Particulate matter deposition and its impact on tuberculosis severity: A cross-sectional study in Taipei

The objective of this study was to examine the association between the lung lobe-deposited dose of inhaled fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and chest X-ray abnormalities in different lung lobes of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), and non-tuberculosis mycobacteria infections (NTM). A cross-sectional study was conducted between 2014 and 2022, comprising 1073 patients who were recruited from chest department clinic in a tertial refer hospital in Taipei City, Taiwan. Ambient 1-, 7-, and 30-day PM2.5 exposure and the deposition of PM2.5 in different lung lobes were estimated in each subject. The β coefficient for PM2.5 and deposited PM2.5 in lungs with the outcome variables (pulmonary TB, MDR-TB, and NTM infection) was derived through regression analysis and adjusted for age, gender, BMI, smoking status, and family income. We observed that a 1 μg/m3 increase in ambient PM2.5 was associated with an increase of MDR-TB infections of 0.004 times (95%CI: 0.001-0.007). A 1 μg/m3 increase in 1-day and 7-day PM2.5 deposition in left upper lobe and left lower lobe was associated with an increase in chest X-ray abnormalities of 9.19 % and 1.18 % (95%CI: 0.87-17.51 and 95%CI: 0.08-2.28), and 4.52 % and 5.20 % (95%CI: 0.66-8.38 and 95%CI: 0.51-9.89) in left lung of TB patients, respectively. A 1 μg/m3 increase in 30-day PM2.5 deposition in alveolar region was associated with an increase in percent abnormality of 2.50 % (95%CI: 0.65-4.35) in left upper lobe and 3.33 % (95%CI: 0.65-6.01) in right middle lobe, while in total lung was 0.63 % (95%CI: 0.01-1.27) in right upper lobe and 0.37 % (95%CI, 0.06-0.81) in right lung of MDR-TB patients. Inhaled PM2.5 deposition in lungs was associated with an exacerbation of the radiographic severity of pulmonary TB, particularly in pulmonary MDR-TB patients in upper and middle lobes. Particulate air pollution may potentially exacerbate the radiographic severity and treatment resistance in individuals with pulmonary TB.

Different Impacts of Traffic-Related Air Pollution on Early-Onset and Late-Onset Asthma

Background

Early-onset asthma (EOA) and late-onset asthma (LOA) are two distinct phenotypes. Air pollution has been associated with an increase in poorer asthma outcomes. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) on asthma outcomes in EOA and LOA patients.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 675 asthma patients (LOA: 415) recruited from a major medical center in Taiwan. The land-use regression (LUR) model was used to estimate the level of exposure to PM10, PM2.5, NO2, and O3 on an individual level. We investigated the association between TRAP and asthma outcomes in EOA and LOA patients, stratified by allergic sensitization status, using a regression approach.

Results

An increase in PM10 was associated with younger age of onset, increased asthma duration, and decreased lung function in EOA patients (p<0.05). An increase in PM10 was associated with older age of onset, and decreased asthma duration, eosinophil count, and Asthma Control Test (ACT) score in LOA patients. An increase in PM2.5 was associated with younger age of onset, increased asthma duration, decreased eosinophil count, and lung function in EOA patients (p<0.05). An increase in PM2.5 was associated with decreased lung function and ACT score in LOA patients. An increase in NO2 was associated with increased eosinophil count and decreased lung function in EOA patients (p<0.05). An increase in O3 was associated with decreased lung function in LOA patients (p<0.05). In addition, associations of TRAP with age of onset and eosinophil counts were mainly observed in both EOA and LOA patients with allergic sensitization, and an association with ACT was mainly observed in LOA patients without allergic sensitization.

Conclusion

The impact of TRAP on age of onset, eosinophil count, and lung function in EOA patients, and ACT in LOA patients, was affected by the status of allergic sensitization.

Extreme temperatures increase the risk of pediatric pneumonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction

The impact of climate change on ambient temperatures threatens to worsen pediatric pneumonia-related outcomes considerably. This study examined the associations of temperature variation and extreme temperature with pediatric pneumonia-related events using a meta-analysis.

