2026_Exploring Dietary-Related Genes And Their Biological Pathways for Children With Neurodevelopmental Disabilities In Terengganu’s Community-Based Rehabilitation Centres
| Format: | General Document |
|---|
| _version_ | 1860798364671541248 |
|---|---|
| building | INTELEK Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| collectionurl | https://intelek.unisza.edu.my/intelek/pages/search.php?search=!collection8803 |
| copyright | Copyright©PWB2026 |
| country | Malaysia |
| date | 2025-09-25 |
| format | General Document |
| id | 17475 |
| institution | UniSZA |
| originalfilename | EXPLORING DIETARY-RELATED GENES AND THEIR BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS FOR CHILDREN WITH NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES IN TERENGGANU’S COMMUNITY-BASED REHABILITATION CENTRES (PHD_2025).pdf |
| person | Karimah Fakhriah Ismail |
| recordtype | oai_dc |
| resourceurl | https://intelek.unisza.edu.my/intelek/pages/view.php?ref=17475 |
| sourcemedia | Server storage Scanned document |
| spelling | 17475 https://intelek.unisza.edu.my/intelek/pages/view.php?ref=17475 https://intelek.unisza.edu.my/intelek/pages/search.php?search=!collection8803 General Document Malaysia Library Staff (Top Management) Library Staff (Management) Library Staff (Support) Terengganu Faculty of Health Sciences English application/pdf 1.7 Microsoft® Word 2019 314 Public Access Server storage Scanned document Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin Terengganu Dissertations, Academic Cerebral Palsy Dietary Patterns Autism Spectrum Disorders Copyright©PWB2026 Thesis Autism Spectrum Disorder 2025-09-25 Karimah Fakhriah Ismail Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Down Syndrome Precision Nutrition Nutrigenomics Gene Expression Profiling RNA Sequencing Community-based Rehabilitation Cerebral Palsy Down Syndrome Neurodevelopmental Disorders Nutritional Status Nutrigenomics Children With Disabilities—Nutrition 2026_Exploring Dietary-Related Genes And Their Biological Pathways for Children With Neurodevelopmental Disabilities In Terengganu’s Community-Based Rehabilitation Centres Children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (CWND), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), cerebral palsy (CP), and Down syndrome (DS), are consistently reported in the literature as having specific nutritional issues. Although nutrition plays a critical role in supporting overall health, conventional approaches often overlook the complex needs of these children, particularly underlying genetic factors. This study aimed to investigate the influence of diet-related genes and their associated biological pathways on the nutritional status of CWND to elucidate novel insights into personalised nutritional strategies for CWND. A two-stage study design was employed. Study I employed a cross-sectional design involving 200 CWND attending community-based rehabilitation centres in Terengganu to obtain data on sociodemographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, feeding issues, nutrition-focused physical findings, and dietary intake. Dietary patterns (DP) specific to each subtype of disability were delineated using factor analysis. Although phenotypic analysis revealed significant variation in growth status and nutrient intake across subtypes, a notable proportion of variance in nutritional outcomes remained unexplained. To address this gap, it was hypothesised that underlying genetic mechanisms might contribute to the observed disparities. Study II employed an exploratory experimental design to assess genetic profiles among 12 selected children, including control subjects, utilising the RNA sequencing method. Subsequent pathway analysis using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database provided insights into the molecular pathways implicated in CWND. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify nutrients potentially involved in the dysregulated genes within the key biological pathways. The majority of CWND in this study were children with ASD (42.0%), followed by 40.0% with DS and 18.0% with CP. Boys were predominant (64.0%), and most (37.0%) were teenagers. Almost 70.0% of CWND fell within the normal weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ) category, while 54.8% and 61.1% of children with ASD and CP exhibited stunted growth, respectively. Children with ASD and DS exhibited deficiencies in energy, fibre, calcium, phosphate, iron, potassium, and vitamins B1, B3, C, and D intake relative to the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) specific to the age group. Children with CP also showed inadequate sodium intake. The DP derived suggest a preference for protein-rich foods such as poultry, meat, eggs, and seafood, alongside grains, with limited consumption of milk and dairy products. Children with ASD exhibited a preference for poultry, meat, and fish, while children with CP favoured fish and sweet beverages. In contrast, children with DS showed a preference for fish and refined cereals. In Study II, gene expression profiling unravelled 45, 22, and 322 dysregulated genes in ASD, CP, and DS, respectively, with minimal overlap between groups, indicating unique molecular signatures. Immune-related pathways, i.e., the haematopoietic cell lineage (HCL), neutrophil extracellular trap formation (NETF), and B-cell receptor signalling (BCRS), emerged as the focal points of dysregulation. Literature findings indicated that nutrients such as vitamin D, glutamine, dietary fats, and carbohydrates may modulate gene expression within the HCL pathway to promote immunity. This study provides empirical evidence that integrating genetic data into nutrition assessment enables the reframing of nutritional diagnoses to reflect underlying molecular mechanisms in CWND. These findings support a shift from standardised care toward precision nutrition approaches informed by both phenotypic presentation and gene expression profiles, with implications for personalised intervention planning in clinical and community settings. uuid:5F7B6FDD-902F-4618-9300-71FADF6FA03F EXPLORING DIETARY-RELATED GENES AND THEIR BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS FOR CHILDREN WITH NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES IN TERENGGANU’S COMMUNITY-BASED REHABILITATION CENTRES (PHD_2025).pdf |
