination. These are often worse at night. It can lead to muscle weakness and walking difficulties.

Foot and toe deformities may occur. Blisters and ulcers may appear on numb areas and get secondarily infected.

The lack of protective sensation exposes patients to undue and repetitive stress that leads to ulcer formation, with a risk of infection and amputation.

Foot deformities/stiff joints

Foot deformities usually result from atrophy of the muscles of the toes. This leads to focal areas of high pressure and resulting foot ulcers. Occasionally, patients with poor sensation get burns from hot water soaks.

Ulcers

A diabetic with a history of previous ulceration or amputation has a higher risk of further ulcers and amputation. Foot and toe deformities can alter foot dynamics with abnormal distribution of pressure and result in ulceration.

Ulcers should be treated as a serious problem. Since there is no sensation, there is no pain; hence, patients are not aware till very late the extent of the damage. Patients should be referred to centres where adequate assessment and treatment can be made, including any surgery that may be needed. Early treatment will prevent major surgery or even loss of life.

Amputations

When amputation becomes necessary because of the severity of the problem, then make sure that you are seen in a centre where the facilities include a vascular surgeon and good rehabilitation facilities.

If treated aggressively and early, the amputation may be limited to only the toes. If the problem sometimes necessitates a below or above the knee amputation to save the life of the patient, the rehabilitation process as well as the types of prosthesis available today will allow most of the patients to walk again.

Prevention

Foot care

Foot care and good management of minor foot injuries can prevent ulcer formation. There must be daily foot inspection by the patient or caretaker if there is poor vision. Feet should be gently cleaned with soap and water with topical moisturisers after the wash. Blisters, cuts and abrasions should be cleaned the same way, but with the application of topical antibiotics. Home remedies including Dettol, hot soaks and heating pads should be avoided.

Shoes

Shoes should be comfortable and fit well, i.e. sports shoes. Some patients will need custom-made shoes.

It is important to carry out regular foot examinations and preventive foot care by a podiatrist or family doctor. The recognition of such risk factors can result in early diagnosis and preventive measures can be instituted.

When ulcers develop despite preventive measures, then early and adequate treatment of the infection will considerably reduce the burden of major limb amputations.

Excerpt from The Star

References
1. Armstrong DG, Lavery LA, Quebedeaux TL, Walker SC. Surgical morbidity and the risk of amputation due to infected puncture wounds in diabetic versus nondiabetic adults. South Med J 1997;90:384-9.
2. Brand PW. The insensitive foot (including leprosy). In: Jahss MH, ed. Disorders of the foot & ankle: medical and surgical management. 2d ed. Philadelphia: Saunders, 1991:2173-5.
3. David V. Charles, P. Balasubramaniam. Amputations of the lower limb. The Journal of the Western Pacific Orthopaedic Association, 1981:18-2.

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Diabetes Diabetic Malaysia food supplement Health & wellness GT&F Milk Powder Chronic

Mongosteen Juice patented by Nature Sunshine Products Inc

2006-07-31T21:12:00.000-07:00

The United States Patent and Trademark Office granted a patent on April 27 to Nature’s Sunshine Products Inc for a beverage made from extract of mangosteen pulp and pericarp (fleshy peel), said Witoon Lianchamroon, the director of Biothai, a non-profit group that looks at Thai intellectual property and biodiversity in Thailand.

Biothai found out about the latest “violation” of Thai property rights just last week, he said.

The mangosteen originated in Thailand and the country grew the largest volume of the fruit, so it was illogical for anyone else to claim property rights, Witoon said.

Mangosteen juice extracted from pulp has been available in Thailand for a long time.

With the mangosteen patent approved in the US, Thailand may no longer be able to legally export mangosteen in the form of extracted juice, as the patent applies to this.

The US patent covers 17 points of property rights for the beverage extracted from mangosteen pulp and peel, including a mangosteen drink mixed with the juice of other fruits such as red grapes and apples.

Witoon said Thailand should submit an objection to the US via the Department of Intellectual Property.

And, he added, it was crucial to check if mangosteen extract had been patented elsewhere, particularly in European countries, because they were a huge market for Thai mangosteen products, he said.

Dr Pennapa Sabcharoen, deputy director-general of the Department of Traditional and Alternative Medicine Development, said she had learned there were mangosteen products waiting for patents in many countries.

The government needed to take this issue very seriously and establish a body to deal with the problem directly and actively, she said.

According to Biothai, about 70% of violations to Thai intellectual property occur in Japan, which recently signed a free-trade agreement with Thailand.

Most other violations were committed in the US, which also wants to sign an FTA with Thailand, Witoon said.

“We need to protect these properties, otherwise Thailand will simply become a country that grows raw materials (for those stealing our property),” he said.

To prevent further violations, Thailand needed a database of intellectual property, which could be used as a reference by other countries, she said.

Excerpt from: The Nation

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology Malaysia Health & wellness

Cocoaland merger talk

2006-07-18T20:22:00.000-07:00

Cocoaland, which had its listing transferred to the Bursa Malaysia main board from the second board yesterday, opened at 60 sen and closed at 62 sen.

Director Liew Fook Meng said the company was currently in talks with several parties for a possible merger or take-over and hoped to conclude the exercise by year-end. However, he declined to elaborate.

“We also aim to grow export sales by 10% this year,” he said, adding that exports made up 40% of Cocoaland’s revenue in 2005.

Cocoaland manufactures and distributes more than 70 types of food products, including fruit gummy and soft drinks, to more than 30 countries.

Among its better-known products are Koko Jelly chocolate, Lot 100 fruit gummy, Koko Tube chocolate, Be Be snacks, Mum’s Bake cookies and Kabi snacks.

Moving forward, Liew said Cocoaland would strengthen its research and development of healthy snacks. He said consumers were becoming more health conscious and there would be higher demand for healthy snacks in the near future.

The company plans to set up by year-end a new factory in Rawang that is expected to commence operation next year. The facility involves a RM11.5mil investment, inclusive of land, building and machinery costs.

Currently, Cocoaland has four existing plants. It can produce up to 500 tonnes of snacks, 250 tonnes of chocolate and sugar confectionery and 700 tonnes of soft drinks a month.

With the new plant, it will have five factories – three in Selangor and one each in Kuala Lumpur and Kampar, Perak.

Cocoaland Holdings Bhd is targeting a 10% growth in revenue this year buoyed by organic growth, said director Liew Fook Meng.

