BackgroundFemale genital tuberculosis (FGTB) is a Mycobacterium infection in the reproductive organs which often leads to infertility. FGTB is either asymptomatic or causes uncharacteristic clinical presentations, making an early diagnosis is challenging. Our aims were to evaluate the clinical presentations, the process to confirm the diagnosis and followed-up the patients who had undergone laparoscopy at our center. FGTB has been reported from many countries, but has never been reported from Indonesia. Here we present case studies to document the presence of FGTB in Indonesia.Cases presentationThere were three patients admitted to our center; two patients were admitted with irregular menstrual cycle as their chief complaint, while one patient came due to infertility. The results from laparoscopy were suggestive of FGTB; including the presence of caseating granulomas surrounded by epithelioid cells, lymphocytes, plasma cells, and Langhans giant cells. Additionally, PCR testing confirmed presence of MTB. Subsequent to diagnosis, continuous TB medications was administered with excellent clinical outcome in two patients (pregnant in 18 months after under gone laparoscopy). The infertile patient remain in one of the treated patient above.ConclusionIn infertile patients who live in countries where Tuberculosis is an endemic disease, such as Indonesia, a comprehensive history taking, along with ultrasonography results can be used to diagnose FGTB. Confirmation of this diagnosis can be achieved through polymerase chain reactions result. Timely diagnosis and treatment are imperative to prevent any permanent injury to patient’s reproductive organs.

A wide variety of natural compounds have been recognized for targeting multiple malignancy signaling pathways and inducing apoptosis in various cancer cell lines from different origins. The chemical compositions of those substances present in plants contribute to their significant biological and medicinal value. In this review, we summarized our current findings and knowledge Mini-review Articleof bioactive compounds isolated from the Indonesian medicinal herb, Phaleria macrocarpa (Scheff.) Boerl, also known as Mahkota Dewa (MaDe) that originated from Papua province. A growing body of evidence from several countries suggests that the plant possesses potential for cancer therapy and chemoprevention. Exploring its mechanism in targeting multiple malignancy signaling pathways will provide valuable information for possible clinical applications in cancer management.

Selenium is an essential nutrient for human health, and maternal selenium concentration has been reported to be associated with pregnancy outcome. To further investigate the possible role of selenium (Se) in miscarriage, we conducted a case-control study to evaluate the correlations among selenium status, glutathione peroxidase activity, and spontaneous abortion. A total of 46 subjects with normal pregnancies and 25 subjects with spontaneous abortion were recruited, and their serum selenium concentrations and serum glutathione peroxidase activities were analyzed. The total serum selenium concentrations in subjects with normal pregnancies were significantly higher than those of subjects with spontaneous abortion; however, the glutathione peroxidase activities were similar in both groups. We further separated the subjects into smoking and nonsmoking groups, and the logistic regression analysis suggested that total serum selenium concentration, but not serum glutathione peroxidase activity or smoking, was significantly correlated with the incidence of miscarriage. The present study thus reaffirms that low serum selenium levels are associated with miscarriage and that selenium plays an important role in pregnancy maintenance.

Objective: To analyze the role of selenium and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in cervical cancer. Methods: Serum selenium concentrations and GPx activities of 19 women with cervical cancer along with their healthy counterparts (control group) were obtained. Selenium concentration were measured fluorometrically and GPx activities were measured spectrophotometrically based on the quantity of NADPH used in the reduction of glutathione. Results: The mean of serum selenium concentrations in cervical cancer group was significantly lower than that in the control group, 67.24±15 ng/mL and 77.05±12 ng/mL (p=0.03), respectively. The mean GPx activity in the cervical cancer group was also significantly lower than that in the control group, 128.18±38 ∆mmol NADPH/min/L and 148.9±23 ∆mmol NADPH/min/L (p=0.04), respectively. Multivariate analysis in the cervical cancer patients showed that the Fédération Internationale de Gynécologie et d'Obstétrique (FIGO) staging score (early vs. advanced) was inversely correlated with serum selenium concentration (p=0.027). Conclusions: Serum selenium concentration and GPx activity was significantly lower in the cervical cancer patients. Our results demonstrate that selenium and GPx activity may have an important role in the carcinogenesis of cervical cancer.

The Chromium(III) complex compounds have been known to reduce glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes. This study aims to test the antidiabetic bioactivity of mice from the synthesis of complex compounds of Cr(III) and Cu(II) with amino acid alanine. The antidiabetic testing was carried out in vivo using alloxan-induced mice. Antidiabetic test results are expressed in %GL (Glucose Lowering) for Cr-alanine dose of 50 μg at 29.79%, dose of 100 μg at 37.13%, and a dose of 200 μg at 59.19%. Whereas at Cu-alanine dose of 50 μg was 25.39%, dose of 100 μg was 33.87%, and the dose of 200 μg was 54.96%. Antidiabetic tests show that the Cr-alanine complex compound is more effective in reducing blood glucose levels in mice compared with Cu-alanine.

Objective: To analyze the effect of sitting and soaking therapy with the decoction of Anredera cordifolia on the perineal wound healing in postpartum period mothers.Materials and Methods: The research method used is the Quasi-Experiment with pretest-posttest control group design, a sample of 62 primiparous postpartum period mothers with 2nd-grade perineal rupture. The sampling technique used is purposive sampling to obtain 31 respondents treated by 31 respondents. The wound healing variable was observed using the REEDA scale. The characteristic analysis is tested using Mann-Whitney statistical test, while to test the effect analysis is tested using the Wilcoxon test.Results: The results of this study in the intervention group showed 52.71% was cured after getting treatment for perineal wounds sitting and soaking therapy with the decoction of Anredera cordifolia. On the other hand, in the control group, using only clean water shows 27.90% recovered. Analysis data effect of using the decoction of Anredera cordifolia 25% containing on perineal wound healing showed results with Wilcoxon Test with value (p<0.05).Conclusion: Based on this result there is an effect of sitting and soaking therapy with the decoction of Anredera cordifolia on perineal wound healing for postpartum mothers.

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Objective: To determine the role of protein-with-molecular-weight-53 (p53), burkit cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2), Fas ligand (FasL) mRNA, and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), known as the apoptosis-related molecular pathway, in preeclamptic patients. Methods: Observation on the correlation between the mRNA levels of p53, Bcl2 and FasL and VCAM-1 in 31 subjects at 28-42 weeks gestational age was performed in this study using the real time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: The results showed that p53 mRNA increased (>1.2350 ng/μL) in the preeclampsia group compared to the normal pregnancy group (p=0.010), Bcl2 mRNA was lower (≤0.9271 ng/μL) in the preeclampsia group than the control group (p=0.041). There was also a tendency of increased FasL mRNA expression (>0.5509 ng/μL) in the preeclampsia group compared to the normal pregnancy group (p=0.300). The level of VCAM-1 elevated (>890.08 ng/mL) in the preeclampsia group compared to the normal pregnancy group (p=0.001). In preeclampsia, the correlation between the Bcl2/p53 ratio and VCAM-1 was r=0.541 (p=0.002), whereas the correlation in normal pregnancy was r=0.099 (p=0.595). Conclusions: There are correlations between the mRNA expression levels of p53 and Bcl2 as an intrinsic pathway of apoptosis along with the VCAM-1 levels in the incidence of preeclampsia. However, no correlation is found between FasL mRNA expression and the incidence of preeclampsia.