Methods

We systematically searched PubMed, Medline, Embase, and Web of Science databases for relevant literature, and the quality of evidence was assessed. Fixed and random-effects meta-analyses were performed to calculate the pooled relative risks (RRs) of the associations with pneumonia-related events.

Results

We observed that a 1°C temperature variation increased the RR of pneumonia events by 1.06-fold (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03-1.10). A 1°C temperature variation increased the RR by 1.10-fold of the pediatric pneumonia hospital admissions (95% CI: 1.00-1.21) and 1.06-fold of the pediatric pneumonia emergency department visits (95% CI: 1.01-1.10). Extreme cold increased the RR by 1.25-fold of the pediatric pneumonia events (95% CI: 1.07-1.45). A 1°C temperature variation increased the RR of pneumonia events in children by 1.19-fold (95% CI: 1.08-1.32), girls by 1.03-fold (95% CI: 1.02-1.05), and in temperate climate zones by 1.07-fold (95% CI: 1.03-1.11). Moreover, an increase in extreme cold increased the RR of pneumonia events in children by 2.43-fold (95% CI: 1.72-3.43), girls by 1.96-fold (95% CI: 1.29-2.98) and in temperate climate zones by 2.76-fold (95% CI: 1.71-4.47).

Conclusion

Our study demonstrated that pediatric pneumonia events are more prevalent among children, particularly girls, and individuals residing in temperate climate zones. Climate change represents an emergent public health threat, affecting pediatric pneumonia treatment and prevention..

Systematic Review Registration

PROSPERO (CRD42022378610).

Alveolar deposition of inhaled fine particulate matter increased risk of severity of pulmonary tuberculosis in the upper and middle lobes

Inhaled PM_2.5 associated with pulmonary tuberculosis https://bit.ly/3VXAKfq.

Extreme weather and asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Climate change's influence on extreme weather events poses a significant threat to the morbidity and mortality of asthma patients. The aim of this study was to examine associations between extreme weather events and asthma-related outcomes.

METHODS

A systematic literature search for relevant studies was performed using the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and ProQuest databases. Fixed-effects and random-effects models were applied to estimate the effects of extreme weather events on asthma-related outcomes.

RESULTS

We observed that extreme weather events were associated with increasing risks of general asthma outcomes with relative risks of 1.18-fold for asthma events (95% CI 1.13-1.24), 1.10-fold for asthma symptoms (95% CI 1.03-1.18) and 1.09-fold for asthma diagnoses (95% CI 1.00-1.19). Extreme weather events were associated with increased risks of acute asthma exacerbation with risk ratios of asthma emergency department visits of 1.25-fold (95% CI 1.14-1.37), of asthma hospital admissions of 1.10-fold (95% CI 1.04-1.17), of asthma outpatient visits of 1.19-fold (95% CI 1.06-1.34) and of asthma mortality of 2.10-fold (95% CI 1.35-3.27). Additionally, an increase in extreme weather events increased risk ratios of asthma events by 1.19-fold in children and 1.29-fold in females (95% CI 1.08-1.32 and 95% CI 0.98-1.69, respectively). Thunderstorms increased the risk ratio of asthma events by 1.24-fold (95% CI 1.13-1.36).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed that extreme weather events more prominently increased the risk of asthma morbidity and mortality in children and females. Climate change is a critical concern for asthma control.

Co-infection of SARS-CoV-2 with other viral respiratory pathogens in Yogyakarta, Indonesia: A cross-sectional study

Background

Growing evidence shows that viral co-infection is found repeatedly in patients with Coronavirus Disease–2019 (COVID-19). This is the first report of SARS-CoV-2 co-infection with viral respiratory pathogens in Indonesia.

Methods

Over a one month period of April to May 2020, SARS-CoV-2 positive nasopharyngeal swabs in our COVID-19 referral laboratory in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, were tested for viral respiratory pathogens by real-time, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Proportion of co-infection reported in percentage.

Results

Fifty-nine samples were positive for other viral respiratory pathogens among a total of 125 samples. Influenza A virus was detected in 32 samples, Influenza B in 16 samples, Human metapneumovirus in 1 sample, and adenovirus in 10 samples. We did not detect any co-infection with respiratory syncytial virus. Nine (7.2%) patients had co-infection with more than two viruses.