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Malaysia Health & wellness Heart cardiovascular chocolate

Be careful of "Miracle Milk"

2006-07-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

The Star[NATION 17-Jul-2006] Don't be fooled by direct-selling agents making claims about an imported “miracle milk product” containing colostrum which can purportedly cure ailments such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney failure and even AIDS, Kosmo! reported.

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Diabetes Diabetic Malaysia food supplement Health & wellness Chronic

Miss Universe 2006 pageant will be telecast live to a worldwide audience on 23 July 2006

2006-07-11T23:03:00.000-07:00

2006 Miss Wacoal Malaysia , Miss Malaysia-Universe 2006, Melacca born Melissa Ann Tan 25, will represent Malaysia in the Miss Universe Pageant 2006 in Los Angeles.

Miss Universe 2006 pageant will be telecast live to a worldwide audience on 23 July 2006.

Tag: Beauty :Malaysia:

Herbal Skinovation a niche cosmetic brand in Malaysia

2006-07-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

Datin May Lee Leong, 68, in her youth,was known as a progressive entrepreneur and has been successful in setting up travel and retail businesses. She met her husband in travel agency when he came in to book a ticket.

It was only after 1986, upon demise of her husband that she decided to come out once more in search of new business concept that was both lucrative and at the same time contributed towards the general well being of the public. After ten years of relentless Research & Development (R & D), she found a space where she could move in - The Herbal Skinovation business.

Leong currently lives alone in Camelot, a six-storey castle-like building that is somewhat of a landmark in the Taman Duta area.

She named it Camelot, she said, after Camelot, a play she had seen in London, England, whose romance mirrored her own with Leong.

As the location of the company in Taman Duta area. The company customer comprises mainly rich and famous....Datin and Puan Sri.

Thus, Herbal Skinovation consider a niche product brand in Malaysia

Herbal Skinovation is based on rediscovered formulas of Ancient Chinese Herbal Skincare from the East, and upgraded with technology from the West - the Nanosphere Technology (one billion parts small), making it possible for all creams and lotions applied on the face to be completely and immediately absorbed into the skin within minutes, while at the same time speeding the metabolism of ones skin so that damaged skin can be repaired at a faster pace.

In the company's website, it claim that "All Herbal Skinovation clients must first have the Free Comparison Treatment, even without purchase. Upon purchase - 3 more Free treatments are extended. This is to ensure that clients follow the correct procedure of usage. The 1st free follow up treatment, approx 10 days after purchase is most important. Thereafter, the client may opt to have or may find that further treatment are not required as Herbal Skinovation only require days and weeks, NOT months to show results."

As Datin May Lee Leong devote her time on charity a run the company to pass time after the death of her husband. It is pity that the brand is not well known to the mass market in Malaysia. The product mainly restricted to some upmarket people around Taman Duta area.

Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Health & wellness: Skincare : Biotechnology

A New Explanation For Diabetes

2006-06-27T21:07:00.000-07:00

A New Explanation For Diabetes

Link: Type 1 Diabetes Symptom

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Diabetes Diabetic Malaysia food supplement Health & wellness GT&F Milk Powder Chronic Chromferrin metabolic

Himalaya, one of top ten companies in pharmaceutical industry in India

2006-06-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

SEVENTY-five years ago, the founder of the The Himalaya Drug Company, M. Manal, chanced upon a plant with anti-hypertensive properties and produced a drug from it. Since then, the company has been busy combining the best of modern science and age-old Ayurvedic wisdom to create a wide spectrum of health products.

The result is a highly-regarded range of products that is sold in 60 countries across the world.
Incidentally, Ayurveda means “the science of life’’ and it is an ancient, holistic system of medication practised in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. At Himalaya, these age-old secrets are studied, evaluated and validated by a team of more than 40 doctors and scientists who work at a research centre in Bangalore, India. Research on one herb can take up to 12 years before it is marketed.

To ensure the purity of the herbs it uses, Himalaya controls the agricultural process and has a dedicated database of herb suppliers, a nursery and an agrotech division which supplies the “raw materials’’.

Because Ayurveda is a fully developed system of medicine that includes branches of study like anatomy, physiology and pathology, as well as specialties like paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry and surgery, Himalaya has been able to develop an extensive range of products which includes supplements for men, women and children; a personal care range which includes skincare, body-care and hair care products as well as a range of pure herbs for general well-being, will be distributed via all major pharmacies nationwide as well as its stand-alone store in Kuala Lumpur's Mid Valley Megamall.

The store is operated by Embun Elit Sdn Bhd, Himalaya Herbal Healthcare's sole distributor for Malaysia.

A new baby care range will soon be available in Malaysia.

Among the big sellers in the pharmaceutical range are a herbal antibiotic and a cough syrup. Its most sought after product for the liver has been a top-seller since it was introduced in 1955.

The pure herb range includes over 20 products for general well-being, and these include Brahmi which is said to improve alertness, Karela to regulate metabolism, Yasthi-Madhu for gastric comfort, Neem which alleviates skin problems and Lasuna for cholesterol protection.

The skin and body care range includes face creams, shampoos, hair oil, face packs and unbleached toothpaste. The Himalaya Revitalizing Night Cream won an award for Best Night Cream in the Woman’s Health and Fitness magazine awards in the United States last year.

These products are sold in bright and breezy stores both in Malaysia and elsewhere, and the concept the brand projects through its outlets is “a one-stop shop for the whole family’’.

Prices range between RM5 and RM20 for body-care products and RM25 and RM45 for supplements.

In 2004, Himalaya Herbal Healthcare, the biggest herbal healthcare company in India, picks Malaysia as its regional hub

Himalaya Herbal Healthcare, one of the top 10 companies in the pharmaceutical industry in India in terms of unit sales

Sue Ong, the CEO of the company that sells Himalaya Herbal Healthcare in Malaysia was head of the Clinique brand of skincare and cosmetics for 22 years before she retired last August, Clinique comes under the vast umbrella of the US Estee Lauder Group.

Her foray into this venture began with a fateful phone call from a good friend from India back in 2004: “My friend, Moideenkutty, has an estate which supplies herbs to Himalaya. He heard that they were looking for a new distributor in Malaysia, so he called me.”

Himalaya has, in fact, been available in Malaysia since the early 1990s, but the two previous distributors were both doctors and sold it on prescription and not as a consumer brand. The company was growing very fast and was looking to have the products made available directly to the end-user, thus the need for a new distributor.

