Althea Medical Journal
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Correlation between Short-Term Memory and Achievement of Athletes
Get PDFBackground: Human activity is largely related to thought processing or cognition. One of the most important components of cognition is memory. Individuals who undergo heavy activities, such as athletes, use a lot of memory in the subject’s activities, especially during competitions. The purpose of this study was to find out whether there was a correlation between the capability of short term memory with the performance of an athlete during a competition, especially those measured by achievements.Methods: This study was an analytic observational correlation study with a cross-sectional design and involved 201 athletes as respondents from 12 branches of sports. The study was conducted in the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI) building from September to November 2015. Digit Span Forward and Backward were used to collect short term memory data and was performed after a consent form and the respondent’s identity was recorded. The athlete’s achievements data was gathered by an interview and recapitulation of athlete’s achievements in the last five years.Results: OA total of 186 data was analyzed and found a negative and insignificant correlation between achievement and short-term memory based on digit span tests both forward (r=0.095 p=0.196) and backward(r=0.039 p=0.196). Conclusions: There is no correlation between short term memory and the achievements of an athlete.
Early Detection of Suspected Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Community-Dwellings in West Java Indonesia
Get PDFBackground: Prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been known in almost all countries around the world. Contrary to this, in Indonesia, neither a national epidemiologic study on SLE nor any direct study on SLE in the general population has been conducted. Early detection of SLE is needed as a first step to determine prevalence of SLE in Indonesia as well as to prevent further complications. This study aimed to obtain the prevalence of suspected SLE in community-dwellings.Methods: This study was conducted in the period September to November 2015 and used the descriptive cross-sectional method. The respondents were people who were at least 18 years old and lived in selected blocks in three different villages in Jatinangor, West Java. Data were obtained from secondary sources of a previous SLE screening study that was incorporated in a study on “Epidemiology of hypertension and albuminuria in Jatinangor” in 2014, using the multistage sampling method. Suspected SLE was based on the Liang screening questionnaire. The collected data were presented in tables.Results: There were 72 respondents (8%) suspected to have SLE. Most of the cases were female (Odds ratio:1.47) and 51–60 years old. The most clinical manifestation was painful swollen joints >3 months.Conclusions: The existence of suspected SLE cases in Jatinangor’s population, as an example of Indonesian population should be a concern so that examinations could be carried out to make sure that respondents with SLE can be provided prompt interventions to prevent further complications.
Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior Level of Women of Reproductive Age toward Calcium Intake
Get PDFBackground: Women have a higher risk of developing osteoporosis compared to men. Calcium intake is one of the determinant factor which can be modified to prevent osteoporosis. Knowledge, attitude and behaviour are important factors to fulfill the needs of calcium intake. This study aimed to describe knowledge, attitude, and behavior toward calcium intake of woman of reproductive age.Methods: This descriptive study recruited 100 women (aged 20–30 years) in Jatinangor, West Java and was conducted from September to November 2014. Knowledge and attitude measurements used a validated questionnaire consisting of 10 and 9 closed questions respectively. Behavioral aspect was assessed using semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Knowledge was classified as high, moderate, and low based on questionnaire scoring results, >75%, 60–75%, and <60% respectively. Attitude was categorized in two: positive and negative. Behaviour category used Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) as the cut-off point. If the daily calcium intake is below the RDA it is categorized less and if the daily calcium intake equals to or exceeds the RDA it is categorized sufficient. The collected data were presented in frequency tabulation and percentage.Results: The majority of subjects showed low to moderate level of knowledge toward calcium intake, 66% of subjects showed negative attitude towards calcium intake, and 98% showed calcium intake below the RDA. Conclusions: Subjects of this study have low to moderate level of knowledge, negative attitude toward calcium intake, and low level of behavior toward calcium intake
Emotional Mental Problems among Adolescents: Urban and Semi-Urban Settings
Get PDFBackground: Emotional mental problems refer to something that complicates someone in an attempt to conform to the environment and experiences. In Indonesia the prevalence of emotional mental problems is 6.0%. In West Java province as the most populous region in Indonesia, the number of prevalence is above the national average of 9.3%. West Java province was selected for this study because in addition to being the most densely populated region, it also has urban and semi-urban areas. The purpose of this study was to identify the difference in the prevalence of emotional mental problems of adolescent in urban and semi-urban areas.Methods: This study used the cross sectional approach method. Inclusion criteria were adolescents aged 14-16 years who attended several Junior High and Senior High Schools in Cirebon City as an urban area and Sumedang Regency as a semi-urban area. Exclusion criteria were adolescents who filled out the questionnaire incompletely. The study variables consisted of adolescents, urban and semi-urban areas, and emotional mental problems. Data were analyzed by using chi square (x2) test.Results: Out of 1039 respondents, 816 met the inclusion criteria. There were significant differences in emotional mental problems on the aspects of emotional symptoms, behavior, hyperactivity, interpersonal relationships, social behavior, and total value of emotional mental problems with p value <0.05.Conclusions: There is a difference in emotional mental problems of adolescents in urban and semi-urban areas. Adolescents in urban regions have higher mental-emotional problems than in semi-urban regions.