Conclusion

Viral co-infection with SARS-CoV-2 is common. These results will provide a helpful reference for diagnosis and clinical treatment of patients with COVID-19.

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Viral co-infection with SARS-CoV-2 is common.

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Co-infection by two viral respiratory pathogens is prevalent.

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Pandemic transmission control may also impact in other viral respiratory infections.

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Early identification of co-infection is necessary, given differences in treatment.

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Simple laboratory diagnosis algorithm may be applied to screen viral co-infection.

Sepsis and disseminated intravascular coagulation are rare complications of typhoid fever: A case report

INTRODUCTION

and importance: Typhoid fever is an infection caused by Salmonella typhi. The common complications are intestinal perforation and typhoid encephalopathy. Cases of typhoid fever with sepsis and/or disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) are rarely reported, even though typhoid fever is endemic in Indonesia.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 4-year-old male referral case from a district hospital was experiencing fever, decrease of consciousness and massive bleeding from his gastrointestinal tract and nose. Investigation revealed results from the IgM typhoid test using Tubex®TF, with the score of +8. PELOD 2 score was 10, and PSOFA was 5. DIC score was 7. Based on these findings, the patient was diagnosed with typhoid fever, with DIC and sepsis being the complication of the typhoid fever.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION

DIC is mostly a subclinical event, and severe bleeding complications found in typhoid fever are uncommon, although DIC scores which indicate an imbalance of coagulation and fibrinolysis are markedly elevated in patients with typhoid. DIC can be a part of multi-organ dysfunction due to sepsis syndrome. Acute infection can also result in systemic activation of coagulation.

CONCLUSION

Sepsis and DIC are rare complications of typhoid fever. Typhoid fever can be presented with profound bleeding manifestation other than gastrointestinal bleeding, since it is a common symptom of typhoid fever. Further research should be conducted to postulate association between typhoid fever and DIC.

Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio as predictor of mortality in pediatric patients with bacterial meningitis: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Bacterial meningitis causes high mortality rates among children. Even with early diagnosis and prompt treatment, around 15% of patients die especially in the first and second days after diagnosis. The neutrophil lymphocyte ratio has been reported to be a predicting factor of severity and outcome for patients with pneumonia and sepsis. However, only a few studies are available to rate the neutrophil lymphocyte ratio as a predictor of mortality in bacterial meningitis. This study aimed to know the role of the neutrophil lymphocyte ratio as a predictor of mortality in patients with bacterial meningitis.

METHODS

This retrospective study was conducted at Dr. Sardjito General Hospital, Yogyakarta, Indonesia between January 2016 to December 2020. Multivariate analysis was used to assess the correlation between predicting factors and outcomes using logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 94 samples were included and analyzed in this study with bacterial meningitis. Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio >5.225 was a significant predictor of mortality in patients with bacterial meningitis with p = 0.004 and risk ratio 10.78. Other factors that were significant predictors of mortality included the pediatric coma scale ≤8 and positive cerebrospinal fluid culture.

CONCLUSION

Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio is a statistically significant predictor of mortality in patients with bacterial meningitis, and can be used as a parameter to predict outcomes in patients with bacterial meningitis.

Comprehensive management of refractory autoimmune hemolytic anemia in pediatric beta-thalassemia major patient: A case report

Introduction

and importance: Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is characterized by the production of antibodies against the red blood cells (RBCs) leading to increased hemolysis. Incidence of AIHA in patients with beta-thalassemia major is 5 of 100 thalassemia patients.

Case presentation

A 15-year-old female patient with refractory AIHA and thalassemia was unresponsive to steroid therapy. In this report, she was treated with cyclosporine and prednisone in addition to leucodepleted packed red cell (PRC). She was successfully got remission during one-year monitoring.