“Kutty said that they wanted to make a decision quickly, so my husband and I jumped on a plane to India,’’ Ong recalls.

The rest, as they say, is history: Ong, her businessman husband, Joseph Foong, and a pharmacist friend met with Himalaya’s CEO Ravi Prasad in Bangalore and were briefed on the products and given a tour of the research and manufacturing facilities.

“I was a bit apprehensive initially because I’d hadn’t even heard of the brand but we were very impressed with the research and development that went into the products.”

That was her first trip to the subcontinent and despite being unfamiliar with Ayurvedic medicine, she and her team still managed to make a good impression on the Indians.

“I am not a businesswoman but my husband was keen on the brand. Besides, I still had my old job. So we decided that he would start the company and I would help him with my marketing know-how. That was the plan at first,’’ she recalls.

As it turned out, Ong found herself increasing fascinated by the Ayurvedic approach to health which led her to delve into Himalaya's many supplements. Before long, she was so passionate about the brand and its potential that she decided to retire from Clinique and join her husband full-time. More than that, she took over the reins from him.

Looking back, she marvels at how they were able to secure the brand. After all, several big Malaysian corporations had approached Prasad without success.

Ong believes she managed to win him over with her forthrightness and determination.

“I told him that I have nothing to offer except my marketing experience and a lot of pride because I am Chinese! I said if I took it on, I’d make sure it worked.’’

Himalaya opened its first store in MidValley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur in mid-2004 and that same year, she managed to get a selection of its pure herbal remedies, skincare and body-care products onto shelves at selected Guardian pharmacy outlets.

Last year, she opened a new store in 1 Utama shopping centre in Petaling Jaya and another in Tebrau City in Johor Baru early this year. The KLCC outlet opened for business in April.

Apart from the thrill of running her own thriving business, Ong is determined to promote Himalaya because she truly believes in it. Her local business partner, Marcel Gan, puts it most succinctly: “To Sue, it's simple: good things are meant to be shared. She is renowned for her love of sharing good food with people around her and now she’s doing the same with Himalaya.’’

Ong’s own take on this is simple: “I’ve seen so many sick people – friends and relatives. My own sister died of cancer. When she was very sick, I used to buy her a lot of health food, some of which cost a lot of money ? but at that point you don’t care (how much),’’ she says. “No business is a charity, but it shouldn’t take advantage and charge an arm and a leg for health products.’’

And this is exactly why Himalaya’s business philosophy is so close to her heart: “Himalaya advocates living a healthy lifestyle and it is so affordable that everyone can buy. We don’t take advantage of people when they need help.’’

Link: Tradition meet science

Excerpt from The Star

Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Health & wellness: Skincare : Biotechnology pharmaceutical

Mystery death of Malaysia's cosmetic surgery centres operators in China

2006-06-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

Elaine Lee, 42, who operated cosmetic surgery centres in China as well as in Malaysia and Indonesia, was said to have plunged from the 22nd floor of a hotel in the Jiangxi Province.

The family of businesswoman Elaine Lee who reportedly committed suicide in China on Monday suspects that there may be foul play and wants the Chinese authorities to investigate the matter further.

She died of multiple head and bodily injuries at a private hospital the next day.

Chinese authorities have classified the case as suicide, but the family feels she could have been pushed off the balcony.

Elaine Lee opened her first Sequins Beauty Centre at Jalan Batu Lanchang (now Jalan Tan Sri Teh Ewe Lim) with only RM10,000 capital in 1992 in Penang. Her business prospered and a few branches were opened in other states over the next few years.

Lee, born in Nibong Tebal, was a Miss Malaysia contestant in 1983.

She also founded Skinnic Laser and Cosmetic Surgery Centre which has branches in China and Indonesia.

She became popular in China when one of her patients, Ma Lieh, won the All-China Reconstructed Beauty Pageant last year.

Her brother, who declined to be named, said there was no reason for Lee to take her own life as she had so much to live for, especially since her cosmetic surgery business in China was doing very well.

ÂWe cannot accept the suicide motive given to us by the authorities. I hope that they will investigate the incident further instead of just sweeping it under the carpet,Â he said.

Several of her family members arrived in Jiangxi, some 800km southwest of Shanghai, yesterday morning to bring her body back.

Architect B. S. Tan, 45, said he was shocked to learn that Lee, who was a close friend, had died in what looked like an apparent suicide. He described her as an outgoing person with many high-profile friends.

LeeÂs death in Jiangxi Province, China, was the third tragedy to befall the family since February.

Two older sisters, both in their 50s, died in February and March.

Lee was the ninth in a family of 10 siblings comprising seven sisters and three brothers.

LeeÂs close friend B.S. Tan, 45, said it had not been a very good year for the family, and that Lee was quite close to her sisters and was emotionally affected by their deaths.

ÂI sympathise with her family and hope they will be able to pull through the latest tragedy,Â he said.

The founder of the Skinnic Laser and Cosmetic Surgery Centre in Kelawei Road here fell to her death from the 22nd floor of the Empire Hotel in He Ping on last Tuesday but family members suspect there could be foul play.

Her brother, who declined to be named, said when contacted last week that he had yet to claim his sisterÂs body despite arriving on last Thursday.

I hope that the Malaysian media will leave me alone and allow me some privacy in my moment of grief.

I will issue a statement when the time is right.

Lee's apparent suicide was witnessed by a 42-year-old man, whom the local Chinese press had described as her boyfriend.

He is an air force hospital doctor in Szechuan.

According to a Jiangxi Province Foreign Affairs Office document in relation to the incident obtained by The Star, a man identified as Chen Xun had witnessed the incident.

Both were allegedly involved in a heated argument as Lee suspected that Chen Xun had been chatting with another woman on his cellphone. She then stormed into another room and locked herself in.

A few minutes later, he received a call on his cellphone from Lee who told him that she was quite unhappy and wanted to commit suicide.

He then told her not to do anything silly. After much persuasion, she let him into the room. What occurred in the room has yet to be determined but when the police arrived, she had fallen to her death.

Another brother of LeeÂs said it was very unlikely that his sister would kill herself as she had everything to live for, especially when her cosmetic surgery business was doing so well.

China authority should ensure security and safety of foreigner doing business in China.

Link: Guang Ming Daily : Boy friend:She died in an accident, Authority:She died in suicide

A ll-China Reconstructed Beauty Pageant winner's Mah Lieh: She unlikely to commit suicide, its unbelievable

Boy friend Chen Xun: Accident report has submitted to Malaysia Embassy. Malaysia Embassy in Peking denied received such report

Body not like fall from 22nd floor

Window can only open 4 to 6 inch, how Lee fall from window?

Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: China:Health & wellness: Skincare

South Korea cosmetic brand in Malaysia

2006-06-08T03:27:00.000-07:00

I have wrote about South Korea cosmetic brand previously like LG and Etude. However, we have difficulties buying those brand in Malaysia.

Few days ago, The Star's Clove recommended a few South Korea brand available in Malaysia. I excerpt the following for your information:

The first is lanti, a name coined by its founder, one Mr Moon, literally means ÂI antiÂ Â a sign of MoonÂs opposition towards the high costs of packaging, advertising, celebrity ambassadors and long distribution chains. Instead, Moon envisioned a line of high quality yet reasonably priced cosmetics that were so affordable, they would appeal to the mass market.

Chew Soo Ngee, managing director of HiQfactor, which distributes Ianti in Malaysia, says: ÂBeing new in the market is our greatest hurdle but given the extensive research and development done on our products, we are definitely on par with other cosmetic brands. Our concept is simple: make Ianti affordable and available so that customers will give it a try. The product itself will convince them.Â

Ianti feeds on the growing hunger for trendy and fashionable cosmetics containing nature-based ingredients with its pearl powder-based skincare while Skin Food is fast gaining popularity with its food-based ingredients. And itÂs the filtered water in a hand cream produced by Ianti that supposedly restores skinÂs moisture and firmness. The water-based cream dissolves into the skin, magically bringing forth droplets of moisture.

Rather than competing and losing to a barrage of brands in a pharmacy or shopping complex, these Korean brands choose to invest in proper shoplots Â Ianti in Berjaya Times Square, Kuala Lumpur

Chew points out: ÂIn chemist shops or mixed retail shops, customers may not get the proper consultation for their customer and skincare needs. They would have to rely on their own instincts and, to an extent, guess which products are suitable for their needs.Â To prevent the guessing game, Ianti has beauty consultants to guide and provide customers with information and advice.

Any lack of faith in Korean products, once measured against their neighbourÂs image for superior products, seems to have dissipated. Chew points out: ÂLook at the number of Korean products available in the market now. It is obvious that the confidence in Korean products is growing. Repeat business is the greatest measure towards consumer confidence.Â

Skin Food, another Korean brand, plays by the same rule: affordable and accessible. Its CEO in Malaysia Michael Mehta says: ÂWe donÂt mind being labelled as look-alikes of expensive brands as weÂre priced within everyoneÂs budget.Â

Although Korean cosmetics come at a fraction of the cost of American or French brands, their quality is far from compromised. Mehta reveals: ÂTodayÂs youngsters are so well informed a product that is not good will not stand up to the competition. Where it comes from is irrelevant. An American product could still be made in China.Â

Skin Food is fast gaining popularity with its food-based ingredients. Mehta says: ÂFood is easy to relate to. Oranges conjure images of vitamin C and watermelon makes you think juicy and moisturising. And a lot of these ingredients actually go into the product.Â

While Mehta admits that food ingredients arenÂt a new phenomenon, Skin Food packages them into more acceptable forms, Âso you donÂt have to go around chopping up fruits to enjoy their benefits on your faceÂ. The brand targets the 15 to 33-year-olds, a market that canÂt afford expensive skincare but want quality products. ÂTodayÂs cosmetics sell a lot of fun. Our customers are not into serious hardcore skincare. TheyÂre looking to prevent rather than cure,Â says Mehta. As Korean cosmetics offer value-for-money prices, customers can change their looks continuously to keep up with trends without blowing their budget.

Skin Food also choose to invest in proper shoplots in 1-Utama and Sunway Pyramid, Petaling Jaya.

The sales personnel at Skin Food are just as helpful yet trained to keep their distance from customers who don't want assistance.

Without any celebrity spokeperson like Song Hae-Gyo (宋慧乔) of Etude. It is yet to be see whether penetrate the above South Korea brand able to penetrade Malaysia market?

Another Malaysia brand Elianto also leverage on low cost OEM manufacturing base in South Korea. Elianto claim themselve to be one of the fastest growing Malaysian brand manufacturer in South Korea. I also received email from reader of this blog stated that they like the low cost and their design, they also enquired where they can buy it in East Malaysia.

Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Health & wellness Skincare

Why Modern People Get Diabetes Easily

2006-06-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

Why Modern People Get Diabetes Easily

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Diabetes Diabetic Malaysia food supplement Health & wellness GT&F Milk Powder Chromferrin metabolic

The secret of I look more younger than my age

2006-06-01T21:11:00.000-07:00

I always encounter people mistakenly thought that I am still in college. In fact, I am much more older then they thought. I also always encounter ladies friend asking me what is the secret I look more younger than my age?

It start with one night I felt asleep while I am driving back to my home town along North South Highway. I met an accident which I have to spend a huge sum repairing my car. Luckily, nobody was hurt or get injury.

Then, I have a habit of drinking energy drink whenever I go back to my home town. I usually drink two bottle Livita when I have long distance driving.

When I arrived my home town. My younger sister, who care about beauty and skin care very much ask why I look younger than previously when we met. She keep on asking the same question!

Initially, I don't care. However, when I think carefully, I remember that I look younger in the mirror whenever I have drink Livita . My skin look more fresh, more clean and fairer.

Thus, I have a habit of drinking Livita every day at one point of time, even I am not driving. That able to maintain my skin. If I have important function that day. I will drink two bottle of Livita to see immediate effect.

The product sold very well and the manufacturer Taisho Pharmauceutical earn a lot of money. The founder of the company constantly appear on the top ten richest person in Japan.

Recently, another company launch a similar product RedBull. RedBull manufacturer also rise to top ten richest person in Austria and Thailand respectively at one point of time. This is because people like to combine Red Bull with alcohol when clubbing.

However, I don't like RedBull taste. I also do not see the skincare effect after trying short period of time. The different is Livita comprises Vitamin E while Red Bull comprises Vitamin C. Thus, the effect is different.

I have not drink Livita for some time and look more mature now.

In Malaysia, if you buy it in retail shop like 7-11. It's more costly. It is more economic if you buy in bulk from hypermarket and Jusco.

I saw other companies in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia try to penetrate this lucrative market with their own new brand, but they yet to yield any fruitful result.

Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Health & wellness Skincare

A muscular problem

2006-05-26T19:26:00.000-07:00

By Dr Goh Khean Jin

Always feeling weak and tired? Find out what happens when our muscles are not working properly.

LINDA is a bubbly 20-year-old student. Enrolled in a hectic course at a local college, she recalls that a year ago, she started feeling tired and achy over her neck and shoulders, especially after hours being hunched over the computer. She noticed occasional double vision and drooping of one of her eyelids.

Although she felt better if she rested, her symptoms progressed. Her arms became more tired and she experienced difficulty trying to reach books in the upper shelves in the library. Over the next month, she started to have difficulty in basic activities like dressing, bathing, talking and eating (chewing and swallowing was a problem). Her droopy eyelid and double vision became persistent. Alarmed and concerned, she was referred to a neurologist, who diagnosed myasthenia gravis.

Myasthenia gravis (the name means grave muscle weakness) is a disease of the neuromuscular junction (the connection between nerve and muscle) resulting in failure of the signalling between nerve and muscle and hence muscle weakness. It is one of many disorders affecting the muscles, which although uncommon, often has a profound effect on patients?lives.

How does muscle disease affect us?

Muscles perform movements which are directed by our brain. Muscles are either voluntary when they respond to conscious instruction from our brain, or involuntary when they function autonomously without our being aware of it (for example the beating of the heart and bowel movements).

The obvious effect of muscle disease ?myopathy ?is therefore weakness. In addition, some patients will complain of muscle cramps, stiffness, and pain. Long-standing muscle disease may result in wasting (atrophy) of affected muscles, although occasionally some disorders will cause muscle enlargement (hypertrophy) instead. Muscle weakness and wasting in the legs of a person with hereditary myopathy.

Generally, muscle diseases can be considered in two broad categories ?those the patient develops later on in life and those that are hereditary (due to an abnormal gene, present from birth).
The hereditary muscle diseases usually present early in life, at birth or in childhood, but occasionally develop in adult life. They are a diverse group and include many genetic disorders.
On the other hand, acquired muscle disease often present later in childhood or in adults and may be due to inflammation, infection or toxin-induced damage.

Myopathies often result in weakness of the upper arms, shoulders, hips and thighs; viz. 損roximal?weakness (as these muscles are closer to the trunk). Patients therefore complain of difficulty in climbing stairs, getting up from sitting or squatting and inability to reach up above the head with their arms. If severe, patients may stand with an abnormal posture and have an unusual way of walking in which they sway their hips to maintain balance (waddling).

Weakness may also affect other muscles, such as the eye muscles, resulting in drooping of the eyelids (or ptosis) and double vision. If muscles of facial expression are involved, it is difficult to smile, frown or whistle. If throat and palate muscles are involved, theres difficulty in swallowing and speaking clearly.

Some patients, such as Linda, may not realise that they are weak and complain instead of tiredness and lack of muscle endurance. This may be more obvious after prolonged activity or exercise and may improve if they rest. Doctors refer to this as fatigue and it is often the hallmark of diseases of the nerve-muscle junction such as myasthenia gravis.

Unusually, rather than weakness, some muscle disorders may present with pain and cramps (for example in diseases of abnormal muscle metabolism) or muscle stiffness (myotonia) due to an inability of the muscle to relax fully.

How do doctors diagnose muscle disease?

We all feel tired off and on. Some of us who are less physically active may complain of lack of endurance and exhaustion, especially during heavy physical work. So when does feeling tired, exhausted and weak indicate muscle disease?

This can sometimes be difficult, especially in the early stage of illness and the symptoms are not severe. Generally, it would be of concern if the weakness is out of proportion to the activity performed or if muscles that do not normally weaken, for example, muscles of the eye, head and neck, become involved. Other significant symptoms associated with weakness would be muscle pain and wasting (shrinkage) of the muscle.

Doctors will usually examine patients with weakness to determine its pattern and severity to see if it fits a myopathy. Specifically, other diseases causing weakness such as those affecting the brain or other parts of the nervous system as well as systemic diseases need to be ruled out.
Linda's neurologist, suspecting a muscle disorder, carried out blood tests and electromyography (EMG). Blood is usually taken for creatine kinase (CK), the level of which is raised when there is damage to muscle cells. Electromyography (EMG) is a test in which electrical potentials within the muscle are analysed using specialised needle electrodes. Analysis of these potentials confirm the muscle disease and occasionally suggests the underlying cause. In Linda's case the EMG showed abnormal signal transmission between nerve and muscle, confirming myasthenia gravis.

Many patients suspected of myopathy will also be asked to undergo a muscle biopsy. Muscle biopsy is a procedure in which a piece of muscle tissue is taken from the arm or leg for examination under a microscope to determine the type of muscle disease. Using specialised techniques, the pathologist can diagnose many types of muscle diseases from the biopsy tissue.
Hereditary muscle diseases are often suspected if there is a history of similar disorders in other family members. In some of these conditions, genetic tests can be carried out to confirm the diagnosis. Occasionally, specialised radiological scans such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging provide non-invasive ways of looking at muscle and may be helpful in diagnosis.

Muscle diseases are usually classified as acquired or hereditary.

Acquired muscle disorders

Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system fails to recognise elf proteins?and instead produces antibodies which attack the body's own tissues rather than foreign viruses and bacteria. In this disease, the signal from the nerves is prevented from reaching the muscle by an abnormal antibody called the acetylcholine receptor antibody. This blocks a chemical receptor on the muscle cell, preventing the chemical messenger, a substance called acetylcholine, from interacting with the muscle cell.

Patients, like Linda, complain of fatigue and weakness, usually starting in the muscles of the eye. They develop drooping of the eyelids (ptosis) and double vision. The weakness may remain around the eyes only (ocular myasthenia gravis) or it may spread to involve other muscles of the body (generalised myasthenia gravis).

Myasthenia gravis usually affects young adults (although it may occur at any age) and is twice as common in women as in men. Diagnosis is not always straightforward, and may be missed in patients with milder symptoms. If the condition is suspected, specialised EMG tests, namely repetitive nerve stimulation and single fibre recording show an abnormality in nerve signal transmission. The diagnosis is often confirmed by testing the blood for the acetylcholine receptor antibody.

Doctors treat myasthenia gravis with medications that boost the signal between nerve and muscle. If they do not work, then drugs which modify the immune system are used. These would include steroids and other immunosuppressive medications.

In some patients, a gland in the chest called the thymus may be enlarged. It is believed that the thymus is the source of the abnormal antibodies and in these instances, surgical removal of the gland (thymectomy), may have to be considered.

