Althea Medical Journal
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Correlation between Oxygen Saturation and Hemoglobin and Hematokrit Levels in Tetralogy of Fallot Patients
Get PDFBackground: Hemoglobin and hematocrit levels increase in Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) but the oxygen saturation declines. Reduced hemoglobin in circulating blood as a parameter of cyanosis does not indicate rising hemoglobin due to the ‘not-working’ hemoglobins that affect the oxygen saturation. Increasing hematocrit is the result of secondary erythrocytosis caused by declining oxygen level in blood, which is related to the oxygen saturation. This study was conducted to find the correlation between oxygen saturation and hemoglobin and hematocrite levels in TOF patients.Methods: This study was undertaken at Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital in the period of January 2011 to December 2012 using the cross-sectional analytic method with total sampling technique. Inclusion criteria were medical records of TOF patients diagnosed based on echocardiography that included data on oxygen saturation, hemoglobin, and hematocrite. Exclusion criteria was the history of red blood transfusion. Results: Thirty medical records of TOF patiens from Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung were included in this study. Due to skewed data distribution, Spearman correlation test was used to analyze the data. There was a significant negative correlation between oxygen saturation and hematocrit level (r= -0.412; p=0.024) and insignificant correlation between oxygen saturation and hemoglobin (r=-0.329; p= 0.076).Conclusions: There is a weak negative correlation between oxygen saturation and hematocrite levels. [AMJ.2016;3(1):152–5]DOI: 10.15850/amj.v3n1.72
Association between Mothers’ Characteristics, Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice and Intestinal Helminthes Infection on Children
Get PDFBackground: The prevalence of soil-transmitted helminthes infection in Indonesia is still high, especially in children aged 3 to 8 years old. Helminthes infection cause loss of nutrition, delay physical development, intelligence, and labor productivity and decrease immunity. Mothers’ characteristics, knowledge, attitude, and practice are some of the factors that influence the occurrence of intestinal helminthes infection on children. This study was aimed to find the association between mothers’ characteristics, knowledge, attitude, and practice and the occurrence of intestinal helminthes infection on children.Methods: The study was conducted at Jatinangor Cohort’s research center from August to September 2014 using cross sectional analysis. One hundred and forty five secondary data were collected using validated questionnaire that filled by mothers and results of feces on children were tested. The amount of data excluded due to incomplete was 8, the data utilized was then analyzed by Chi Square evaluation.Results: Mothers’ characteristics such as age (P = 0.611), education (P = 0.952), occupation (P = 0.876), income (P = 0.199), and knowledge (P = 0.424; OR = 1.333), attitude (P = 0.236; OR = 0.808), practice (P = 0.333; OR = 4.625) did not have a significant association with the occurrence of intestinal helminthes infection on children.Conclusions: Characteristics, knowledge, attitude, and practice of the mothers towards the intestinal helminthes infection do not associate with the occurrence of intestinal helminthes infection on children. [AMJ.2016;3(2):248–53] DOI: 10.15850/amj.v3n2.79
Knowledge and Attitude towards Antibiotic Use among College Students in Jatinangor
Get PDFBackground: Lack of knowledge about antibiotics cause people to have a misconception about the use of antibiotics. This may potentially lead to inappropriate use of antibiotics in the community, which is themajor reason for the spread of antibiotic resistance. This study aimed to assess knowledge and attitudes toward antibiotic usage among non-medical students in Jatinangor.Methods: This study used a cross-sectional, questionnaire based survey conducted among non-medical college students in Jatinangor, sub-district of Sumedang regency, from September to October 2013. Samples were selected using convenience sampling method, with a total number of 250 samples.Results: More than half of the respondents (56.4%) had a poor knowledge regarding antibiotic use. Respondents who knew that antibiotics was indicated to treat bacterial infections reached 75.2%, although 58.4% of respondents still believed that antibiotics could be used in viral infection. In terms of antibioticresistance, 72% of respondents were aware that overused of antibiotics could cause antibiotic resistance. In addition, respondents were generally found to have more positive attitudes toward antibiotics with results over 50%, whereas more than one-third of the respondents wrongly self-medicated themselves withantibiotics.Conclusions: This study reveals that most of the respondents have poor knowledge regarding antibiotics. Almost half of the respondents have a negative attitude regarding the use of antibiotics. Educational interventions are needed to promote prudent use of antibiotics among the college students.[AMJ.2016;3(2):269–74]DOI: 10.15850/amj.v3n2.79
Effects of Psidium guajava Leaf Infusion on Streptococci viridans