Clinical discussion

Cyclosporine is an immunosuppressive agent that interferes with T-cells activation by inhibiting transcription of cytokines, such as interleukin 2 and interferon-ɣ. Cyclosporine and steroid have synergic effects to prevent antibody production. Nephrotoxicity is one of the most concerning effect in cyclosporine usage, but it rarely develops using doses lower than 5 mg/kgBW/day. In limited resources blood bank with ABO and Rh crossmatch only, leucodepleted PRC transfusion could be an effective way to prevent antibody formation to minor blood group.

Conclusion

Cyclosporine and steroid could be considered for management in refractory AIHA with thalassemia patients. Non-pharmacological therapy such as leucodepleted PRC transfusion and limited donor transfusion could be considered.

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Cyclosporine and steroid may be of benefit in patients with refractory AIHA and beta thalassemia major.

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Leukodepleted PRC transfusion showed protective effect for antibody formation.

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Limited donor transfusion could be beneficial in recurrent transfusion patient.

Factors associated with mortality of pediatric sepsis patients at the pediatric intensive care unit in a low-resource setting

Background

Sepsis is the leading cause of death worldwide in pediatric populations. Studies in low-resource settings showed that the majority of pediatric patients with sepsis still have a high mortality rate.

Methods

We retrospectively collected records from 2014 to 2019 of patients who had been diagnosed with sepsis and admitted to PICU in our tertiary hospital. Cox proportional hazard regression modeling was used to evaluate associations between patient characteristics and mortality.

Results

Overall, 665 patients were enrolled in this study, with 364 (54.7%) boys and 301 (46.3%) girls. As many as 385 patients (57.9%) died during the study period. The median age of patients admitted to PICU were 1.8 years old with interquartile range (IQR) ±8.36 years and the median length of stay was 144 h (1–1896 h). More than half 391 patients (58.8%) had a good nutritional status. Higher risk of mortality in PICU was associated fluid overload percentage of > 10% (HR 9.6, 95% CI: 7.4–12.6), the need of mechanical ventilation support (HR 2.7, 95% CI: 1.6–4.6), vasoactive drugs (HR 1.5, 95% CI: 1.2–2.0) and the presence of congenital anomaly (HR 1.4, 95% CI: 1.0–1.9). On the contrary, cerebral palsy (HR 0.3, 95% CI: 0.1–0.5) and post-operative patients (HR 0.4, 95% CI: 0.3–0.6) had lower mortality.

Conclusion

PICU mortality in pediatric patients with sepsis is associated with fluid overload percentage of > 10%, the need for mechanical ventilation support, the need of vasoactive drugs, and the presence of congenital anomaly. In septic patients in PICU, those with cerebral palsy and admitted for post-operative care had better survival.

Post-herniorrhaphy extubation technique in pediatric patient with congenital diaphragmatic hernia and VACTERL association: A case report

Introduction

and importance: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a condition characterized by a defect in the diaphragm causing protrusion of abdominal organs into the thoracic cavity. Comprehensive management, definitive surgical procedures and postoperative care are able to significantly reduce morbidity and mortality in post-herniorrhaphy patients. Here, we reported a case of post herniorrhaphy pediatric patient with a challenge in extubation.

Case presentation

A 4-month-old girl with a chief complaint of respiratory distress from was admitted to our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. The diagnosis of diaphragmatic hernia was confirmed through small bowel follow-through radiological examination. Definitive treatment of laparotomy and herniorrhaphy were then done. The special technique for extubation was applied. Currently, the patient survives without any sequelae awaiting stoma closure.

Clinical discussion

Extubation is the removal of an endotracheal tube when it is no longer needed. In mechanically ventilated patients, extubation can be performed in two ways, either using the tracheal suction catheter (TSC) or positive pressure breath (PPB) techniques. Studies show that the PBB extubation technique has better patient outcomes compared to the TSC technique. However, the TSC technique is more commonly done by medical professionals. We used the PPB technique because there were recurrent atelectases in the left lung.

Conclusion

This case report illustrates extubation technique in a post-herniorrhaphy patient with congenital diaphragmatic hernia and VACTERL association. Moreover, several options of extubation techniques can be used for extubation procedure in pediatric patient with CDH.

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Most children with congenital diaphragmatic hernia comes with respiratory problems.

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Comprehensive management, definitive surgical procedures and postoperative care.