Myasthenia gravis is a chronic disease and some patients will be on medication for a long time. However, if properly treated, most patients manage their symptoms well and lead active lives, and many will remain asymptomatic for a long time. Nowadays, it is no longer the rave muscle disease?it was once thought to be.

Another common group of muscle disorders result from muscle inflammation (swelling and irritation). They include polymyositis and dermatomyositis (myositis = inflammation of muscle). Patients develop progressive muscle weakness, usually more prominently in the large roximal?muscles (closest to the trunk).

However, if untreated, the weakness will gradually involve other muscles including the smaller istal?muscles as well as those of speech and swallowing. An important feature is that patients often complain of muscle pain due to the inflammation. In dermatomyositis, patients also develop a characteristic skin rash over the face and hands.

Like myasthenia gravis, the inflammatory muscle diseases are also autoimmune diseases: the body抯 immune system attacking its own muscle. Occasionally, these myopathies may occur together with other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

There is also concern that there is an association with cancers, especially in dermatomyositis of adult (but not childhood) onset and doctors will screen for underlying tumours in an older patient.

Muscle biopsy will usually confirm the diagnosis and differentiate between the various myopathies. Treatment is usually with medication that suppresses the body's immune response, such as steroids and other immunosuppressive agents. Most patients respond to treatment if the condition is diagnosed early and prompt treatment is begun, but they may have to be on long-term medication.

A third entity called inclusion body myositis, however, is less responsive to treatment and may result in progressive muscle weakness.

Hereditary muscle disorders

One of the most common hereditary muscle diseases is muscular dystrophy. This is a heterogeneous group of disorders in which there is muscle weakness, often beginning in infancy or childhood, but sometimes presenting in adults. Progressive muscle cell damage is caused by a genetic abnormality.

The most common is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), originally described over a century and a half ago by Guillaume Duchenne, a French neurologist. The abnormal gene is located in the X-chromosome and hence primarily affects boys. There is loss of a protein called dystrophin, which is responsible for the stability of the muscle cell. DMD boys are normal at birth but gradually lose their muscle strength, have difficulty in walking and later are wheelchair-bound by their teens.

Involuntary muscles including cardiac and gut muscles are often affected as well, resulting in irregular heart beats and reduced bowel movement. A typical feature is enlargement of the calf muscles (hypertrophy) due to replacement of muscle tissue by fat and fibrous tissue.
Becker's Muscular Dystrophy (BMD) is a less severe form affecting older boys or adults, in whom the muscle has dystrophin but it is of poor quality. Muscle biopsy specimens of these patients will show abnormalities of dystrophin, and genetic testing will confirm the diagnosis. Treatment currently is supportive with good physical therapy, occupational therapy and use of walking aids and wheelchairs to maintain function for as long as possible. There is currently no medication that will reverse the muscle damage.

Other forms of muscular dystrophies have varied clinical features involving different parts of the body. Examples are facio-scapulo-humeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) and the various forms of limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD).

Ever since the gene for DMD was discovered in the mid-1980s, many more types of muscular dystrophy have had their genetic abnormalities unravelled. This would be the first step in discovering a treatment for this debilitating condition.

There have been several attempts at gene therapy: these include injection of myoblasts (primitive muscle cells) into the patients?weak muscles, and gene transfer using viruses. Unfortunately, none has yet been shown to be successful. Although there have been some promising developments, we are still some distance away from a cure for the disease.

The challenges for the future

Despite great strides in research, notably in the hereditary myopathies, there is much that is still unknown about the types and causes of muscle disease. Myopathies have a wide clinical spectrum, varying from mild to severely disabling. It therefore imposes no little burden on the health care system.

In tandem with research in diagnosis and therapy, much needs to be done in terms of rehabilitation and social support for those afflicted. In the US, Australia and Singapore, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as national-level Muscular Dystrophy Associations are active in assisting health policy planners to raise awareness of these disorders among the public.
A similar organisation locally will give impetus to the development of medical and community services for such patients as well as spur research in this wide and challenging field.

Note: For further information, readers are directed to the following websites:

1. Muscular Dystrophy Association of America - http://www.mdausa.org/
2. Muscular Dystrophy Campaign (UK) - http://www.muscular-dystrophy.org/
3. European Neuro-Muscular Centre - http://www.enmc.org/
4. Muscular Dystrophy Association of Australia - http://www.mda.org.au/

Related Link: A person who sit on wheelchair able to stand up again!

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Diabetes Malaysia food supplement GT&F Health & wellness myasthenia gravis

Dr Goh Khean Jin is a consultant neurologist. This article is contributed by The Star Health & Ageing Panel, which comprises a group of panellists who are not just opinion leaders in their respective fields of medical expertise, but have wide experience in medical health education for the public.

The Star Health & Ageing Advisory Panel provides this information for educational and communication purposes only and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader own medical care.
The Star Health & Ageing Advisory Panel disclaims any and all liability for injury or other damages that could result from use of the information obtained from this article.

Song Hae-Gyo (宋慧乔) dropped as Etude spokeperson

2006-05-09T20:40:00.000-07:00

Song Hae-Gyo (宋慧乔) has been a spokeperson for South Korea cosmetic brand Etude from 2001 to 2005. The fame of Song in whole Asia has lead Etude, a South Korea brand penetrate Taiwan market.

Song Hae-Gyo (宋慧乔) has grow older and look more mature. Her body also grow with her wealth. She has to get slimming service to make her look attractive to star on a new handphone brand that she become spoke person.

Earlier, Song Hae-Gyo (宋慧乔) first debut on the big screen "My Girl & I" do not get satisfied box office. Etude immediate dropped Song as it spoke person and announced 16 years old ARa as Etude new spoke person.

Song has to get slimming service to maintain her business.

ARa who?

Whether Etude able to retain it Taiwan market is yet to be seen.

Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Health & wellness

INS, A Direct Selling Company or An OEM company?

2006-04-25T20:43:00.000-07:00

While those who have heard of INS Bioscience Bhd know it more as a direct-selling company, its accounts show that OEM sales to third parties are far more profitable for the group, reported The Star yesterday.

Its listing prospectus showed that INS Enterprise, a direct selling company produced earnings of only RM480,000 on a net profit margin of 2.7% in 2004.

The Origin Foods Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned original equipment manufacturing (OEM) subsidiary, earned RM4.9mil and had an exceptionally high net margin of 63% in the same year.