| spellingShingle | 2026_Exploring Dietary-Related Genes And Their Biological Pathways for Children With Neurodevelopmental Disabilities In Terengganu’s Community-Based Rehabilitation Centres |
| state | Terengganu |
| subject | Dissertations, Academic Autism Spectrum Disorder Cerebral Palsy Down Syndrome Neurodevelopmental Disorders Nutritional Status Nutrigenomics Children With Disabilities—Nutrition |
| summary | Children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (CWND), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), cerebral palsy (CP), and Down syndrome (DS), are consistently reported in the literature as having specific nutritional issues. Although nutrition plays a critical role in supporting overall health, conventional approaches often overlook the complex needs of these children, particularly underlying genetic factors. This study aimed to investigate the influence of diet-related genes and their associated biological pathways on the nutritional status of CWND to elucidate novel insights into personalised nutritional strategies for CWND. A two-stage study design was employed. Study I employed a cross-sectional design involving 200 CWND attending community-based rehabilitation centres in Terengganu to obtain data on sociodemographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, feeding issues, nutrition-focused physical findings, and dietary intake. Dietary patterns (DP) specific to each subtype of disability were delineated using factor analysis. Although phenotypic analysis revealed significant variation in growth status and nutrient intake across subtypes, a notable proportion of variance in nutritional outcomes remained unexplained. To address this gap, it was hypothesised that underlying genetic mechanisms might contribute to the observed disparities. Study II employed an exploratory experimental design to assess genetic profiles among 12 selected children, including control subjects, utilising the RNA sequencing method. Subsequent pathway analysis using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database provided insights into the molecular pathways implicated in CWND. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify nutrients potentially involved in the dysregulated genes within the key biological pathways. The majority of CWND in this study were children with ASD (42.0%), followed by 40.0% with DS and 18.0% with CP. Boys were predominant (64.0%), and most (37.0%) were teenagers. Almost 70.0% of CWND fell within the normal weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ) category, while 54.8% and 61.1% of children with ASD and CP exhibited stunted growth, respectively. Children with ASD and DS exhibited deficiencies in energy, fibre, calcium, phosphate, iron, potassium, and vitamins B1, B3, C, and D intake relative to the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) specific to the age group. Children with CP also showed inadequate sodium intake. The DP derived suggest a preference for protein-rich foods such as poultry, meat, eggs, and seafood, alongside grains, with limited consumption of milk and dairy products. Children with ASD exhibited a preference for poultry, meat, and fish, while children with CP favoured fish and sweet beverages. In contrast, children with DS showed a preference for fish and refined cereals. In Study II, gene expression profiling unravelled 45, 22, and 322 dysregulated genes in ASD, CP, and DS, respectively, with minimal overlap between groups, indicating unique molecular signatures. Immune-related pathways, i.e., the haematopoietic cell lineage (HCL), neutrophil extracellular trap formation (NETF), and B-cell receptor signalling (BCRS), emerged as the focal points of dysregulation. Literature findings indicated that nutrients such as vitamin D, glutamine, dietary fats, and carbohydrates may modulate gene expression within the HCL pathway to promote immunity. This study provides empirical evidence that integrating genetic data into nutrition assessment enables the reframing of nutritional diagnoses to reflect underlying molecular mechanisms in CWND. These findings support a shift from standardised care toward precision nutrition approaches informed by both phenotypic presentation and gene expression profiles, with implications for personalised intervention planning in clinical and community settings. |
| title | 2026_Exploring Dietary-Related Genes And Their Biological Pathways for Children With Neurodevelopmental Disabilities In Terengganu’s Community-Based Rehabilitation Centres |
| title_full | 2026_Exploring Dietary-Related Genes And Their Biological Pathways for Children With Neurodevelopmental Disabilities In Terengganu’s Community-Based Rehabilitation Centres |
| title_fullStr | 2026_Exploring Dietary-Related Genes And Their Biological Pathways for Children With Neurodevelopmental Disabilities In Terengganu’s Community-Based Rehabilitation Centres |
| title_full_unstemmed | 2026_Exploring Dietary-Related Genes And Their Biological Pathways for Children With Neurodevelopmental Disabilities In Terengganu’s Community-Based Rehabilitation Centres |
| title_short | 2026_Exploring Dietary-Related Genes And Their Biological Pathways for Children With Neurodevelopmental Disabilities In Terengganu’s Community-Based Rehabilitation Centres |
| title_sort | 2026_exploring dietary-related genes and their biological pathways for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities in terengganu’s community-based rehabilitation centres |