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Good outcome of comprehensive management and appropriate extubation technique.

Obstructive shock in pediatric patient with congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation: A case report

Introduction

and importance: Congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM) is a rare cystic lesion in the lungs. CCAM might present in the early neonatal period with symptoms of respiratory distress.

Case presentation

A 2-year-old girl was admitted to our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit with signs of severe respiratory distress. She had been diagnosed with CCAM since she was three months old. She also had undergone several procedures such as thoracotomy and decortication since then, but she still suffered some episodes of pulmonary infection. In this admission, her computerized thoracic tomography revealed a pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB).

Clinical discussion

An obstruction of blood outflow from the left ventricle could happen when an intrathoracic mass exists, leading to a decrease of cardiac output and resulting in an obstructive shock, which could be fatal. One of the malignancy types commonly occurring is pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB), which has a poor prognosis. Early detection on CCAM can be done by prenatal ultrasound.

Conclusion

Obstructive shock is one of complication that might occur in pleuropulmonary blastoma.

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Pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB) has a poor prognosis.

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Lobectomy is recommended to prevent recurrence of infection.

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Early detection on CCAM could be done by prenatal ultrasound.

Correlation between ER, PR, HER-2, and Ki-67 with the risk of bone metastases detected by bone scintigraphy in breast cancer patients: A cross sectional study

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women. About 30%-85% of breast cancers will metastasize to the bone during the course of the illness. Many studies have shown that molecular marker/subtypes can be useful in determining incidence of different and inconsistent bone metastases. This study aimed to determine the correlation of the risk of bone metastases in breast cancer based on the expression of molecular markers.

METHODS

The research was conducted retrospectively by searching patients' medical record data. The target population of this study was all patients diagnosed with breast cancer who came to our tertiary hospital in the Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Department from January 2012 to December 2016.

RESULTS

One hundred and thirty patients (n = 130) were enrolled during the study period with characteristics of sex, age, and immunohistochemical/molecular subtype examination that underwent bone scintigraphy. Mean of age was 50.2 (23-79) years. There were no significant correlations between ER, PR, and HER-2 expressions with bone metastases in breast cancer patients. Ki-67 was showed to be correlated with bone metastases in breast cancer patients in our bivariate analysis. Molecular subtype/markers had no statistically significant correlation with bone metastases in patients with breast cancer.

CONCLUSION

Ki-67 with high proliferation index was the most powerful molecular marker to determine the risk of bone metastases. The prevalence of bone metastases in the group with Ki-67 expression with high proliferation (≥20) was 1.8 times greater than the prevalence of bone metastases in the weakest HER-2 group.

TGF-β expression on different suturing technique for abdominal skin wound closure in rats

Background

The method of closing the abdominal wall, as well as, the choice of material for stitching are important aspects of efficient incision closure. Generally, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) is involved in the wound healing process. Suturing procedures also play a part in the wound dehiscence occurrence. This study aimed to compare TGF-β expressions in rats after using the large stitch vs. small stitch technique for abdominal skin wound closure.

Methods

A total of twenty Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus) were used in this experiment. Small tissue bites of 5 mm were obtained by the small stitch group and the large stitch group received large bites of 10 mm. Abdominal skin incisions were closed by running sutures. On days 4 and 7, the animals were euthanized. For TGF-β expressions, histological parts of the tissue-embedded sutures were analyzed. With significance set at p < 0.05, two-way ANOVA showed that on days 4 and 7, the TGF-β expressions of the rats in the small stitch group were nearly identical to those in the large stitch groups.

Results

After including twenty rats in this study, results showed the TGF-β expressions on days 4 and 7 in rats in the small stitch group were equivalent to those in the large stitch group. (p = 0.45).

Conclusions

Between the small and the large stitch groups, the TGF-β expressions are similar, suggesting that the suturing methods do not have any significantly different beneficial impact on the frequency of wound dehiscence.

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TGF-β promoting collagen and fibronectin formation in various fibroblast cell lines.

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TGF-β expressions are similar between the small and the large stitch groups.

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Different suturing methods do not have a beneficial impact on the frequency of wound dehiscence.