The reason for the contrasting profit margins between the two subsidiaries is that direct-selling can generate high levels of sales but costs, in the form of commissions and incentives to agents, are also high.

INS chief executive officer Datuk David Yeat defines INS as a research and development company, which produces herbal products, with nutrients extracted from plants and given a pleasant taste. In such efforts, INS has teamed up with a number of local and foreign universities. INS is not mainly a direct-selling company, he emphasised.

Compare with other listed direct selling company like Amway, Cosway, CNI , DXN etc. The result of INS direct selling division really mediocre.

The company is seeking OEM business aggressively. Rumours said that one renowned beauty and cosmetic company in Malaysia also approach by INS to become it OEM customer.

INS share price of 30.5 sen yesterday is, however, still below its initial public offering price of 35 sen.

This is mainly due to its listing in July last year, not long after several stocks fell limit-down, which weakened market sentiment. Following that, a substantial investor sold down his INS shares. A legal battle with it ex-employee and ex-actress Lim Chew Yin doesn't help either.

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Malaysia Health & wellness Multilevel Marketing Direct Selling Stock Market

L'ORÉAL BRANDSTORM 2006

2006-04-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

L’Oréal, the world’s largest cosmetics group, has launched the 14th edition of L’Oréal Brandstorm, its international marketing award. This year’s edition is the most international with more than 30 countries from 5 continents.

L’Oréal Brandstorm is an innovative marketing competition that gives students the opportunity to take on the role of a marketing brand manager and to make-over an existing L’Oréal brand. National winners have the opportunity to travel to Paris and compete internationally for the world title. At the international finals, an executive L’Oréal jury rewards three teams for their marketing strategy. A special mention prize for the “Best Communications Campaign” is given by Publicis, international partner this year.

Malaysia team won third prize in 2005

Last year,2005, Malaysia team Loh Kok Hin, Tan Hui Woon and Jessica Lim “Osirians” from University Teknologi Malaysia won third prize in WORLD at L’Oréal Brandstorm, an annual marketing competition for business students around the world with “Trust Your Instincts” mobile Studio Line FX range.

2006- Lancome

This year’s challenging case study is Lancôme Body Care. Founded in 1935, Lancôme is a worldwide leader in luxury skincare, make-up and fragrances with innovative products for both women and men. From New York to Shanghai Lancôme dazzles consumers with its French touch, knowledge of women, and skin expertise. The success of this global brand is strongly linked to the creativity of its international marketing teams. This year L’Oréal will give undergraduate and MA students the opportunity to show off their marketing vision and creativity for Lancôme Body Care.

2006-The final five

Facing the task of creating a new range of body care products and developing an international marketing strategy for Lancome Bodycare are teams Ingenious, Invincible, Vanguard, Lallssabour and B.ALL.ers.

These five finalists, consisting of three students each, were chosen from a shortlist of 12 teams, who had the opportunity to present their pre-case study to a panel of judges from L’Oreal.

The pre-case study, which teams had to submit for the first stage of the competition, consisted of analysing the body care segment in the luxury cosmetics market, as well as comparing the status of Lancome with that of two other luxury cosmetic brands.

One of the five finalists will win an all-expenses paid trip to Paris and the opportunity to represent Malaysia in the international finals there in June. The top team will also receive a trip worth RM2,500 and RM500 worth of Lancome products.

The second-placed team will win a trip worth RM2,000 and RM400 worth of Lancome products while third winner will get a trip worth RM1,500 and RM300 worth of Lancome products.

Briefing day

To help the five finalists prepare for the national finals in May, L’Oreal organised a briefing to acquaint the teams with both L’Oreal and Lancome brands and values.

L’Oreal Malaysia corporate communications manager Muhammad Zain Ibrahim started the day by briefing the teams on the company and brand.

He was followed by Luxury Products Division general manager Tengku Adam Hamzah, who gave the students an overview of the luxury products division.

Tengku Adam also spoke on the luxury products business in Malaysia and Lancome’s position in the local industry.

He pointed out the difference between luxury and consumer products.

“Be careful to keep the exclusivity and prestige of your products,” Tengku Adam told the students.

After getting a broad view of the industry, the students received detailed insight into the Lancome brand and the Bodycare range by Lancome brand manager Irene Goh.

Goh emphasised the importance of staying true to the brand’s values, saying that the products the students will be creating should be clearly identifiable with Lancome.

“You must know what women want and create something based on what the market needs and not just something to be different or fancy,” she said.

She explained the second value of Lancome – the love of France – as simply meaning “the love of elegance and luxury”.

Another core value of the brand is the love of skin, which stresses on the scientific and sensorial aspects of Lancome products.

“Seeing, feeling, touching are all important elements of the brand’s products. It is also important that all Lancome products are based on science and research,” she said.

Goh advised participants to look at salons, spas and skin care centres that are experienced in body care.

Goh and Lancome product manager (skincare and bodycare) Nicole Low also gave each team one-on-one advice on their pre-case studies.

The participants also received a briefing from Helen Chim of Publicis Malaysia, the communications agency that will help each team develop their communication campaign.

Two members of last year’s national winning team and second runners-up in the international finals Loh Kok Hin and Low Yee Min shared their experiences with the students.

Counter visit

The next day the students visited the Lancome counter at 1-Utama Shopping Centre.

Institute Advertising Communication Training (IACT) student Yap Lee Mei from team Vanguard said: “We learned the history and function of each product. The visit gave the team some ideas on the type of products to be proposed and the suitable way to market them.”

Lee Yew Jin of team Invincible from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) said: “We observed how the staff attracted customers and promoted the brand.

“It was an eye-opener for me, regarding how the beauty industry really works in the market.”

The teams had the opportunity to examine the set-up of the counter and the placement of products as well as listen to advice from beauty consultants who are the front-liners of the industry.

MALAYSIA IS ON WORLD SCIENTIFIC MAP!

Earlier, A Malaysian scientist from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Miss Nyon Mun Peak, 25, was awarded the L’OREAL-UNESCO Fellowship for ‘Women in Science’ program with fifteen other young women scientists from around the world.

Miss Nyon Mun Peak, a doctoral student in UKM was awarded for her work in Structural biology: Determining the three-dimensional structure of cutinase, a fungal enzyme of great interest to the detergent industry. She will continue her work in the host institution of Krebs Institute for Biomolecular Research, University of Sheffield, UK.

