Larvicidal Activity of Citrus aurantifolia Decoction against Aedes aegypti Larvae

Background: Infected female Aedes mosquito is the primary vector of virus transmission for dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). Natural phytochemical larvicide is becoming a complementary way for vector control management. The citrus plant extract has natural chemical reactions against mosquito larvae. This study aimed to identify the larvicidal activity of Citrus aurantifolia leaves decoction against larvae of Aedes aegypti as an effort to discover natural phytochemical repellant.Methods: This was an analytic experimental study using twenty-five Aedes aegypti larvae. The larvae were placed in translucent cups containing different concentrations of C. aurantifolia leaves decoction. The cups were filled with Abate as positive controls and water as negative controls. The experiment was repeated for three consecutive days, and the mortality of larvae was monitored for 48 hours as described in the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for laboratory and field testing for mosquito larvicides (WHOPES).Results: C.aurantifolia decoction significantly decreased the number of larvae. The highest mortality was shown in 30% concentration with a total of 224 dead larvae. Probit analysis showed LC50 was 38.5% and 6.6% at 24 and 48 hours, respectively. The highest rate of killing the larvae was taken at LC60 with 91.6% for 24 hours and LC65 64.4% for the 48 hours; thus LC90 could not be determined. The significance of the decoction concentration was analyzed by one way ANOVA preceded with Post-hoc test (p-values 0.000).Conclusions: Decoction of C.aurantifolia leaves has proved to have larvicidal activity against larvae of Aedes aegypti and could be used as phytochemical larvicides in controlling vector of DHF

Comorbidities of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients at Respirology and Critical Care Outpatient Clinic Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, Indonesia

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic disease that becomes one of the leading causes of death in the world. The COPD is usually accompanied by comorbidities that impact prognosis and increase patients’ expenses. However, the comorbidities of COPD patients have not yet to be known in Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, Indonesia. This study was aimed to determine the frequency, type and number of comorbidities accompanying COPD.Methods: This study was a retrospective, cross-sectional study at the respirology and critical care outpatient clinic of Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, Indonesia in 2012. Data were obtained from medical records of patients diagnosed with COPD and had an obstructive pulmonary function test result. Sampling technique in this study was total sampling. Data were classified by age, gender, smoking history and severity of disease and were analyzed to determine the frequency, type and number of comorbidities accompanying COPD. Results: Thirty eight COPD patients with obstructive pulmonary function test results were analyzed. It consists of 31 males and 7 females with age ranged between 43–82 years and median age of 64 years. Severe obstruction was found in 15 of 38 patients. Comorbidities were found in 26 patients, and 2 patients had up to four comorbidities. The most common comorbidity was hypertension (9 of 38).Conclusions: The majority of COPD patients had comorbidities and the most frequent comorbidity was hypertension. [AMJ. 2017;4(1):30–5]DOI: 10.15850/amj.v4n1.101

Comorbidities of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients at Respirology and Critical Care Outpatient Clinic Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, Indonesia

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic disease that becomes one of the leading causes of death in the world. The COPD is usually accompanied by comorbidities that impact prognosis and increase patients’ expenses. However, the comorbidities of COPD patients have not yet to be known in Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, Indonesia. This study was aimed to determine the frequency, type and number of comorbidities accompanying COPD.Methods: This study was a retrospective, cross-sectional study at the respirology and critical care outpatient clinic of Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, Indonesia in 2012. Data were obtained from medical records of patients diagnosed with COPD and had an obstructive pulmonary function test result. Sampling technique in this study was total sampling. Data were classified by age, gender, smoking history and severity of disease and were analyzed to determine the frequency, type and number of comorbidities accompanying COPD. Results: Thirty eight COPD patients with obstructive pulmonary function test results were analyzed. It consists of 31 males and 7 females with age ranged between 43–82 years and median age of 64 years. Severe obstruction was found in 15 of 38 patients. Comorbidities were found in 26 patients, and 2 patients had up to four comorbidities. The most common comorbidity was hypertension (9 of 38).Conclusions: The majority of COPD patients had comorbidities and the most frequent comorbidity was hypertension. [AMJ. 2017;4(1):30–5]DOI: 10.15850/amj.v4n1.101

Longitudinal proteomic profiling of the inflammatory response in dengue patients.