Factors associated with clinical outcomes of pediatric dengue shock syndrome admitted to pediatric intensive care unit: A retrospective cohort study

Background

Dengue shock syndrome (DSS) in children is a challenging infectious disease due to its high mortality rate. Several factors can contribute to the DSS patients’ outcomes. Here we defined factors associated with clinical outcomes of patients with DSS in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

Methods

We retrospectively collected data from January 2016 to May 2020 of patients who had been diagnosed with DSS and admitted to PICU in our tertiary referral hospital. Bivariate analysis and logistic regression were used to evaluate independent predictors of the study outcomes.

Results

Overall, 146 patients were enrolled in this study, including 53.4% males and 46.6% females. The mortality rate during the study period was 5.5%. Fluid overload percentage, shock condition at PICU admission, DIC, and AKI were independent predictors for DSS mortality in logistic regression test with p < 0.05. There were several factors correlated with prolonged stay, including disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) (RR 15.26; 95% CI: 4.97–46.81), and nutritional status (RR 16.47; 95% CI: 3.72–72.9).

Conclusion

Fluid overload percentage, shock condition at PICU admission, DIC, and AKI are independent predictors for DSS mortality. Several factors contribute to prolonged PICU stay, including DIC and nutritional status.

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Dengue shock syndrome is still a major problem in childrens' health in Indonesia.

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Infection and fluid overload should to be concerned to prevent prolonged PICU stay.

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The importance of increasing referral response times from previous hospitals in dengue shock syndrome cases.

Predicting Candida Infection in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit using Candida Score in a Low-Resource Setting

Candida infection was previously thought to be rare in intensive care. With the increased use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, the incidence of candida infection increased significantly. Case-control study was done in patients ≤18 years of age treated for 3 days or more in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Dr. Sardjito General Hospital, Yogyakarta from January 2014 to December 2016. Overall, 43 children were included in this study as a case group with positive candida culture and 43 children as a control group with no candida culture. Cut off point of candida score is ≥3 from our subjects. The area under curve (AUC) value for cut off ≥3 was moderate (0,72). Candida score ≥3 has an odd ratio (OR) 6.8 (95% CI 2.4-18.6) with P < .05. All of confounding factors in candida infection have no association with P > .05. Candida score can be used as predictor of candida infection in PICU.

COVID-19 VACCINE: THE CHALLENGE OF HERBAL MEDICINE COMMUNITY BELIEF IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY - LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Background:

The first case of COVID-19 was officially confirmed by Indonesian government on the last March 2020, but the trend still shows no sign of decrease. In fact, traditional or herbal medicine have a big influence on people’s decisions about their health.

Materials and Methods:

This report describes the community belief in herbal medicine that provides immunity to COVID-19 infection.

Results:

In the early pandemic, there were so many false and misinformation about herbal that can cure COVID-19. They use mainly herbs and spices, eucalyptus oil, arak Bali as the alternative of COVID-19 remedies. People’s interest in using herbal also shown in the market influx of these things. In a condition where demand is higher than supply, the market ran out of stocks and the prices also sharply increased. Continuous research that uses herbal medicine as an alternative approach to COVID-19 treatment are still ongoing. Nevertheless, as of now, there is no concrete scientific evidence to support the use of traditional medicine in the treatment and management of COVID-19.

Conclusion:

These facts reflect that COVID-19 vaccine will face challenges in community. These challenges include misinformation, misleading information, cultures, and believes that potentially interfere the vaccination process. COVID-19 vaccine should get a place in peoples’ heart and mind thus can at least eliminate the pandemic.

Fistula incidence after primary repair and correlation with cleft width-to-palatum width ratio: A prospective cohort study

Background

Cleft lip with or without cleft palate is one of the most common birth defects and is certainly the most visible. Fistula rate after primary palatoplasty was ranging between 10 and 23% and could be detected in the first three weeks after surgery. The cleft width is the frequent factor which was assumed to correspond to fistula occurrence. This study aimed to find correlation between fistula occurrence with cleft width and palatum width ratio after primary palate repair.

