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BackgroundIntestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) are one of the major public health problems, especially in the rural area of developing countries with low socio-economic status and poor sanitation. The study was aimed to determine the prevalence of IPIs among the inhabitants of a rural area in South West Sumba, eastern part of Indonesia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was done in Kalena Rongo village, South West Sumba in April 2014. Stool samples were collected and examined for IPIs using direct smear method.ResultsFaecal samples were collected from 424 of 473 inhabitants of the village, age 2 months to 80 years. About 95.5 % (405/424) of the participants had any IPIs. The most prevalent parasites found were Ascaris lumbricoides 65.8 % (279/424), Trichuris trichiura 60.4 % (256/424), hookworms 53.5 % (227/424), Blastocystis hominis 34.4 % (146/424), Entamoeba histolytica 17.9 % (76/424), and Giardia lamblia 4.5 % (19/424). The villagers used no latrine and defecated in their backyard. Clean water sources were scarce and far from the village.ConclusionsIn Kalena Rongo village, the rural area in eastern part of Indonesia, the finding of IPIs was conspicuous and therefore expressed the poor hygiene and absence of proper sanitation in the area. Integrated efforts, such as improving infrastructure to provide clean water source and educating the inhabitants for appropriate hygienic lifestyle are needed.

Background and Purpose Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, with ischemic stroke as the highest prevalent cases in Indonesia. Ischemic stroke can be classified further into five subtypes according to TOAST classification. Numerous studies have revealed that stroke risk factor has variable correlation with different stroke subtype. Currently, there is no data regarding this phenomenon in Indonesia. The aim of study is to identify characteristic of ischemic stroke subtypes and the risk factors in TOAST classification. Methods A retrospective, cross-sectional study of patients diagnosed with ischemic stroke at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital from January till December 2016. Demographic data, ischemic stroke subtypes, risk factors, and other relevant data were documented. Bivariate and multivariate analysis was done using SPSS 23. Results 235 recorded data patients were included. Large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) was the most prevalent stroke subtypes at 59,6%, followed with small vessel disease (SVD) at 26,7%, undetermined etiology at 9,8%, cardioembolism (CE) at 2,1%, and other determined etiology at 0,9%. Hypertension was the most common vascular risk factor. However, it was only significant in SVD (p=0,023) and undetermined etiology subtypes (p<0,001). Significant risk factor in LAA was diabetes (55%; p=0,016) while in CE subtypes was atrial fibrillation (60%;p<0,001). In multivariate analyses, hypertension (OR 3; 95% CI 1,12-8,05) was the only variable that was related to SVD while in CE it was atrial fibrillation (OR 113,5; 95% CI 13,6-946,5). Conclusion LAA was the most common stroke ischemic subtypes. Associated risk factor in LAA was diabetes while in SVD and undetermined etiology subtypes it was hypertension. Atrial fibrillation was associated with cardioembolism.

High prevalence of STH leads to malnutrition, anemia, cognitive impairment, and growth disorders. Triple-dose albendazole 400 mg is a broad-spectrum anthelminthic; however, its effectiveness varies in every region. This study aims to determine the benefits of deworming using triple-dose albendazole on children's nutritional status in Perobatang Village, Southwest Sumba, Indonesia. This pre-post study was conducted in July 2016 and January 2017. Children aged 1–15 years were asked to collect stool for diagnosis of STH infection (Kato-Katz method), were measured for anthropometry status to obtain the nutritional status, and took albendazole 400 mg for three consecutive days. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 20. Prevalence of STH prior to the treatment was 95.4%: T. trichiura 85.2%, A. lumbricoides 71.6%, and hookworm 18.2%. After treatment, prevalence of STH decreased significantly (McNemar test, p < 0.001) to 53.4%, (T. trichiura 39.8%, A. lumbricoides 22.7%, and hookworm 1.1%). Before treatment, 33% participants were in normal nutritional status, 47.7% underweight, and 19.3% severely underweight. After treatment, children in normal nutritional status increased to 75%, underweight children decreased to 25%, and there were no severely underweight children. In conclusion, deworming with triple-dose albendazole 400 mg is effective in improving the nutritional status of children in Perobatang Village.

