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EFFECTIVENESS OF HERBAL AND CONVENTIONAL MANAGEMENT INTERVENTIONS OF HEPATITIS B VIRUS
Full text linkBackground: Liver inflammation caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) could become chronic and unresolved if untreated. Prevention and management of the disease are through vaccination and other conventional interventions. This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of herbal management (HM) and conventional pharmaceutical management (PM) interventions in treating HBV.
Materials and Methods: A purposive sampling technique was used to administer questionnaires at the University College Hospital (UCH) and Total Healthcare Diagnostic Centre (THDC). Data collection was according to a EuroQol (EQ -5D), while descriptive and inferential analyses were performed.
Results: Findings revealed a high prevalence of HBV among females from ages 26 to 50. The majority discovered their health status through free HBV tests. Other than cost-effective interventions, about 73% of cases adopted HM to manage the disease. A significant difference (P<0.00) was observed in the correlation analysis of the current health status of respondents and the intervention management adopted. correlation analysis of the current health status of respondents was significantly different (P<0.01) against the intervention management adopted (P<0.00).
Conclusion: The minister of health should emphasize HBV regular screening, subsidized viral load test and free vaccination in both public and private healthcare centres
erratum: EFFECT OF PENICILLIUM SPECIES ON THE ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE PROFILE OF ALCALIGENES FAECALIS
No full textnil
SOCIAL MEDIA USE, KNOWLEDGE, AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN AN INDONESIAN TOURISM REGION
Full text linkBackground: Social media has become an integral part of adolescent life in Indonesia, particularly in tourism regions. It serves as a platform for disseminating information, including about HIV/AIDS. However, it also has the potential to spread misinformation and harmful content, which can increase stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).
Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the relationships between social media use, knowledge, and attitudes towards PLWHA among high school students in an Indonesian tourism region.
Methods: This research utilized a school-based cross-sectional study design in several high schools located in Bukittinggi City, a renowned tourist destination in West Sumatra Province, Indonesia. The study sample comprised high school students aged 15-18 years, with a total of 118 respondents selected. The sample was chosen using a multistage stratified clustered sampling method. The variables measured in this study included social media usage, HIV/AIDS knowledge, and attitudes towards PLWHA. To test the research hypotheses, data analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling techniques. P<0.05 is considered significant.
Results: There were relationships between social media use and knowledge of HIV/AIDS (β=0.614, t-value=9.327, p-value=<0.001), knowledge of HIV/AIDS and attitudes towards PLWHA (β=0.601, t-value=8.344, p-value=0.014) and social media use and attitudes towards PLWHA (β=0.218, t-value=2.469, p-value=<0.001).
Conclusion: This study confirmed significant relationships were found between social media use, knowledge, and attitudes towards PLWHA. The results highlight the necessity for comprehensive interventions and ongoing support to promote the well-being of students amid the dynamic changes in global tourism
MICROBIAL PATTERNS AND DRUG SENSITIVITY TEST OF BACTERIAL AND FUNGAL INFECTION IN COVID-19 PATIENTS AT ADAM MALIK HOSPITAL, MEDAN, INDONESIA
No full textBackground: Bacteria or fungi in COVID-19 involves several mechanisms that can affect immune system and also can increase severity of symptoms. The incidence of bacterial or fungal infections is common in patients with viral respiratory tract infections but the prevalence of bacterial or fungal infections and drug sensitivity test pattern in COVID-19 patients is still not well understood. The aim of this study was to determine the bacterial or fungal infections and drug sensitivity test pattern in COVID-19 patients.