Methods

A prospective cohort study was conducted on 16 subjects, which consisted of 10 males and 6 females. We measured width of cleft palate, width of rest palate and width of palate arch on three level measurements (posterior, junction and anterior). The surgery was performed using the two-flap and three layers suturing technique.

Results

Sixteen patients were enrolled in this study during January and February 2008 . Ten patients were diagnosed with unilateral cleft palate while six patients had bilateral cleft palate. Mean of age was 22.31 ± 5.86 month. Correlation analysis between fistula occurrence and cleft width, cleft width-remnant palate width ratio and cleft width-palate arch width ratio using logistic regression did not show statistical correlation, and the same result was found between fistula occurrence and hemoglobin level, white blood count, nutritional status, cleft type and caries dentis factors (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

Width of the cleft is not a factor associated with fistula occurrence. Two-flap three layers technique could be considered as a simple technique and gives a low rate of fistula occurrence.

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Cleft lip is one of the most common birth defects and is certainly the most visible.

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Two-flap three layers technique gives a low rate of fistula occurrence.

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Two-flap three layers technique could be considered as a simple technique.

COVID-19 and active primary tuberculosis in a low-resource setting: A case report

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness. But there are few studies that explain the clinical features of COVID-19 patients with active primary tuberculosis. In a low-resource setting, it is difficult to distinguish the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 from other respiratory diseases. Here, we briefly report the first case of COVID-19 with active primary tuberculosis in our low-resource institution.

CASE PRESENTATION

A fourty two year old diabetic Indonesian male was admitted to emergency department in November 2020 due to vertigo-like dizzines for one week, tension type headache, shivering, cough with sputum, abdominal pain, and night sweats. Xpert MTB-RIF Assay G4 detect Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Bacteria (MTB) without rifampicin resistance, but the Tubex test for antibody IgM anti-O9 was negative. Patient admitted to isolation ward for suspected COVID-19 with separate rooms due to tuberculosis, until 24 hours evaluation of nasopharyng and oropharyng swab test performed. On the second day, the evaluation swab test was positive for COVID-19.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION

Limited or no protection against COVID-19 is one of the problems that leads to co-infection. Now, there is no recommendation treatment for COVID-19 sufferer with tuberculosis co-infection or vice versa. Ventilation support and intensive care for infectious patient must be accessible, yet still unavailable in our institution.

CONCLUSION

A low resource setting has its own challenges in handling COVID-19. Further studies are needed to address the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and management in COVID-19 patients with active tuberculosis.

The effect of platelet-rich fibrin on normal dermal fibroblast proliferation after mitomycin-c treatment: An in vitro study

Background

Disturbance in the wound healing can cause the wound turn into a chronic wound, which histologically shows fibroblast senescence with weak proliferation ability. Mitomycin-C could block cell proliferation that causes cell senescence which is similar to the chronic wound morphology. Platelet-Rich Fibrin (PRF) contains a large number of platelets, leukocytes, cytokines and growth factors. This study aims to determine whether PRF could improve the fibroblast proliferation after treatment with Mitomycin-C.

Methods

Cultured normal human skin fibroblasts forth passage divided into five groups. The first group was treated with culture medium, and the second group with 10 μg/mL mitomycin-C for 2 h. The third, 4th and 5th group were treated with mitomycin-C for the same dose and period, then adding it with 100%, 50%, and 25% of PRF. The fibroblast proliferation was measured by MTT assay.

Results

The fibroblast proliferation in the group with culture medium is 11.366,56 ± 4.073,32, meanwhile in the group with mitomycin-C treatment is 5.690,41 ± 2.834,22. The fibroblast proliferation in group with 100% PRF is 7.909,8 ± 3.392,19; group with 50% PRF 15.347,91 ± 8.413,02; and group with 25% PRF 13.449,56 ± 7.523,83. All of the PRF groups increased significantly compared to the group with Mitomycin-C treatment.

Conclusions

Platelet-Rich Fibrin can improve normal dermal fibroblast proliferation after treatment with mitomycin-C in vitro.

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Mitomycin-C exposure is similar to the chronic wound morphology.

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PRF contains a large number of platelets, leukocytes, cytokines and growth factors.

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PRF groups increased significantly compared to the group with Mitomycin-C treatment.