Get PDFBackground: Dental caries is recognized as the most important oral burden. It is caused by the formation of lactate acid formed through reaction of bacteria and carbohydrates. Streptococci viridans has been proven as the primary etiologic agents for dental caries. Low accessibility in oral care services leads the Indonesian community to use plants in order to prevent dental caries. One of those plants is Psidium guajava (pink guava). The leaves were suggested to have antimicrobial effects on some gram-positive bacteria. When the organism is resistant to specific substance tested on media, a circular/inhibition zone around a disc containing antimicrobial substance was formed. The purpose of this study was to identify the presence of inhibition zones by infusion of Psidium guajava leaf on Streptococci viridians in vitro.Methods: This laboratory experiment was carried out in September to October 2014 at the Microbiology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran. Infusions of Psidium guajava leaf were made into four different concentrations (10%, 25%, 50% and 100%, respectively) and the identification of inhibition zones on Streptococci viridans obtained from the laboratory was tested using modified disk diffusion test. Distilled water acted as negative control. The results were then interpreted after 24 hours of incubation. Every procedure was repeated three times.Results: All four concentrations of Psidium guajava leaf infusions have formed inhibition zones on the media, with the highest concentration (100%) producing largest average diameter.Conclusions: The infusion of Psidium guajava leaf produces inhibition zones on Streptococci virdans in vitro. [AMJ.2016;3(3):345–8] DOI: 10.15850/amj.v3n3.87
Vegetables contamination by Parasitic Helminth Eggs in Malaysia and Indonesia
Get PDFBackground: Soil-transmitted helminth infection is known to be a serious issue in South East Asia when the farmers use night soil and contaminated water for their plants. In Indonesia, some of the farmers still use human feces and sometimes also mixed it with urine from the latrines as fertilizers. On the contrary, in Malaysia these contamination occured at a lower rate due to strict rules by the authorities.The objective of this study was to identify the helminth eggs in vegetables from traditional markets in Indonesia and Malaysia.Methods: Three traditional markets were selected by non-random sampling, namely Pasar Ampang in Malaysia and 2 traditional markets in Indonesia, i.e Pasar Tanjungsari and Jatinangor. Cabbages and lettuce were bought from 15 different vegetable sellers per market. The samples were examined at the laboratory of the Medical Faculty, Universitas Padjadjaran. The method to obtain the specimen was in accordance with Khairul Anwar and Ramachandran. This study was carried out from July to October 2014. The collected data was analyzed by percentage and frequency tabulation.Result: Most of the samples are contaminated by helminth eggs. In Pasar Ampang, 13.3% in cabbage and 6.7% in lettuce. In Pasar Tanjung Sari, 46.7% in cabbage and 40% in lettuce. Moreover, in Pasar Jatinangor, 33.3% in cabbage and 26.7% in lettuce. Most of the helmint eggs were Ascaris lumbricoides.Conclusions: The helminthes eggs contamination is higher in Indonesian traditional markets compared to in Malaysia. [AMJ.2016;3(2):190–4]DOI: 10.15850/amj.v3n2.79
Visual Acuity of Patients after Neodymium:Yttrium-Aluminium-Garnet Laser at Cicendo Eye Hospital in 2013-2014
Get PDFBackground: Indonesia ranks the second highest in blindness worldwide. One of the factors that may cause blindness is posterior capsule opacification (PCO), a secondary cataract that developed after cataract surgery. PCO eventually leads to visual impairment. The common management for PCO is neodymium:yttrium-aluminium-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser posterior capsulotomy. It is an effective, non-invasive, and painless procedure. The aim of this study was to describe the visual acuity of PCO patients after Nd: YAG laser posterior capsulotomy.Methods: A descriptive study was conducted based on simple randomized secondary data from Cicendo Eye Hospital, Bandung from January 2013 to August 2014.Results: Out of 102 patients, 53 patients (51.96%) were male and 49 (48.04%) were females. The male to female ratio was 1:1. The maximum number of patients was at age group of 60−69 years (33.33%). Sixty−nine patients (67.65%) presented mild or no visual impairment uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) post-laser. Eighty-nine patients (87.25%) presented mild or no visual impairment best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) post-laser. Generally, 94 patients (92.16%) showed improvement of visual acuity after Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy. Three patients (2.49%) were suffering from blindness UCVA post-laser and 1 patient (0.98%) falls at blindness BCVA post-laser respectively.Conclusions: Improvement of visual acuity is achieved after Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy in PCO patients. [AMJ.2016;3(1):99–102]DOI: 10.15850/amj.v3n1.71
Frequency and Clinical Characteristics of Tympanic Membrane Perforation Outpatients at Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital in 2011–2013