Lancome Colour Designs Awards

Earlier, Lancome, a brand under Loreal also organised Lancome Colour Designs Awards together with Limkokwing University College of Creative Technology. Three winners of the Lancome Colour Designs Awards (LCDA) Malaysia, who will now go on to represent the country at the grand finals to be held in France in May.

Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Biotechnology

Chocolate trial on heart patients

2006-04-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

LONDON (BBC Health News) -- Heart patients could soon be given doses of dark chocolate if a medical trial is given the go-head.

Professor Roger Corder at London's William Harvey Research Institute has applied for permission to test it on 40 patients with cardiovascular disease.

There is mounting evidence that chemicals called flavonoids found in some forms of chocolate can fight heart disease, blood pressure and strokes.

But experts say the benefits are offset by the high fat and sugar content.

However, Professor Corder said: "It is probably wrong to say that all dark chocolate is good for you.

"I think it is going to take at least six to 12 months before it is clear which are the best dark chocolate brands to recommend.

"Many of the popular brands of dark chocolate available in the UK will be seen to contain little to make them worth consuming. "The current research in this area should not be seen as an excuse to over indulge in chocolate at Easter."

He said the fact that chocolate was very high in calories and sugar was a drawback. -------------------Beneficial effects

Professor Corder's study will be designed to see whether flavonoids, the key ingredient, can be beneficial to patients with coronary heart disease.

Any possible health benefits will be rigorously recorded.

"I am intrigued about how these ingredients change vascular function. and I think we need to study it more.

"Most of the studies to date have been looking at volunteers or people with milder diseases. We have to look at patients with severe disease," he said.

Flavonoids are not just found in chocolate, but also found in fruit and vegetables and and tea.
A study using good quality grape seed extracts could be equally as informative, said Professor Corder.

Studies have suggested the flavonoids they contain can reduce the body's so-called bad cholesterol that causes the hardening of the arteries, strokes and heart attacks.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, spokeswoman for the British Heart Foundation, said there was some evidence small quantities of dark chocolate might have short-term beneficial effects on circulation. -------------------Better ways

"But it is important to remember that chocolate is far more often part of the problem for heart health than the solution.

"We are certainly not suggesting people never eat chocolate - everyone can enjoy a treat from time to time - but there are much better ways of looking after your heart. "Eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day is a better way to get the heart-protective antioxidants without having to worry so much about the fats and sugars packed into chocolate."

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Malaysia Health & wellness Heart cardiovascular chocolate

A Malaysian brand that famous in China

2006-04-13T20:12:00.000-07:00

Yin Fong cosmetic's advertising billboard can be seen in major town in China. However, few tourist from Malaysia know that the brand actually origin from Malaysia!

Yin Fong, a cosmetics brand which first entered the mainland in 1983, was the bestseller on the domestic market in the early 1990s. The company's sales hit 500 million yuan in 1992. Yin Fong F-Pearl Cream, its most popular product, is still etched in the memory of many Shanghai consumers.

In 1999, however, with the sudden death of Yew Mui Leong, then chairman of Yin Fong, the company's domestic business took a dive.

Yew's death was partly responsible for Yin Fong's decline as the firm suffered a great loss due to wrong investments. The company had eight Chinese factories at that time but none of them turned profitable in the late 1990s.

"Poor management should be blamed," said To Wai Tai, Yew's wife and the group's current chairwoman, who was once a housewife. "In the past we did not pay enough attention to develop new products. The running costs of the plants had been too heavy for us to bear."

Compounding the problem, Yew had also devoted himself to charity events and had sponsored various social organizations. He won praises for his generosity but the company's financial woes worsened.

Yin Fong was almost wiped out of the market when competition in the domestic cosmetics market heated up with the entry of foreign giants such as L'Oreal and P&G.

In January 2004, the company, Nan Yuan Yin Fong Group Co Ltd, has invested 120 million yuan (US$14.5 million) on the mainland to try and regain the popularity of its brand in the early 1990s.

Nan Yuan Yin Fong Group was founded by a Malaysian based in Kluang, Johor, Malaysia, Yew Yin Fong. Yew Yin Fong has 7 sons and 6 daughter. Yew Mui Leong, who in charge of cosmetic business in China, is no 5 in the family of 13 brothers and sisters. Yew Yin Fong, the father, send no 3rd and 5th sons together with two sister back to China in 1966.

After, cultural revolution in China, they requested their father to apply to the authority to relocate them to Hong Kong but was being refused by the father. Eventually, the eldest son make application of migrate to the authority without the knowledge of the father in 1975.

After Yew Yin Fong pass away in 1977, 2nd of the family set up a base in Kuala Lumpur from Kluang. Whereas Yew Mui Leong in Hong Kong expand the business to China. Kuala Lumpur office,Nan Yuan Sdn Bhd and Nan Yuan Textile Import & Export Sdn Bhd located in Jalan Petaling in Kuala Lumpur, is behind S&M shopping centre. Kuala Lumpur office, other than textile operation , also responsible for procurement of raw material for cosmetic factory in China. A sister also expand business in New York. Kluang business was headed by another 3 brothers.

When Yin Fong cosmetic was first launch in Guangzhou, China. The response was especially good. One thousand dozen was sold on the first day. It is the first overseas brand in China. US cosmetic giant P&G and Johnson & Johnson has an uphill task to penetrate the market dominated by Yin Fong cosmetic.

The family also operate a hotel : Hakkas Hotel in Guang Zhou, China.

It is not sure why the group never market such cosmetic brand in it home country, Malaysia.

Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Health & wellness Skincare

Dark chocolate lightens the heart

2006-04-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

The Sunday Mail, January 15, 2006

Lovers of dark chocolate have been given the perfect excuse to indulge their passion – it’s good for the heart. A study has found that eating a few squares a day could help prevent problems with blood flow. This is because it contains high quantities of antioxidants called flavanoids, which prevent arteries hardening. These benefits, however, are not shared by milk chocolate, possibly because the milk interferes with the effect of the flavanoid

In the study, published recently in the journal Heart, tests were carried out on 20 smokers, chosen because they have an increased risk of hardened arteries and heart disease. Before the tests, the subjects were told not to eat foods rich in antioxidants such as onions, apples and cabbage. They were then fed 60g portions of different types of chocolates. After two hours, those who had eaten dark chocolate made up of at least 74-per cent cocoa solids were found to have "significantly improved" blood flow. The effects lasted for eight hours.

Technorati Tag: Biotechnology pharmaceutical Malaysia Health & wellness Heart cardiovascular chocolate

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