Methods: This is retrospective observational descriptive research with a cross-sectional design. The data was obtained from the COVID-19 patients medical records at Adam Malik Hospital, Medan, Indonesia
Result: A total population of 100 COVID-19 patients were included, with bacterial infections in 26 patients (26%), fungi in 5 patients (5%), bacteria and fungi in 5 patients (5%). The most common bacterial pathogen was Acinetobacter baumannii in 14 patients (45.1%), followed with Klebsiella pneumonia in 5 patients (16.1%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa in 5 patients (16.1%) and Escherichia coli in 3 patients (9.6%). The most sensitive antibiotic in Acinetobacter baumannii was Amikacin (57.14%), Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (40.0%), Ampicillin sulbactam (28.6%), and Meropenem (21.4%). The most common fungal infection was Candida albicans in 5 patients (50.0%) and mostly sensitive to Fluconazole, Voriconazole, Caspofungin, Amphotericin B, Micafungin and Flucytosine (60.0%).
Conclusion: Bacterial and fungal infections can occur in COVID-19 patients. The data on pathogen patterns and sensitivity tests in this study can be the basis for administering antibiotics empiric in hospital for COVID-19 patients
PREVALENCE AND ASSOCIATED RISK FACTORS OF HEPATITIS B VIRUS INFECTION IN LAFIA METROPOLIS, NASARAWA STATE, NIGERIA
Full text linkBackground: Hepatitis B (HB), caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV), remains a critical public health challenge in Nigeria. Globally, the HBV infects approximately 296 million people, significantly contributing to morbidity and mortality, with liver cirrhosis and liver cancer ranking as the 11th and 24th leading causes of death, respectively. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HBV infection and the associated risk factors within the Lafia Metropolis, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from September to November 2023, utilizing a validated questionnaire to assess 461 randomly selected participants from four communities (Azuba, Bukan Sidi, Danka Sarki, and Doka), representing diverse sociodemographic profiles and varying degrees of exposure to risk factors associated with HBV infection. Data were analyzed using chi-square (χ2) tests with IBM SPSS statistical software version 28.0 at a significance level of p < 0.05.
Results: The findings showed that the overall prevalence of HBV infection was 7.8%. A significant association was observed between the prevalence of HBV infection and monthly income (p < 0.01). However, no associations were found with age, gender, educational level, marital status, occupation, or religion. Regarding risk factors, a significant association was found between HBV infection and awareness of one's HBV status (p < 0.03).
Conclusion: These findings highlight the need for targeted public health interventions and policies aimed at reducing HBV transmission among high-risk sociodemographic groups in Lafia Metropolis. This approach could potentially reduce the burden of HBV and improve health outcomes in affected communities
EVALUATION OF GRA6 AS GENETIC MARKER FOR DETERMINING TOXOPLASMA GONDII GENOTYPE IN THE CEREBROSPINAL FLUID OF HIV/AIDS PATIENTS WITH TOXOPLASMIC ENCEPHALITIS
Full text linkBackground: Toxoplasmic encephalitis is a severe manifestation of Toxoplasma gondii infection, with potentially fatal outcomes, particularly among immunocompromised patients. Clinical manifestation of this infection is associated with a specific genotype of T. gondii, requiring the use of genetic marker for genotype determination.
Aims: This study critically evaluated the application of GRA6 gene as genetic marker for genotyping T. gondii in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from HIV/AIDS patients diagnosed with Toxoplasmic encephalitis.
Methods: The study analyzed 69 CSF samples from HIV/AIDS patients with Toxoplasmic encephalitis. These samples tested positive for Toxoplasma IgG serology and SAG2 PCR, while GRA6 genotyping was conducted using PCR-sequencing methods.
Results: The results showed that GRA6 had potential for genotyping in positive control settings from culture cells. However, there was limited effectiveness in CSF samples from Toxoplasmic encephalitis patients.
Conclusion: GRA6 had been proven effective as a genetic marker for the identification of T. gondii genotype among HIV/AIDS patients with Toxoplasmic encephalitis. However, the evaluation of GRA6 showed more effectiveness in cultured cells compared to direct clinical samples, such as cerebrospinal fluid obtained from HIV/AIDS patients with Toxoplasmic encephalitis.