Get PDFBackground: Tympanic membrane perforation is a hearing problem that has become a health problem in the society. In Indonesia, there are only a few studies regarding tympanic membrane perforation. This study was aimed to observe the frequency and clinical characteristics of tympanic membrane perforation patients.Methods: This was a descriptive study performed from August to September 2014. The data was taken retrospectively from medical records of tympanic membrane perforation patients at Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital from January 2011 to December 2013.Results: Of 579 tympanic perforation patients, there were only 214 medical records met the inclusion criteria. The frequency of tympanic membrane perforation patients increased in 2011 it was 28%, in 2013 it was 37.6%. The number of male patients (53.3%) was higher than female patients’. Most patients were in productive age (83.2%). Most patients came with the chief complaint of discharge from ear (36.4%) and the most common etiology was infection (84.1%). Otological examination showed that most patients had unilateral perforation (73.8%). Based on the size of perforation, central perforation (52.3%) was the most common otological finding. From audiogram, most patients had conductive hearing loss (41.5%) with moderate degree of hearing loss (30.4%). Most patients were treated by medications (64.5%).Conclusions: The frequency of tympanic membrane steadily increases with clinical characteristic mostly in male patients in productive age admitted with chieft complain of discharge of ear. The most common etiology is infection. Majority of patients have unilateral central perforation that cause conductive hearing lost. [AMJ.2016;3(1):43–8] DOI: 10.15850/amj.v3n1.70
Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Menstrual Hygiene among High Schools Students in Jatinangor
Get PDFBackground: Menstruation is a physiological process in female adolescents which usually started at age of 9–12 years. Menstrual hygiene is a hygienic practice during menstruation which can prevent women from the infection in reproductive and urinary tract. Lack of knowledge regarding menstruation and menstrual hygiene lead to poor attitude and practice. This study was conducted to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of menstrual hygiene among high schools students in Jatinangor.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from May until June 2013 in high schools around Jatinangor. This study population was taken from four schools selected through cluster random sampling from 17 junior and senior high schools available in Jatinangor. Total sampling from four schools was undertaken and a total of 238 female high school students’ data were established. The respondents aged between 13–19 years old.Results: The level of knowledge, attitude and practice among participants were 180 (75.63%), 186 (78.15%) and 210 (88.24%) respectively which were mostly good. Conclusions: Overall, most of the participants in this study have good knowledge, attitude and practice about menstrual hygiene, but a few of them still have poor and moderate knowledge and attitude, although there is no poor practice among them. [AMJ.2016;3(2):230–8] DOI: 10.15850/amj.v3n2.78
Roles of Microwave Oven in Preparing Microbiological Growth Media
No full textBackground: Sterilization of a growth medium before being utilized is a very important step in a microbiology laboratory. The common method for this purpose is by using the autoclave. However, autoclaving takes more time. To overcome this limitation, we tried to use the microwave oven. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of microwave oven in preparing the growth media.Methods: This was a laboratory experimental study conducted at Microbiology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, from October to November 2014. The growth media used were: MacConkey agar, in petri dishes, inoculated with Escherichia coli; Sabouraud agar, in petri dishes, inoculated with Candida albicans; Kligler iron agar (KIA), in reaction tubes, inoculated with Escherichia coli and Salmonella Typhi; Simmons citrate agar, in reaction tubes, inoculated with Klebsiella pneumoniae; Mueller-Hinton (M-H) broth, in reaction tubes, inoculated with Escherichia coli; and Motility Indole Urea (MIU) semisolid agar, in reaction tubes, inoculated with Proteus sp.The media would be heated by microwave for 1, 2, and 3 minutes. Results: From the total 54 dishes/tubes of various microwave-sterilized media, contaminations were only seen at 5 dishes/tubes. Most of the media, except the one-minute-heated Mueller-Hinton broth, were sterilized more than half dishes/tubes. The identification function of all media in this study was performed well. Conclusions: The utilization of microwave oven as an alternative sterilizing apparatus for microbiological growth media is very potential, particularly for two and three minutes duration of heating. [AMJ.2016;3(1):1–5]DOI: 10.15850/amj.v3n1.46
Relation between Risk Factors of Pyoderma and Pyoderma Incidence
Get PDFBackground: Pyoderma is a purulent bacterial infection of the skin. In developing countries, pyoderma is the most common skin disease in children. Pyoderma attacks male more often than female. Factors influencing pyoderma are low socioeconomic level, low education, low personal hygiene and unhygienic house. This study was conducted to assess the relation between risk factors of pyoderma and pyoderma incidence.Methods: This study used cross-sectional study design and was conducted from August–November 2013. The sample collection was done with multistage random sampling, where 196 primary school children in Jatinangor subdistrict were randomly taken to be admitted into this study. The data collection procedure consisted of physical examination and questionnaire filling. The data were statistically analyzed using independent T and chi-square test.Results: Upon examining 196 subjects, four were found with pyoderma. As such, the prevalence of pyoderma on primary school children in Jatinangor in 2013 was 2%. There was relation between personal hygiene and pyoderma incidence (p=0.041). Sex (p=0.623), healthy housing (p=0.097), socioeconomic level (p=0.742) and education level of parents (p=0.989) were not related with pyoderma.Conclusions: Personal hygiene is the risk factor that had relation with incidence of pyoderma. [AMJ.2016;3(3):434–39] DOI: 10.15850/amj.v3n3.86