BackgroundThe immunopathogenesis of dengue virus (DENV) infection remains incompletely understood. To increase our understanding of inflammatory response in non-severe dengue, we assessed longitudinal changes in the inflammatory proteome in patients with an acute DENV infection.MethodsUsing a multiplex proximity extension assay (PEA), we measured relative levels of 368 inflammatory markers in plasma samples from hospitalized patients with non-severe DENV infection in the acute (n = 43) and convalescence (n = 35) phase of the infection and samples of healthy controls (n = 10).ResultsWe identified 203 upregulated and 39 downregulated proteins in acute versus convalescent plasma samples. The upregulated proteins had a strong representation of interferon (IFN) and IFN-inducible effector proteins, cytokines (e.g. IL-10, IL-33) and cytokine receptors, chemokines, pro-apoptotic proteins (e.g. granzymes) and endothelial markers. A number of differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) have not been reported in previous studies. Functional network analysis highlighted a central role for IFNγ, IL-10, IL-33 and chemokines. We identified different novel associations between inflammatory proteins and circulating concentrations of the endothelial glycocalyx disruption surrogate marker syndecan-1. Conclusion: This unbiased proteome analysis provides a comprehensive insight in the inflammatory response in DENV infection and its association with glycocalyx disruption

Increased Plasma Heparanase Activity and Endothelial Glycocalyx Degradation in Dengue Patients Is Associated With Plasma Leakage

BACKGROUND: Endothelial hyper-permeability with plasma leakage and thrombocytopenia are predominant features of severe dengue virus infection. It is well established that heparanase, the endothelial glycocalyx degrading enzyme, plays a major role in various diseases with vascular leakage. It is yet to be elucidated whether heparanase activity plays a major role in dengue-associated plasma leakage. Moreover, the major source of heparanase secretion and activation in dengue remains elusive. Since a relatively high amount of heparanase is stored in platelets, we postulate that heparanase released by activated platelets contributes to the increased plasma heparanase activity during dengue virus infection. METHODS: Heparanase activity (plasma and urine), and heparan sulfate and syndecan-1 (plasma levels) were measured in dengue patients with thrombocytopenia in acute phase (n=30), during course of disease (n=10) and in convalescent phase (n=25). Associations with clinical parameters and plasma leakage markers were explored. Platelets from healthy donors were stimulated with dengue non-structural protein-1, DENV2 virus and thrombin to evaluate heparanase release and activity ex vivo. RESULTS: Heparanase activity was elevated in acute dengue and normalized during convalescence. Similarly, glycocalyx components, such as heparan sulfate and syndecan-1, were increased in acute dengue and restored during convalescence. Increased heparanase activity correlated with the endothelial dysfunction markers heparan sulfate and syndecan-1, as well as clinical markers of plasma leakage such as ascites, hematocrit concentration and gall-bladder wall thickening. Notably, platelet number inversely correlated with heparanase activity. Ex vivo incubation of platelets with thrombin and live DENV2 virus, but not dengue virus-2-derived non-structural protein 1 induced heparanase release from platelets. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our findings suggest that the increase of heparanase activity in dengue patients is associated with endothelial glycocalyx degradation and plasma leakage. Furthermore, thrombin or DENV2 activated platelets may be considered as a potential source of heparanase

Signs, symptoms and laboratory results for CHIK cases.

<p>Signs, symptoms and laboratory results for CHIK cases.</p

Functional network analysis of the top 50 differentially expressed proteins in dengue patients.

Depicted is the protein-protein Interaction (PPI) network from the STRING database. The analysis was limited to the top 50 DEPs. The pink (upregulated) and blue (downregulated) nodes denote the proteins while the lines denote the relationships. PPI enrichment p-value was -16, indicating that the network has significantly more interactions than expected and that the proteins likely engage in biologically relevant interactions. Additional nodes of relevant pathways (red nodes) derived from gene ontology biological process term were included in the network.</p

Evidence for Endemic Chikungunya Virus Infections in Bandung, Indonesia

<div><p>Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is known to cause sporadic or explosive outbreaks. However, little is known about the endemic transmission of CHIKV. To ascertain the endemic occurrence of CHIKV transmission, we tested blood samples from patients with a non-dengue febrile illness who participated in a prospective cohort study of factory workers in Bandung, Indonesia. From August 2000 to June 2004, and September 2006 to April 2008, 1901 febrile episodes occurred and 231 (12.2%) dengue cases were identified. The remaining febrile cases were evaluated for possible CHIKV infection by measuring anti-CHIKV IgM and IgG antibodies in acute and convalescent samples. Acute samples of serologically positive cases were subsequently tested for the presence of CHIKV RNA by RT-PCR and/or virus isolation. A total of 135 (7.1%) CHIKV infections were identified, providing an incidence rate of 10.1/1,000 person years. CHIKV infections were identified all year round and tended to increase during the rainy season (January to March). Severe illness was not found and severe arthralgia was not a prominently reported symptom. Serial post-illness samples from nine cases were tested to obtain a kinetic picture of IgM and IgG anti-CHIKV antibodies. Anti-CHIKV IgM antibodies were persistently detected in high titers for approximately one year. Three patients demonstrated evidence of possible sequential CHIKV infections. The high incidence rate and continuous chikungunya cases in this adult cohort suggests that CHIKV is endemically transmitted in Bandung. Further characterization of the circulating strains and surveillance in larger areas are needed to better understand CHIKV epidemiology in Indonesia.</p></div