Elderly Profile of Quality of Life Using WHOQOL-BREF Indonesian Version: A Community-Dwelling
Get PDFBackground: Indonesia as one of the developing countries is facing a demographic transition. The proportion of under-five children is decreasing while the proportion of elderly is rising. This situation is followed by the increase of noncommunicable/degenerative diseases. However, this situation is not a constraint for the elderly to have a better life. The WHOQOL Group had developed a questionnaire to measure the elderly’s quality of life. The aim of this study was to describe the quality of life (QoL) of a community-dwelling elderly by using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire Indonesian version.Methods: Eighty eight elderly from 6 villages in Jatinangor, West Java, Indonesia were involved in a descriptive study relating to QoL by using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire Indonesian version. The inclusion criteria were men and women, aged ≥60 years, could communicate effectively, and had Mini Mental State Examination score ≥>23. The variables in the study were physical, psychological, social and environmental domains and facets in the QoL questionnaire. The collected data in the study were analyzed using the central tendency items.Results: Most respondents had low QoL scores (≤60). This study discovered that some facets of every domain in the WHOQOL-BREF had low scores, namely adequate energy, ability to perform daily living activities, satisfaction with work capacity, ability to concentrate, acceptance of physical appearance, satisfaction of sex life, financial fulfillment, availibility of information, opportunity for leisure activities and transport.Conclusions: Most of the elderly have low QoL scores in some facets of every domain in the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire.
Qualitative Analysis of Establishing Diagnosis and Management of Hypertension from Patient’s Perspective in Jatinangor
Get PDFBackground: Blood pressure control is necessary to prevent complications in patients with hypertension. A previous study in Jatinangor showed the failure of controlling blood pressure even with pharmacological treatment. Proper diagnosis and effective management are considered to influence the condition. This study was performed to describe the process of establishing diagnosis and management for hypertension from the patient’s perspective in Jatinangor.Methods: A phenomenological approach was used. Data were collected through semi-structured questions in focus group discussions (FGDs) led by a moderator. Participants of FGDs were patients with hypertension who had undergone antihypertensive drugs therapy based on a previous study, and were invited by the local health cadres. The study was held in two villages in Jatinangor, namely Hegarmanah and Cilayung in the period of July to August 2015. Data were presented as narration and figures.Results: There were five and eight hypertensive participants for Hegarmanah and Cilayung villages FGD, respectively. Diagnosis of hypertension in FGD participants was not only confirmed by doctors but also other health professionals, due to various accessibilities to health care facilities. Diagnosis establishment and management of hypertension were not following the protocol. Education on pharmacological and non-pharmacological management was provided by health professionals, however still lacked details and was not reviewed on every visit, resulting in a lack of compliance. Conclusions: Process of establishing diagnosis and management of hypertension from the patient’s perspective in Jatinangor is unfortunately not following the protocol, thus may influence the blood pressure control outcome.