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PRF improve normal dermal fibroblast proliferation after mitomycin-C in vitro.

P1179PREDICTIVE FACTORS OF PERITONITIS IN PERITONEAL DIALYSIS PATIENTS AFTER TENCKHOFF CATHETER IMPLANTATION : A META-ANALYSIS

Background and Aims

Chronic kidney disease is one of the leading cause of years living with disability. Peritoneal dialysis has been an effective treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Unfortunately, there are infectious and non-infectious complication after tenckhoff catheter implantation in patients. Peritonitis has been the most common major clinical problem and is often the cause for failure of peritoneal dialysis. Many researchers have studied the predictive factors of peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis patients after tenckhoff catheter implantation, but their conclusion were not always consistent. Therefore we performed a meta-analysis to make a more integrated and precise estimation.

Method

Multiple databases were searched for comparative studies without language or date restrictions. Gray literature was sought. The meta-analysis study was conducted using Revman 5.3, with p &lt;0.05 considered significant. Aspects investigated included age at implantation, diabetes mellitus, and gender. Two reviewers independently assessed study eligibility and the quality of included studies.

Results

A total of 7 studies were identified and analyzed, and 3 were multi-institutional. Reporting standards were highly variable. Overall, 7730 patients with ESRD were incorporated in this study. Meta-analysis demonstrated there was significant difference in the incidence of peritonitis with age at implantation, (OR= 1.98 [1.81, 2.17], p=0.00001). Significant difference was not seen in the incidence of peritonitis with diabetes mellitus, (OR= 1.03 [0.23, 4.55], p=0.97). Meta-analysis showed that there was no association between gender with incidence of peritonitis (OR= 1.57 [0.62, 3.97], p=0.35), while male had a higher peritonitis incidence (See figure). No publication bias was noted in this study

Conclusion

Peritonitis is still a major problem in patients with peritoneal dialysis. Age at implantation is the predictive factors that affect peritonitis incidence in peritoneal dialysis patients after tenckhoff catheter implantation, while gender and diabetes mellitus do not appear to be correlated with peritonitis incidence.

Anorectal malformation patients' outcomes after definitive surgery using Krickenbeck classification: A cross-sectional study

Background

The survival of anorectal malformation (ARM) patients has been improved in the last 10 years because of the improvement in management of neonatal care and surgical approaches for ARM patients. Thus, the current management of ARM patients are focusing on the functional outcomes after definitive surgery. Here, we defined the type of ARM and assessed the functional outcomes, including voluntary bowel movement (VBM), soiling, and constipation, in our patients following definitive surgery using Krickenbeck classification.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study to retrospectively review medical records of ARM patients who underwent a definitive surgery at Dr. Sardjito Hospital, Indonesia, from 2011 to 2016.

Results

Forty-three ARM patients were ascertained in this study, of whom 30 males and 13 females. Most patients (83.7%) were normal birth weight. There were ARM without fistula (41.9%), followed by rectourethral fistula (25.5%), perineal fistula (18.6%), vestibular fistula (9.3%), and rectovesical fistula (4.7%). The VBM was achived in 53.5% patients, while the soiling and constipation rates were 11.6% and 9.3%, respectively. Interestingly, patients with normal birth weight showed higher frequency of VBM than those with low birth weight (OR = 9.4; 95% CI = 1.0–86.9; p = 0.04), while male patients also had better VBM than females (OR = 3.9; 95% CI = 1.0–15.6) which almost reached a significant level (p = 0.09). However, VBM was not affected by ARM type (p = 0.26). Furthermore, there were no significant associations between gender, birth weight, and ARM type with soiling and constipation, with p-values of 1.0, 1.0, and 0.87; and 0.57, 1.0, and 0.94, respectively.

Conclusions

Functional outcomes of ARM patients in our hospital are considered relatively good with more than half of children showing VBM and only relatively few patients suffering from soiling and constipation. The frequency of VBM might be associated with birth weight and gender, but not ARM type, while the soiling and constipation did not appear to be correlated with birth weight, gender, nor ARM type. Further multicenter study is necessary to compare our findings with other centers.