The EFFECT OF AN INFUSION OF HIBISCUS SABDARIFFA L. IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS FROM AN URBAN POPULATION: AN IMPORTANT COMORBIDITY BEFORE COVID-19.: Effect of an infusion of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. in hypertensive patients
No full textBackground: Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) has traditionally been used in folk medicine to treat hypertension; however, clinical studies are limited to show efficacy as an antihypertensive. Today, hypertension is an important comorbidity in the face of the covid-19 pandemic. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of a commercial H. sabdariffa infusion on blood pressure (BP) levels in hypertensive patients through a pilot clinical study.
Materials and Methods: Patients with a previous diagnosis of hypertension were chosen, regardless of their BP figures, who frequently came for consultations at a health center. The infusion (10 g/240 mL) was administered orally daily for four weeks in 33 patients, 11 of them presented uncontrolled levels of BP.
Results: Statistically significant differences were found in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) values, but not for systolic blood pressure (SBP) (n=33), suggesting that the values could decrease until being significant with a longer supplementation time or higher doses. In uncontrolled patients (n=11), both SBP and DBP showed a significant decrease.
Conclusion: The results showed that the use of H. sabdariffa in this study could be useful in the management of patients with hypertension. However, future studies should be performed on larger samples so that effectiveness can be fully determined
CHANGING PATTERN OF NON ALBICANS CANDIDEMIA: OCCURENCE AND SUSCEPTIBILITY PROFILE IN AN INDONESIAN SECONDARY TEACHING HOSPITAL
Full text linkPREDICTORS OF HIV STATUS DISCLOSURE AND CONDOM USE AMONG MOTHERS LIVING WITH HIV IN A TERTIARY HOSPITAL SOUTHEAST, NIGERIA.
Full text linkBackground: Non-disclosure of HIV status and poor condom use, among mothers living with HIV may pose risks of HIV transmission to their serodiscordant partners and may influence the outcome of their infants. The study was aimed at assessing predictors of HIV status disclosure, and condom use, among mothers of infants exposed to HIV attending the ART clinic in Abakaliki, Southeast Nigeria.
Materials and Methods. A hospital-based cross-sectional study that involved 246 mothers living with HIV. Information was obtained using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS version 26 and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: A total of 190 (77.2%)of the 246 study participants disclosed their HIV status to their partners, but only 95 (38.6%) of them used condoms consistently and correctly during sexual intercourse. While 112(45.5%) had HIV serodiscordant partners, 29 (11.8%) did not know the HIV status of their partners. Marital status of the mother (p=0.041), and HIV serostatus of the partner (p<0.001) having a child living with HIV (p=0.035) were predictors of HIV status disclosure to partners while HIV serostatus of the partner (p=0.041), the total number of children (p=0.031) and history of STDs (p=0.008) were predictors of condom use. Mothers with serodiscordant partners (AOR=2.21,95%CI=0.94-11.32) and mothers with less than 4 children (AOR=1.89, 95%CI= 0.52-8.33) were about twice more likely to use condoms compared to their colleagues.
Conclusion: HIV serostatus of partners predicted status disclosure and condom use. Effective counseling is recommended to improve status disclosure and condom use especially among serodiscordant couples.
SELF-EFFICACY MEDIATES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEXUAL EDUCATION AND PREVENTION OF SEXUALLY-TRANSMITTED DISEASES AWARENESS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN PADANG CITY, INDONESIA
Full text linkBackground: Adolescence is a crucial stage for developing behaviors that impact long-term sexual and reproductive health, particularly in LMICs like Indonesia.
This study examined the relationship between sexual education, self-efficacy, and awareness of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) prevention among secondary school students in Padang City, Indonesia.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 254 students aged 12-15 years, using self-administered questionnaires and a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling technique. Data analysis was performed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM).
Results: SEM revealed significant relationships between self-efficacy and STDs prevention (β=0.528, P<0.001), self-efficacy and sexual education (β=0.220, P=0.001), and sexual education and STDs prevention (β=0.218, P=0.001).
Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of self-efficacy as a mediator in enhancing the effectiveness of sexual education programs, suggesting that boosting students' confidence in their ability to protect themselves can improve STDs prevention behaviors