Characteristics of Eye Tumor in Children
Get PDFBackground: Eye tumors are commonly found and fatal among pediatric patients. The immediacy of management depends on the diagnosis, and is increased when the patient’s characteristics are known. This study aims to describe the characteristics of pediatric patients diagnosed with eye tumors.Methods: This is a descriptive retrospective study using secondary data involving 102 medical records of pediatric patients diagnosed with eye tumors in the National Eye Center Cicendo Eye Hospital Bandung in the period from January 2013 to December 2014.Results: The characteristics of 102 subjects: 54 (52.9%) were female, 59 (57.8%) were 1 to 4 years old, and 79 (77.5%) were from West Java. The characteristics of the tumors: 42 (41.2%) presented with a chief complaint of leukocoria, 73 (71.6%) were malignant, 68 (66.7%) were retinal, and the most common management was surgery (64.7%). The most common malignant tumor was retinoblastoma (93.2%) while the most common benign tumor was dermoid cyst (31%).Conclusion: Patients were frequently 1–4 years old and the most common diagnosis were retinoblastoma and dermoid cyst. DOI: 10.15850/amj.v4n1.97
Familial Analysis of Patients with Hypertension in Jatinangor, West Java, Indonesia
Get PDFBackground: Hypertension is a disease that is influenced by genetic factors, although the single gene affecting the occurrence of the disease has not been yet discovered. Genetic analysis and familial analysis on hypertension are needed to be done but genetic analysis needs substantial fund, and familial analysis on hypertension has been never done in community. Besides sharing the genetic factors, family also shares similar environment and life style. Latest study showed that the association between genetic and environmental factors can affect the phenotype of chronic disease suchas hypertension. The study was aimed to explore the family history contribution of patients with hypertension in Jatinangor.Methods: This was a descriptive-quantitave study. The subjects were 283 hypertensive patients in Jatinangor with complete data of family history. The data was retrospectively obtained from secondary data of a previous study conducted in Community Health and Well-ness Study Center, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran titled Epidemiology of Hypertension and Albuminuria in Jatinangor 2014. Familial analysis conducted in this study was modified trios analysis.Results: In this modified trios analysis, there was only 20% of total patients with hypertension who have history of hypertension in two generations of their family. The proportion of patients with hypertension who have history of hypertension in one generation of their family was greater. More than 45% from the total 283 patients with hypertension analyzed in this study have family history of hypertension.Conclusions: Familial analysis using modified trios analysis showed similar results with the study conducted using other genetical analysis
Five Years Facts of Bladder Cancer at West Java’s Top Referral Hospital, in Indonesia
Get PDFBackground: Bladder cancer is the second most common genitourinary cancer and its incidence is rising 15% annually in Indonesia. Smoking is the leading risk factor of bladder cancer and two thirds of men in Indonesia smokes. This study was conducted to describe the characteristics of bladder cancer based on sex, age and histopathology type in West Java’s Top Referral Hospital, Indonesia. Methods: This study was a descriptive study conducted during theperiod of September to November 2015 using 372 histopathological medical records of patients who had primary and secondary bladder cancer at the Pathology Department, Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung from January 2010 to December 2014. Data were collected using total sampling method based on the characteristics of age, sex histopathology type, and staging of bladder cancer.Results: Out of the 372 cases, 298 cases were male and 38 cases were female with a male to female ratio of 7.8:1. The age group with the highest incidence was the 50–59 years old group. Infiltrating urothelial carcinoma was the most common histopathology type (71.1%) in primary cancers, 66.1% of cases was muscle invasive while 33.9% was non muscle invasive. Staging pT1 had the most number of cases. The most common site of origin for secondary neoplasm was cervix with adenocarcinoma as the most common histopathology type. Conclusions: Bladder cancer is more common in male than female and peaks at the sixth decade of life. Infiltrating urothelial carcinoma is the most common histopathology type. [AMJ.2017;4(1):94–9] DOI: 10.15850/amj.v4n1.102
Identification of Pathogen Protozoans (Cryptosporidium spp and Giardia lamblia) from Canteen’s Water-sources at Jatinangor, West Java, Indonesia
Get PDFBackground: The prevalence of intestinal protozoan infection caused by Cryptosporidium spp and Giardia lamblia has been rapidly increasing in developing countries. Contamination of water-sources by intestinal protozoans can spread infection to humans when it is consumed without any specific treatment. Jatinangor is an educational area where many universities are located and many students live in this area. This study aimed to identify the presence of intestinal protozoa (Cryptosporidium spp and Giardia lamblia) in water-sources used by canteens at Jatinangor area to detect the magnitude of protozoans intestinal infections.Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out from August to September 2014. Raw water samples from reservoir tanks, water containers and tapwater were taken from all canteens located along the main road of Jatinangor. Samples were centrifuged and divided into two portions; two drops from the first test tube was stained with Lugol solution and observed by 2 observers under a light microscope for Giardia lamblia, and sediments from the second test tube was stained using acid fast staining then observed for Cryptosporidium spp under the light microscope. Results: Out of 50 samples, 26 were positive for parasites, of which 22 (44%) were contaminated by Cryptosporidium spp and 4 (8%) were contaminated by Giardia lamblia.Conclusions: Half of the raw water-sources in Jatinangor are contaminated by Cryptosporidium spp and Giardia lamblia. Proper water treatment should be implemented by the owners of the canteens before it is consumed as drinking water.