Lipopeptides show great potential for biomedical application. Several lipopeptides exhibit narrow and broad-spectrum inhibition activities. The aim of the study is to characterize the lipopeptides produced by B. amyloliquefaciens strain MD4-12 and evaluate the synergistic antimicrobial activity in combination with a conventional antibiotic against Gram-negative bacteria. B. amyloliquefaciens strain MD4-12 was isolated from oil-contaminated soil. The isolate was cultivated in McKeen medium, and the lipopeptides were isolated by precipitation and extraction with methanol. Characterization of the lipopeptides by ESI-MS gave nine mass ion peaks with m/z 994–1072, resulted from protonating of the main ions in [M + H]+ and [M + Na]+ ion form. These mass ion peaks attributed to surfactin homologs. By tandem mass spectrometry, five variants of surfactin with the same amino acid sequence in peptide moiety could be revealed. The peptide moiety contains seven amino acids identified as Glu-Leu/Ile-Leu-Val-Asp-Leu-Leu/Ile while the fatty acid moiety comprises a different length of chain from C12 to C16. Surfactin showed antibacterial activity against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Combination surfactin with ampicillin showed a synergistic effect against P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853.

Soil transmitted helminths (STH) infection is a major health problem in tropical countries such as Indonesia. Albendazole is an effective and widely used anthelmintic agent to treat STH; however, it is not effective towards T. trichiura and its effectiveness varies between populations. Hence, we conducted a study to determine the effectiveness of triple dose albendazole in children of Perobatang village, Southwest Sumba, Indonesia. A pre-post study was carried out in Perobatang village on July 2016. Children aged 1-15 years old were enrolled in the study and asked to collect stool samples which were then examined using Kato-Katz method. The children infected with STH were given albendazole 400 mg for three consecutive days. From 246 subjects examined, 192 (78%) were positive for any STH consisting of T. trichiura (64%), A. lumbricoides (60%), and hookworms (10%). After treatment, the prevalence of STH decreased significantly (McNemar test, p<0.001) to 27%, T. trichiura 25%, A. lumbricoides 2%, and hookworm 0%. Cure rate for T. trichiura, A. lumbricoides, and hookworms was 61%, 97%, and 100%, respectively. Significant decrease of eggs per gram of feces was found in all STH (Wilcoxon test, p value <0.001 for A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura, p value = 0.027 for hookworms); egg reduction rate for T. trichiura was 91%, A. lumbricoides was 100%, and hookworms was 100%. In conclusion, triple dose albendazole is effective in controlling STH in children of Perobatang village, Southwest Sumba, Indonesia.

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (OSCC) is the sixth most common malignancy. Surgery is mainstay treatment for oral cancers. Surgery in locally advanced OSCC presents many challenges primarily because the head and neck have critical structures that can be damaged by tumor or treatment. It is thought that neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NC) in locally advanced OSCC is able to shrink tumor size. Chemoresistancy is a problem due to hypoxic microenvironment characterized by increased expression of HIF-1α. It is also regulated by miR-210 as well as increased expression of CD44 and CD133. Melatonin has a powerful antioxidant and oncostatic effects that are expected to improve tumor hypoxia and clinical response. Fifty patients with OSCC were included and randomized. miR-210 and CD44 expression were measured before and after intervention using qRT-PCR absolute quantification, and clinical response was evaluated according to RECIST 1.1 criteria. This study aims to determine the effect of melatonin in improving the clinical response of patients with locally advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy to miR-210 and CD44 expression. Results: Melatonin administration reduced miR-210 levels but not significant (p = 0.767). CD44 expression also decreased in the melatonin group compared with placebo yet was not significant (p = 0.103). There was a decrease in the expression of miR-210 and CD44 followed by a decrease in the percentage of residual tumor but not significant (p = 0.114).