Background The question to involve or restrict medical students’ involvement in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic response remains contentious. As their state of preparation and perceptions in volunteering during this pandemic have yet to be investigated, this study aims to evaluate Indonesian medical students’ willingness to volunteer and readiness to practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A web-based survey was conducted among undergraduate medical students throughout Indonesia. Socio-demographic and social interaction information, in addition to willingness to volunteer and readiness to practice, were obtained using a self-reported questionnaire. The significance level was set at 5%. Results Among 4870 participants, 2374 (48.7%) expressed their willingness to volunteer, while only 906 (18.6%) had adequate readiness to practice. Male students, students with prior volunteering experience in health or non-health sectors, and students from public universities or living in Central Indonesia (vs Java) had higher scores of willingness and readiness to volunteer. Students from Sumatra also had better preparedness (odds ratio [OR] 1.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15–2.12, p = 0.004), while the opposite occurred for students from Eastern Indonesia (OR 0.63, 95% CI: 0.44–0.89, p = 0.002)–when compared to students from Java. In addition, compared to students with high family income, students from lower-middle income families were less willing to volunteer (OR 0.76, 95% CI: 0.59–0.98, p = 0.034), though those with low family income had better readiness (OR 1.51, 95% CI: 1.10–2.08, p = 0.011). Shortage of medical personnel, sense of duty, and solicitation by stakeholders were the main reasons increasing the students’ willingness to volunteer; whereas contrarily fear for own’s health, absence of a cure, and fear of harming patients were the primary factors diminishing their willingness to volunteer. Conclusion Our findings indicated that many Indonesian medical students are willing to volunteer, yet only few of them were ready to practice, indicating that further preparations are required to maximize their potentials and minimize their exposure to hazards. We suggest that their potentials as a firm support system during the pandemic should not be overlooked, and that the integration of relevant courses to the medical curricula are imperative to prepare for future public health emergencies.

Introduction The potential role of medical students in raising awareness during public health emergencies has been acknowledged. To further explore their potentials as public educators and role models for the communities during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, this study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of these students toward COVID-19. Methods An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among undergraduate medical students in Indonesia. Socio-demographics characteristics, social interaction history, information-seeking behavior, as well as knowledge, attitude, and practice toward COVID-19 were collected through a self-reported questionnaire. A p-value of <0.05 indicated statistical significance. Results Out of 4870 respondents, 64.9% had positive attitude and 51.5% had positive practice toward COVID-19, while only 29.8% had adequate knowledge. Knowledge was slightly positively correlated with attitude and practice (ρ = 0.074 and ρ = 0.054, respectively; both p<0.001), while attitude was weakly correlated with practice (ρ = 0.234, p<0.001). Several factors including age, sex, place of residence, institution type, academic level, family income, history of chronic illness, prior volunteering experience, and perceptual awareness on COVID-19 were significantly associated with either knowledge, attitude, and/or practice toward COVID-19. Furthermore, health institution’s and the government’s press releases, as well as health expert opinions were deemed as the most reliable sources of COVID-19-related information–yet trivially none of these sources were associated with knowledge, attitude, and practice in the study population. Conclusion Many undergraduate medical students in Indonesia had positive attitude and practice against COVID-19, yet only a few had adequate knowledge. This warrants further interventions to keep them updated with COVID-19 evidence to maximize their potentials in raising public awareness on COVID-19.

Introduction. The potential role of medical students in raising awareness during public health emergencies has been acknowledged. To further explore their potentials as public educators and role models for the communities during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a study is conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of these students toward COVID-19. Methods. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among undergraduate medical students in Indonesia. Socio-demographical characteristics, social interaction history, information-seeking behavior, as well as knowledge, attitude, and practice toward COVID-19 were collected through a self-reported questionnaire. A p-value of <0.05 indicated statistical significance. Results. Out of 4870 respondents, 64.9% and 51.5% had positive attitude and practice toward COVID-19 while only 29.8% had adequate knowledge. Knowledge was slightly positively correlated with attitude and practice (rho=0.074 and rho=0.054, respectively; both p<0.001), while attitude was weakly correlated with practice (rho=0.234, p<0.001). Several factors including age, sex, place of residence, institution type, academic level, family income, history of chronic illness, prior volunteering experience, and perceptual awareness on COVID-19 were significantly associated with either knowledge, attitude, and/or practice toward COVID-19. Furthermore, health institution's and the government's press releases, as well as health expert opinions were deemed as the most reliable sources of COVID-19-related information - yet trivially none of these sources were associated with knowledge, attitude, and practice in the study population. Conclusion. Many undergraduate medical students in Indonesia had positive attitude and practice against COVID-19, yet only a few had adequate knowledge. This warrants further interventions to keep them updated with COVID-19 evidence to maximize their potentials in raising public awareness on COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Malaria remains a global health concern and an endemic disease in Indonesia. Sambiloto (Andrographis paniculata) and spirulina (Spirulina platensis) are two potential antimalarial agents which act as antioxidants and antiinflammatories that can suppress morbidities during chronic inflammation in malaria, such as proliferation in the colon. This study aims to investigate the effects of A. paniculata extract and S. platensis administration on Ki-67 expression in medial colon epithelial cells of Plasmodium berghei-infected mice measured by H-score.METHODS: Thirty P. berghei-infected male Swiss-Webster mice were divided into five groups: negative controls (carboxymethyl cellulose/CMC); positive controls (dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine/DHP); A. paniculata extract alone (AP); A. paniculata extract in combination with S. platensis extract (AP+ES); and with S. platensis powder (AP+PS). All mice were infected with P. berghei on day 0. The treatment for each group were given 3 days before infection (D-3) until the day of infection (D0) for 28 days after infection. Colon tissues were processed with immunohistochemistry to detect Ki-67.RESULTS: A difference in Ki-67 expression was observed among the groups (p<0.01). The mean H-score for the CMC control group is 135.503±6.723. The lowest level of Ki-67 expression was observed in the AP+PS group (H-score= 110.941±7.079). AP group did not show a significant difference from the CMC group (p=0.514) and neither did the AP+ES group (p=0.234).CONCLUSION: In conclusion, administration of A. paniculata extract and S. platensis powder lowers Ki-67 expression in medial colon epithelial cells of P. berghei-infected mice.KEYWORDS: malaria, spirulina, Ki-67, Andrographis paniculata, Spirulina platensis